Just bought an awesome van so I can keep all my kite gear in it all the time and have a bed where ever when ever. I got plenty of space so I'll be putting a queen size in. I want to have the bed in there all the time with my boards and kites etc under it. A queen size will fit from the back door up to just forward of the sliding door hinges, leaving about 3 or 4 feet of open room behind the seats or 3 to 4 foot open space at the back if I put the bed up to the back of the seats.
Any wise seabreezer's got any advice on keeping things rust and sand free(ish), or on Bed installation ideas. I'm on a real tight budget as I fell in love with a van $1000 more than I hoped to spend. Its so clean to use for kiting and currently very close to rust free, so I'm going to try make it last.
All advice appreciated. 
not a huige help to ya smedg, but i saw it on a video once... 10k i think it was called. Find that for some inspiration.
hey i had a van as my first car in the windsurfin days.
I personally would load from the back. much easier (so leave space at back)
usually have more room than trying to squeeze in beside other cars to get to the side.
If you just use a foam mattress you can fold it over to lift up panels of the bed base to get to things up the back.
You could put in an lcd and an 12v beer fridge (not cheap I know)
What about a big poly pipe water tank (free from plumber mate) and a $200 sureflow water blaster demand pump? Means you have garden hose style pressure fresh water as soon as you turn on the tap.
also curtains are good so the sun doesn't wake you up after a big night. also good for sleepovers.
You could check out the maui wind/kitesurfing vans on the web for ideas
What you need is a platform. How's your carpentry?
Here's mine, tools below and kite stuff above here.
Foam mattress is a good call.
I have a box 600X600X1200 in the van that the boards go into the top of (fits two bindings or like 4 straps) and on the shelf below a plastic bin fits with all my wet stuff. It serves as a table in the back as there are seats behind it. The seats fold down and a table that I have spans the gap between the seats and the table. It makes a 7 foot bed 130cm wide so not that big for two but can be done.
Just make things that large boxes fit in perfectly so you can store stuff and access it as easily.
I'll get a photo up tomorrow.
(I came online this late cus I needed to see if I got a Uni offer)
heres mine
managed to get all the materials for free so it cost me nothing
my carpentry isnt great but it does the job
i also made up a plywood floor so to clean it all i hav to do is brush it out
hope that gives u some ideas
cheers
Thanks... This is exactly the advice I'm after. At the moment the entire back of the van is lined with black carpet like stuff. the floor is carpety stuff on thin ply. (Haven't decided wether to leave the floor covering in or not. I think I will 'cause it all looks so neat and can easily be pulled out to give the occasional clean. It also cuts road noise a little and kinda insulates a little bit. At the moment I'm imagining using something like marine ply as a bed base (three sections so it can be taken in and out) with legs 30 or 40mm in from the sides of the van. I'm thinking I may be able to do this in a way that nothing is actually mounted to the van. Just cutting the ply to fit the contours of the walls (as they are thickly carpeted). I'm imagining four legs on the head of the bed piece of ply and the same for the bottom of the bed bit of ply. The middle piece would share the legs of the other two pieces, but just sit on them not joint. (kinda fall in the gap between other two pieces.) My van being as cool as it is has a sliding door on each side which is mega good I reckon. I'm leaning towards having the spare (non bed) space just behind the seats so for other everyday stuff, you can just reach over or use a side door, leaving the bed nice and clean with surf board twinny 2 kites, pump bar/lines harness, wet gear all loaded under the bed from the back in tubs and or board bags. I'm hoping that the marine ply or alike will span the distance without really sagging and without any supporting legs in the middle. (remembering that I plan on having the side legs in a little from the side.) Also dreaming of ways to screen a window. Seems like every time I got a question Seabreezers are the best peeps to ask. Thanks again.
damn, you've made me want to go and get a van! deck it out all comfy and stuff. just don't forget the spot for the fridge! the beers don't get cold on themselves!
yeah, i got four 12 volt power sockets sitting inline with the back of the seats. They are hooked to the main/ only battery at the moment though. Might have to change that. might see how I go first.
Just make sure everything has a place. Nothing goes "on the top". I have stolen crates from Coles (3 in total 
) that fit in like draws. and every other thing has "a place" like the table (used as the bed middle section) fits between the seats and the box.
I still do not know what to do about the mattresses as they take up a lot of room, with out spending money options are limited. I also like to be able to see around me so hight is limited. (can't understand how people drive with panel vans, must have blind spot mirrors)
The table needs some blocks for the future but I don't want to put them on as they will be a pain to have.
In real life it doesn't look as good as the photos cus I have that "make **** look better in photos skill"
As above.
Use heavy grade angle iron for supporting the top frame, cut everything right and that may be all you need.
Keep it light as possible. Dont add vertical partitions underneath - just use crates & boxes sitting on thick carpet. Most of the time it will be empty underneath except when you travel, then it will be full, so everything will hold everything else nice and tight.
....oh, and Fisholene (any good paint shop) for the rust. Remove superficial rust first then Fisholene over whats left.
I decided on what to do by looking at all the vans in lanno. There where 4 transporters with different styles. Non of the ones I looked at had back seats in them though. But the more people the smaller the share of fuel. What I will be doing next is a cargo cage for both the back and middle sections. Also make a permanent power set up and make board holders.
