12-06-2011, 04:36 PM
Adding some more info for ya...
Here is the comparison side by side of the extended econoline and express van... (I wasnt a fan of the extended butt on the econolines... but in searching for months for vans I did find that typically the econolines were easier to find and less expensive)
Here is my design I did before I started the build... basically have three boxes and the one in the middle moves out then the backrest would flop down and make a platform in the middle.
And this is pretty close to what I actually did... the futon is now two boxes with a slide out then you take a top that is stored inside and flop it on top and voila.
Josh took control of the futon build (and was amazingly helpful throughout this build... it would have taken me twice as long without his help)...
I mainly just provided assistance on the futon and discussed how I wanted it to be... then got back to work on the inside of the van. We made many changes along the way I would put the futon in and test it for a few weeks and then whenever Josh came back in town we would disassemble and recreate it how I wanted. It's pretty perfect now and has many upgrades that Josh implemented that I would have never thought of.
Anywho here are some of the pics of the FUTON VERSION 1.
FUTON VERSION #2
...after a few changes (the angle at the base is for where the fuel door is)
While he was making changes to that I got busy insulating and added L brackets to the wall to support the middle.
FUTON VERSION #2 test fitting
I wanted the tops to open so I could store stuff inside... but with a regular hindge it was hitting the wall so... Josh found this solution on amazon...
The hinges not only add a spring to assist in lifting but also lift the lid out and away from the wall.
NOW WITH CUSTOM HINGES
Futon slide pulled out...
And with the hinged lid (folds in half and stores inside) when you need it you pull it out and put it on top.
And with queen sized air mattress ... amazingly comfy and reminds me of being a kid in a fort.
Tested it like this for a couple weeks and loved it but I had more improvements to make so I sketched them down and (since Josh enjoyed/loved the futon building) waited for Josh to come in town a few weeks later (I was plenty busy working on the garage until then)
More to come...
Here is the comparison side by side of the extended econoline and express van... (I wasnt a fan of the extended butt on the econolines... but in searching for months for vans I did find that typically the econolines were easier to find and less expensive)
Here is my design I did before I started the build... basically have three boxes and the one in the middle moves out then the backrest would flop down and make a platform in the middle.
And this is pretty close to what I actually did... the futon is now two boxes with a slide out then you take a top that is stored inside and flop it on top and voila.
Josh took control of the futon build (and was amazingly helpful throughout this build... it would have taken me twice as long without his help)...
I mainly just provided assistance on the futon and discussed how I wanted it to be... then got back to work on the inside of the van. We made many changes along the way I would put the futon in and test it for a few weeks and then whenever Josh came back in town we would disassemble and recreate it how I wanted. It's pretty perfect now and has many upgrades that Josh implemented that I would have never thought of.
Anywho here are some of the pics of the FUTON VERSION 1.
FUTON VERSION #2
...after a few changes (the angle at the base is for where the fuel door is)
While he was making changes to that I got busy insulating and added L brackets to the wall to support the middle.
FUTON VERSION #2 test fitting
I wanted the tops to open so I could store stuff inside... but with a regular hindge it was hitting the wall so... Josh found this solution on amazon...
The hinges not only add a spring to assist in lifting but also lift the lid out and away from the wall.
NOW WITH CUSTOM HINGES
Futon slide pulled out...
And with the hinged lid (folds in half and stores inside) when you need it you pull it out and put it on top.
And with queen sized air mattress ... amazingly comfy and reminds me of being a kid in a fort.
Tested it like this for a couple weeks and loved it but I had more improvements to make so I sketched them down and (since Josh enjoyed/loved the futon building) waited for Josh to come in town a few weeks later (I was plenty busy working on the garage until then)
More to come...