So the day finally came, and the panel van I will use as the basis for my van conversion has arrived. Because this is my first van conversion and they say you never get the first one right, I didn't want to spend too much on the first van, so I went with a 2018 Ford Transit.
When looking for the van I had a few criteria:
Has to be a high top, I have to be able to stand up in it.
It cannot be white, I don't want a builder's van.
Has to be Rear Wheel Drive, for better traction.
Has to be a long wheelbase, it is the right balance between size and parkability.
Has to be Trend, I want the higher-spec cab, the air conditioning, the adaptive cruise control, sat nav etc.
Less than 100k mileage
It took a few months to find one, but eventually, a 2018 year with 84k on the clock became available. Importantly the wet cam belt had been changed. If you have a Ford Transit you will know how important it is for this to be done.
The Stripout
Before we can build anything we need to get the van back to its bare bones.
Like all panel vans it was ply-lined with a plastic load liner on the floor. In addition, the cab bulkhead had to come out, to open up the van. After removing everything and giving it a good clean inside to remove all those years of builders dust, I was left with a clean van, ready for the next phase.
Little would I know that cleaning up is something I would be doing a lot as I build out this van.
The next phase is to install the insulated subfloor.
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