Building a Mobile Detailing Rig Part 2: Converting a Ford E-Series Van Into a Mobile Detailing Garage on Wheels
November 24th, 2022
If you have been following Dream Machine Detailing from the start chances are you already know that in early 2020 I built a mobile pressure washer trailer with all of the features I wanted to help launch Dream Machine Detailing. This mobile pressure washer trailer allowed me to deliver high quality detailing services to my clients doorsteps. We’ve grown a bit since those early days. My brother joined the team in 2021 making us a dynamic duo and we have a bigger set up now. In case you are new to Dream Machine Detailing, or wish to see the build that helped launch our business feel free to follow this link to read up on the Dream Machine Detailing mobile pressure washer trailer.
A Man’s Got to Know His Limitations
I (found) a few minor limitations with the (trailer) set up after working with it the first two years…
The pressure washer trailer works great. It’s compact, easy to deploy and I can tow it behind an SUV, pickup truck or our van with ease. It got me launched in Spring of 2020 and successfully allowed me to offer the types of services that I wanted to for my clients. I did however find a few minor limitations with the set up after working with it the first two years in business.
The first limitation isn’t really a limitation, but more of a balance of trade offs. Using my personal vehicle, which at the time was my Ford Explorer, to tow the trailer had some downsides. The upside was the whole set up was very compact and more cost effective than having a secondary work vehicle to fuel and maintain. The downside was that since it was my personal vehicle I had to load and unload the vehicle after every job. This was both time consuming and also took it’s toll on the inside of my truck. Having a work only vehicle means it’s always stocked with our equipment and ready to roll at any time.
The next limitation is related to dealing with our sporadic weather conditions in Wisconsin. The trailer, being an open cargo trailer, exposed all of my equipment to the elements. This was definitely a limitation in the winter time. I would have to break the trailer down and winterize it when frozen temperatures arrived.
As the business grew I started to take on some bigger jobs like boats, trucks and trailers. I started to find the limits of the smaller water tank that is on the trailer. It’s great for cars, but occasionally, I would run out of water when working on larger vehicles and would have to replenish water on site to finish the jobs. This isn’t a deal breaker, but adds time to the jobs.
One last limitation is my choice of using a 4000watt generator on the trailer. We have to be careful about how many, and what pieces of equipment we use with it. Once my brother joined the company midway through 2020 we would be running our air compressor and a vacuum at the same time to be more efficient and that would sometimes overpower the generator.
If we worked within the trailers limitations the set up works flawlessly, but during the spring of 2021 my brother and I decided that we wanted to up the anti and take our set up to the next level. So, in May of 2021 after searching for many months we purchased a 2003 Ford E-250 Extended Cargo Van to add to our fleet. We nicknamed the van “The Fridge” due to it’s resemblance of a vintage Frigidaire and also because it has the girth and weight of famed Chicago Bears 1985 defensive tackle William “The Refrigerator” Perry.
In the following paragraphs I’m going to break down how we improved upon all aspects of the trailer build, taking “The Fridge” build to the next level.
A Bit of Inspiration
My biggest inspiration for building “The Fridge” was from Sprenger’s Mobile Detailing in Anaheim California.
Prior to purchasing the van or beginning the build, just like with my pressure washer trailer build, I scoured the internet for inspiration.
My biggest inspiration for building “The Fridge” was from Sprenger’s Mobile Detailing in Anaheim California. The owner/operator, Paul Sprenger, has built two Ford E-Series vans and a giant mobile pressure washing trailer for doing semi truck fleets.
His builds are professional looking, very well organized and built with function and safety in mind. The vans are super heavy duty and built for fleet detailing. Each van carries 300 gallons of water. His trailer also carries 300 gallons of water and has a hot link onboard so he can melt grease and grime off of truck chassis with ease using steaming hot water.
You can check out the video that inspired our build of “The Fridge” on the Sprenger’s Detailing youtube channel below.
A Cautionary Tale
…we decided that since the van was a pretty reasonable price… to take the risk and purchase the vehicle sight unseen.
