Van Conversion

Our van build journal

 

 

 

 

 

 

Building our Adventure Van!

2021 Ford Transit – Fix Windshield Stone Chip

2021 Ford Transit – Fix Windshield Stone Chip

Alex shows How to Fix Windshield Stone Chip on a 2021 Ford Transit. The van is a 250 High Roof All Wheel Drive.   We had a windshield repair kit tucked away in the van.  The kit is called Permatex Windshield Repair Kit.  Here is what you get in the kit:Follow these...

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2021 Ford Transit – Van Life Insurance Ontario

2021 Ford Transit – Van Life Insurance Ontario

In the following blog post, we'll share our van life insurance experience.  We converted our brand new van from a commercial vehicle, to a motorhome, in Ontario, Canada.  We have a 2021 Ford Transit. 2021 Ford Transit – Van Life Insurance OntarioStep 1 - Add Van to...

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2021 Ford Transit – Ceiling

2021 Ford Transit – Ceiling

The following is a brief overview of the steps we took to finish the ceiling in our van – a 2021 Ford Transit.The first step was to add Kilmat, a sound deadening mat to dampen the noise.Next, we went through and identified the places where the furring strips would go....

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2021 Ford Transit – Insulation

2021 Ford Transit – Insulation

There are many reasons to insualate a cargo van that will end up being a camper van.  It will keep us warm on the cold, frosty night.  It will prevent overheating on those sweltering hot days.  It will reduce condensation, and it is also a great sound barrier.  Read...

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2021 Ford Transit – Fixed Bed

2021 Ford Transit – Fixed Bed

Before getting the van, and starting the build, we had always thought we'd made a bed that folds up to have a couch in the van.  But as we started building we changed our minds and proceeded to build a fixed bed.  Here's how we built the fixed bed platform in our 2021...

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2021 Ford Transit – Bike Drawer

2021 Ford Transit – Bike Drawer

One thing we love to do when we're travelling is explore the area we're in by electric bike.  We plan to take our bikes with us on most of our trips, so having a bike drawer makes things much easier.  Here's how we installed a bike drawer on our 2021 Ford Transit:The...

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2021 Ford Transit – Renogy Solar Panels

2021 Ford Transit – Renogy Solar Panels

Our plan for power in our camper van is to use electric power only.  So solar panels on the roof seems to be a good option for us.  Here's how we installed the Renogy Solar Panels on our 2021 Ford Transit. The main purchases we had to make were: Renogy 100 Watt Solar...

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2021 Ford Transit – Maxxair Fan Install

2021 Ford Transit – Maxxair Fan Install

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...

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2021 Ford Transit HR AWD – The Subfloor!

2021 Ford Transit HR AWD – The Subfloor!

The first piece of work we tackled on our 2021 Ford Transit HR AWD was the subfloor.  Here's how we did it.The main building materials we used were: 2x3 lumber (Home Depot) IKO foam board insulation (Lowe's) 1/2" pine plywood (Home Depot) 3/4" aspen plywood (Home...

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2021 Ford Transit HR AWD – Our new Van!

2021 Ford Transit HR AWD – Our new 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 ordered the van on January 19, 2021.  This was our order.  The main 'extras' we added...

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Still Waiting On Our Van!

Still Waiting On Our 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...

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We Are Ready for VANLIFE!

We Are Ready for VANLIFE!

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...

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Van Life before #VANLIFE

Van Life before #VANLIFE

Long before van life was a hashtag, my dad knew that travelling by van was the easiest and most affordable way to travel with his family.  He bought the van pictured below and introduced us to Van Life before #VANLIFE!There are hundreds of pictures of the beautiful...

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Test Driving the Dodge Ram Promaster 2500

Test Driving the Dodge Ram Promaster 2500

The last few trips we have taken have been with our Honda CRV camper conversion.  We converted the car we already had mainly to take a few trips and see if we enjoyed travelling this way.  It turns out we love it.  BUT... we do need a little more space.  We believe...

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Honda CRV Camper Conversion

Honda CRV Camper Conversion

Here are the things we did for our Honda CRV Camper Conversion.  The first thing we had to do is remove the back seats.  Although the back seats fold down flat, we opted to remove them because we wanted to have more room for storage.  It's a little tricky to remove...

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