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Downing Samba Member
Joined: June 26, 2014 Posts: 10 Location: Idaho
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Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 7:39 am Post subject: Eurovan: Folding rear seat/bed? |
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Looking at a sweet eurovan in top shape but it does not have the huge queen sized folding bed. Is the swap difficult ? Such as are all the connection holes already in the van. Do you have to build mounts or drill holes to make the conversion. I see that the removable seat would make you rig an instant pickup truck, but I'm a farmer so I already have a truck. Is that what MV means? Thanks for smoothing my days :lol: ](*,) ](*,) ](*,) :lol: |
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Gruppe B Samba Member
Joined: January 16, 2007 Posts: 1331
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Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 11:23 am Post subject: |
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The swap isn’t too difficult however you will need to drill holes for the seat rail sliders and have all the necessary parts (rear cushion support frame, the rear seatback strikers that attach to the body). |
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Xtremjeepn Samba Member
Joined: October 21, 2012 Posts: 1539 Location: Colorado
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Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 10:50 pm Post subject: |
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Gruppe B wrote: |
The swap isn’t too difficult however you will need to drill holes for the seat rail sliders and have all the necessary parts (rear cushion support frame, the rear seatback strikers that attach to the body). |
To add to this.
The floor has 4 dimples in it where you need to drill for the rear bed. However, it doesn't have plates/nuts on the bottom. So those need to be welded in.
The Eurovan you are looking at is a GL/GLS. These have true carpet with padding under it. All the vans with a rear bed (MV or Weekender) have 1/8" thick carpet stuck directly to a wooden subfloor.
The wood subfloor is critical to the bed sliding forward. It just sinks and sticks into the GLS carpet.
This means that to get it to work correctly you need to swap out or recreate the whole floor.
The middle row of seats in a GLS also interfere with the bed. So they must be removed to use it.
The two rear interior panels on the GLS don't have the holes for the rear support frame, and they have extra things attached to them to support the GLS rear parcel shelf.
You can fab up a rear bed support, use the stock cubbies from a 1993(but they won't fit perfectly), or drill the holes for the support structure. This will be another 6 holes and 6 more welded plates, nuts, etc.
All of this really needs to come out of an "MV" (tintop camper) since it will hve the correct rear panel, and bed length for the board, pad, and supports since the GLS will have rear AC(a weekender (Poptop) doesn't have rear AC so all the rear panels and length of the bed, cushion and supports are different than you need)
You Wil also end up with a random extra set of seat belts for the middle row that you should eliminate in the process.
This whole process gets even more complicated if you want to install the table (more cutting and welding) ans the curtains for privacy while you sleep.
Personally, I'd just look for a van with all this in it as they usually aren't much more money until you add the poptop!
Last edited by Xtremjeepn on Wed Feb 11, 2015 11:26 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Xtremjeepn Samba Member
Joined: October 21, 2012 Posts: 1539 Location: Colorado
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Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 10:53 pm Post subject: |
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Here is a picture of the rear subfloor in a Weekender (full Poptop). This is after I stripped the carpet off to do a custom floor.
This wood floor is nearly impossible to remove from a van without destroying it. I've tried on several parts vans and its glued down with Thor's hammer.
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Xtremjeepn Samba Member
Joined: October 21, 2012 Posts: 1539 Location: Colorado
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Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 10:57 pm Post subject: |
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This is a cross section of the GLS carpet. It's all padding, no hard surface for the bed to roll on.
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Xtremjeepn Samba Member
Joined: October 21, 2012 Posts: 1539 Location: Colorado
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Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 11:04 pm Post subject: |
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Here is an example of a GLS rear parcel shelf support and the MV rear bed. The bed sits lower than the old parcel shelf. So you get left with this sharp, face high support on both sides if you don't also change out the rear panels. (Or take these off and find a way to nicely patch the holes )
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Xtremjeepn Samba Member
Joined: October 21, 2012 Posts: 1539 Location: Colorado
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Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 11:11 pm Post subject: |
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As mentioned by Gruppe B above. You need to swap out the rear seat latches on the side of the van too. These are often missed when someone buys just the rear seat.
The short ones are for a GL/GLS seat the long ones are for the MV/Weekender rear bed seat.
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Xtremjeepn Samba Member
Joined: October 21, 2012 Posts: 1539 Location: Colorado
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Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 11:18 pm Post subject: |
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Here is a shot of several things. The 1993 style vans had these rear cubbies that the bed rests on. You can see the corner of the cubbies is cut out. That is where the bed/ seat slider rail will mount.
You can also see two long cuts in the center of the carpet. That is where a GLS seat mounts.
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Xtremjeepn Samba Member
Joined: October 21, 2012 Posts: 1539 Location: Colorado
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Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 11:24 pm Post subject: |
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These are the rear bed supports in the 1997+ Weekender/MVs
You can also see the seat slide rails and how the bed supports curve around them. The bed support also has a leg that goes through the side panel and attaches to a weled plate/post on the fender well.
Which is why the fender well access covers are off in this picture. I just painted the rear bed frames to match this van and needed access to take them off. I also just did the floor in that van.
