2013 Ford Transit Connect Van Build (part 2): Micro Camper Van Conversion, Van Tour, Small Van Ideas
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ต.ค. 2021
- We did it! We have completed the van build on our 2013 Ford Transit connect! We have been working all summer to convert our 2013 Ford Transit Connect into a micro camper van and could not be more proud of the results.
In this video we finish the overhead shelf build in which we extended the original shelf to have more space. We show off our ceiling build and installation of the Maxx Air Fan, including how to do the electric installation of the Maxx Air Fan. We also explain our current solar and electric system including how our Jackery works in our tiny van! However, the van tour updates do not stop there! We also show our new Yakima Roadshower and cheap affordable van awning we purchased!
After we catch you up with all the van build updates that we have been doing behind the scenes we begin work on our van cabinet. This micro van shelf and cabinet idea worked great! We were able to build the van cabinet off of an existing shelf and even add a slide out function!
We know our van build is not perfect but it is perfect for us and we are so excited to start our van life travels in a fully converted van!
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Looking for a travel guide? Check out the GyPSy Guide! They have audio tours for locations all over the world. We especially love using them in National Parks: gypsyguide.com/?afmc=MIKEHTHR...
Below are links to some of the products we used if you are interested:
Build Materials
Peel-and-Stick Removable Wallpaper - amzn.to/3Goo5Ki
Car Side Awning - amzn.to/3nxCz1O
Auto Ventshade Window Cover - amzn.to/3BigI39
Maxx Air Fan - amzn.to/3Cl3xA7
Maxx Air Fan Car Outlet Plug - amzn.to/3GqwGfA
NOCO Boost Plus - amzn.to/3vTtcgD
Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 1000 - amzn.to/311sTFb
YAKIMA, RoadShower 7G (Ours is the 4G model) - amzn.to/3nxA0gi
12V Battery Capacity Monitor - amzn.to/3bcAjHE
8 Inch Folding Shelf Brackets - amzn.to/3Ekc1I1
Cabinet - www.lowes.com/pd/Project-Sour...
Wallpaper on Cabinet: amzn.to/3GMZhuV
Under shelf wired basket: amzn.to/3q3Wzu7
Drawer Slides - www.lowes.com/pd/Richelieu-2-...
Cabinet Knobs - www.lowes.com/pd/Brainerd-1-3...
Cabinet Top - www.lowes.com/pd/Common-3-4-i...
Curious about our gear? Want to know what else we have in our van? Click this link here to find out:
www.amazon.com/shop/mikeandhe...
DISCLAIMER: Please note that the links included in this description may be affiliate links. If you purchase a product with the links in this video we may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you if you do! Thank you for supporting our channel!
#vanbuild #vanbuildseries #fordtransitconnect
![หมานแต่ผัวเขา - แสตมป์ โตเกียวมิวสิค [ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/m0g1TSBJPgo/mqdefault.jpg)
You two are so cute and respectful and fun. So is your little sister!
Thank you for the kind words and for watching, it means a lot to us!
Great idea using wrapping paper for creating templates.
Also, smart idea to add plywood on the sides of the cabinet to hide the gaps.
Thank you for the kind words and for watching, we really appreciate it!
You two are too fun. We are in the process right now of finding a Connect. We plan on hitting the road in January 2023, so we appreciate watching you figure it out before us.
Best of luck in your van life journey! Hopefully you are on the road :) Thank you for watching, we really appreciate it!
Congratulations on the completion of your van. You work great as a team and your smiles tell it all … you should be proud.
Thank you so much! We really are happy with how everything turned out :) Thank you for watching, we really appreciate it!
Loved your sisters van tour lol!!! The most realistic !
Thanks! She will get a kick out of you saying you liked it haha
Thank you for watching, we really appreciate it!
Love you guys!!!!! Hello from the good ol UK, i have just done the overhead storage locker, insulating and Walnut flooring ( oooooooooohhh!!!) , sound deadening, have brought loads of stuff to fit including LED lighting, fold down brackets for both rear doors etc etc etc..........LOVED the idea about buying a unit from home depot ( B and Q in UK ) to make into the kitchen area and will DEFFO look into this!! Keep up the good work and i LOVE the way you include some of your mistakes as WELL as yr wins!!!
