Bench style bed for 110 2 door.

[clarkster]

I am looking to convert my recently acquired 110 TD5 2 Door into a semi camper. Principally I need a bed and I'd like to work on a full length bench set up down one side. Ideally it would hinge and fold down to fill the floor area up to the other wheel arch.

So far the only thing I have seen is the very nice Dormobile project by Stowe Landrovers. http://www.stowelandrovers.co.uk/photoalbum2.html

The work looks top notch but alas at the moment my budget will not stretch that far. This is the sort of thing I am after.

http://www.stowelandrovers.co.uk/images/gallery/album2/photos/Dormobile%20Land%20Rover%20Defender%20110%20rock%2 0and%20roll%20bed.jpg

It appears as if they have gone for a two different size units side by side. I've thought about buying Rock & Roll hinges and I have looked at all sorts of van beds but wondered what others have done or considered doing.

[mowog]

I did a conversion years ago that used a bunk style set up . The side sofa base stayed put and the backrest hinged up to make a berth above , was very simple to make . I remember I utilsed the buckle of seat belt to hold upper bunk up at rear . The reason I went for that set up was in hot climate you are better in bunks (although not as friendly ) it also left room to stand in centre of vehicle , and other side was fridge cooking unit and storage for food , water . By cutting away front of rear wheel box was able to fit porta potti underneath base of sofa unit . HTSH

p.s. was also very light construction , as weight is always your enemy

[clarkster]

Sounds interesting. I'll have to do some measuring up as I'd also like the storage/cooker/sink options on the other side and wouldn't want the bed to fill the entire space up to the other wheel box.

I also have to find out about how I could utilise the bench seat/bed as MOT passable seating with seat belts too. I need to maintain the Cubby and I'd like the option of seating 4.

Apparently what I need is a Jackknife bed so I am trying to track down some of those sort of hinges too. I'm trying to get all possibilities down on paper and then I can explore cost/weight etc.

[mowog]

For rock and roll bed type hinges try american RV dealers .
For sideways seating there is no real seatbelt that is suitable, and wearing seatbelt in accident can cause as many injuires as it prevents . The old landies with sideways bench type seating never had seatbelts . There was a fitment of seatbelts for individual sideways facing seats, and there is forward facing fold up seats with integral belts from Trakkers, but would preclude you from fitting bench/bed . staying with cubby is good idea as 3 in front is very cramped even for short distances. From mot point of view seatbelts are checked if fitted, and you would only need to source all the bracing and brackets as used by landrover . Is it children you are thinking of carrying?

[AJC]

The bunks in this link (http://www.eastcoastrover.com/672.html) are high up using the raised roof and would be no good for seating but the same style situated lower down in your 110 seems a simple idea and they could be easily stowed when not in use.

AJ

[clarkster]

Cheers for the link. Expedition porn I think that is called. Alas I was informed that I probably have a cracked cylinder head so all hopes and aspirations have for now been entirely dashed. If I can afford to rectify this problem then I will be kitting her out with items fashioned from egg cartons and cardboard boxes if I can find some in a bin somewhere.

[wuas680]

I never got round to trying this, but when my newly aquired 109 is back on the road it is something i want to try.

My plan had always been to use the full length of the vehicle (I am 6ft 7). I decided to do it this way after an impropmtu conversion was carried out for a weekend off roading in february (very cold). I thought sleeping on the floor of the 109 as I sleep curled up anyway. With an electric heater going I was warm, and barring a slght incident with a tea ligh candle emptying the contents of its tinfol tray into my eye whilst i blew it out (then spent the rest of the hour picking quickly cooling wax from both the inside and outside of my eye) i slept well, but on getting up the next morning my legs were rather painful. I must stretch out in my sleep more than i thought. Still my friend had bought a caravan where their electrics failed, there gas stopped working so they had a very cold night. He says he got up to check on me during the night and on looking through the window saw me and the border collie snuggled up fast asleep with the heater going full blast.

Anyway I digress, on realising i needed more room, but not wanting to spend a fortune or remove my storage boxes or standard bench seat I looked at getting some brackets, in the end I ended up with the ones BT use to secure telephone wires to the side of the houses from their poles. I was going to mount 4 of these, 2 above each corner of the rear door, and two up front in the same place, then string a hammock up between each pair. This would lift me above the bulk head, and with the seats forward give enough room. I had always planned to sleep with my feet to the front incase it came away or i fell out, i figured my legs landing on the bulkhead would be better than my spine.

I have never slept in a hammock so not sure how comfortable they can be but Ray mears seems to like them. Once concesion i was going to make was to fit small bow shackles to each rope from the hammock so no tieing was involved at night. It seemed to me at the time that it represented the easiest way to sleep two (and the collie on the floor) and could be done for about £30-£40 including cost of two hammocks from army surplus sites.

Oh and i also planned for some stick on LED lights to avoid any more painful wax in eye related adventures.