Before we get into the nitty gritty of our build, I thought it would be beneficial to share our buying experience of our van. Let’s call it a cautionary tale.
We had a fairly limited budget for the entire build so we couldn’t afford a new van. I zeroed in on the Ford E-Series vans made from the early 2000’s up till 2014. I liked the body style and have had many Ford’s so knew generally what to expect with maintenance and reliability.
Being from the rust belt, my brother and I also made the decision to find a rust free vehicle from down south. We wanted a clean looking vehicle that would represent our business well. This meant that it would be unlikely that we would be able to see it in person before making our purchase. Definitely a risk, but we planned to have a local shop look at the vehicle to do a pre-sale inspection before we made our purchase.
After many months of looking I found a 2003 Ford E-250 cargo van in Miami Florida. It seemed to check all of the boxes. It was priced very competitively for the listed miles and looked pretty clean in the pictures. I also liked it because it was the extended body so there was around three additional feet of cargo area behind the rear wheels.
I contacted the dealership to get more details and they only sold cargo vans. They had no problem allowing a mechanic to look it over so I called several local Ford Dealerships to see if they could send a mechanic to do an inspection. None were willing so I researched some more and found a well reviewed local “mobile” mechanic. After speaking with him on the phone I felt confident that he was honest and wouldn’t let me buy a bad vehicle. I paid him via paypal and he arrived to inspect the van the same day.
He went over the whole vehicle with me by FaceTime and also test drove it. He pointed out a few repairs that needed to be addressed so I felt that he and the dealership were representing the vehicle accurately.
After some deliberation with my brother we decided that since the van was a pretty reasonable price and fit within our initial build budget to take the risk and purchase the vehicle sight unseen.
We arranged to have the van shipped from Florida to Wisconsin. Several weeks later my brother and I drove a few blocks down the road to the large wide open parking lot of our local farm supply store to greet the transport truck and see “The Fridge” for the first time.
The semi truck that arrived looked like it had driven right out of a swamp in the Florida Everglades. It was sun-faded and the trailer appeared to be covered in some type of brown and green colored substance.
Amongst several other vehicles on the trailer we spotted our van on the top of the truck. I paid the driver and after some finagling of his trailer and maneuvering a few vehicles around, our van was delivered.
Our van on top of the transport truck as we took delivery in May of 2021.
My brother and I were admittedly excited about the van, however our excitement was quickly replaced by reality.
At first glance of the van I noticed some signs of body work on the rear lower rocker panels. I also noticed that the paint was in dire need of a polish and looked like a rattle can re-spray. Not quite as clean of an exterior as we were led to believe.
Once I climbed into the van I was met with a dense scent that I would describe as a cross between a sweaty armpit and a sauna full of moss. It was thick!
Now for the first drive. I turned the van on and set off down the road with my brother in tow keeping a watchful eye for any parts that may fall off during the maiden voyage. The fuel gauge showed almost empty so we headed to a nearby gas station. As I drove down the bumpy South Milwaukee roads it was immediately apparent that the suspension was going to need some help. It handled like a horse carriage. The steering wheel was crooked and the steering itself was a mere suggestion of where to direct the vehicle. There was also a surround sound symphony of rattles, creaks, squeaks and clatter as I rolled down the road.
After putting what seemed like an endless amount of fuel into the gas tank we drove the van home and parked it on the slab outside of our apartment. Other than several trips to the mechanic, this would be it’s resting place for the Spring, Summer and Fall of 2021 as we worked on building “The Fridge” in between our normal weekly detailing appointments.
As I took in our new to us cargo van sitting in front of our apartment my excitement was replaced with anxiety. I had anticipated that the van would need some maintenance, but I don’t think I fully realized what that would really look like in person. And so our journey building “The Fridge” began.
Cleaning Out The Fridge
Our first step was gutting the inside.
We started to dive into the van almost immediately. It was towards the end of May of 2021 so we were able to start working on the van outside on the slab that’s in front of our apartment.