Aww! Thank you so much! It is so cool that you are watching from across the pond! We really appreciate it :)
A lot of what we ended up doing in the build was to find ways to work around our lack of carpentry skills (we love a good shortcut haha) It sounds like you have a great start on your project, walnut floors would be amazing! You will have to keep us updated on your van build! We absolutely love hearing about other people's vans and travels. Best of luck in your build! (hopefully it goes smoother than ours haha)
Love the music y’all put on your videos 😊🎶
Thank you for the kind words and for watching, we really do appreciate it! In case you are curious, we get the music from MusicBed 😊
thank you🤓
Totally enjoy your videos! The content is terrific and your personalities are so cute!
You are too kind! Thank you so much for watching, we really appreciate it!
Hey neighbors (my wife and I life in Genesee County and I work in Buffalo). Just finished watching all of your videos. What a great trip. My wife and I did a road trip to the west coast in September (over 6k miles), although we stayed in hotels, which was very expensive (avg of about $140 per night). We drove 4 days to Portland and stayed 4 nights, then 4 nights in Seattle, and 4 days to drive home. On our way home we stopped at Devil's Tower, Mount Rushmore, and The Field of Dreams. My wife is not a fan of camping so I was surprised when, toward the end of our trip, she suggested getting a van so we could save on hotel costs. Well, we're driving down to Pennsylvania this weekend to look at a Chevy City Express. Thanks for the inspiration.
By the way, the mouse gag in the first video was hilarious!🤣
Wow! That is so awesome! In the short time we have had our van we absolutely love it! It has opened up our ability to explore the United States for sure, and save money while doing it! Not sure if you checked out the app iOverlander yet but we definitely recommend doing that- that is how we were able to find free places to stay rather easily.
Your West Coast trip sounds like an absolute dream! We are totally envious and cannot wait until we get to travel that side of the country. Free camping spots are supposed to be even easier to find out that way too!
Too funny that you are also from the Western New York area! (Go Bills) You will have to keep us updated on your van build, best of luck! Hopefully we see you on the road soon :)
haha Heather thought so too! (Mike not so much...)
I really enjoy watching you too and the progress you have made with your camper van
Thank you for the kind words, we really appreciate it and you watching!
Next time u do the edition try to make the sound volume uniform with all clips and music to avoid unpleasant blasts
Thanks for the tip! Unfortunately, we had sound issues in a few of our early videos. Neither of us have any editing background and are trying to learn the ropes of making videos. We appreciate this type of feedback, it really does help! Thank you so much for watching!
You two did a fantastic job on the van! Great ideas and use of materials. Can't wait to follow your next road trip!
Thank you so much! It is not perfect by any means but we love it! Thank you for watching :)
Love, love this video. You guys are so much fun. The drawer was awesome. I always wondered how a pull out table was installed. Thanks and safe travels 💕
Thank you! We really appreciate all the love and support, it means so much to us! We also wondered how the pull out drawers worked, it was definitely a "learn on the job" type of situation when we were building our van! haha
Thank you for the link to this... it helps a lot!
No problem! Glad it helped :)
Thank you for watching!
All done.And it’s really nice. Good job.
Thank you! We really appreciate the kind words and you watching!
Wow great job on everything!!! Take a bow!!!
Thanks so much! We really appreciate it and you watching, it means a lot to us :)
Nice build 👌
Thank you! We really appreciate it and you watching!
Wow really nice van build love the cabinets & carpet🙂😎🚎🚌
Thanks so much! We really appreciate you watching!
@@mikeandheather ur very welcome🙂🚌🚎
Awesome!!!👠🚌👠
Thank you! We really appreciate it and you watching!!!
I would consider barn/ slide doors later on your cabinets.
That is a really good idea! It would allow us to open up our doors easier for sure! Thank you for the suggestion and for watching, we really appreciate it!
Nice made. Very usable. And clever, with the small cabinet, to save space inside.
I have a car like this, and want to convert it, too.
Greetings from sw germany. (liked + subscribed.)
I look for your next videos. ie how you install your water system.
Wow, Germany? That is so cool! Thank you so much for watching, we really appreciate it! We hope your van build goes well, you will have to keep us updated on how it turns out!
