Photos - My van conversion Earl Grey is up for sale (2010 Ford Transit Connect) | Squat the Planet

Photos My van conversion Earl Grey is up for sale (2010 Ford Transit Connect)

Matt Derrick

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Hey folks, unfortunately it has come time for me to sell my beloved camper van, 'Earl Grey'. I love this thing and all the work I've put into it, but since I am planning on moving to Europe it's just not financially feasible to take it with me. I'd really appreciate it if you could help me spread the word!

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I purchased this van from an ambulance company in the summer of 2021 in Texas. It was used to transport elderly folks from an assisted living space to the hospital and back. It originally had a wheelchair lift in the back that I have (obviously) removed.

Being a Texas vehicle, there's is little to no rust to be found anywhere. This vehicle consistently gets 25 mpg (I've tested it with an OBDII scanner) and can fit in just about any parking spot. In addition to it's manuverability, it's a great way to do the whole van life thing on a budget and in a fair bit of luxury. I purchased the vehicle with 114,000 miles on it; it now has just over 130k on the odometer.

I've driven this van all over the western half of the USA with almost zero issues. I did have a serpintine belt break in Colorado, so that was replaced along with some of the belt gears (which cost about $700). I have kept up the oil maintenance (fully synthetic) every 3k miles and had the transmission fluid flushed within the first month after I bought it. I also replaced the spark plugs and I've saved all the receipts from any repairs/maintenance if you want to look at them.

There are two very minor issues with the van right now. One is that the passenger side window does not roll up or down. This happened about four months ago. I took apart the door and it looks like a little blue peice of plastic snapped and is keeping the spring from extending. It looks like to replace the whole mechanism would be about $120.

Second, the lock on the driver side sliding door makes a thwaking sound whenever you unlock the door with the remote key fob. This started happening about 6 months ago. This is the lock motor actuator that needs replacement. The door still locks fine, and opens fine, it just makes that annoying sound for about two seconds when you unlock it with the remote key.

On to the conversion.

Most of the conversion build I documented on this page here:

Photos - Earl Grey, my 2010 Ford Transit Connect Van Conversion - https://squattheplanet.com/threads/earl-grey-my-2010-ford-transit-connect-van-conversion.43177/

But in short, I built a platform that extends to all sides of the van and is just big enough to fit a full size mattress. The mattress is a Modway Aveline that I bought on amazon:



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ET84Y4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

The platform is built on a pretty simple 2x4 frame and screwed together with a pocket hole jig system so it's super solid. There's two pull out drawers in the rear:

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There's an overhead storage area above the driver's seat:

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This overhead area includes a Renogy lithium battery monitor:

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The van walls, ceiling and floor are sound-proofed using kilmat deadener and insulated with sheep's wool, and covered using reclaimed pallet wood:

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Tucked just under the walls is a set of led light strips to light up the interior at night:

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And I installed snap-on blackout curtains for all the rear windows, including a velcro/snap-on curtain that divides the driver's area from the back. The front window has retractable sun-reflecting blinds custom made for this van's windshield.

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Underneath the platform (in addition to the storage from the pull out drawers) is a 600w microwave, a 10 gallon water tank, and an electrical pump for pulling water out of that tank.

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On the left side through the sliding door, is the electrical system for the solar panels and 12v appliances. Stored in this area is a 206ah SOK lithium battery, a 2200w inverter, a vectron solar controller (you can check your solar panel input/drain via a bluetooth app on your phone), and a Renogy DC/DC charger.

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The DC/DC charger is not currently hooked up; I haven't had time to figure out how to patch it into the system.

I built a custom rack on the roof using unistrut beams so I could install the two solar panels (one 190w and one 230w) that are charging the lithium battery. I also cut a hole in the roof and installed a maxair fan. If you look at the page of the van build above, I have quite a few pics of how it was installed, and I'm proud to say there have been zero leaks, even in torrential rains. The black antenna on the roof is for the WeBoost cell phone booster I've installed behind the driver's seat.

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I have removed the front passenger seat and replaced it with a platform attached to a floor safe that is bolted into the frame of the van. On the platform is an ICECO TR60 12v refridgerator (about $700). The fridge is pretty huge for a vehicle this size (you can fit about 60 cans of soda) but I've never ran out of space when I stocked up on groceries :)

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In the driver's area I have a phone mount with charge cable, a backup camera on the dashboard, a VIOFO A119 V3 dash cam, and a bluetooth reciever for listening to music on the stereo. It's all powered on the cigarette lighter plug in the middle of the console.