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kernewek Samba Member
Joined: December 09, 2012 Posts: 44 Location: France/UK
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Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 6:14 am Post subject: |
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Xtremjeepn wrote: |
The Eurovan you are looking at is a GL/GLS. These have true carpet with padding under it. All the vans with a rear bed (MV or Weekender) have 1/8" thick carpet stuck directly to a wooden subfloor.
The wood subfloor is critical to the bed sliding forward. It just sinks and sticks into the GLS carpet.
This means that to get it to work correctly you need to swap out or recreate the whole floor.
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Sorry to be contrary but this isn't true. I put an MV rear seat-bed in my van six years ago whilst keeping the standard carpet and we've never had an issue with opening the seat, or lack of support for the extended bed. This is a very common conversion on this side of the Atlantic and I know of several other T4 guys who have the same set up without issue.
Over here in Europe, or in the UK at least a lot of T4 people remove the carpet and install a hard floor to help keep their vans clean . . . beach sand and other detritus brushes out easier off a smooth floor than carpet, but on the other hand the factory fit carpet provides excellent sound insulation from road noise and helps keep the van warmer if you sleep in the van in winter.
Additionally, some vans come out the factory with the captive nut plates already installed in the rear of the floor pan which the seat rails bolt directly into; my '98 seven seater did. If not these are available from VW, or can be easily fabricated with M8 nuts welded onto small metal plates.
There's a lot of extra information about this modification on the UK T4 forum, or elsewhere on the web.
Craig _________________ 1998 T4 2.5 TDI with Timber Technicians high top
1985 T3 1.6TD hightop camper |
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kernewek Samba Member
Joined: December 09, 2012 Posts: 44 Location: France/UK
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Xtremjeepn Samba Member
Joined: October 21, 2012 Posts: 1539 Location: Colorado
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Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 6:42 am Post subject: |
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kernewek wrote: |
Sorry to be contrary but this isn't true. I put an MV rear seat-bed in my van six years ago whilst keeping the standard carpet and we've never had an issue with opening the seat, or lack of support for the extended bed. This is a very common conversion on this side of the Atlantic and I know of several other T4 guys who have the same set up without issue.
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I didn't say it won't work, but after building three of these I can tell you there is a HUGE difference in the function of the bed with the wood sub floor. One handed use vs two. There is a reason Westfalia, Winnebago and nearly every van builder on earth uses a wood based floor vs. Pure carpet and pad. I can tell you the pure carpet and pad is more comfortable to kneel/sit on. Which would be a more desirable trait on a camper, yet they use wood!!
kernewek wrote: |
Over here in Europe......
Additionally, some vans come out the factory with the captive nut plates already installed in the rear of the floor pan which the seat rails bolt directly into; my '98 seven seater did. If not these are available from VW, or can be easily fabricated with M8 nuts welded onto small metal plates.
Craig |
We are talking USA delivered vans here. I've been under a dozen of them and have never seen a set of bed seat plates on a GL/GLS.
Our vans were optioned a bit differently that ones in Europe. Was your bed a Westfalia Weekender bed into a Caravel with the plush carpet? That should be the closest equivalent. |
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Downing Samba Member
Joined: June 26, 2014 Posts: 10 Location: Idaho
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Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 10:23 pm Post subject: Folding bed |
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OK ! I chickened out of retrofitting to the folding bed on a GLS van.
I also found a very nice van with all the goodies of bed and table. Spent too much but no worries right now. $$$$ rather than ingenuity . Rich folk use that method all the time! |
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Jonwid Samba Member
Joined: August 18, 2013 Posts: 163 Location: Long Beach
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Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2022 12:40 pm Post subject: Re: Eurovan: Folding rear seat/bed? |
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Can the 03 GLS standard rear seat fold out flat for a “bed”? Or is it just a semi-fold-down seat-back?
If the latter, is there a conversion available?
Never had a need for a fold-flat bed in the back, but things might be changing in that department. |
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MrPulldown Samba Member
Joined: September 08, 2020 Posts: 649 Location: Truckee
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Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2022 3:19 pm Post subject: Re: Eurovan: Folding rear seat/bed? |
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Jonwid wrote: |
Can the 03 GLS standard rear seat fold out flat for a “bed”? Or is it just a semi-fold-down seat-back?
If the latter, is there a conversion available?
Never had a need for a fold-flat bed in the back, but things might be changing in that department. |
"If this vans a rockin..." _________________ 2002 EVC |
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volkybus Samba Member
Joined: November 03, 2013 Posts: 481 Location: CASTLETON VT USA
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Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2022 6:06 am Post subject: Re: Eurovan: Folding rear seat/bed? |
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Well here's my 2 cents. Mine a 93 was converted w the carpet in place, table installed, jump seats and frames welded in . It works OK but needs lots of grease to work w 2 hands, and a strong back. If u live in a termite zone & use wood use treated wood. Here in Puerto Rico, we have hearty termites, so it's a choice u make. Still working on the curtain problem tho. Good Luck Bill |
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