TheSamba.com :: View topic - why do folks here call a westy bed a Z bed??

Sat Dec 23, 2006 10:05 am

Back in the day there was a company called Z products. This company made aftermarket products for VW. One of their biggest selling items was a product called a “Z bed kit. This kit enabled the purchaser to covert the rear bench seat on any VW passenger bus (non westy) into a foldout bed. They were very popular in the 70’s and early 80’s Z products eventually went out of business and the true Z products Z bed became hard to find. Now if you are lucky enough pick up a bus that already has one. Or find one in a junk yard or off of a bus that is being parted out you will have a true score indeed.

Now in the present day I notice that any westy camper bed is referred to as a Z bed. Is this due to the fact that most people do not know the difference? Or maybe that the original Z products Z bed was such a slick upgrade for a 7 passenger bus that it’s name became the standard for this style of fold out bed, no matter who made it?

Let’s discuss. :D

Sat Dec 23, 2006 12:05 pm

Kauz Zee bed openzee up und yoo catch zome zeees

Sat Dec 23, 2006 12:56 pm

OK, take a letter Z ...grab each end and pull... --- , now it's a bed!

Sat Dec 23, 2006 12:59 pm

zzzzz :sleeping: I honestly don't know.....

Sat Dec 23, 2006 1:25 pm

Hard to say. I carried a "Z" bed mechanism around to VW shows for six years trying to sell it, lookers did not have a clue as to what it was. Even when explaining it I could tell by the blank glassed over eyes they could not comprehend. Finally a man walked up, knew what it was and needed it, he got the "Z" and I got the bread.

Suspect a majority out there in VW bay land have never seen one, to long ago plus a lot of rear seats got scrapped over the years and that mechanism went with the seat.

Sat Dec 23, 2006 1:31 pm

A kit that would convert an OG rear seat to a bed would be nice thing to have, indeed! Now, where did my rear seat go? Can't find it anywhere! We took it out when we replaced it with a funky wooden Z bed, oh!, or is that not what it's called?

Sat Dec 23, 2006 2:42 pm

Quote: Hard to say. I carried a "Z" bed mechanism around to VW shows for six years trying to sell it, lookers did not have a clue as to what it was. Even when explaining it I could tell by the blank glassed over eyes they could not comprehend. Finally a man walked up, knew what it was and needed it, he got the "Z" and I got the bread.

Suspect a majority out there in VW bay land have never seen one, to long ago plus a lot of rear seats got scrapped over the years and that mechanism went with the seat.

funny how that works! My brother inlaw had a '71 kombi that he was fixing up for surfing trips and was looking for an old Z bed kit for it. he and I searched hi and low at shows and such and could not find one. either they were parts for a westy bed or they were incompleate and cost an arm and a leg. he had owned enough of them over the years that he just fabricated his own. but it didn't work as well as the Z products model. but that was two buses ago. he now drives a hard top '71 westy. :lol:

Sat Dec 23, 2006 3:22 pm

Hiya Kook,

Truth be told, Z Products is still around, although in a somewhat dormant mode.

I wanted to have the Z-Bed mechanism for my 1970 7 Passenger and, seeing as how they were located just down the freeway from me, I paid a call on them. Orders for the mechanism (and other Z Products items) had fallen off and the owner, Tim, had decided to suspend production. Now, all the tooling and most of the materials are still there and Z Products can produce new Z-Bed mechanisms. They just have to have 50 people committed to order and place a deposit so they can get everything up and running.

I tried selling this idea a couple of years ago, but I only came away with two people besides myself who were willing to put up the deposit.

By the way, for what it might be worth, while I was talking to him, Tim did point out the distinction between his Z-Bed and the folding assemblies found in Westys. He was of the opinion that the Z-Bed was a superior unit and worked much better than the other. And his company's product name just sort of attached itself much like Jello and gelatin.

And that's the way it is...........

Sat Dec 23, 2006 3:39 pm

Perhaps its akin to the reason you call every "cotton swab" a "QTip". :lol:

Sun Dec 24, 2006 9:05 am

Ask this person why: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=386937

Tue Dec 26, 2006 7:31 pm

EZ Gruv wrote: OK, take a letter Z ...grab each end and pull... --- , now it's a bed!

Not sure why this thread is still wondering... seems like we have our answer right above here.

Tue Dec 26, 2006 11:24 pm

I agree totally. Since I have the REAL Z-bed in my 68 deluxe & was in my former 70 deluxe, I have always called anything else a Westy bed.

I will admit that the seat frame of the original passenger seat can be uncomfortable without an air mattress. I do not have the pads sold by Z Products. Air mattress works well & can easily be deflated not taking up much room. I use a full size air mattress & it fits well even with the spare tire & plastic cover in place, where it belongs... NOT on the nose.

I like the room of a passenger bus without the middle seat. My rear seat easily folds down for hauling large items & still a functional seat with seat belts. All that westy crap is too heavy to haul around all the time & is not practical for what I use my bus for. I travel to VW shows & sleep in the bus but not a hard core camper at all. I will take the weekender package that Z Products made & the low maintenance hard top over a westy any day. My bus is used as a parts hauler & having a bed in the back is a huge bonus on road trips.

Mon Jan 15, 2007 1:58 pm

Thanks for the great thread.
Does any of you have pics of what the Z-Bed pieces are (as opposed to R&R Hinges)?
I just got a 76 Transporter, and would like to camp occaisionally in it without pulling the original back bench seat and building my own scrappy platform (which is an option I guess).
I had heard there it was possible to convert the ench without finding a camper bed, and now I am excited. I'm hoping I can learn to tell the difference in case someone offers to sell me something funky...
Thanks,
x

Mon Jan 15, 2007 2:35 pm

"True" Z bed brackets can be hard to come by...they are out there, but ya gotsta be in the right place at the right time. You may want to keep your eyes open for a full width Riviera bed....that's what I ended up putting in my transporter and it is a very comfy sleep! And...it saves you from having to fabricate something yourself. Yes, a bed in a transporter is a very good modification in my opinion. If I do find an actual set of Z bed brackets, I may consider putting my stock seat back in...but until then...ZZZzzzzzzzz.

Mon Jan 15, 2007 6:36 pm

For what it's worth, I think the Brits call it a Rock'n'Roll bed. Far more inviting if you ask me. :twisted:
-John

Tue Apr 03, 2007 6:59 am

i bought the Z products kit at Bakersfield this last weekend. i knew what i was looking at. only thing missing was the Z products decal. i sold it to a fellow sv2s member in Orange County. :D

Tue Apr 03, 2007 7:24 am

bill may wrote: i bought the Z products kit at Bakersfield this last weekend. i knew what i was looking at. only thing missing was the Z products decal. i sold it to a fellow sv2s member in Orange County. :D

So does anyone have any pics of a full z bed? I'd like to see what it looks like.

Geno :D

Sat Apr 07, 2007 3:13 pm

Heres pics for the one Bill May just got
http://www.sv2s.com/Images/Eventpics/2007pics/bakersfield2007/images/bakersfield07_9_43_jpg.jpg
http://www.sv2s.com/Images/Eventpics/2007pics/bakersfield2007/images/bakersfield07_9_44_jpg.jpg
http://www.sv2s.com/Images/Eventpics/2007pics/bakersfield2007/images/bakersfield07_9_45_jpg.jpg