Wooden Rock and Roll bed

[pleasestartnow]

Hi folks, I have rock and roll bed brackets and want to build a new full width bed. My previous bed was just bits of seperate osb board. It was fine but took a lot of effort each evening to set up and put away.

I saw in the wiki the instructions on building a metal frame to go with the rock and roll brackets but I don't have access to welding gear etc and since the bed will purely be used as seating when parked I don't have the to deal with all the valid concerns that would be raised if a wooden seat was used to transport people.

I'm just wondering does anyone have links or a guide to full width wooden frame build instructions? A lot of the ones I see online are for different vans. The link in the wiki http://www.keithandsylvia.co.uk/tech%20 ... _plans.htm doesn't work and googling it isn't bringing up anything.

As usual, any help here is really appreciated

[RogerT]

Way back machine

https://web.archive.org/web/20130914054 ... _plans.htm

[Robsey]

Unfortunately, that still refers to a welded steel frame.

You could use the dimensions for steel, but transpose these onto some good sturdy timber.

The use of load spreadiing washers under screw heads and pronged T nuts for a captive nut, will be 1000 times better than simple wood screws.

Even trumpet head dry-wall double thread screws.

[RogerT]

Doh

[pleasestartnow]

Oh unreal folks, thanks so much. That web archive site is the business isn't it! Im just trying to line up my ducks now while i deal with putting in new panels and insulation first but i hope to be getting the bed started on Sunday or Monday

[pleasestartnow]

So i am going to start this project this evening but i am already slightly confused  . When the rock and roll bed is in a bed position should the backrest section ( i mean backrest when its a seat) be on the bulkhead? Any videos i see never seem to show it and in others it looks like it is floating not on the bulkhead at all. For example in this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p11YzVJ-tA , at the 15.35 mark the backrest section is resting on some wooden cutoffs. Is the backrest supported by the bed box when in bed position so?

My main aim this evening anyway is to get the base started. 
1. I have 18mm OSB3 board cut to 35cm high and 1.65m long, this will be the front board as per this drawing https://aircooledcommunity.com/wp-conte ... hinges.pdf.

2. I aim to get the side panels made up as per the drawing above as well, it says in the drawings that the side panels are 397mm from the outer edge in to the furthest hole for the RnR bracket, but doesn't say how far from the outer edge in to the bulkhead? Any suggestions for that, i see here in this blog, https://volkswagens.fandom.com/wiki/How ... _split_bus, on step 7 they have it as 450mm. Any one have a different length to go with?

I will post here as i go along anyway as it might help someone else.

[pleasestartnow]

So i started with just cutting out the side and front panels as i only had an hour free. 

I am putting the side panels approx 10 cm in from the inner wall (driver side) and 14 from the outer wall. 
Cut the front panel to 150cm so it fits in no hassle  and it leaves me space to put the gas bottle in its own compartment.

[RogerT]

Regarding the height of the bed above the engine platform, a lot of RnR bed designs are for bay window vans, which have a higher platform. My van came with a flush fitting bed, but it was awful shonkily built, and the new one I fitted was a floater. You then have to build a raised platform for the rear of the bed, but it’s a useful storage space.

But if you have an overhead locker, that ends up maybe a wee bit close above you when lying down…

Chop the legs off your bed and lie low!

[pleasestartnow]

Ya building a raised platform in the back is the job, i had it done roughly anyway from before so i think i will get away with using that. Handy out

So today as was probably inevitable knowing me, i had to redo what i did yesterday  . The triangular side panels i made didn't really work with the RnR brackets so i made the side panels as per the Reimo manual, https://www.t3-infos.de/images/Reimo_Klappsitzbank.pdf.   I will reuse the triangular panels i made yesterday to re-enforce the bed when it is in seat mode anyway though.



One part of the bracket doesn't fit exactly flush but i'm not sure is that because of my woodwork skills or what, as i also built one of the side panels from the jk guide, https://aircooledcommunity.com/wp-conte ... hinges.pdf, and it was slightly off there as well. The screw hole didn't line up with the OSB board either so i'm just not going to worry about it. 


I used 8mm hex bolts and washers to attach the bracket to the board. I also drilled the hole in the bracket that attaches to the engine bay to make it fit an 8mm bolt rather than the pre drilled 6mm hole. I used 8mm,10mm,12mm washers on the wheel arch side just to spread out the forces when pulling the bed out. I just have this fear i'm going to pull the brackets clean off the engine bay when we are away in a few weeks as they are stiff enough to move . 



So today really, i ended up with one side bolted to the van and tomorrow i should have the other side bolted in and then from there hopefully it wont take much longer to finish it off. Heading for France in 3 weeks today and i also need to change starter motor and get two window seals done. 

[pleasestartnow]

Seat and storage box all done. If I get a chance tonight I will come back up and cut and attach the backrest and hopefully that is that section done then and I can move onto the plinth for the engine bay tomorrow.

Seat is 143cm long and 51cm wide but I must trim that down to 49cm when I am attaching the foam. I left a bit of space atthe edges for access to speaker cables and storage for jumper cables.

Seat was sagging slightly n the middle so I put two more supports in and it feels solid now.

[pleasestartnow]

Just made the back rest and threw some foam on it, it's 5inches. I only bought that foam last year so it's not worth buying new stuff again.

Still have to put the seat brackets on the back so that when it folds out it is supported on the frame built earlier.

Tomorrow's jobs are to put on the last two brackets, cut the seat and backrest to the right width and make measurements for the rear plinth.

[pleasestartnow]

I'm trying to fit the brackets that go on the back of the seat piece of the bed but I'm not sure how they should sit. Does anyone have any photos of these brackets so I could get an idea?

[RogerT]

From your photo it looks like you’ve got the bracket looking like it wants to be screwed into the end of the OSB, and that just won’t work. OSB isn’t strong enough like that. If you’re stuck with those brackets, I’d be looking at a metal L shaped piece bolted to the bracket, using the long part of the L along the side of the OSB, to give more fixing points.

It kind of depends on whether you want to use the RnR as a seat with belts for transit, or just when stationary. If transit, it has to resist the forward force transmitted by the passengers bum in a crash. This is why seat base cushions have to be fixed somehow to the base of the seat, to prevent submarining. You would also need three point belts.

If not used for transit, it just has to resist it own weight in a crash, and even that can be quite a substantial force.

[RogerT]

I see you have a hinge bolt just forward of the bracket, a piece of metal to go from their to your bracket would be ideal.

[RogerT]