Great video! Who's idea was it first to start the van journey? I'm slowly coaxing my wife into the idea :).
Thank you, we really appreciate it! It was actually Heather's idea first! After what felt like thousands of van life vlogs, Mike was finally convinced (or brainwashed haha) Good luck on getting your wife on board! Hopefully we will see you on the road :)
What bigger tools did you guy have to get/use besides the jigsaw? I'm planning to do a van build, and trying to see what I'd need.
Hey, thanks for watching! We ended up using the jigsaw for most of the build, but did borrow a circular saw and table saw from our parents for some longer or more precise straight cuts. The jigsaw and drill, along with a tape measure, were definitely the tools we reached for the most. Hope that helps, best of luck with your build!
Great van conversion, will you add in cooking and washing gear at some stage?
Wow you must be psychic! We are actually home from our 2nd road trip and are working on putting in a basic sink this weekend. We currently cook with a small butane stove :)
We will have to keep you updated on how the sink turns out! (We will hopefully be filming the process too) Thank you for watching, we really appreciate it!
Hey guys! Curious why you decided to use steel brackets for your overhead storage area. Was this a safety precaution? I'm converting a transit connect right now and have some concerns over how my headliner storage will hold up in the case of an accident.
When we were researching how to build the overhead shelf, we couldn't really find information on how to do it for the Ford Transit Connect. Instead, we looked up how people were doing it with other vans and saw that some people were using steel brackets. We then adapted that method/went with steel brackets ourselves because it seemed like it would be the sturdiest method.
Instead of drilling additional holes into the side of the van, we were able to use the existing support beam in the ceiling and attach the brackets to that. It was also more affordable (in terms of materials) at the time and seemed more straight forward than some of the other ways we saw. All in all, we just thought it would be the sturdiest, cheapest and easiest way to do it haha
Please let us know if you need more information! We did film a video on how we built out the overhead shelf and will be releasing it in a few weeks :) Hope that helps! Thank you for watching, we really appreciate it!
Thank you for the van info. I have wanted to k ow what yr van had the this style. Do you mind telling me the inside width and length? Thank you very much
Hi, the cargo area/back of the van is 6ft. long by 4ft wide. However, the van walls are not perfectly straight and bow out in the center so you actually get more than 4 ft of width off of the ground in the van. But for building purposes, the width between the wheel wells is 4 ft.
Hope that helps/makes sense! Please let us know if you have more questions! Thank you for watching, we really appreciate it!
@@mikeandheather thanks. Perfect
Roof rack model ?
Hi- We actually do not know the roof rack model, it came with the van! We can get you the measurements of it if you would like? Sorry we couldn't be more help, best of luck!
Just found you and subscribed! Beltin video 👍 @bettyourcampervan xx
Thanks so much! We really appreciate it!
Looks great. But be careful with your gross vehicle weight. Seems nobody ever discusses this with any van build. Have you looked at the weight decal on the drivers side door jamb? If not your max weight capacity is between 1400 - 1600 pounds depending on your exact model when it was built. That includes the 2 of you plus 90 pounds for gas in a full tank right off the top. With all that stuff you're adding it will add up quick. My average weight with camping gear, cooler, food, clothes, etc is around 850 lbs. I can definitely feel the difference. Why does it matter? fuel economy, acceleration, braking are all affected. It's one thing to travel the east coast and encounter a few hills. It's another to cross the mountain west. Let alone take on a head wind. These are great vans but they lack power for acceleration and braking under load.
Yes, you are right. These are all great points and important for anyone building a van to keep in mind during the process. We tried to be as mindful as possible regarding weight during the build. (picking light materials and researching what other people have used in their own builds to avoid these issues) There are pros and cons to any van including ours. For what we were looking for/were able to afford the Ford Transit Connect checked the most boxes. We really appreciate you giving your insight and for watching! It means a lot to us :)
I'm sorry .....................................I need a purple marker.
I've converted vans and in my view the bed is too narrow for two people which means that it's not a good design.
It is a narrow bed for sure, it really depends what you are looking for in a van and how much you like the other person you are sharing the bed with haha We actually just filmed a video showing a more detailed look into how we we both fit in the bed/how it works for us. It should come out next week! Hopefully that will help show how our bed works. Thank you for watching, we really appreciate it!