Transit high roof elwb

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I ordered a transit high roof elwb with windows all the way around. Anyone else convert a van like this

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I know Vandoit does conversions like this. Would be a good reference for inspiration even though they use 80/20 aluminum. Still worth a peak.

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Thanks for the info, when ordering I just like all the windows

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Yea I feel you. It gives a nice panoramic 360 view. If you can do the build right, it’ll be dope!

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Mine’s not a Transit but I do have windows all round, including the back doors.

I found the conversion fun to say the least, and it is definitely possible, but if I did another one, I’d be making sure I don’t make the same mistakes I did on my T5.

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And may I ask what those mistakes were?

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Hi susan.weise1961,
I converted a ford e350 high top paratransport van. It has windows on all sides including the back two doors. Absolutely love the option to remove the Reflectix and open up the views.

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Greetings!

I love, love, love my windows all the way around. The view, the daylight, the ventilation, and the free heat in the winter is really hard to beat.

Cheers!

"It has been said that the secret to success is
learning how to do more with less and in the
simplest way possible." ~ Wise Words Wiki


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Perhaps the word mistakes is too harsh a word!?!

That said, I designed my rig with overhead cupboards on both sides to make use of the best available storage space…but when I stand up it feels like there is much less room than I imagined when I designed the van, although the idea was to have as much storage space as possible.

I have an airtight generator box over the bed between the side cupboards just inside the back doors which limits space while lying in bed too. The idea was to have the generator inside and be completely self contained in the event of a rushed drive-off. In my next van this will be under the bed in my garage.

The overhead cupboards are essentially overhanging above the windows by around 8-10 inches which leaves me with no way to sit up in bed comfortably…so if I want to sit up I have to put the bed away and set up my living room, which sometimes isn’t so convenient!

I also needed to pass services such as pipes and wiring from top to bottom and I did this using the standard VW Transporter camper layout with a slight difference. The cupboard commonly found to one side of the bed is quite wide and on one side only. I essentially halved the width and placed two cupboards, one on each side to house my inverter on one side and my hot water tank on the other. This has caused my bed to be only 4 foot 3 inches wide which can be challenging when it comes to sleeping two people in my van!

I also designed the bed to suit the minimum standard as far as re-registration here in the UK goes (1.8 metres length) and that is too short. Part of my plan is to lengthen this by around 4-6 inches, but I haven’t worked out the best way to do this with the current setup!

These are the immediate ones that spring to mind…at least the ones that cause daily challenges for me.

If I think of any more, I shall pass them on to you.

Otherwise, now that I have finally sat in front of the sewing machine and finished my side window blinds, it is a pleasure to actually take them off of the windows and make the most of the light!

I have for over two years had them permanently up in position, held by magnets, and every time I tried to take them down, the magnets fell off and got lost!

I hope this helps!