Homework & parts hunt

Building a van is 20% labor and 80% researching what to buy.

This week: L-track for the floor cargo system, factory pigtails for tapping into the upfitter switches, and stainless fasteners because regular bolts rust in three months.

L-track

Horizontal rails, T-slot profile, lets you mount D-rings and tie-downs anywhere along the track instead of drilling new holes every time you reconfigure cargo. The question isn’t whether to use L-track. It’s which brand, what spacing, and do you mortise it flush with the floor or mount it proud.

I’m going every 5 inches, cross-grain to the plywood, mortised flush because I’m walking on this. US Cargo Control for the track. McMaster-Carr for the hardware because their filters actually work and they ship fast.

Factory pigtails

Ford sells connector pigtails for the upfitter switches, the clean way to add accessories without splicing into the harness. Dealer pricing versus eBay pricing: know your tolerance for risk.

I bought eBay. They’re the same.

Stainless everything

Floor bolts, L-track mounting screws, anything touching metal or wood that’ll see moisture. Stainless. It costs more. It doesn’t rust. This is a one-time build and I don’t want to rebuild the floor in five years because I saved $20 on fasteners.

Next: CNC floor templates.