Definitely.
As far as daily driving, if you know how to drive it's not a problem
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Ford Transit
- Thread starter One-Off
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As far as daily driving, if you know how to drive it's not a problem
LSD. I have been doing too much hard core 4WD. Limited slip. Been looking to convert my junk to full lockers. SAS. Solid Axle Swap.
Yes it is a great improvement. I only had the conversion done because my engine was leaking coolant, the block was cracked, so something had to be done eventually.I've thought about that. But is the 2.2 really that much of an improvement over the 2.1 water boxer? Also, I've read on the Samba that the 2.2 they use are also now getting hard to find with low miles. The Transit wold cost about $10,000-$15,000 more than what I could sell my Vanagon for, and that's before fitting out, so sometimes I think just keep the $$ for repairs and towing
Mileage went from 14-18 to 19-24, HP went up 25% or more, torque also up 25% or more, all through the RPM spectrum. If I was alone in the Vanagon I could get over Hwy 17 in 4th gear no issues, it's most comfortable at 4000 RPMs.
I do oil changes myself, super easy, and cheap; just oil and a filter, and it takes regular coolant that any supermarket carries.
I believe you that the 2.2L are getting harder to find though. Kennedy Racing Products, who designed the conversion and got the CARB certification, should update it to include later model engines. Unfortunately only up to 1995 is smog legal in CA, IIRC. Smogging can be a pain cuz dudes think it's not legal, but a phone call to Kennedy fixes that, mine has always passed since 2008, no problems. My timing belt broke in 2017, but the EJ22 is a non-interference engine so the engine wasn't ruined.
There *was* a place in Sacramento pursuing a VW diesel conversion. I forget the name or if it became legal, but that might be worth a try.
I had the AC recharged on the conversion and it died within a year. I wouldn't bother with that...
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My first car when I turned 16 was an 80s westy vanagon. We had a 75 westy when I was born that I grew up w. Bought myself a 58 westy in grad school.
Have a 2017 med roof 148 wheelbase transit now. Bought new cargo van for $31k. Installed second row bench seat and side window in slider. Maxxair fan and 150 w solar panel to power fan and fridge. 2" lift, 31" tires, raised shock mounts, Eaton truetrac lsd and Bilstein/fox shocks/struts. We were having trouble w the clearance just getting to trailheads. The shock mounts and pumpkin are super low.
Been to almost 30 states and 26 national parks w the kids, including Alaska. We used to have a Toyota 4x and rooftop tent but it was a pain to setup and breakdown while on the go. Transit is nice to stand up in and have shelter when it's raining (or snowing).
Pm me for more details.
Have a 2017 med roof 148 wheelbase transit now. Bought new cargo van for $31k. Installed second row bench seat and side window in slider. Maxxair fan and 150 w solar panel to power fan and fridge. 2" lift, 31" tires, raised shock mounts, Eaton truetrac lsd and Bilstein/fox shocks/struts. We were having trouble w the clearance just getting to trailheads. The shock mounts and pumpkin are super low.
Been to almost 30 states and 26 national parks w the kids, including Alaska. We used to have a Toyota 4x and rooftop tent but it was a pain to setup and breakdown while on the go. Transit is nice to stand up in and have shelter when it's raining (or snowing).
Pm me for more details.
At the time we bought it, the only 4wd options were Quigley if you ordered from the factory, or quadvans in Oregon. Each at $15k.
Starting in 2020, awd is available. Think it's 60/40 awd.
One place we could've used it was the outer banks. Bummer to see people being able to camp on the beach and drive to isolated spots, while we paid for campsites in crowded campgrounds.
Other than that, we haven't needed it. Have a set of nokians tires for snow when we go snowboarding in Utah, otherwise running Michelin all terrains.
Would spring for awd if I were buying new.
As for daily driving, the Ecoboost is awesome and the transit is nice to drive. Parking sucks and the medium roof prevents us from most drive throughs, pretty much all parking structures.
Starting in 2020, awd is available. Think it's 60/40 awd.
One place we could've used it was the outer banks. Bummer to see people being able to camp on the beach and drive to isolated spots, while we paid for campsites in crowded campgrounds.
Other than that, we haven't needed it. Have a set of nokians tires for snow when we go snowboarding in Utah, otherwise running Michelin all terrains.
