L300 camper build plan with retractable bed...

[Furi]

And another camper build....
But its a whole new thread considering that behind every build there is a dream :) On to reality....

One of the main considerations was that In addition to offgrid/campsites be able to stealth camp in towns/cities. i.e. rules out roof tents, etc. So be able to sleep two and have some comfort level inside the van if in urban areas. Although could do without the sink and stove but think they might come in handy at such situations for light use without impacting inside space too much.

Another consideration was to try to keep the build as modular and as flexible as possible. Would be good to have the option to change things based on experience on the road rather than mulling stuff over behind a computer.

I also had a limitation of not having a garage or a place where I could work or store any WIP projects. So whatever I wanted to do was limited to inside the van, the sidewalk or home depot parking lot. And its a big pain to do any work in public places. Wind blowing your stuff around, dirt getting into your work, getting run over by supply trucks, etc..

The biggest part was the bed frame/storage. As I said I didn't have a comfortable place to work so wood was out of the question. I didn't have any experience either so it would've taken me a good while to get it right as well as a chunk of cash for tool rentals. After considering other options/costs I came up with a plan to build a pipe frame that would be able to retract into itself. By using a T connector in the middle I could add stability as well as the mechanism for the smaller pipe to telescope inside the larger pipe. I'm using aluminum pipes and fittings to keep the weight down. Using 1" pipes for the upper part of the bed/frame and 3/4" pipes for the bottom part. The 3/4" pipes would telescope inside the 1" pipes for day time use; and would pull out for bed. By using connectors I could also adjust the bed dimensions if need be as well as take it out pretty easily. The frame would screw into the base plywood as well as secured to the side seatbelt bolts for added security. Don't necessarily want to make the Darwin's list by being skewered by one of the pipes in case of an accident :) The bed slats/mattress would be configured so they could fold over before retracting the bed. And any type of storage; bins, drawers, etc. could also be incorporated into the storage area. Bed would be 76" long and 48" wide. Width might be an issue but we'll see. Could adjust if need to; balance between storage space and livable space. Bed is about 24" high. At this point I tried to keep things as flexible as possible to adjust based on experience. If storage space is adequate, or if stability is an issue, I would lower it for more stability and headroom.

So with these considerations/limitations the following is the plan. It is with the bed fully extended; with a missing leg in the middle. Just imagine front half in the open space not being there when retracted. I've completed insulating the van and just starting on the bed/storage. I'm sure it needs some tweaking but hoping the general idea would work.

I'm sure its going to be a long build with many modifications to the modifications but happy that its on the way.

Any input/suggestions on the layout is much appreciated...

[thelazygreenfox]

Furi
It's good to see you putting in a plan before starting. The mistake I see in a lot of delica camper builds is building too heavy.

The entire suspension and especially the brakes were built for a light weight people mover van. Camper mods weight adds up very quickly. New torsion bars, heavier springs, new shocks, the list goes on and on.

No steel, use aluminum or plastic. Cut down on thickness from 3/4 ply to 3/8 ply. Use 1/8 ply on all vertical surfaces.

have fun
MD

[Furi]

MD,
Pointers noted; thanks. Been mindful of weight and didn't want to kill the mpg by adding extra weight either. I was thinking of using plastic drawers when stacking is needed and DIY chicken wire/fabric baskets under the bed to keep the weight to the minimum. Perhaps use smaller aluminum pipe size or PVC pipes for the sink/stove structure with light material for panels. Reserve the weight for the important stuff like xtra fuel, battery, beer....

[Furi]

Some progress...

Stripped out the seats; put insulation in walls and floors and used a sandwich of Reflectix,foam,speaker carpet to make the wall panels. Came out pretty clean.

I also changed the general layout to lower the platform 4 inches to create sufficient headroom. Also extended the bed to the width of the cabin to increase comfort. The new design did reduce storage size but trying to see if it would be sufficient; could always adjust if an big issue.

But the bed/storage platform turned out pretty nice. Photos attached of the bed frame in its retracted as well as extended state. Seems it will work well for keeping the design flexible and being able to use lighter material as plastic drawers to keep the weight down.

Also added a second battery with 200A fuses and Solenoid.

Next would be the kitchen cabinet/stove/sink and roof rack setup. Also to do something with the plastic and make them look nice. From what I have in my list this project is far from over. But she has the minimum to start taking trips.


Nephew's artistic contribution :)

20160621_152338.jpg (138.6 KiB) Viewed 4762 times

[ChuckBlack]

Of all the people i've met camping with vans, cooking is always outside... but great set up!

[Furi]

That actually was a big dilemma. Having the kitchen in the back or inside. I definitely wont be cooking inside when camping. But I might be doing some stealth camping and would be nice to have access to a stove for light use; heat up food, make tea/coffee, etc. We'll see how it works. Could change up if didn't work out...