vanlifedreams Archives - Our Retired Life { Alex & Yula

2021 Ford Transit – Maxxair Fan Install

by Yula.ca | Sep 12, 2021 | Camper Van

Installing a fan in the 2021 Ford Transit was a necessity for us. Although we got factory windows all around the van, the option for any of them to open for air was not an option. So we we chose to put a fan in the roof above our bed for air circulation. Here’s how we completed the Maxxair Fan Install on our 2021 Ford Transit.

The main building materials we used were:

Maxxair 00-05 100K MaxxFan Ventilation Fan (Amazon)
Tremclad oil-based rust paint (Home Depot)
Dicor Butyl Seal Tape (Amazon)
Paulin Aluminum Flat (Home Depot)
Dicor Self-Leveling Lap Sealant (Amazon)

2021 Ford Transit - Maxxair Fan Install - https://yula.ca

We taped a bag on the ceiling to catch all the little metal bits, and drilled the 4 corner holes. As you can see, On the Ford Transit, the flange fits exactly between the ridges on the roof.

Then we cut the hole. A lot of tape was used to control the cutting, and a lot of vacuuming in between to lessen the metal debris. It’s a good idea to spread drop cloths or towels around the area where the roof is cut. The metal bits that may fly out are very hot and could damage the paint on the roof, leading to future rust.

Some filing was done to smooth out all the sharp edges.

We used oil based rust paint on all the cut areas to prevent rust.

This is the flange that will hold the fan in place. We placed 3 or 4 layers of the butyl tape on the bottom of the flange to provide a secure seal to the roof of the van.

We placed it in the hole and made sure there was enough butyl tape to provide a good seal. There’s a bit of a curve on the Transit’s roof so a little more tape is needed on the sides to make a good seal.

Additional support was added underneath where the roof was the thinnest, and then it was time to drill it all in place.

The next step was to add this self-leveling sealant on top of all the screws to seal it all up and make it waterproof.

Finally, it was time to place the fan on the roof and screw it securely to the flange.

Watch our video to see how we did it, and also a few tips and tricks we learned as we were working.

2021 Ford Transit – Maxxair Fan Install

Thanks for visiting our site! Check our Van Build Journal page often as we’ll documenting the progress of the build.

Yours Truly …. Yula

2021 Ford Transit HR AWD – The Subfloor!

by Yula.ca | Aug 29, 2021 | Camper Van

The first piece of work we tackled on our 2021 Ford Transit HR AWD was the subfloor. Here’s how we did it.

2021 Ford Transit HR AWD - The Subfloor - https://yula.ca

The main building materials we used were:

2×3 lumber (Home Depot)
IKO foam board insulation (Lowe’s)
1/2″ pine plywood (Home Depot)
3/4″ aspen plywood (Home Depot)

We built 2 main frames, one for the back of the van, and one for the front of the van. It took a little cutting and shaving underneath some of the wood to make it lie level over the ridges and caulking on the van floor.

We cut the foam insulation to fit inside each section in the frame, and then sealed it all up with the Reflectix Foil Tape. Click here to see a couple of tips in our video about cutting and fitting the insulation.

Then it was time to cut and fit the plywood and lay it all on top. Click here to see how we were able to cut a perfect fit using the scribing method.

Once we were happy with the way it all fit, we took it all out, applied the glue to the bottom of the frames, put it altogether again, and piled on the weight for 24 hours.

The final step was to drill screws securing the plywood to the frame underneath. Click here for a tip on making sure you screw down to the frame, and not the insulation by accident.

It feels pretty good to have to first step done in our van. Watch our video to see how we did it, and also a few tips and tricks we learned as we were working.

2021 Ford Transit HR AWD – The Subfloor

Thanks for visiting our site! Check our Van Build Journal page often as we’ll documenting the progress of the build.

Yours Truly …. Yula

2021 Ford Transit HR AWD – Our new Van!

by Yula.ca | Aug 21, 2021 | Camper Van

After 7 long months of waiting, we finally got our van! Our 2021 Ford Transit HR AWD is finally sitting proudly in our driveway, and we couldn’t be happier. It was a long road!

We got our Van! 2021 Ford Transit HR AWD - https://yula.ca

We ordered the van on January 19, 2021. This was our order. The main ‘extras’ we added windows all around, swivel seats and a large center console.

In April, in the Ford Transit Forum, I ran across a discussion regarding a number of things that used to be standard on the Transit, that were now options. There was 1 key one that was quite important to us – the rear doors opening all the way back. Also the overhead shelf was now option. We contacted our dealer and he was able to change our order with Ford to add these 2 items to our list.

In early June, we were finally able to see our window sticker online, using the following link: https://www.alumizilla.com/votus.php

We felt encouraged that the van would finally be built as there is a build date on the window sticker – July 27, 2021!

On August 2nd, THIS happened. A train full of Ford vehicles, heading north, derailed! For a couple of days we had no idea whether or not our van was on this train.

On August 11, 2021 we were able to see from the Jack Cooper transport site that our van was delivered to our dealership. A call from our dealer confirm that it was ready for pickup on August 13th!!

