Ford Transit Connect Micro Camper Van Build Must Haves: things we like/love about our van conversion

[@gatr2414]

The safe/charging station is such a genius, elegant solution! These videos have been so helpful, thank you for sharing your work and process!

[@mikeandheather]

Thank you! We can't take all the credit though haha we saw a few other van lifers using a safe, some of them drilled in holes for the cords. We were just able to find one that worked for us that didn't require too much effort! Thank you for watching :)

[@Galemor1]

I like the extension of the bed, and the safe, the overhead storage is already planned, but this gave me some more ideas to have in the back of my mind.

[@mikeandheather]

Yes, the overhead storage is an absolute must in these types of vans! In almost every van build video we watched, when we were planning our own van build, we saw that people built the overhead shelf. We are very thankful for the ideas we came across in the van build videos as we implemented many of the ideas into our build. Glad we can pass along some of the good ideas we found to you :) Thank you for watching, we really appreciate it!

[@RC-nz4hx]

Have you considered configuring your camera to be on at all times? That might be a nice way to help with overall awareness while driving without any windows in back.

[@kimwade6249]

I have an extension flap on my bed too… makes all the difference!

[@mikeandheather]

It really was a game changer! Looking back it seems crazy it took us so long to add one. Thanks for watching we, we really appreciate it!

[@blakepoland227]

Great video and vibes. An interesting and enjoyable listen, full of great ideas. I love the carpeting on the walls also. Would love to know what you do for heating and cooling. Where I live it's often -20C in the winter and +40C in the summer. My own solution was to convert an electric car (KIA Niro EV) to a camper, which gives days of off-grid heating and cooling without noxious idling. But it's a bit small for two. Wish they made an electric version of your vehicle.

[@KornKrlz2]

Another great vid! Maybe I missed it in a previous vid but could yall show how you fastened the furniture to the ground? I was thinking about drilling straight into my floor but there’s a fair bit of material between the laminate boards and my subfloor frame. Afraid it’s not secure enough for all the road vibrations… thanks for all the helpful content!

[@mikeandheather]

Thank you so much! You are right! All we did was drill the furniture straight into our floor haha nothing special, we just put screws every few inches and drilled them into the 1inch plywood floor. We have a very thin vinyl sheet of flooring on top of our plywood floor and 1/2 inch insulation underneath. (Our plywood floor is glued to the insulation and screwed into the metal floor along the back and front of the cargo area) So far we haven't had any issues with the vibrations so hopefully it stays that way lol hope that helps! Let us know if you have any questions!

[@hondafreedom9329]

I love the safe idea and implementation! Great idea. Never thougt of it!

[@mikeandheather]

Thank you! We saw a few other people using a safe in their van. Some of them actually drilled holes for cords and built the inside to be an electronic storage case. Thankfully we were able to find a safe that worked for us without having to do all that haha Thank you for watching!

[@FordmanAKAKennethOaks]

I think those are awesome things to have when doing Vanlife 🙂🙏❤️

[@mikeandheather]

Yes! Thank you for watching!

[@FordmanAKAKennethOaks]

@@mikeandheather Ur very welcome 🙂

[@serafinalarue3336]

With two electricians in your family, have you had the opportunity to install an alternator/battery charger? I also have a 2013 Ford Transit Connect and am trying to figure out the best way to wire through the firewall. Your van looks great:)!

[@bobosity]

Love your spirit! Great vibe!

[@mikeandheather]

Thank you for the kind words and for watching, we really appreciate it!

[@IWASHM]

You guys are great! Love watching!

[@mikeandheather]

Thank you so much! We really appreciate it!

[@llorylloyd]

I'm a new subscriber. I've watched your last 4 videos. Super great videos. You guys are adorable. I'm looking forward to watching your adventures. Good luck and be safe. 💕

[@mikeandheather]

Wow, thank you so much for watching and subscribing, we really appreciate the support! It really does mean a lot to us! Glad you are enjoying the videos, we enjoy making them :)

[@davidkaiser810]

The oval rack that you have on the wall, it looks pretty cool and functional. Can I ask where you got it?

