Early Bay - replace your cot with a bed - How To + pics! FAQ

[Jchinbmx]

Well I'm sure this is a dead thread but I, not too long ago, decided to undertake the task of converting my 71 westfalia from the og child cot to something more useable space for the family. Fair warning this is bare bones, Neanderthal build quality. But! It works, I've slept up there (230 lbs) on my most recent trip and with the area closed off actually had a warm camping experience and had to open the side walls and let the screens do their jobs. All in all, you end up with a spot as wide as the bus, and that can sleep someone 6' and under...and it stores out of the way for transport!

All I used:
4x8 sheet of 5/8" plywood
2x41x45 piece of memory foam from foambymail
About three yards of some plaid fabric from Joann
A construction stapler
A spare piece of carpet padding I had laying around
Couple pieces of double sided carpet tape(also laying around)
A pair or two of pliers
Everything was cut with a skillsaw
Screwdriver


Took a little under a week of leaving it, coming back to it etc, but it could be knocked out in a few hours if you're driven.

For starters, after collecting the supplies. You cut the wood. My measurements on the pics are after the dozens of trial fits/trims/retries so hopefully they dead on and take out the guess work.

Beginning with the middle piece is the best way,(unless you plan to use additional material and cover the underside have a good side of wood facing down) I took into consideration ease of actually being able to access the area and the main measurements are 27 1/4" longways (front to back). Width wise the bus roof/opening actually gets narrower towards the front so the rear width is 41" and it tapers to 40.5".
*important note, there's little accommodating cut outs at the very front which allows the wood to clear the pop top hold down brackets(the ones the rubber straps use) 40 1/2 is the actual width before the notch cuts. The notch's measure 4 1/2" length wise and 1/2" width(yellow on pics) to clear the hold down brackets. Be sure to do your own measurements as verifications before cutting...that's just what my roof happened to be, and the bed fits snuggly/perfect.

*yes there is a gap between the end of the wood and the rounded portion of the roof via the area where a sunroof would've gone, this will be covered by carpet padding later

The head board piece is also notched out to clear the lift arms/supports and get maximal space utilization. I made the middle portion first, jammed it all the way forward then measured the remaining gap and wound up with a length of 14 1/4" by 41" wide. The notched clearance area takes 1" of width out and that goes 4"(yellow on pics) the end result is the rearmost portion is 39" wide(41-1-1=39) once again, this is specific to my roof so measure yours for any discrepancies.

Now with the front most portion of the roof where it's bare, I used carpet padding instead of foam. My logic was you wouldn't want to sleep head towards the hinged side(claustrophobic) and you can't sit up, so the only logical solution was to use something thinner so you don't sleep inverted(head below feet). I literally traced a rounded pattern of the roof and trimmed the padding, laid it down, trim repeat until I had a piece that covered the metal. Now here is the only pain in the a$$ part of the bed conversion....getting the plaid fabric under the pop top canvas hold down rails, which assists in holding the carpet padding in place. This is where the double sided carpet tape comes in. I used a few small pieces to hold the padding in place(less to clean up later and everything should be reversible) Then get a piece of fabric bigger than the area, then lay it over the padding and get prepared to swear!

The easiest method I found was to remove only portions of the roof tent hold down bars(so the whole tent doesn't come undone) Then I'd come underneath with a set of needle nose pliers and hold the rubber/plastic rim on the tent, while with another pair pulling the fabric. So from the top, the metal holds down both the fabric and the tent...after its set you trim the excess material. If you had an assistant another way would be to run the fabric to the outside of the vehicle and underneath both the metal and pop tent but I found it easier to be inside and pull the materials towards me while consecutively being in control of the metal. For the material where there's no tent hold down trim, I tucked it between the headliner and the roof, then reinstalled the surrounding trim which also assists in holding it in place. It's a pain!!!!!!!! But in the end totally worth it to have a level sleeping platform that's entirely padded.

Once you've sweated and cursed and the front portion with the carpet padding is installed it's smooth sailing after. For the wood insert portions I just wrapped the fabric over the padding and stapled it underneath. With the notched portions you can shave a little padding off or just pull it super tight in that spot...I did it almost a year prior to this write up and I believe I just trimmed the foam a little.


Obviously while doing all this I did a million back and forth test fits, so recommend it at every stage vs following my build and it not fitting. But once the two wood portions are covered and the front tin portion is padded, the way to have it come together is install the middle piece and slide it all the way forward(I compress the foam when it's going under the hold down strap brackets) then place the headboard up there, climb up and place the headboard in behind you. I saw the other builds in this thread, little complicated for me so this is simple.