It’s been a crazy roller-coaster ride getting our 2021 Ford Transit HR AWD adventure van! But it’s been worth the wait. Watch our video below to get a first look of the van.

2021 Ford Transit HR AWD

Thanks for visiting our site! Check our Van Build Journal page often as we’ll documenting the progress of the build.

Yours Truly …. Yula

Still Waiting On Our Van!

by Yula.ca | Jun 8, 2021 | Camper Van

In looking at the analytics on our website, some folks actually click on this van build page to see what we’re up to. Unfortunately, we are Still Waiting On Our Van! We ordered it on January 19, 2021. The latest update we have from our dealership is that it will be built in mid-July, so it seems that we’ll be lucky to get it by the end of the summer.

From what we understand, all vehicle production has been dramatically slowed down due to chip shortages around the world. We follow some discussions in the Ford Transit USA Forum – there are many others in the same boat as us! If you have a Transit, it’s a great forum to browse through. There is a lot of great information in there.

Ford Transits are built in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. If you’re interested in seeing inside the Ford Transit assembly plant, click here. It’s an interesting video on the production of the van.

The details of the van we ordered:

R2X: 2021 Transit 250 148″ Cargo Van – Colour: Ingot Silver
AWD, Ecoboost engine
High Roof, Medium Length
Privacy windows all around
4-way manual swivel seats
Keyless entry pad
Stereo with Bluetooth & Sync & 8″ touchscreen
Cruise control
perimeter alarm
Large center console

Still Waiting On Our Van!

In the meantime, while we’re waiting on the van, we have been riding our bikes around the excellent trails in the Greater Toronto Area. Click here to find out where we’ve been!

Thanks for visiting our site! Subscribe to our newsletter if you’d like.

Yours Truly …. Yula

We Are Ready for VANLIFE!

by Yula.ca | Dec 23, 2020 | Camper Van

We are SOOO ready for vanlife. We started talking about it when we retired in February 2019. We watched YouTube videos, saw a LOT of Instagram and Pinterest photos and it really looked like a lot of fun. But was it for us? We had never done anything like this before.

Some of the research we came across showed people converting their SUV’s into little campers. We look at each other, “WE have an SUV”, we thought. Before investing in a van, we thought trying out the lifestyle on a small scale would give us a taste for what it was like.

And so we built a platform for our bed, bought a single burner propane stove and in July 2019, set off for Atlantic Canada. Our plan was to sleep in the car for a day or two, then find an Airbnb or motel to “rest”, and repeat. It turns out, “rest” was not required! It was pretty wonderful sleeping by the water, watching sunsets and sunrises every day, and cooking simple meals all along the coasts of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. In January 2020, we took another trip down to the Florida Keys.

Camping in New Brunswick, Canada

Camping in Florida, USA

We are often asked, “Where did you shower and do your business?” Finding bathrooms was very easy: gas stations, coffee shops, McDonalds, rest areas, local parks, and when we were in solitude, out in nature! Showering needed a little more planning. In Canada we purchased a Discovery Pass which allows entry to all the National Parks. Most of these parks had shower facilities in their campgrounds or by the beaches. In the United States, we got Planet Fitness premium membership. This allows a member to always bring a guest for free. The gyms have hundreds of locations in the US, and most are open for 24 hours, so we showered whenever we wanted to. The bonus was taking a little time to work out, and also free wifi! Both of our trips were pre-Covid, so the current concerns did not even exist back then. Because of the reliance on public facilities, it is not possible anymore to travel the way we did.

We Are Ready for VANLIFE!

Which brings us to our decision to buy the van. We determined that vanlife was for us, and so our next step was to decide on the van. We narrowed it down to the RAM Promaster and the Ford Transit. We drove both, we researched both, and decided on the Ford for the following reasons:
– we can choose an all-wheel drive for rougher roads
– higher clearance under the van, again for rougher roads
– easy to find parts and affordable for maintenance
– easier and more comfortable to drive

We are ready to order, but it seems Ford is not ready to take our order. The 2020 can not be ordered anymore, and the 2021 pricing guide is not yet on the Ford.ca website. Soon though! We’ll order, get the van in a few months, and travel as soon as we are able to again.

I have had time to plan 2 big trips. Our first will be to Western Canada, hopefully in 2021. Our second will be to California, hopefully in 2022. And there is a lot of talk about going back to Eastern Canada, back to Florida, and lots of places in between. So much to look forward to!

If you have any favourite places to visit and would like to share, we’d love to hear from you! Thanks for visitng our site.

Yours Truly …. Yula

« Older Entries

2021 Ford Transit – Maxxair Fan Install

2021 Ford Transit – Maxxair Fan Install

2021 Ford Transit HR AWD – The Subfloor!

2021 Ford Transit HR AWD – The Subfloor

2021 Ford Transit HR AWD – Our new Van!

2021 Ford Transit HR AWD

Still Waiting On Our Van!

Still Waiting On Our Van!

We Are Ready for VANLIFE!

We Are Ready for VANLIFE!

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