Our first step was gutting the inside. We removed all of the organizers and the bulkhead to give us room for our eventual build-out. Since we didn’t have a garage to work in the van also became a rolling storage unit for all of the supplies we started to accumulate for the build.
Bright Lights and Big Mirrors
The front of the van was rather sad looking because it looked like it had a black eye.
One of our first modifications was replacing all the lighting with LED’s. The front of the van was rather sad looking because it looked like it had a black eye.
One of the corner lights did not match the other so we replaced them with some stylish looking black housing with LED’s. Later on we changed back to matching stock housings since they performed better during the day.
We also replaced the headlights with LED housing that greatly improved nighttime visibility. In order to make the LED flashers work we had to install a compatible relay under the dash.
To improve visibility out of the van while driving we installed tow mirrors. They really help with the massive blind spots down the sides of the van.
With safety and performance in mind we converted all of the exterior lighting to LED and replaced the corner lights with some stylish blacked out housing for a custom look. May of 2021.
Beefing Things Up
With the heavy load in mind we replaced the springs and the shocks…
First on the mechanical list was replacing the brakes. We opted for the heavy duty Z36 Truck & Tow Brake Upgrade Kit from Powerstop that included sporty red calipers, carbon-fiber ceramic brake pads and drilled/slotted rotors. We wanted some extra stopping power since we would be hauling a significant amount of weight in the vehicle. Since the front brakes integrate with the hub we also packed them with grease and installed new wheel bearings. After bleeding the brakes we took our first drive and boy did they make a difference.
We installed the Powerstop big brake kit on the van for better stopping power along with Super Coil springs and Heavy Duty Bilstein shocks to beef up the suspension.
Next we moved on to the suspension. With the heavy load in mind we replaced the springs and the shocks with beefier units for added stability and better handling going down the road.
We opted for seven leafs in the rear over the stock four and we initially installed super coils in the front. These proved to be overkill and made the van ride like a buckboard so we later returned to the stock springs in the front.
We chose to install Heavy Duty B6 Bilstein shocks at all four corners. Along with the shocks we installed a Bilstein steering stabilizer to help with any bump-steer.
Taking measurements of the old leaf springs and the new leaf springs in order to have new u-bolts made. June of 2021.
New Shoes
…we purchased a wheel and tire package from Tire Rack.
The stock wheels seemed fine, but were a little crusty looking and the tires were a little dry rotted so we purchased a wheel and tire package from Tire Rack. To give the van a unique look we got flat black American Racing rims with Cooper AT3 tires.
James installing American Racing wheels and Cooper AT3 tires. June 2021.
A Dirty Rear End
…the vehicle may have experienced a rather damp resting place…
To start with a good baseline with maintenance we started by changing the oil, the air filter, fuel filter and servicing the rear differential. When we pulled the rear diff cover off it appeared that the vehicle may have experienced a rather damp resting place as there was surface rust inside the casing. We used a grinder to remove the rust and thoroughly cleaned the differential. We installed fresh gear oil and called it good.
Servicing the rear differential. June 2021.
Tick, Tick, Tick
…this was the first of a few potentially big issues that the mobile mechanic had not made us aware of.
After a few weeks with the van I noticed a lot of racked coming from under the hood including a what sounded like a ticking sound from the engine. Unfortunately, this was the first of a few potentially big issues that the mobile mechanic had not made us aware of.
We decided to start by changing out the tensioner pulley, the idler pulley as well as the A/C compressor clutch which remedied some of the racket. This however, did not resolve the ticking sound.
I ran my scan tool on the van which revealed multiple codes that the mechanic had either neglected to notice or overlooked on purpose. To remedy some of these codes we did a full tune up with new spark plugs and coil packs which led to us discovering more “Micky Mouse” surprises.
Most of the plugs were fouled and several of the coil packs were loose and one wasn’t even plugged in. After performing the tune up we still had a misfire that we couldn’t seem to resolve.
The more we dug into the van the more issues that we found, but at this point we were committed for the long haul.
