My Ford Transit And The Exterior mods I've Done
- Mackenzie Bussard
- Jul 20
- 4 min read
The rig that started the entire endeavor! I figured this would be a great subject for my first blog post considering it was the cause for the entire company!
Prior to owning my Transit I had a Chevy Silverado. While it was a great rig it was not suitable for camping or the travel I wanted to do. Once I sold it I was on the hunt for a do it all vehicle that was snow and offroad capable for exploring. Enter my Transit! I ordered my Transit Crew 350 AWD Ecoboost in 2021 and took delivery early in 2022 and have loved owning it! Since then I have put 67k on the odometer and travelled all over the west coast! My daughters and I absolutely love exploring and I have a fascination with history both of the modern US and those who lived here before us. The van has proven to be the most capable adventure partner for discovering history and because of it I have been able to discover many historic sites that aren't known to the general public!
The Mods My Transit serves many purposes, from my daily driver, to an adventure rig, moto hauler, kid transporter and camper. With all of these demands I have done some fun mods to make the transit more capable as a vehicle! Below I will link the mods I have installed so if you want to do any of these yourself you can! I am not sponsored by any of these brands and am just posting because I like them.
-Van Compass Topo 2in Lift Kit. This was integral to getting more ground clearance and getting the intercooler away from taller rocks when offroad. This lift rides nice and smooth while also looking great! Installation was a process but the final result is something that every transit owner should have before venturing off road. https://vancompass.com/collections/transit
-Van Compass Ditch Light Mounts And Rough Country Osram Led Pod Lights. Who doesn't love more light? Before I had a roof rack there really wasn't a good way to mount a light bar on the transit, so these ditch lights were the next logical choice! I have the upfitter package on my van which comes with the switch bank so wiring these in was fairly easy! These lights light up the sides of the road very well and have saved me from hitting several deer!
https://vancompass.com/products/van-compass-hoodline-light-pod-mount-transit-2013
Rough Country lights https://shorturl.at/mw2Tl
-Falken Wildpeak AT4 Tires 245/75 R16. Adventuring requires some good rubber and so far these have been the best tires I've had! They wear really well, give a great look and perform well in rocky and snowy terrains! This size also does not rub at all with the lift!
https://shorturl.at/UxpIa
-Rally Armor Mud Flaps. These are a custom job as they do not have any specific mudflaps made for Transit. These were cut to allow to mold to the wheel liner and held in place with self tapping screws. They have been an awesome addition and keep rocks from hitting the side of the van when going down gravel roads. They have the added benefit of helping keep the side step a bit cleaner during muddy adventures. https://www.rallyarmor.com/index.php/universal-mud-flaps-urethane-mud-flaps-c-60_116_168
-Unaka Gear Co Standard Roof Rack. My roof rack is by far my favorite accessory that I have added to my van and it also gets the most use. I ordered this roof rack because it was affordable and inexpensive to ship compared to many other roof racks. The 8020 aluminum bars allow for full customization of where your cross bars are located and allow for accessories to be mounted easily with t-nuts. I use my roof rack for my solar system, rear light bar, moon shade mounts, traction board storage and hauling my paddle boards around! https://unakagearco.com/products/ford-transit-standard-roof-rack-148-high-roof?_pos=7&_fid=11fe82bfa&_ss=c
-Moonshade If you haven't seen these then definitely check the link below. Moon provides an affordable awning that sets up in minutes and in my case clicks onto my roof rack. It makes camping really nice and provides a nice shady spot as well as a place to hang a light at night! I cannot recommend enough!
-Renogy 100w Solar Panel, 100ah Battery, Controller and 3000w inverter. Power offroad isn't a necessity for me however, it is nice to have! This set up is enough to do what I need to do(charge laptop batteries, run my fridge and run my espresso machine). I went with Renogy due to the value of it and so far its held up 3 years with zero issues!
-Front Runner Traction Board Mounts and ARB Tred Pro Traction Boards
This is another custom job as the front runner mounts do not clear the van when mounted directly to the rack. What I did was get some aluminum L pieces and cut them then mounted them to the rack and attached the mounts to those to push them out enough to clear the van. I really like having them this way so that the traction boards are accessible from the side rather than having to undo them from the roof which would take up rack space. I also think they look cool mounted vertically.
Boards https://shorturl.at/AkL6K
Please feel free if you have any questions regarding any of the above and I will do a separate post on the interior soon!
Mackenzie
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