Foundation Vehicles

Standard on every body

The same foundation, whatever the chassis

  • 1.5-inch composite panel with R11 continuous insulation and no thermal bridging
  • 36" cab-over habitat with a full cab-to-habitat passthrough
  • Interior 7’ tall × 80.5" wide; 84" exterior width
  • 100% inorganic, fire-retardant, non-absorbing materials — no wood
  • Options include cab paint-match, doors, windows, hatches, and access stairs
  • 3-year upfit warranty + 3-year / 36,000-mile OEM warranty
How the body is engineered

Van bodies · how to choose

Ford Transit & Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

Whichever van you choose, the Foundation body is exactly the same — so the only real decision is the chassis underneath. Here’s what people love about each.

Blue composite camper on a Ford Transit AWD chassis, parked on a forest road in the Colorado high country

Ford Transit

3.5L EcoBoost gas V6 · full-time AWD available

  • FV-138
  • FV-156
  • FV-178
  • The value pick — typically less to buy and less to own than a Sprinter
  • Gas V6 power with no diesel or DEF to manage, and fuel at every station
  • Full-time AWD available for confident all-weather traction, no driver input
  • The largest service network in the country — parts and repairs almost anywhere, usually cheaper
  • A lower step-in height that feels more car-like than the Sprinter — easier to drive and to get in and out of every day

Best for value, all-season road-and-light-trail travel, and staying close to easy service.

Matte-olive Mercedes-Benz Sprinter AWD composite camper at dusk with mountains behind

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

Turbo-diesel · AWD available

  • FV-144
  • FV-170
  • Turbo-diesel efficiency and torque — long range and easy mountain grades
  • A reputation for high-mileage longevity, with plenty of Sprinters well past 300,000 miles
  • Available AWD for real backcountry capability
  • A refined, quiet, premium cab
  • Strong resale, and the largest adventure-van aftermarket — accessories, parts, and support almost anywhere

Best for long-range and full-time travel, mountain touring, and resale value.

It’s the same Foundation body either way — so the real decision is just which cutaway chassis fits how you drive and where you’re headed.

Compare

Van-body specifications

Filter by chassis
Model ChassisWheelbaseOverall lengthWalkable floorMax GVWRFuel
FV-138 Ford Transit 350 Cutaway138"19'3"72.5 sq ft9,950 lb25 gal
FV-156 Ford Transit 350HD Cutaway156"20'6"82 sq ft11,000 lb25 gal
FV-178 Ford Transit 350HD Cutaway178"22'6"95 sq ft11,000 lb25 gal
FV-144 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500XD Cutaway144"20'73.5 sq ft11,000 lb25 gal
FV-170 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500XD Cutaway170"23'3"95.5 sq ft11,030 lb24.5 gal

Every body ships with a torsion-reduction subframe, full passthrough, R11 continuous insulation on a 1.5-inch composite panel, and 100% inorganic, fire-retardant materials. Interior is 7′ tall × 80.5″ wide.

Take it with you

Download the 2026 spec pack

Every body size, dimension, option, and warranty for the whole 2026 line-up — Transit, Sprinter, and the 4x4 E-Series — in one PDF. Or ask us for pricing →

Download spec pack (PDF)

Sizes at a glance

The four body sizes, to scale

Van bodies come in four lengths. Here’s how they compare — and how much walkable floor each one gives you.

  1. 11′3″ Compact · ~72 sq ft floor
  2. 12′6″ Standard · ~82 sq ft floor
  3. 14′0″ Long · ~92 sq ft floor
  4. 14′6″ Extended · ~95 sq ft floor
Drawn from our production body elevations, to scale. All four give true 7-ft standing room inside — only the length, and the walkable floor, changes. The chassis cab drops into the open pocket beneath the cabover.

Square beats round

A cargo van curves in. We don’t.

The rear cross-section of a stock Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 170 high-roof cargo van next to our FV-170 body, drawn to the same scale. Our square composite body gives you more headroom and real width up top — the space a factory van’s roof curves away from.