Long story short the first few months of ownership became fixing a multitude of mechanical issues. It was clear that the vehicle had not been accurately represented by either the dealership or the mechanic. They were likely in cahoots with one another. Purchasing our vehicle sight unseen was turning into a nightmare, and so a lesson was learned.
We did as much as we could ourselves, but had the engine timing chain replaced professionally as well as the water pump, the alternator and some micky mouse wiring. The good news is that the timing chain fix resolved the ticking sound.
We ended up replacing the blower resistor, the heater core and a mysteriously non-existent thermostat when we discovered we had no heat.
After almost 6 months of attempting to resolve our misfire issue we discovered that the catalytic converters were totally clogged up. We replaced them and the van has run like a champ ever since.
Making Van Interiors Great Again
Suddenly we were now doing a full restoration of the floor.
Back to the interior, we planned on pulling up the rubber floor and installing bed-liner from the front cab all the way to the rear bumper to help make the floor a bit sturdier as well as help as a sound and moisture barrier.
When we pulled the rubber flooring out we discovered that the body was not as perfect as we had hoped. Suddenly we were now doing a full restoration of the floor.
First we sandblasted and used a grinder to remove the old crusty paint and any surface rust. We treated any remaining surface rust with rust reformer.
Before attempting to paint we masked everything we didn’t want over-spray on with paper and tape. We also turned the van into a spray booth by hanging plastic over all of the doors.
We then laid down two coats of primer. Once that dried we sprayed the bed-liner utilizing the Raptor Bed-liner kit. It really transformed the look of the inside of our van.
Our next task was replacing the dirty and musty old rubber flooring. We sourced a new rubber/foam mat from American Van.
We also replaced the steering wheel with a clean used wheel we sourced from a junk yard. The original wheel was disintegrating and was only held together by a nasty steering wheel cover.
Discoveries like the crusty steering wheel, that original musty scent and the many mechanical issues made me think that this vehicle had been sitting for a long time in a very moist and very hot environment. We may never know the entire history of “The Fridge”, but I’m sure it’s an interesting Florida swamp tale. Perhaps it was owned by a gator?
In order to make the front cabin a bit nicer looking we decided to replace the rubber floor with carpeting and some rubber Husky floor mats. It made a huge difference to the look and feel of the cab.
Next to help with insulation and sound deadening we found some interior cargo panels from a newer van thanks to a guy named Craig who makes a list online. We cleaned them up and after making some slight modifications we installed the panels into the van. This also really transformed and cleaned up the overall interior of the van.
Bigger, Stronger and More Powerful
…we purchased our new equipment with the mentality of Tim “The Toolman” Taylor.
Now that we had largely resolved the mechanical issues and gotten the interior into an inhabitable place it was time to begin the build out of the van.
This began with assembling the main pieces of equipment of the build. Attacking the limitations of our trailer build we purchased our new equipment with the mentality of Tim “The Toolman” Taylor. Everything needed “more power, oouh, oouh, oouh”.
We purchased a 7000watt Champion Inverter that would power all of our equipment. We purchased a 20 gallon NorthStar air compressor that would have no issue powering all of our air tools. We purchased a 1900PSI 2.1GPM AR Blue Pressure washer with an auto on/off feature that was also capable of running hot water. Lastly, we purchased a 100 gallon water tank so we could successfully work on larger vehicles without worry of running out of water.
Now that we had acquired the main pieces of the build it was time to figure out how to successfully mount everything into the back of the van. Our task was to cram the set up of our 4×6 utility trailer along with everything we would normally load into the back of my Explorer all into the van. How hard could it be?
Fabricating a Water Tank Mount
I welded cross beams in for structural support and to hold the heavy weight of 100 gallons of water.
The first custom piece that we made for the van was a water tank mount. This frame was similar to the one I made on the pressure washer trailer to mount the water tank on it. The main difference was that this new one had to be bigger and instead of using steel hold down straps we were going to use heavy duty ratchet straps to secure the water tank.
Like the frame on the trailer we used the water tank dimensions for measurements and started with a rectangular frame made of angle iron. I welded cross beams in for structural support and to hold the heavy weight of 100 gallons of water.
