The Ford Super Club Wagon seating for 15 people is not
needed often when towing a trailer. Since space for storage is limited
in any trailer, the tow vehicle becomes a second, or perhaps primary,
storage area. Fortunately, the seats in the Ford Super Club Wagon are
relatively easily removed by two people and can be removed by one person
with some degree of effort since they are bulky and heavy.
Seat Removal
In our case, we removed the fourth and fifth rows of seats
to create storage space. The additional 20.2 inches of length compared
with the standard Club Wagon really enhanced the storage space behind the
third row seat. With the growing Irish Wolfhound in mind, we removed
the second row of seats to create a "puppy condominium" between
the first and third rows of seats. This gave the dog room to stretch
out during our multi-hour travels while still leaving seating for 5 adults.
Computer Table
The XLT interior package includes front reclining club
chairs. While front passenger access to the rear without exiting the
vehicle is a nice feature, our travels dictate traveling on roads we have
never driven before. Therefore, a computer with map software and an
integrated GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) system is a God-send. I
purchased a small table top that would just fit between the two club
chairs. I mounted the table top to a metal center column designed for
use in a custom van. These center columns and the mounting brackets
are available at custom van shops and RV supply stores such as Camping
World. Instead of permanently mounting a bracket to the floor of the
van, I used a three legged metal base designed to allow RV tables to be used
as an outdoor table. This base is also available from RV supply
stores. I found that the three leg base is a secure fit between the
front club chairs when the base is set with one leg placed near the front of
the each club chair and the third leg pointing toward the center rear of the
vehicle.
GPS and Inverter
I now had a secure base for my laptop computer. Since
the GPS unit runs off of the computer's battery (via the keyboard plug on
the back of the computer), the laptop computer must be plugged into 120 volt
AC power to run more than an hour. I purchased a small 160 watt
inverter (available at RV supplies, etc.) that plugs into the Ford's dash
mounted power point (located above the cigar lighter). I used a metal
strap to secure the inverter to the bottom of the table to keep it out of
the way and insure that the inverter's cord would reach the dash. The
computer still had a tendency to slid about on the slick formica table
top. I cut a piece of non-skid material (Slip Stop by Camco,
sold in RV supply stores for use in cabinets) slightly smaller than the top
of the table. No more slipping.
Window Tinting
Since the van carries all of the things I don't have room
for in the trailer, I removed the seat belts for the seats that I took out
and applied a very dark tint film to the windows on the rear doors, the
small rear side windows, and the long side windows behind the side
doors. I used 5% limousine tint on these windows even though they had
the factory dark tint on them already. While it does reduce the
visibility from the inside you can still see out. However, from the
outside, it looks like the windows were painted black. Check your
State laws before doing this. It may not be legal in your State.
The tint gives me an extra measure of security from prying eyes, as well as
reducing the heat loading during the summer with all that glass.
Altimeter and Cup Holders
Since I am traveling unfamiliar roads, I added an altimeter
to keep up with the elevation changes. I also added a dash mounted
compass for those times I am not using the GPS system. I later added
an electronic compass which mounts to the windshield above the rearview
mirror and is powered by the van's 12 volt system. When traveling, you
can't have too many cup holders. Therefore, I mounted two additional
cup holders to the center console that surrounds the engine and added two
more cup holders to the back of the table top now occupying the space
between the front seats. I also added a map light on a flexible
support.
(Note:
Altimeter turned sideways, van was 14,100 feet when photo was taken)
Cellular Telephone Antenna
Since cellular reception varies significantly inside a steel
vehicle, I have a glass mount cellular antenna on the top passenger side of
the windshield. I use a Larsen antenna which is considered one of the
best.
Porta-Potty
Since we take day trips to visit sites without the trailer,
we carry a Porta-Potty in the rear of the Club Wagon. It is held
upright by use of a strap attached to the location where the rear most seat
belts were originally fastened. To insure privacy, an automotive
clothes rod was attached to the upper shoulder harness attachment points for
the fourth row of seats. A gray curtain was made that closes off the
rear portion of the van. A matching gray fabric strap is used to hold
the curtain out of the way on the drivers side when not in use.
Dog Ramp
With an Irish Wolfhound, particularly a puppy, getting in
and out of a one ton van is a challenge. As a puppy passes 50 pounds,
lifting them into and out of a van becomes less appealing. We
purchased a folding plastic pet ramp from R.C. Steele and installed door
hinges on one end of the ramp. The door hinges were then screwed into
the door step inside the rear opening passenger side door. Now it is
just a matter of opening the door, folding out the ramp and the Irish
Wolfhound trots in or out by himself. (Patrick currently weighs about
130 pounds.) To make the ramp match the interior better and to quiet
the sounds of a 130 pound puppy racing up and down, I bought a one foot wide
piece of gray carpeting and glued it onto the ramp. Although the ramp
is rated for 200 pounds, I have found that a 130 pound dog running up and
down the ramp eventually takes a toll. I have reinforced the ramp by
added steel braces underneath it, using the threaded holes already in the
bottom of the ramp.