[@mikeandheather]

Hi- we got it for $5 at a store called Five Below! Hope that helps :)

[@meka1369]

Hey! Just came across your channel (I’m playing catch on your videos LOL). I really like your videos so far and the van build. Great job on it. Is there any wiggle room with the wires in your electrical area? If so, would it be possible to slide your batteries to where the jackery is? To do the swap you guys mentioned in your last video. I look forward to your travels! Stay safe. And if possible, try to attend vanlife meet ups. It’s Good exposure for your channel if you let others do tours on your van. 😊

[@mikeandheather]

You are too kind! Thank you for watching and for your support, we really appreciate it! You are right, there may be room to move the batteries in our electrical area and swap locations with the Jackery. We have been talking with Heather's brother, Nate ( AKA our unofficial van electrician haha) to see how difficult it would be to do so! We will have to keep you updated. Thank you for the suggestion on vanlife meet ups, we will have to research and/or join groups on Facebook to learn more! We would love to meet other people in the vanlife community and in our travels! That is a great idea! Thank you once again! We hope you stay safe as well and have a Happy New Year!

[@WizzRacing]

If those are lead acid batteries. You better get them outside. As they can explode. And I mean with the force of a Hand Grenade...had one explode. It blew the top onto a two story building...

[@kowalskiT230]

Err, I dont see a FIRE EXTINGUISHER get one and fit it by the easiest exit door so you can use it from the outside, stay safe 👍

[@mikeandheather]

You are right! We really need to find a spot for our fire extinguisher haha we do have one but haven't found a great place for it yet. Thanks for the suggestion on putting it by the door, that makes a lot of sense!

[@lorimac0260]

I have this van and would love to see how the overhead storage bin was created.

[@mikeandheather]

Thank you! We really appreciate it and you watching :) We didn't do the best at documenting how we made the overhead shelf but explain it a little bit better in this video if you want to give it a quick watch: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3fYaZWNlNN8mqs Hope that helps!

[@YJ-xg2pd]

Hey guys! We almost finished building out our 2013 ford transit connect! (btw congrats on 1000 subs). 1 thing we havent figured out is how did you guys attach the privacy curtain in the car?

[@mikeandheather]

Thank you! That is awesome you are almost done! Our curtains are hung on a wooden dowel, the wooden dowel is hung by hooks that we screwed into the shelf we made! We included a link below to hooks that are similar to the ones we used: www.lowes.com/pd/Hillman-Steel-Cup-Hook-3-Pack/1000037795 Nothing too high tech haha hope that helps!

[@YJ-xg2pd]

@@raggar101 hey Allison! You can check out our KZbin channel or Instagram @theproperpaupers. We are happy to help you with anything:)

[@cricket1984]

Do you video on overhead build.

[@mikeandheather]

To be honest we didn't do the best job at showing the building of the shelf but you can see an explanation of how we built it in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3fYaZWNlNN8mqs Hope that helps! Thank you for watching, we really appreciate it!

[@pattyweiland4882]

Nice video! How did you attach your shelf to the existing storage shelf above the front seats? Thanks!

[@mikeandheather]

Thank you! We used metal L-shaped angel bars and bolts to attach the plywood to the original shelf. Then we used flat metal perforated bars to attach the new shelf to the cross bar on the roof of the van. Hope this makes sense! We explain it a little better here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3fYaZWNlNN8mqs Thank you for watching!

[@jeffdible6419]

Can you explain what kind of shelf that you are using for your kitchen area your Lowe’s links are not working I tried looking them up yesterday so could you just write the names of the Lowe’s products out thanks and have a merry Christmas and great fan build

[@mikeandheather]

Sorry about that, we just updated the link, thank you for letting us know! The name of the cabinet from Lowes is: 30-in W x 30-in H x 12.75-in D Natural Unfinished Oak Door Wall Fully Assembled Stock Cabinet This is the (hopefully) working link haha: www.lowes.com/pd/Project-Source-30-in-W-x-30-in-H-x-12-in-D-Natural-Unfinished-Door-Wall-Stock-Cabinet/1003204652 Merry Christmas!

[@mikeandheather]

The name of the board we added to the top and created the slide out drawer: 3/4-in x 16-in x 4-ft Square Unfinished Pine Board Drawer Slides: Richelieu 2-Pack 12-in Drawer Slide Door Knob: Brainerd Ceramic Pumpkin 1.7677-in Dusty Blue and Satin Nickel Round Cabinet Knob Hope this helps! Please let us know if you need more information.

