Boxing in the wheel arch ...
the black circle on the ply lining is where the spare wheel lived.This will have to find a new home,slung under the van.
the black circle on the ply lining is where the spare wheel lived.This will have to find a new home,slung under the van.
...and the constructing the bed base.This will have a storage box out from the wheelarch,,another area to the fore boxing in the gas tank and heater,both accessed by lift-up lids,having pullout layers which when both pulled out form into a double bed.Finally another section to the rear,accessed both through the lift up lid,and via a door at the back, designed for shoving in any dirty/wet gear.I have used special lightweight sheets of laminated 15mm ply for the decorative panels,(these are fully structural too)and 18 mm x 44 mm pine for the structure,with 5mm ply for the lids (supported by more strips of 18 x 44 mm pine)
Door hole cut out ,door installed.It's easy to make neat looking holes using special plastic trim round the edge. Another type of trim slots into a groove round the edge of the door.
(Thanks to Rickvanman for his advice on Youtube clip below)
(Thanks to Rickvanman for his advice on Youtube clip below)
The bed seat is designed to allow the two lids to be opened either with the extension bed pulled out,as here.....
This is achieved buy having interlocking sliding slats made of 44 mm x 18 mm pine strips,with 5 mm ply to hold them in position,both on the underneath of the stationary slats,and on the top of the moving slats. |
......or slid shut.as here. 
Strips of aluminium, inset in some of the slats in routed channels,slide in similar slightly wider grooves cut in the adjoining slat.The strip of ply nearest the wall acts as a lock when the top layer is fully slid home,so the whole thing is fully stable when the complete lid is then lifted
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Finally,because the slide out sections could not be quite as long as the stationary side of the bed,owing to the rear door bulkhead,a small extension piece was needed to lengthen the slide-out half of the bed.Both the main slide-out sections,once released from the stationary part ,can slide either fore or aft.The extension can be added on the end of the 2 main sections,or slipped in the middle.It has collapsible support brackets and can be folded down and stored away
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The double bed in all its glory.
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