just kampers rock and roll bed

[alant25]

hello every body
i am thinking of buying a rock and roll bed from just kampers, as anybody fitted one if so were they easy to do and were the instructions idiot proof, any kind of help on the subject would be very welcome because i am not the best with technical issues, i have a1981 twin slider tin top, is 3/4 or full width best? please help thanks alan

[kathyshack]

i went with a bluebird one as it has the metal frame.

[Chrissyt]

i bud, i've just bought a full width one for my panel van conversion from JK

Rear deck have to sort of guess with the instructions i got, no measurements etc, but not too difficult all the same, kit is good, and nicely coated in some wipe clean malarky, looks very tidy, and for the money at the moment( they are on offer) they are a bargain, and not worth pissing around with buying and cutting the wood!

Chris

[PEET]

Kit is totally made from MDF except hinges - fine to sleep n sit on but I wouldnt use it for families travellin in the back due to safety issues in an accident MDF snaps as the person is pushed back in the seat after the initial impact - the bluebird one is a much better option and use 1/2" plywood with it or get a vw r/r bed for similar money.

[Mr Bean]

Kit is totally made from MDF except hinges - fine to sleep n sit on but I wouldnt use it for families travellin in the back due to safety issues in an accident MDF snaps as the person is pushed back in the seat after the initial impact - the bluebird one is a much better option and use 1/2" plywood with it or get a vw r/r bed for similar money.

Plus it weighs a ton (not literally) and don't take screws as well as a nice bit of ply.(IMHO) But it does make for easy mass production to it's straightness and ease of CNC machining. Which is probably why firms use this slightly less than ideal material in terms of strengt and lightness.(IMHO)
Cheers
Wolfie

[Chrissyt]

Agree with some of whats been said now after fitting mine!

Fit is not ideal, seat does flex a bit, would have sent it back if i'd paid £280 for it, but pretty happy with the kit for £100.

Will definately be fitting strengtheners on the base and back rest as, dont think they are strong enough for 2 to sit on! Not safe as it is.

Chris

[CovKid]

Thats why I made my own in the end. Thick ply is actually more resilient than MDF and I felt more confident fixing hinges to ply than MDF. I also use massive washers to spread the load a bit and minimise the chance of any bolts being pulled out. MDF may be ok for seat frame but you might replace base and back with ply - seems to bow a lot less.

I actually bought my hinges from Marklins and worked from those. Incredibly strong, cheaper than JK but I reckon you could stand an elephant on them.

[jimi1002002]

I'v got the whole kit from JK had it in for over a year now and am soon to be ripping it out as the coating is chipped all over the place and the MDF doesn't really seem strong enough. I'm going to replace it with ply, wish I had to start with now as I payed full price. It initially looked good but, after a bit of use started to look old a worn and also screws don't bite into MDF well at all. Hope this helps

Jimi
Heavy too!

[CovKid]

I'm always mindful of three factors here:

1) Weight (anything doing nothing functional in your bus and is heavy should be avoided).

2) strength. Agree on MDF - apart from being heavy it is not great under stress. I wouldn't trust my life with it put it that way.

3) Safety. If two blokes could tear it out with their bare hands, its a bit crappy. It must remain in situ in an accident - firmly fixed even if vehicle rolled a few times.

I plan to reconstruct mine (now I know ideal position of the hinges, using box section steel (possibly ally) for seat base frame, firmly bolted to bodywork and floor, then clad that in lightweight but acceptable finish hardboard. The hinges will as far as possible make use of the box frame for safety.

I rescued loads of alloy extrusion from a scrapped window awning I salvaged from a large house which I'll use to stiffen seat back and base. Again, lightweight but practical. Skips are also WONDERFUL places to find great construction materials, especially on industrial sites and they're free. Most places glad for you to take them and find another use for them.

A while back I made my own buddy seat using light pine with inset hardboard panels finished in a woodgrain finish using an ordinary paintbrush. I ended up with a ridiculously strong but incredibly light seat that looked fab. It is lined with insulating material and will keep food hot or beer cold for many many hours (won't entertain a fridge). My first attempt in chipboard was almost ten times the weight and flimsy beyond belief. Won't use chipboard or MDF at all now if I can help it.

I think its a case of not rushing and thinking laterally on what materials to use and how it should be constructed, on the points I've made. After all, its easy to make a simple MDF box but its makeshift at best and probably better suited to making speaker cabinets. There are so many types of construction material and the areospace industry tend to adopt a mixture of materials to keep weight down but maintain rigidity. Thats really the way to go I'd say.

[Chrissyt]

I'm sure MDF is suitable if the unit constructed properly, and secured safely.

i would have certainly sent my jk bed back had i paid full price for it, have had to brace both the base and the back rest, as they both bowed like nothing i'd seen!

Even with just my weight the rear of the seat when in the bed position, flexed a good 2 inches.

Chris