Would spring for awd if I were buying new.
As for daily driving, the Ecoboost is awesome and the transit is nice to drive. Parking sucks and the medium roof prevents us from most drive throughs, pretty much all parking structures.
AWD in my one time of driving with it when 2wd wouldn’t cut it was useless.
4x4 or give me death.
4x4 or give me death.
The one thing I love about my Vanagon is that it has functioning, in dash AC. You know how rare that is . It was an aftermarket unit that dealers installed. I've had this van over 5 years and never had to replace refrigerant. The previous owner gave me extra in case I needed it- propane. I asked him about the safety and flammability and he said it was less flammable than the r12 or r134 the is normally used. When we go on our camping trips we frequently cross deserts AC was a must for my wife and I have to admit, I feel like a king driving up the 395 or 99 in 100+ weather with cold air blowing in my face...in a Vanagon!
Yea LSD = limited slip lol. And nah I just call vanny a hog sometimes.
But what I meant was - yea, the LSD caused the back end to kick out unexpectedly. Normally with an open diff and decent traction, if one of the wheels encounters ice, it would just be allowed to slip without taking the other wheel with it. But with a locked diff or limited slip to a lesser extent, the power (or some of the power) gets shifted to the other wheel increasing its likelihood of also spinning out in the case of an icey or snowy or rainy road. That’s why it’s easier to kick out the back end on purpose with a limited slip diff, and also why the back end kicks out practically automatically on a vehicle with a locked diff when going around sharp turns. The speed of the wheels are meant to be two different speeds while turning because of the different radii of the turn for each wheel, this is why differentials exist. However when you impede that ability, you increase the likelihood of one of the wheels to slip which then increases the likelihood of the remaining wheel to slip in slippery conditions.
So my theory is that even though I was going in a perfectly straight line - one of the wheels must have caught a patch of ice and started to slip. Normally, with an open diff this would be no issue. But with LSD it shifted extra power to the non slipping wheel (effectively “gunning it”) and then that wheel broke traction and bye bye rear end.
That said, I acknowledge the purpose of a LSD which is so you don’t get stuck on tiny rocks off-roading, or in mud, or on, say wet grass haha. But that off-road capability comes at the dangerous cost of handling in snowy conditions. And that said - it still isn’t even that off-road capable compared to 4WD. So it’s like, almost not even worth it IMO.
OK. That makes sense. For snow it sounds like the AWD is best. Being in So Cal I don't need either but like I said, the idea is extended road trips and the option of exploring down unpaved roads. So if the choice is getting stuck on a muddy road with open diff or losing control on an interstate in Wyoming, maybe getting stuck is better. Or pay $4000 more for AWD.
Yeah, but was it better than 2WD? And what were you doing? Crawling over rocks?
Agree.
Great car.
Only problem is sometimes if it’s windy you can get blown around a bit with the medium roof.
Hey. Sounds like you are the guy to talk to about the Transit. You're basically doing what we intend to do. I was going to PM but was limited to 420 characters… basically a tweet. I don't tweet.
So, some questions- did you try the regular power plant? The eco boost (just a fancy word for turbo if I'm not mistaken) is $1500 more. I've been driving a Vanagon for the last 15+ years so I'm used to going slow, but it would be nice to make it up Tioga Pass or the Grapevine with the flow of traffic. I have to decide if it's worth the extra bucks.
Do you ever feel slow when you're fully loaded? On the highway my Vanagon is in nirvana at 55mph, she's still quite happy at 60, most of the time I'm going 65 and she's OK, but occasionally I force her to hit 70-75 to pass a slow semior old RV and she doesn't like going that speed for very long. I'm hoping the Transit is fine at 70-75?
I’ve kind of just included a lift kit and all terrain tires into my calculations- about $2500? Don't know how much it would cost to install? I changed the springs on my Vanagon by myself recently. I had to use some rented spring compressors. I took me two full days of crawling on the ground under my car and quite frankly handling the loaded springs scared the sh!t out of me. Do you think you could go with the bigger rims and tires without the lift kit to get clearance or would they rub?
You also said you got Fox shocks. I know those are pricey. I've heard stories about regular shocks blowing out on washboard roads. I've been down a few in the Vanagon but never for more than 10 miles and they seem have survived. How necessary did you feel those were?