84″ · 7′ ceiling ~79″ van 80.5″ wide — square wall to wall 53″ between wheel wells space the van's roof curves away from FV-170 body Sprinter 170 high-roof cargo
Rear cross-section, drawn to scale. Same footprint — our square composite body captures the space a factory van's rounded roof leaves behind.
  • ~5″ more standing height — a true 7′ ceiling, flat wall to flat wall
  • ~10″ more width up top, right where a van's roof curves in
  • Square upper corners you can actually build cabinets and gear into
  • No wheel-well intrusion stealing your floor

Now available

The RampDeck

The whole rear wall drops down into a ramp and a load-bearing deck — then closes back up into a sealed, insulated composite wall. One body that hauls your toys, opens into an outdoor room, and still seals up four-season tight. Now available on Foundation bodies.

Ask about the RampDeck See the full build in the gallery
Foundation Vehicles RampDeck body on a Ford Transit 156 with the rear wall dropped into a flat deck and ramp to the ground and mesh side railings raised
Foundation Vehicles RampDeck body on a Ford Transit 156 opened into a railed patio deck with mesh side panels, side view

Extended living space

Lower the deck, clip in the mesh railings, and the back of your rig becomes an outdoor patio — a platform level with your floor to sit, cook, or take in the view, open to the outside and off the ground.

A side-by-side UTV loaded inside the garage of a Foundation Vehicles RampDeck body on a Ford Transit 156, rear ramp lowered to the ground

Toys in, adventure on

A wide opening and a strong deck roll a full-size side-by-side, dirt bikes, or e-bikes straight into the body. Strap them down, close the wall, and everything rides sealed and secure inside.

Foundation Vehicles RampDeck body on a Ford Transit 156 with the rear wall swung halfway open as it lowers into a ramp

Easy load-in for work

For mobile work, the ramp turns an awkward lift into a walk-up — roll carts, gear, and equipment in and out without a liftgate, then close up a clean, secure, weather-tight space.

E-Series · the 4x4 van body

The true 4x4 van for tackling the hardest terrain

Our E-Series body carries the same interior sizes as the Transit and Sprinter, but rides on the Ford E-Series cutaway — a body-on-frame chassis Ford has built for more than 60 years, with deep parts and service support and an aftermarket 4x4 conversion available. Ford’s 7.3-litre “Godzilla” gas V8 puts down 325 hp and 450 lb-ft, it’s rated up to 14,500 lb GVWR, and it carries a 40-gallon tank. On our Zero-Torsion subframe with 22° of articulation, the frame flexes over the terrain while the composite body stays square and stress-free. It works just as well for a mobile-work fleet as it does for a four-season expedition camper.

Ford E-Series 4x4 composite expedition camper climbing a rocky trail, front three-quarter view with the lifted suspension flexing over the terrain

Real 4x4 capability

Available in four-wheel drive as an aftermarket 4x4 conversion, with room for serious all-terrain tires — go where the vans cannot.

Zero-Torsion subframe, 22° of flex

The subframe lets the body-on-frame chassis twist off-road while the composite body stays square and stress-free.

Godzilla 7.3L V8 power

Ford’s gas V8 makes 325 hp and 450 lb-ft — strong low-end torque for grades and heavy builds, with fuel and service available almost anywhere.

More payload, more range

Up to 14,500 lb GVWR and a 40-gallon tank — the headroom for heavier, longer, farther builds.

Ford E-Series 4x4 composite camper on a rocky off-road trail, low front three-quarter view showing the lifted suspension, off-road bumper and all-terrain tiresRear view of a Foundation Vehicles E-Series composite camper on an uneven rocky trail, with traction boards and a spare all-terrain tire mounted on the rear doorFord E-450 composite expedition camper built by Foundation VehiclesFoundation Vehicles E-158 composite box camper on the Ford E-Series 4x4 chassis, parked on a gravel road in open high country
E-Series bodies — Zero-Torsion subframe with 22° of flex, 40-gallon tank, 4x4 available.
Model ChassisWheelbaseOverall lengthWalkable floorMax GVWRFuel
E-138s Ford E-Series 350 Cutaway138"19'73 sq ft11,500 lb40 gal
E-138 Ford E-Series 350 Cutaway138"20'3"82 sq ft11,500 lb40 gal
E-158s Ford E-Series 350/450 Cutaway158"20'3"82 sq ft14,500 lb40 gal
E-158 Ford E-Series 350/450 Cutaway158"21'9"92 sq ft14,500 lb40 gal
See all E-Series builds in the gallery