Storage wise: the headboard slides into the channel where the sunroof would've gone, and the middle piece slides rearward enough so the hold down straps are accessible and then I lower the top. It's a bit of a learning curve closing the top just do one side at a time and watch your fingers. The only downfall is the roof lines look funny when there's a flat portion in the opening of the roof, it sits maybe 2" lower than the rest of the roof, and obviously the carpet padding always stays in place. But not additional room taken up and now the advantage of being able to safely sleep 2 more.

[Jchinbmx]

Well I'm sure this is a dead thread but I, not too long ago, decided to undertake the task of converting my 71 westfalia from the og child cot to something more useable space for the family. Fair warning this is bare bones, Neanderthal build quality. But! It works, I've slept up there (230 lbs) on my most recent trip and with the area closed off actually had a warm camping experience and had to open the side walls and let the screens do their jobs. All in all, you end up with a spot as wide as the bus, and that can sleep someone 6' and under...and it stores out of the way for transport!


All I used:
4x8 sheet of 5/8" plywood
2x41x45 piece of memory foam from foambymail
About three yards of some plaid fabric from Joann
A construction stapler
A spare piece of carpet padding I had laying around
Couple pieces of double sided carpet tape(also laying around)
A pair or two of pliers
Everything was cut with a skillsaw
Screwdriver


Took a little under a week of leaving it, coming back to it etc, but it could be knocked out in a few hours if you're driven.

For starters, after collecting the supplies. You cut the wood. My measurements on the pics are after the dozens of trial fits/trims/retries so hopefully they dead on and take out the guess work.

Beginning with the middle piece is the best way,(unless you plan to use additional material and cover the underside have a good side of wood facing down) I took into consideration ease of actually being able to access the area and the main measurements are 27 1/4" longways (front to back). Width wise the bus roof/opening actually gets narrower towards the front so the rear width is 41" and it tapers to 40.5".
*important note, there's little accommodating cut outs at the very front which allows the wood to clear the pop top hold down brackets(the ones the rubber straps use) 40 1/2 is the actual width before the notch cuts. The notch's measure 4 1/2" length wise and 1/2" width(yellow on pics) to clear the hold down brackets. Be sure to do your own measurements as verifications before cutting...that's just what my roof happened to be, and the bed fits snuggly/perfect.

*yes there is a gap between the end of the wood and the rounded portion of the roof via the area where a sunroof would've gone, this will be covered by carpet padding later

The head board piece is also notched out to clear the lift arms/supports and get maximal space utilization. I made the middle portion first, jammed it all the way forward then measured the remaining gap and wound up with a length of 14 1/4" by 41" wide. The notched clearance area takes 1" of width out and that goes 4"(yellow on pics) the end result is the rearmost portion is 39" wide(41-1-1=39) once again, this is specific to my roof so measure yours for any discrepancies.

Now with the front most portion of the roof where it's bare, I used carpet padding instead of foam. My logic was you wouldn't want to sleep head towards the hinged side(claustrophobic) and you can't sit up, so the only logical solution was to use something thinner so you don't sleep inverted(head below feet). I literally traced a rounded pattern of the roof and trimmed the padding, laid it down, trim repeat until I had a piece that covered the metal. Now here is the only pain in the a$$ part of the bed conversion....getting the plaid fabric under the pop top canvas hold down rails, which assists in holding the carpet padding in place. This is where the double sided carpet tape comes in. I used a few small pieces to hold the padding in place(less to clean up later and everything should be reversible) Then get a piece of fabric bigger than the area, then lay it over the padding and get prepared to swear!

The easiest method I found was to remove only portions of the roof tent hold down bars(so the whole tent doesn't come undone) Then I'd come underneath with a set of needle nose pliers and hold the rubber/plastic rim on the tent, while with another pair pulling the fabric. So from the top, the metal holds down both the fabric and the tent...after its set you trim the excess material. If you had an assistant another way would be to run the fabric to the outside of the vehicle and underneath both the metal and pop tent but I found it easier to be inside and pull the materials towards me while consecutively being in control of the metal. For the material where there's no tent hold down trim, I tucked it between the headliner and the roof, then reinstalled the surrounding trim which also assists in holding it in place. It's a pain!!!!!!!! But in the end totally worth it to have a level sleeping platform that's entirely padded.

Once you've sweated and cursed and the front portion with the carpet padding is installed it's smooth sailing after. For the wood insert portions I just wrapped the fabric over the padding and stapled it underneath. With the notched portions you can shave a little padding off or just pull it super tight in that spot...I did it almost a year prior to this write up and I believe I just trimmed the foam a little.


Obviously while doing all this I did a million back and forth test fits, so recommend it at every stage vs following my build and it not fitting. But once the two wood portions are covered and the front tin portion is padded, the way to have it come together is install the middle piece and slide it all the way forward(I compress the foam when it's going under the hold down strap brackets) then place the headboard up there, climb up and place the headboard in behind you. I saw the other builds in this thread, little complicated for me so this is simple.


