Nothing too fancy here. We just wanted a nice extendable sleeping platform with storage underneath. There's still a lot to do. We want to add a "counter" that will drop down with the hatch up for coooking/chopping etc. An awning attached to the roof rack. Probably a dual battery system.
This is a '99 3.0 V6 gas engine, SWB, crystal lite roof. First I removed all the rear seats, the sliders for the middle seats, and the seat belts. Then I built two 3-sided boxes to support the platform that went around the wheel wells
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I ran a sheet down the middle for support/stability then used the seat bolts to attach the structure to the body. I screwed on a 1x4 for a lip to hold one end of the extension, and supported it with 2x4s.
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I recovered some storage space by cutting out doors to access the space between the wheel wells and the platform (this was an afterthought)
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I had a bunch of different thoughts for support for the extension. I wanted to use heavy duty sliders to slide it out but decided to go with something simpler and way cheaper...2x4s on hinges. I attached a 3" strip of plywood to the end of the extension to stop the legs from swinging out and also to correct a slight bowing of the plywood
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I attached another small strip of plywood across the three 2x4s so they could be folded from a single point. I use a "pin" at each end of the extension to stop it from sliding off the lip. The platform is 74" long and 55" wide, fit to a double bed futon mattress. It's 18" from the ground to the bottom of the platform...enough room for storage bins and space above the bed to not be too cramped in.
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It's 50" long when the extension is collapsed, leaving some space behind the seats to move around, hang out in (likely just some pillows on the floor). We'll be mostly hanging out outside so weren't too concerned about inside space to sit. I also cut out the carpet between the front seats and the platform and put a piece of plywood down...I'll eventually put some vinyl tiles on it.
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