Building My Ford Transit Production Van Part 1: The Planning Begins

In my previous post I talked about my experience with production vans over time. My previous production van, a low-roof Mercedes Metris, served me well for years, but I found myself starting to struggle with space limitations.

When planning a new production van build based on a Ford Transit High Roof, in order to accommodate more kit, I had to navigate two main obstacles, space and weight.

Here are some of the things I was considering, and some of the decisions I ultimately made.

Visiting the dealership early to visualize the inside of Ford Transit van.

BATTLE OF THE BULGE: Weight Considerations

With weight being such a critical factor, I knew I had to carefully look at every detail to stay within the limits.

My Transit 350HD van is rated for 4500kg Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) or 9900 lb. That means the total weight of the vehicle, cargo and passengers have to be under that rating.

In the province of Ontario (Canada) where I live, if the vehicle is over this 4500kg threshold, it's considered "heavy commercial" class and you need to register for something called a CVOR (Commercial Vehicle Operators Registration). The US uses a similar registration called USDOT with similar requirements, etc. There are strict sets of rules you need to comply with, yearly mandatory inspections and the biggest deterrent for me, a significant increase in insurance cost.

Early on I built a list of all the things I wanted to put in the van that consisted of existing inventory, as well as plans for a small expansion. I used manufacturer data for weights, eventually Gemini (AI), and in the last stages a physical weight scale to plan out what I'd be able to carry. For non-gear items like shelving, flooring, and upfitting, I tried to make best case guesses. Gemini was very helpful for things that were harder to find an actual published weight.

It's surprising how even small, non-gear items, can quickly add to the overall payload!

I used Google Sheets to help me build out a preliminary wish list of things I wanted to include on the van. The far right column also shows where I thought items could possibly go. Weights are in lb.

THE QUEST FOR SPACE: Using every bit of space

The challenge of space is harder to address without the actual vehicle. Published specs for height, width, and length don't paint the full picture. Curves in the wall, location of wheel wells, the difference in measurements at the floor vs the ceiling are all challenges that have to be addressed. These are all easier when you have the van in person.

Success sometimes comes down to a 1/4 inch, and the only way to ensure something was going to fit was for me to be in the physical space of the van. Nevertheless, overhead diagrams were available online and I adapted a template in Photoshop to give me an approximate layout.

What I really wanted to determine early on, or at least have a game plan going in, was fundamentally how many shelves and/or carts I was going to utilize and what locations were best inside the van. It had to make logical sense, maximizing space and also have a good flow.

"Production Vans and Grip Trucks" Facebook group was instrumental in looking at what other people had done and were recommending and really helped me to think about my own build.

Two interior layouts I was playing around with in Photoshop. This helped me visualize how the shelves and carts could possibly fit with the van's dimensions. Each small square on the grid represented 1" of interior space.

SHELVES VS CARTS: An Age Old Debate

This is one of the earlier questions that's important to answer when building out a production vehicle or grip truck.

Are you going to go all carts, all shelves or in many cases a hybrid mix of the two. How many carts? Which carts? How many shelves and what size? How much aisle space should be left?

An all carts workflow seems to be the more popular choice among the build out community. In general, I don't disagree. Having everything mobile and ready to roll off the truck is hugely beneficial. If you ever need an empty truck you can also purge everything quickly and voila you now have a big open space to transport any bigger or more awkward items.

Coming from my previous workflow with my Metris, the goal with this new truck was definitely to shift towards a cart workflow. However, I knew I still wanted to include some shelving.

In general I think it's easier and more cost effective to utilize and maximize the volume of a vehicle with a shelf vs a cart. If everything is on carts it also means you have to take everything with you all the time, as you purge the vehicle, and sometimes you just don't need everything.

Lastly, all things being equal, dimensions and material, a cart is generally heavier simply because of the heavy duty wheels you typically find on them. Remember the weight battle right?

FINAL THOUGHTS

I think the time spent researching, and meticulously planning, really helped streamline the process when it actually came down to building the van out. It allowed me to have a game plan going into it so I could hit the ground running when the van finally did arrive.

There were certainly challenges and unexpected delays that happened anyways despite the planning, which I'll get into with Part 2!

Are you building out a production van or truck? Have you already been through the process and have a tip to share? Please leave a comment down below. Also find me on Instagram @barrycheong.com