March, 2017
Y'all, this is big stuff. A few weekends ago I put the bed in. The stoke factor was high so I decided to begin before I had drawn any blue prints. Of course, I had been thinking it out for months and even considering specifics for several weeks. I just didn't have many measurements down...so I made them on the fly. Don't worry; it turned out GREAT. I decided I wanted the bed to allow for folding from the front or the back to create a couch facing outside or inside, respectively. This allows for easy access to storage. To achieve this I first mounted a center piece of plywood (10" in length, running the width of the bed) with several deck screws. From there, I installed four hinges on the front and connected the wood that would eventually lift up to create the backs for this convertible sofa. The frame (entirely 2" by 4"s) is reinforced with a little bit of trussing running lengthwise. Widthwise, I later put in some 6" bolts that push firmly against the sides of the wood paneling (with a tiny 2"x4" as a buffer) to provide stability. This way no width-wise trussing was necessary; the entire space, from where the mattress sits to the floor, is open to provide easy access to storage. Of course, the bed would not remain a futon for long without something to hold or prop it up. Because the couch facing inside would receive more use (year-round, rather than summer-time only) I decided to focus on it first. This configuration allows legal (believe it or not) passenger seating while driving. I realize this is completely unsafe. Any kind of propping mechanism would present a risk of popping out after driving over a sudden bump (many roads in Colorado Springs). Furthermore I was did not want to have to exit the van in freezing cold, rainy, or snowy weather to change the configuration. Because of these factors I decided to build a hoist system to suspend the end of the futon. This system uses four toggle bolts (rated at ~100 pounds each) that sit in the main (metal) van frame above the rear portion of the bed. The attached loop allows me to pull the bed up with ease, then a carabiner provides security. This system has not yet been thoroughly tested. The bed sits on par with the rear windows of the van for ideal viewing conditions. This setup provides a bit of additional room above the bed for storage. Here I decided to mount two shelves. One shelf sits just in front of the vent, the other flush with the rear doors. These sturdy plywood shelves are framed with 1"x2"s which are anchored to the wood paneling via metal corner braces. The rust issue on my van is quite prominent. It guaranteed me a great price on it, but occasionally plagues me with worry. This previous weekend I decided to finally take a grinder to the smaller spots. I ground down to bare, unaffected, metal. From there I primed the [insert your own word] out of it, applying somewhere between 5 and 20 coats of primer and paint over several days. The next step is to address the massive rust spots, some of which may require some tack welding. I will keep you posted!
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