[@jeffdible6419]

Thx for ur help and lmk merry Christmas and happy new year

[@mikeandheather]

@@jeffdible6419 No problem! Happy holidays :)

[@ChrisW228]

At 2:28, Mike is on the side that I thought wasn’t extended. It’s wide enough to add to the whole bed?

[@mikeandheather]

Hi- Yes! The bed extension is wide enough to add to the whole bed! However, the bed is a little bit more narrow at the top. The pull out bed area is 36 inches wide, and the stationary bench/extension at the top is about 32 inches. The reason the bed narrows is because we had to build the stationary bench shorter to allow the driver's chair to move all the way back due to Mike's height (the extension is the same width as the bench and takes up the passenger side and middle space) While you are sleeping you really don't notice the difference in width at the top! Especially because we mostly need the extra room for our legs and not heads. We will try to do a better job at filming what the top of the bed looks like with both of us lying down soon! Hope this helps!

[@ChrisW228]

@@mikeandheather thank you, that explains perfectly. No need for additional video just for me, but thank you. Happy holidays!

[@mikeandheather]

@@ChrisW228 No problem! Happy holidays :)

[@JackeeCat]

Hi! love your videos! Can you tell me how much height is at the front of the overhead shelf? I know it gets smaller going towards the front of the van, but what is the tallest it is? Thanks!!

[@mikeandheather]

Thank you so much! The opening at the front of the shelf is 9inches! We just fastened the board on top of the original shelf and that is the distance it came out to be :)

[@JackeeCat]

@@mikeandheather Thanks!

[@nicki8731]

0:53 How wide is that pillow that fell in? Is it the width of the wheel well? How wide is the wheel well?

[@mikeandheather]

The pillow fits in the space between the cushion and the wall. There is a space there because of the door, not the wheel well. The sliding door gear sits in the box that sticks out from the wall when the door is closed. The width of the pillow/bed extension cushion is 3 inches. There is a 1/2 inch board with 2 1/2 inch foam on top. Hope that helps! Thank you for watching, we really appreciate it!

[@nicki8731]

@@mikeandheather alright, so that bulge is 3 inches wide? Thanks, I'll add that to my sketch up model right away :D

[@nicki8731]

2:42 Can mike still jump into the front seat in an emergency? Or will he get a concussion if he rushes?

[@mikeandheather]

Yes! We both can get to the front :)

[@nicki8731]

@@mikeandheather aight, so he doesn't hit his head, good. Also, how deep is that cabinet?

[@mikeandheather]

@@nicki8731 This is the link to the exact cabinet we used with all the dimensions :) www.lowes.com/pd/Project-Source-30-in-W-x-30-in-H-x-12-in-D-Natural-Unfinished-Door-Wall-Stock-Cabinet/1003204652

[@bobosity]

Are you guys still all in the Ford Connect? Has it been reliable?

[@mikeandheather]

Yes we are! The van has been incredibly reliable. We have recently completed our goal and have driven it to 49 states! (Unfortunately the shipping cost to Hawaii was way too high haha) The only things we have had to fix was the coolant line, and O2 sensor and wheel bearing. Thankfully we have had no major mechanical issues even after putting on over 50,000 miles :)

[@alonewolf190]

I need the blueprints to the cabin shelf. I have the same transit connect

[@mikeandheather]

That is awesome! We don't have the blueprints but you can kinda see how we constructed it a little bit better in this clip here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3fYaZWNlNN8mqs Hope that helps! Best of luck in your van build! Thank you for watching, we really appreciate it :)

[@ricusserfontein1086]

Here in south africa they just steal the whole van. Thats why vanlife dont work here 😁

[@mikeandheather]

Wow that is crazy! haha Unfortunately we've seen it happen here as well, a lot of people actually suggest getting a steering wheel lock bar to avoid that, we might have to look into getting one lol thank you for watching :)

[@RescueDogTreats]

Did the overhead shelf mess up your airbag though? I have the 2016 connect and along the side it states the airbag is inside. So I'll probably go with a cargo net instead...less fixed option.

[@mikeandheather]

That sounds like a great option! As far as we know, the shelf did not mess with our airbags. We have an older model, a 2013 and we do not have that message along the sides of our van. We were told the airbags are in the chairs and in the dash so hopefully we do not have any issues with the shelf haha Thank you for watching! Best of luck in your van build :)