Ford has an "upfitter" option ($610) which includes a second AGM battery and a panel with four switches. I couldn't find out how many amp hours the battery has, but did find out it was hard to access and you needed to buy special connectors to attach circuits to the switches. You also have to take the seats out to access the connections. I'm wondering if you got such an option? Or if it would be better to just buy a second battery and wire it myself?
I found this website that has every system mapped out, with every single part linked to vendors. Tell me what you think. We’re not going to living in the van full time but 2-3 week trips would probably be in the works. I don’t know how much of this stuff we would need.
DIY Van Electrical Guide: Build Your Knowledge | FarOutRide
Complete guide on designing and installing your own DIY electrical system in a camper van conversion. Free wiring diagram and tutorial inside!
faroutride.com
Also, just to get your input, these are some of the roads that I expect to hit right away. Cathedral Valley has a small stream to cross. See the video 5:30 in. Would the Transit without AWD make that? My Vanagon with 1WD might be iffy. I would wait until someone else was around just in case.
Here's another place I really, really want to go but you need a rock crawler. Maybe Leaverite can go and report back. But, hey Steak, don't drink and drive! Drive then drink.
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Hi Jeff,
We're headed out to capital reef tomorrow! We have a campsite, if you wanna drive out and meet us. From there headed out to Colorado to ride MTB.
Faroutride is a great resource, but they're living in their van full time w/o kids. They also are chasing snow all winter.
I bought the foes racing lift kit and installed it myself. I have the spring clamps and used them w my Toyota w/o incident. Installed Bilstein b6 in front and only sprung for the fox in the rears bc the b6 rears weren't out yet. Today I would go b6 all around to save some $.
We did a crossing on our way to cibeque falls in AZ w the stock tires no problem. Running 245/75 Michelin at2. Definitely needed a lift to fit. Our nokians are 225/75(?) for snow, and fit w/o need for a lift. Stock are 235/ 65(?). Just read an article saying you want thinner/taller for off road and snow. Didn't know that.
I bought 2 agm 100 amp batteries for the fridge and fan. Probably overkill. Batteries almost never go below 95% especially since we are always on the go (alternator charger).
Learned how to do the electrical 2 years ago and forgot most of it, except just rewired it all yesterday to fit under the bench seat. Not too difficult.
We're headed out to capital reef tomorrow! We have a campsite, if you wanna drive out and meet us. From there headed out to Colorado to ride MTB.
Faroutride is a great resource, but they're living in their van full time w/o kids. They also are chasing snow all winter.
I bought the foes racing lift kit and installed it myself. I have the spring clamps and used them w my Toyota w/o incident. Installed Bilstein b6 in front and only sprung for the fox in the rears bc the b6 rears weren't out yet. Today I would go b6 all around to save some $.
We did a crossing on our way to cibeque falls in AZ w the stock tires no problem. Running 245/75 Michelin at2. Definitely needed a lift to fit. Our nokians are 225/75(?) for snow, and fit w/o need for a lift. Stock are 235/ 65(?). Just read an article saying you want thinner/taller for off road and snow. Didn't know that.
I bought 2 agm 100 amp batteries for the fridge and fan. Probably overkill. Batteries almost never go below 95% especially since we are always on the go (alternator charger).
Learned how to do the electrical 2 years ago and forgot most of it, except just rewired it all yesterday to fit under the bench seat. Not too difficult.
Late fall a few years ago chasing the striper migration. I pulled my truck on the beach to see if there was any action and some clueless clown couldn’t get his Lexus through the soft sand, it was fine on the lower hard sand. The tide was coming up and he was panicking. I felt so bad, told him he was an idiot and I took the drivers seat. Thing could barely get off the beach.
my buddies 2wd hilux did better down in Ecuador. We launched a Dinghy through the surf to go spearfishing offshore
How did I not know this was a thing?!?! Where and when do they migrate? I'm guessing the route must either start or stop in Las Vegas, right?
I don’t think the stripers in Vegas ever leave Vegas.
they’re like Canadian geese, or wildlife fed by humans, no more reason to migrate.
they’re like Canadian geese, or wildlife fed by humans, no more reason to migrate.
they do, however, migrate to vegas from other cities to work big shows
I used to see it all the time when flew in/through McCarran