In order to maximize the storage space inside the van we integrated a ladder rack into the water tank frame so we could bring an assortment of fold-able work benches, step stools and ladders. I used steel tubing and some smaller gauge angle iron to create the ladder rack.
Again, we used the water tank for height measurements and made our end posts a couple feet taller for clearance. I began by making each end section independently and then connected them with two outer cross beams. Then I added more structural rigidity by adding two cross beams in the middle. It still was a little flimsy so I added cross beams along the bottom and vertical cross beams along the sides essentially creating a cage like structure that was nice and rigid.
Each corner post was tubular steel and all the cross beams were angle iron. I was able to use plastic furniture leg caps to cap the tops of the tubular posts. This gives them a clean look as well as eliminates any sharp edges.
The ladder rack is bolted to the water tank frame at each corner using grade 8 fasteners. The water tank is secured to the frame by two heavy duty ratchet straps that are hooked onto four heavy duty eyelets that are directly bolted to the frame.
Fabricating a Skid Mount
Based on these measurements as well as the approval of my dog Molly we built a rectangular frame as our base.
Next was to build a skid mount into the back section of the van that would mount the air compressor, the pressure washer and the generator. I would also integrate an air hose reel and a pressure washer hose reel into this skid mount. I didn’t want everything to be mounted permanently since we would need to service the equipment so I designed the mount with tie downs.
We made measurements of the area in the back of the van as well as test fit our equipment to figure out the layout. Based on these measurements as well as the approval of my dog Molly we built a rectangular frame as our base.
I then welded in cross beams for support and mounting points for each piece of equipment. From there we temporarily placed the equipment on the frame to mark where tie down points would be. I also created wheel chalks to hold the Air compressor in place.
Next was to integrate mounts for the hose reels as well as a vertical tie down point for the air compressor. I designed a mount point using a rubber bumper to help keep the air compressor upright and in place.
Much of the design of the frame was simply on the fly engineering. I ended up adding additional vertical posts to add rigidity to the structure. All in all it was several days of cutting, grinding and welding and a lot of fun.
Getting Organized
In order to attach the bottle holders we had to create door panels.
In order to utilize every area of the van for storage we purchased some stainless steel bottle holders sourced from the kitchen industry. These were to be mounted to the rear doors so that all of our usable products would be quickly accessible.
Along with these bottle holders I also sourced a door organizer to hold various tools and items we use for detailing such as plastic razors, touch up paint, cotton swabs, so on and so fourth. In order to attach the bottle holders we had to create door panels. We purchased some black abs plastic panels from Amazon and cut them to fit. We utilized clear plastic to make our templates by tracing the door panel. We used push pins to mount the door panels to the factory holes. Then we used steel rivets to attach the bottle holders to the door panels.
The bottle holders are organized based on what part of the vehicle we are working on. The driver side door is generally for exterior products and the passenger door is generally for interior products. This makes it super easy and efficient to keep track of what products we are using and everything is right at our fingertips.
Once all of the custom fabrication was complete we took the frames to Optimum Powder Coating in West Allis Wisconsin to have everything powder coated grey to match the van organizers. We also had the stainless steel bottle holders powder coated to match.
Final Assembly
…it was time for final assembly.
Once we got everything back from powder coating it was time for final assembly. First we installed the skid mounts by bolting them directly to the van floor using grade 8 hardware. Next we re-installed the van organizers with self tapping screws. The organizers are used to store our bins of towels, wash mitts and buffing pads along with all of our gallon supply that we use to refill our spray bottles we keep on the doors.
The final piece of equipment we installed was a 5 drawer, locking tool chest from harbor freight. We bolted the tool chest directly to the floor using heavy duty grade 8 hardware. We utilized this toolbox to store various hand tools, our battery powered tools as well as polishers and air tools.
Some finishing touches were to install fire extinguishers in the back and front of the van for safety in the event of a fire. We installed a key rack in the back so we have a place to keep track of our clients keys. We installed some adhesive heat shield in the back of the van near the generator to help deflect heat from the muffler. We also installed a custom exhaust extension so when the generator is running the exhaust is piped safely out of the back of the van.