Medium & heavy duty

When the job calls for more truck

Past the vans, the same composite build steps up to a thicker 2.5-inch panel and a four- or five-point Zero-Torsion subframe — a full expedition cabover on a medium- or heavy-duty chassis, built to custom sizes for the payload, range, and clearance a bigger trip or job demands.

Blacked-out Chevrolet 6500 4x4 expedition camper on a desert road at golden hour near Joshua Tree

Ford F-450/550 · Ram 5500 · Chevrolet 4500–6500

Medium-duty cabover

2.5-inch lightweight composite panel

Our expedition cabover on a medium-duty chassis — a thicker, higher-R panel on a four-point Zero-Torsion subframe, with a queen or king cabover, a cab pass-through, and custom sizing. The clearance, payload, and range for serious expedition and specialty work.

Green LMTV expedition truck with a composite camper body on a mountain road

LMTV / FMTV — and other heavy chassis (Fuso, Unimog, and more)

Heavy-duty expedition

2.5-inch panel with Azdel composite

Our heaviest-duty build — a 2.5-inch, Azdel-reinforced panel on a four- or five-point Zero-Torsion subframe, fully custom, on a military-grade LMTV or FMTV. The same body system adapts to other heavy expedition chassis for the most remote routes on earth.

Chevrolet 6500 expedition camper on a mountain dirt road with golden aspens behindBlacked-out Chevrolet 6500 4x4 expedition camper on a desert trail below rocky hillsBlack composite flatbed camper on a Ram 5500 cabover, front three-quarter on a country road below foothillsSage-green LMTV expedition truck with a composite camper body on a mountain road
See our truck builds in the gallery

Flatbed campers

Flatbed campers you can buy as a kit — or have us build

Beyond the installed van bodies, we build composite flatbed campers for pickups and expedition trucks. Have us build the shell, or order it as a pre-cut kit and assemble it yourself.

Flatbed camper

A bed-off flatbed camper with detachable jack brackets — lift it off and the truck goes back to work as a flatbed during the week, then drop it back on and camp come the weekend. Single-wheel or dually.

Two ways to get a flatbed camper: order it as a pre-cut kit, or have us build it.

Explore flatbed campers Looking for an interior builder?

Preferred builders

Want yours fully built out?

We build the platform; from there you can outfit the interior yourself, or take it to any professional builder or upfitter. Our preferred builders can finish the whole outfit — off-grid electrical, cabinetry, and everything inside. Find one, or get listed if you build.

Find a builder

Make it yours

Options & accessories

Every body is a starting point. Configure it with the doors, access, and gear you need — most items available across the lineup.

  • Entry doors
  • Windows
  • Roof hatches & skylights
  • Access stairs
  • Cab-to-habitat pass-through
  • Cab paint-match
  • Side-mount roof access ladder
  • PV solar mounting kit
  • Exterior storage boxes
  • Brush guards
  • Garage bed platform
  • Interior bath panels

Coming soon

New options on the way

Coming soon

Hard-sided pop-top

A rigid, insulated pop-top for extra standing room and sleeping space without the height on the road.

Coming soon

Soft-sided pop-top

A lightweight pop-top that opens up headroom and airflow, then packs down low for the trail.

Launching soon — reach out to be first to know when these are available.

Financing

Financing available on every platform

Financing is available for all Foundation platforms, and OEM financing through Ford and Mercedes-Benz is also available. Ask us about the options when you start your build.

Request pricing

Start a project

Not sure which platform fits?

Tell us the build and the payload you need and we'll help you land on the right chassis and body size — and send pricing and the full spec pack. Or just call the shop.

The message form loads once you allow analytics cookies. You can also email info@foundationvehicles.com or call 720-610-1562 any time.