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On the rear of the van I have a 2" hitch kit installed, with a 4" riser and finally a swing out hitch with a plastic storage box attached. This was stupidly expensive to set up, but it gives the van some much needed extra storage that swings out away from the back doors so you can still access the back of the van or keep them open during camping trips where the weather is nice.

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The black tube on the left side of the vehicle is a solar shower I built that uses air pressure to push out the water (you can attach an electrical tire pump to the valve on the back to pressurize it). The hose and shower head are included along with the electrical tire pump.

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Pictured on the right hand side is a pull out awning that is 6 feet wide and pulls out to a total of 8 feet long. Included in one of the rear storage drawers is a zip-on tent that turns the awing into a completely sealed off bug proof tent, which just about doubles the amount of 'hang out' space in the van. I've fit 3-4 people in chairs and a table in this room when the bugs were particularly bad out.

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I tried to document everything as accurately as I could, so here's another 85 pictures of various parts of the van:



As I mentioned before, this is an excellent van that I think would be perfect for someone that wants to travel around and live out of without the annoyances of a bigger bus/RV/etc. You can camp just about anywhere, whether it's in the city or out in nature since it's small enough to park anywhere, and I feel like the stealth is pretty decent as well given it's size (I've never gotten the 'cop knock' or anything like that). Also, the gas mileage is way ahead of the majority of vans out there, so it's not nearly as expensive to get from place to place.

Ideally, I'm hoping to find a good home for this van, hopefully with someone that really wants what it can offer. I'd love to see this van keep having adventures around North America!

Given that this van model retails for around 12-15k without any modifications, I feel like my asking price of 20k is pretty fair, given all the work put into it. But, with the two minor repairs that need to be done (mentioned above) I'm willing to give some wiggle room, so 'OBO'. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
 
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The Hiker

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Good luck! Wish I had the dough for it, I was just thinking how a full size van is too big but a truck bed/canopy is too small. Where are you going in Europe?
 

Matt Derrick

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Good luck! Wish I had the dough for it, I was just thinking how a full size van is too big but a truck bed/canopy is too small. Where are you going in Europe?

I hope to go all over eventually, but I'm shooting for citizenship in Portugal since that seems the easiest.
 

Matt Derrick

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Given that this van model retails for around 12-15k without any modifications, I feel like my asking price of 20k is pretty fair, given all the work put into it. But, with the two minor repairs that need to be done (mentioned above) I'm willing to give some wiggle room, so 'OBO'. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Apparently I need to meet this more obvious because people keep asking me what the price is.
 

MichelleA66

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Wonderful modifications! Wish I had seen this sooner. A friend just bought a Sprinter for $14K and I don't believe it's modified for living yet. Damn!! If I hear of anyone looking will definitely let you know.
 
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MichelleA66

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Wonderful modifications! Wish I had seen this sooner. A friend just bought a Sprinter for $14K and I don't believe it's modified for living yet. Damn!! If I hear of anyone looking will definitely let you know.

Hey, the girl who bought the sprinter, (mentioned above), got 15 miles down the road and the engine blew. Some sort of oil leak, I heard. Anyway, if the dude who sold it gives her money back, I'll send her your way.
 

Matt Derrick

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Hey, the girl who bought the sprinter, (mentioned above), got 15 miles down the road and the engine blew. Some sort of oil leak, I heard. Anyway, if the dude who sold it gives her money back, I'll send her your way.

a similar situation has happened to me twice so i feel for your friend. i hope they can get their money back!
 

IwaChanthavong

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Hi Matt! I’ve never used this site before but got an account just to message you about this amazing van you’re selling. I’m currently in Salt Lake City, UT but highly interested in your van and would like to learn more if possible!
 

Matt Derrick

Retired Wanderer
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Portland, OR
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Hi Matt! I’ve never used this site before but got an account just to message you about this amazing van you’re selling. I’m currently in Salt Lake City, UT but highly interested in your van and would like to learn more if possible!

Hey there, I just replied to your message on ebay, please feel free to email me and I'll send you my cell phone number.
 
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