More Details — 2017 Transit Conversion

I spent years getting this van just right. It has many features that you will not find in even the best factory built vans. I have decades of experience with low voltage systems and standard AC power. I am a Certified Electronic Technician, and design Engineer. I applied all of that knowledge to this van. My 1st RV was a brand new Winnebago. That was an eye opening experience. A string of failures left me stuck 100’s or thousands of miles from home on multiple occasions. I was at the mercy of RV dealerships and despite having AAA, Good Sam and a factory warranty. I ended up waiting days or weeks waiting in dealer parking lots or worse, while they tried to diagnose issues, argued over warranty coverage, or simply made me wait in line for a service appointment. I sold it not long after buying it.

That is where this van started. I started building it in 2018 after purchasing it as a low miles 2017 model. My intent was to make it easy to repair on the road by using parts that were readily available and easy to find at places like Lowe’s hardware, auto parts stores, or something similar. Most anything on this van can be repaired on the road, by the owner. I will try to describe each feature in detail below.

I purposely chose to forgo full plumbing in this van. The issues I had with plumbing in my factory RV included leaks, clogs, pump failures, constant searches for dump stations, winterizing or avoiding certain areas during winter, etc. It is far easier and less headache to find facilities on the road. The sole piece of plumbing is a cassette toilet that is almost disposable. I only used it for #1. I also had a fold up “bag toilet” that I never ended up using. The dedicated space to the cassette was cut big enough to upgrade to a composting toilet. But I never did that.

I have tried two generators with this van. The first was a 5K with remote start and other cool features. It was WAY overpowered, large, and consumed too much fuel. I learned. The current gen is a Wen 2K with quiet mode, and can easily power everything in the van. It is perfect for this size van. Since I upgraded to a Lithium battery, I hardly use the Gen except for when I need AC for an extended period. The gen has a built in tank that will run about 6 hours. It was annoying to be unable to sleep for a full 8 hours, so I added a 2nd remote tank with filter and cutoff. Now it can sleep way past 8 hours!

A recent upgrade to a Lithium 100AH battery was combined with a Lith compatible solar controller upgrade, while retaining the roof mounted 100 Watt solar panel. The custom roof rack has space for a lot more solar. I just never found the need to add more. The lithium battery allows running the diesel heater all night along with TV and LED lights. The battery was specifically chosen to be compatible with my systems.

The Battery Combiner allows the van alternator to charge both house and chassis battery while the engine is running. Despite it being a smart combiner, I added a manual cutoff switch to eliminate parasitic drain, and direct user control. Between the combiner, solar and the Gen, power was never an issue. The Vevor diesel heater keeps the van quite warm. The rear mounted tank will last 3+ cold nights before needing a refill. I only burned kerosene in it after a couple of bad experiences with pump diesel. The remote control gives you easy control of the temperature.

The van also has front and rear chassis heat and A/C for use while driving. It allowed an easy way to preheat or precool before parking or camping.

The custom aluminum roof rack framing is constructed from 80/20 extruded aluminum. This provides easy attachment points anywhere along the rack. Quarter turn bolts can be easily attached and removed almost anywhere. In its current config, it has a ⅓ walkable diamond plate aluminum platform and a roof storage box that provides more combined storage than any van I have seen. See sliding bed info,

Attached to the roof rack are 4 sides of LED lighting that are controlled manually through the custom drivers panel, or through the alarm remote control.

The custom alarm system includes remote start, a glass break sensor, and shock sensor. It also covers all entry doors and a starter disable during alarm. It is extended to the custom rear carrier and the gen to deter theft. It also includes a carjack switch.

The custom rear carrier includes a double lock for the gen. The door is keyed and the gen platform has bolt rings to cable lock the gen to the frame. The rear carrier also contains or protects the A/C, heater tank, extra gen tank and vent fans. The carrier attaches to the roof rack and custom aluminum bumper cover.

The standard window A/C is supported by a custom laminated aluminum rear window mount and also covered/protected by the rear carrier. The A/C is a standard size and was replaced in 2025 with a new one from Lowe’s and includes a remote.

The interior has several standard white LED lights in logical locations throughout the van. It also has gooseneck reading lights and a multicolor party light strip with remote.

The 12 volt TV has multiple inputs including one from the DVR. It is on a swivel mount that allows viewing from the bed or the front seating area. It includes a remote. I also used it as a second monitor for my laptop.

The mid cabin control panel includes some spares as well as a lot of other system controls. It allows individual control of the mobile DVR so that you can have it on full time or only when the ignition is on. It also controls the front driver monitor, the combiner, cabin LED lights, TV power, inverter, AC power source, solar charging and more. Both the solar controller and the inverter have a remote panel mounted here. It is the central control point for the van. Behind this panel are the inverter, converter, Lith compatible MPPT solar controller, fuses, master battery switch, DVR, and light controls. It is also the location of the AC power systems.

The fridge is a standard 120v that is easily replaced and a standard size. It runs off the inverter or the shore power connection just like the A/C and standard AC power plugs. Your choices for AC power are Shore, Gen, or inverter.

The custom rear window panel has two vent fans that are individually controlled to increase or decrease venting. The master switch is at the control panel, fine control from the bed.

The van includes a full tow package including an aftermarket trailer electric brake controller.

The cabin includes two seating options while the bed is in place. You can either have 2 DOT approved front seats and the swivel recliner, or remove the recliner and mount the included DOT 3rd seat. If the bed platform is removed, many more seats can be added. I no longer have those bench seats but they can be found from Ford, or on open markets. The factory floor rail system is intact. This van started as a 15 passenger “wagon”. The VIN will still show that it is a passenger vehicle and you will avoid the insurance issues associated with a DIY “commercial van”. Make sure you look into that before buying or converting your own.

The custom slide bed converts from a single to a RV queen. While “in” you still have a ton of storage under the bed, while the other half is fully available for anything. When “out”, you still have the full area beneath for storage and a much larger bed. The bed is on dual 500 lb slides and bolted to the floor using high strength turnbuckles and attached to the DOT floor rails. The storage is easily accessed behind the velcro attached skirt. The driver area can be separated from the rear area by closing a curtain behind the front seats.

The mobile DVR allows viewing all 4 sides from inside the van even while lying in the bed. I let it run and record 24/7 while on the road, just in case. It is also a great theft and vandal deterrent. I leave the front monitor on so that anyone who looks in the window can see that they are being recorded. All of that is under user control.