Step one. Bought the van.
Hello Everybody, First post. I camp a lot in tents but after spending three days straight in a tent in the rain at Dolly Sods I swore I'd make a change. Here it is. Bought it Wednesday. Dro...
Forum Discussion
Sofa-Bed upgrade.
This is one of those jobs I've been meaning to get to for a while. When I started with the van the sofa-bed was one of the first main projects. Couldn't weld back then so everything was bolted or glued together. It's held together surprisingly well over the years but could use a upgrade. Here's the back-board and seat-board parts of the sofa-bed removed from the van.
You can see the two hatches built into the seat-board. These were as large as I could make then and still have the frame support my weight. I'm going to replace this with a metal framework that will provide better access to the space underneath. The back-board is still working well so don't see a need to replace it.
Use 3/4" x 3/4" x 1/8" angle iron for the frame. It costs locally $0.62/ft. Measure, cut and weld the frame.
It's nice having the seat-board to use as a guide.
Add 1-1/2" flat metal across the center and pieces at each corner to bolt to the slider supports. The square metal tube that's partially painted is part of the previously improved driving mechanism. It's what connects the seat-board, now the seat-frame, to the linear actuator. I never fully covered the upgrading of the sofa-bed mechanics/electronics from a while back. Have to remedy that sometime.
Next weld on two metal pads along the side for the hinges. The original all wood configuration had four hinges but I'm betting two will now be enough.
Line up and mark placement of the new hinge location on the back-board.
Cut out the hatches from 1/2" thick plywood. They have to be notched to clear the hinges.
Create hand holds for each hatch.
Sand smooth.
With all needed holes drilled in the metal and cuts done in the wood there is only one thing left and if you've been following this van project for any length of time you should already know what's my next step.
PAINT IT ALL WHITE.
Install in the van.
Makes a big difference in ease of access.
Sofa-bed folded flat.
With the cushions installed. In the next posting I'll probably write about the cushion and covers.
That's it, except for some bouncy-bouncy to test my handiwork.
This is one of those jobs I've been meaning to get to for a while. When I started with the van the sofa-bed was one of the first main projects. Couldn't weld back then so everything was bolted or glued together. It's held together surprisingly well over the years but could use a upgrade. Here's the back-board and seat-board parts of the sofa-bed removed from the van.
You can see the two hatches built into the seat-board. These were as large as I could make then and still have the frame support my weight. I'm going to replace this with a metal framework that will provide better access to the space underneath. The back-board is still working well so don't see a need to replace it.
Use 3/4" x 3/4" x 1/8" angle iron for the frame. It costs locally $0.62/ft. Measure, cut and weld the frame.
It's nice having the seat-board to use as a guide.
Add 1-1/2" flat metal across the center and pieces at each corner to bolt to the slider supports. The square metal tube that's partially painted is part of the previously improved driving mechanism. It's what connects the seat-board, now the seat-frame, to the linear actuator. I never fully covered the upgrading of the sofa-bed mechanics/electronics from a while back. Have to remedy that sometime.
Next weld on two metal pads along the side for the hinges. The original all wood configuration had four hinges but I'm betting two will now be enough.
Line up and mark placement of the new hinge location on the back-board.
Cut out the hatches from 1/2" thick plywood. They have to be notched to clear the hinges.
Create hand holds for each hatch.
Sand smooth.
With all needed holes drilled in the metal and cuts done in the wood there is only one thing left and if you've been following this van project for any length of time you should already know what's my next step.
PAINT IT ALL WHITE.
Install in the van.
Makes a big difference in ease of access.
Sofa-bed folded flat.
With the cushions installed. In the next posting I'll probably write about the cushion and covers.
That's it, except for some bouncy-bouncy to test my handiwork.
