Van Compass Ford Transit Build - 1 TON 4x4 conversion

[Kyron]

Awesome stuff

 

[Oldcarnut]

In theory the cabinet will fit any vehicle space provided? Might need to pick this up for me bus...
Will know more in spring.

 

[Van Compass]

In theory the cabinet will fit any vehicle space provided? Might need to pick this up for me bus...
Will know more in spring.

Yes, it will work if you have the space. We plan to make a smaller size as well.

 

[Van Compass]

Got some work on the interior over the weekend. Pulled up the factory floor and got to work mounting a single Transit rear seat.

The legs and factory mounts did not work for the location I wanted. I cut and welded on mounts to properly drill through the floor to bolt the seat in place. 3x4" x 3/16" thick plates were used on the under side of the van to prevent the seat from ripping through the floor in an accident. Trimmed up the factory rubber floor and plastic step cover to fit around the seat legs. I have a passenger swivel from sprinterupgrades.com that I installed about a year ago. I envision a small table between the swiveled passenger seat and rear seat in the future.

I mocked up the kitchen galley and drilled for 6 mounting points through the floor. Finished out the weekend installing duct foam insulation over the entire floor of the van. I have used this insulation from Home Depot in other vans with good results. Way lighter than normal sound deadening and it has R3 insulation value. I have not installed it under the driver and passenger foot wells yet, but I already notice a good level of noise reduction. https://www.homedepot.com/p/E-O-12-in-x-15-ft-Self-Stick-Foam-Foil-Duct-Insulation-FV516/100028603

 

[Van Compass]

I've had my 190 Watt panel mounted to the factory roof bars for 8 months and finally got the wires passed through the roof. More wiring projects to do....

We made a storage trunk for the Sprinter and figured we should try it in the Transit. It will makes a great place to mount my house batteries low and out of the elements.

 

[Van Compass]

Diff Skid plate

Prototype Diff skid plate fit like a glove. We will have these available for sale in March.

 

[Joey G]

We made a storage trunk for the Sprinter and figured we should try it in the Transit. It will makes a great place to mount my house batteries low and out of the elements.

How big is it? Is this something you're going to produce?

 

[_hein_]

... Finished out the weekend installing duct foam insulation over the entire floor of the van. I have used this insulation from Home Depot in other vans with good results. Way lighter than normal sound deadening and it has R3 insulation value. I have not installed it under the driver and passenger foot wells yet, but I already notice a good level of noise reduction. https://www.homedepot.com/p/E-O-12-in-x-15-ft-Self-Stick-Foam-Foil-Duct-Insulation-FV516/100028603

Great Transit build and cool to see what you are coming up with.

The FrostKing self adhesive foam duct insulation is a good alternative to Dynamat, etc. But it's not R3. Closed cell foam is typically about R3 per inch so with a product thickness of about 3/16" your not getting a lot of thermal insulating. We used it under the cab floor in our Sprinter but don't recommend it for under the floor in back. It's not resilient and supportive enough and will compress considerably over time. Minicell closed cell cross-linked PE foam is better (used under dance/gym floors) and probably less expensive as well.

We would be honored to supply some 3M Thinsulate(TM) for your walls, ceiling and doors. You will be amazed at the performance and there is no need for any additional noise control. It's actually only marginally more expensive per sq foot than the FrostKing and will do a lot more for raising the comfort level in your van.

All the best,
Hein
DIYvan.com

 

[Van Compass]

How big is it? Is this something you're going to produce?

The box is 25 wide, 23 long and 11.75" tall.

We have them in stock. Working on getting them on our website this week.

 

[Van Compass]

Great Transit build and cool to see what you are coming up with.

The FrostKing self adhesive foam duct insulation is a good alternative to Dynamat, etc. But it's not R3. Closed cell foam is typically about R3 per inch so with a product thickness of about 3/16" your not getting a lot of thermal insulating. We used it under the cab floor in our Sprinter but don't recommend it for under the floor in back. It's not resilient and supportive enough and will compress considerably over time. Minicell closed cell cross-linked PE foam is better (used under dance/gym floors) and probably less expensive as well.

We would be honored to supply some 3M Thinsulate(TM) for your walls, ceiling and doors. You will be amazed at the performance and there is no need for any additional noise control. It's actually only marginally more expensive per sq foot than the FrostKing and will do a lot more for raising the comfort level in your van.

All the best,
Hein
DIYvan.com

Thanks for the info Hein.

I plan to use the stock floor that has some insulation glued to the bottom of the mat. I might put a wood floor over the top to do some LVP flooring. I like the stock floor for simplicity, and weight savings, but wife want it to be easier to clean. I got a bunch of free bonded logic insulation from a customer. I used on the walls and roof. If I need any more I will give you a shout.

 

[Van Compass]

Light weight headliner in place

Wife and I spent the weekend working on a headliner made from fiberglass reinforced plastic, sourced from Lowes. We cut OBS board into 3" strips and attached to the van roof ribs to provide a place to screw in the plastic panels. The plastic cuts OK with tin snips or a razor blade. One side of the tin snip cut will slightly crack the plastic, take note the direction you are cutting if using snips. The front portion was a PITA, but we eventually got it done. I did not weigh anything, but I assume weight addition was less than 60lbs.

Happy with the outcome. It's not perfect, but it works for me. Wall panels should hide the gaps along the roof/wall intersection. Projects like this make me happy we are not interior up-fitters.

Materials used were about $130
https://www.lowes.com/pd/48-in-x-8-...-Reinforced-Plastic-FRP-Wall-Panel/1000174771 x 3
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Sequentia-...d-Vinyl-Connector-Wall-Panel-Moulding/3060129 x 4
https://www.lowes.com/pd/7-16-CAT-PS2-10-OSB-Sheathing-Application-as-4-x-8/50382768 x 1
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Teks-200-Count-8-x-0-75-in-Truss-Self-drilling-Lath-Screws/3316518 x 1

 

[86scotty]

Clean work. I've done this sort of thing before and found it to be quite a *****, especially that front section as you said. Mine has two cracks in it too but at least done as sections (just like yours) I can just redo those sections. Too many other projects right now.

 

[jwmw]

How quiet do you think the galley/counter set-up will be, will it rattle as you go down the road?

 

[86scotty]

Mine is silent. Dometic/SMEV. Who are you asking?

 

[yfarm]

Bathroom Panels are available that are polyethylene as well as FRP, given that the panels are not exposed to continuous UV the plastic may be easier to work with as it is more flexible and can be formed around curves with a heat gun.