Storage wise: the headboard slides into the channel where the sunroof would've gone, and the middle piece slides rearward enough so the hold down straps are accessible and then I lower the top. It's a bit of a learning curve closing the top just do one side at a time and watch your fingers. The only downfall is the roof lines look funny when there's a flat portion in the opening of the roof, it sits maybe 2" lower than the rest of the roof, and obviously the carpet padding always stays in place. But not additional room taken up and now the advantage of being able to safely sleep 2 more.[/img]

[khalimadeath]

My buddy welded this up for me

He is willing to make more if anyone if interested. It completely tucks away and covers the "hole" with enough strength. Its also not too heavy for what it is.

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The United States Constitution
(c) 1787. All Rights Reserved


1970 Bus Westfalia
1964 Kombi

[Hikelite]

I know this is an old thread, but thanks for sharing Jason.

After reading the 'Continental' thread, I was standing in my Bus the other day and looked at that big empty spot and wondered if I could make something that slid in there. Today I found this thread!

While I knew, and forgot, that these were built from sunroof models, it didn't occur to me what that big void was for. Now I know what it's for. Thanks again.

I'm considering making one of these for our Bus. What is the final width for those that have made one?
_________________
~Kevin

My 1968 Campmobile

[Tcash]

[jrehm]

[beatles4]

This is amazing, sadly I do not have the wood skills to make this but I would consider paying someone to do make this for me for my early bay bus. This is the kind of stuff that makes the samba awesome.

[FreedomBus]

Thank you for all the information on making a custom bed.
I recently got a '68 Westy Bus and didn't realize that there was no bed up top. It's Me my Wife and 2yr old and we definitely need the extra bed up top.
Interesting thing is that I found One Glue Lam with the aluminum rails tacked to it and that was it. Like someone had started the same thing as you did but never finished. So it has definitely made my life easier when it comes to getting started. the glue lam that's there is actually to wide for the opening even though it looks like this thing has been used before? Anyways, it's a start and can't wait to have it all done.
Question: Could you take close up photos of where the platform sits on the sides of the opening? And, what part of the platform is touching and sliding on each side of the railing? The metal latch on the sides for the pop top also has me abit confused when it comes to making the platform to fit..
Thank you

[notchboy]

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=275900&highlight=continental
_________________

[ejon]

I really like your idea of the sliding panel, but like the guy above. There's no way I could sleep laying on a barrel;

In seeing what you have . you just gave me an idea of how to do this flatter and be a 3/4 size sliding section. well it would be a full piece sliding but a 3/4 size bed. I want to be able to bail out for a mid night piss,

For me it would serve more as a storage shelf

[RocketSurgeon]

Once your up there with a sleeping bag and a pillow, the slight curve is hardly noticeable. I sleep very soundly upstairs. For me the tricky part is getting everything up there including myself and closing the hatch.
_________________
69 Westy

[WestIbex]

Great Idea!

I'm thinking building one of those uper bed.

One things worries me a little though. How is it to sleep on a curved bed like that? Do you feel it? Does the mattress helps in any way to reduce that curvature?

I’m still debating if I should go with the Continental bed option
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=275900

or this great concept.

Anyone that did build themselves this bed can comment on how comfy it is with this potentential arch in your back!?

[FLASH... AHAAAAA!!!]

I just started this conversion.
So far I built the platform and have the foam on order.
This was so easy to build I wish I would have done it years ago.
I used three plys of 5mm sheet it is lightweight and rock solid.
I made a template of the arch on the front part of the hole for the curvature.
I Cut the platform at 38" so it runs right inside the rails.
Parts so far without the fabric to cover are about $100 USD
If you are even considering this, go for it! The final product will weigh less than the cot and will be way more comfy and only takes up space that was wasted before... the kids are pumped to have a private "fort".

anybody want a cot for cheap?

[jrehm]

[pioneer1]

[levi20AE]

[bugger101]

great job You made the baywindow FAQ :2gunfire:
_________________
75 west deluxe http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5270450#5270450

2010 ford focus

[jrehm]

If memory serves me correctly, '72 was the last year that Westfalia conversions were based on the sunroof model kombi. Starting in '73, they used a normal bus and cut off the top and installed a full bed as standard. So, you shouldn't need to do this conversion - you should already have a double bed up there!
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Driving around the the world in a '71 Westy. Ten years and 45 countries so far.

follow our misadventures: www.bodeswell.com or @bodes.well
-------------------------------------------------------

[pioneer1]

[quote="jrehm I slide it out and rest it on the sunroof lip - not the roof itself - and the cushions align perfectly.[/quote]
I've been looking at these pictures trying to figure out where this "sunroof lip" is on my Canadian '73 Westy-alas no lip! back to the continental kit plan I guess.
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"Always waiting for tomorrow ruined everything"

'85 Porsche 911 Targa

'76 Westfalia project

[jrehm]