On the ladder rack we installed some adhesive rubber so items on the ladder rack wouldn’t slide around. We installed foam padding in the bottle racks and the storage organizers to help limit rattles and clatter from the rear of the van while driving.
We plumbed the water tank by installing a brass elbow into a bulkhead fitting on the base of the tank. A nylon hose runs from that elbow via a quick connect directly to the pressure washer at the back of the truck with another quick connect. Water flow to the pressure washer is controlled using a ball valve that is installed on the brass elbow making it a gravity feed set up.
We also installed a ball valve with a hose quick connect on the top of the tank near the cargo door so we could fill the tank using a hose without having to open the tank lid. Attached to the ball valve is an internal automatic shut off valve similar to the style of valve that operates the water shut off in your toilet. Having the automatic shut off allows us to fill the tank while we are tending to other chores without worry of causing a flood inside of the van.
Recent Additions
…we have made some other improvements…
The main build out of the van was completed by the end of 2021. Since then we have made some other improvements including the addition of a 2000watt pure sine wave power inverter that uses a secondary battery that is charged by the van’s engine as its power source.
Using an extra piece of aluminum diamond plate left over from the trailer build we made a custom mounting panel that we attached the inverter to underneath the tool chest.
We installed the second battery beneath the tool chest along with a breaker and fuses at either end of the set up.
We installed a battery isolator so that the inverter wouldn’t run down the truck battery. We made our own heavy gauge cables and installed fuse blocks to keep everything safe.
This inverter is used as our on the go charging station for battery powered tools, headlamps, portable interior light and anything else needing remote charging.
Most recently we installed a new stereo with a rear view camera. Our radio never worked and when the van is fully packed with all of our equipment there is limited visibility out of the back. We purchased the Boss BE7ACP-FT kit from Crutchfield and completed the installation ourselves. We removed the kick panels as well as some other interior panels in order to run all of our wiring along the factory wiring harness. To really give it a clean and factory look all of the wiring was wrapped in loom and secured with zip ties. It’s a very clean and safe install and the camera really helps with visibility. The stereo also gives us the function of hands free calling and apple car play which is great since we can use Apple Maps. It’s a heck of a lot safer than fumbling with my phone while trying to find directions.
Future Plans
…turn the van into a rolling billboard…
Our plan for 2023 is to finally have the van wrapped or lettered up with our logo. We have a couple design ideas to help turn the van into a rolling billboard for our business.
Lemonade from a Lemon
…our experience thus far is one of making lemonade out of a lemon…
2022 was our first complete season using “The Fridge”. We had a rocky start and learned a lot of lessons along the way, but in its current form, the van has performed very well for us.
I think our experience thus far is one of making lemonade out of a lemon and making the best out of a sometimes frustrating situation. Clearly the van was not everything we thought it was upon delivery, but if it had been, we would not have had the learning experience that we have had with it.
All in all, the journey with transforming “The Fridge” into the workhorse that its become has been extremely valuable to both myself and to my brother. It has been as much of an educational experience as it has been a bonding one.
The Summer Blockbuster Sequel
…“The Fridge” is bigger, better and more powerful than the original.
I think we successfully achieved our goal of improving upon every aspect of the original pressure washer build. In the best tradition of a summer blockbuster sequel every aspect of “The Fridge” is bigger, better and more powerful than the original.
Our equipment is protected from the elements and “The Fridge” has allowed us to tackle larger and more challenging jobs. Paired with the trailer we have dual pressure washer set ups and around 168 gallons of spot free water on hand. We also have double the power and double the fun.
I am very proud of both of these rigs. Building them ourselves was an incredibly valuable experience. “The Fridge” is truly our detailing garage on wheels. It allows us to deliver the highest level of quality detailing services that our clients have come to expect. Without the support of our clients we would not have been able to build these rigs. We thank you all for the support and we look forward to continuing to grow as a business and continue to build something special together in the coming years.
© 2022 Dream Machine Detailing, LLC