Ive done the same in my renault traffic van, raised floor to top of wheel arches and put 22mm ply floor over the top, at the front there is a hinged trap door where all my kite kit is at the back another trap door lifts from the back of van where all my tools are. Carpet the ply and hey presto all your gear is on board,and hidden and you have a empty van again. When tools not on under floor then houses bbq and all camping gear as I have a large awning that fits to side of van for weekend away. Booootiful. Ive put in 2 leisure batteries on a split charger to run my eski for 2 days all hidden.
Cheers. Thanks again for the help everyone. I've gotten nowhere yet. spent about 2 hours in the rain today peeling all these company stickers off the van (there were a lot). Then spent about an hour in the rain at the beach watching the wind squalls swing between side shore and cross off gusty crap. ended up watching role models at the movies. funny ****.
My usernam, I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "I would put two vertical stringers under the floor for support." Does that mean two sheets running the length of the bed standing one their edge between the floor and the underside of the bed instead of using legs? ( I don't know what stringers are. PS should have read your reply before talking to a mate. I got laughed at.. haha. Apparently its obvious that marine ply is expensive and only needed for marine purposes. haha.
PS what should I clean sticky crap off with, from where the stickers were? hot water and dish soap didn't cut it and I don't want to wreck the paint. I've got all this truck wash left that got off a mate once when we used to ride dirt bikes. If i mix that up a little weak is that good to clean cars with or is it too harsh. it used to clean baked on mud and cow **** off engines and exhausts in no time. think it was called CT 18 or something.
PPS I'm hoping not to need to put wood across the floor that gets in the way of taking things in and out. tobes platform may be a hassle to get kite stuff in and out of all the time as the boxes you you put stuff in would have to be smaller than the openings at the back. I was dreaming of having enough height underneath the bed to fit my surfboard on its side. (to save space) This would make the bed base quite high but I'll need to measure more closely as I think I can do it and still have a foam mattress sit just below or in line with the bottom of the windows. Also, how long does fisholene stink for and are there alternatives? Thanks again.
could fit a tonne of gear and plenty of room for 2 to sleep.even had one sleeping underneath on snow trips.
@ rob 1977. That's exactly how I want mine. No wasted space. perfect. Does the ply sag much in the middle when you lay on it? Do you still have enough room to sit up in bed (assumming you are on the top bunk 
)
Not sure if anyone other than me is still interested but I used some citrus scented stuff called ooomph from bunnings to clean sticky crap off. worked instantly and easy. Also I tested some different sized plys and they all sag too much over the 1530mm width of a queen bed (and the distance across the back in the van) if not supported. I'm thinking of forking out for some form ply which was way better in the sag department. Still planning on building legs instead of joining anything to the van at this stage.
Anyone know where I can get a whirly bird from? (one of those spinny vent things)
I wouldn't try to span the width of your van with ply alone.
If you really want to have no structure underneath, I find the partitions pretty useful, then you will need to stiffen your plywood bed base with something, for example screwing a few 70 x 35 pine battens on flat to the underside of 12mm plywood.
You should be able to get a spinning vent through any car spare parts place.
So, what van did you get? How about a "before" pic?
Sticker glue remover: acetone
Window blackouts: Custom cut padded silver sunshades (curtains hang straight, not as good)
Mattress: Try an Ikea sofa bed one - they're pretty comfy and fold easy, reasonable price
Padding / soundproofing / flooring / insulation for wall and ceiling cover: 1/2" Thick foam floor matting - cheap, interlocking tiles, can cut to fit
Space arrangement: I'd put the bed right up the front. If you've got a lift up back, that will give you some shade / rain cover and you can set up your kitchen, seat, etc on the tailgate. If you're getting fancy, try the boat fitters for ideas - I saw a van in Germany once, it was a-may-zing. All mod cons in a kombi!!! Fold down shower well, etc, etc!
Secret / locked spot: Don't forget to build this in for your valuables
Make sure you post some before / after photos!! 
I was a bit worried about rust - especially seeing as my van had a few big rust holes in it already. So, here's my low-fi solution - I actually replaced the single foam mattress with a new double one from IKEA - they are good (you can move them easily).
I lived in this van for ages last summer. All the living crap (utensils, food, tools etc) went in the milk crates, and the crates formed a 'tunnel' gap between which I slotted all the kite gear. This tunnel stopped all the gear sliding around on those racey 60 km/h corners.
The advantage of this system is that you can haul it all out easily for a spot of riveting/welding/bogging.
I have to say - people scoffed at this arrangement. No, really, they did! But it actually worked incredibly well. The only thing I would have added (before I sold it) would have been bug screens on the windows.
Cost;
- new schmick mattress of extreme comfyness; $200
- piece of 16mm ply cut to size by nice man at bunnings; about $20 I think
- crates...ah....
There is a product from Dotmar Plastics called "Uni Board" there are a couple of types Uni board Eco and uniboard ultra stiff. These are Polyethlene and Poplypropylene blended products. http://www.dotmar.com.au/products/uniboard/uniboard_main.htm
This stuff is ideal to use, as it is stronger than Plywood also much lighter (about a quarter of the weight)and easier to cut. Does not get water logged and swell. Doesnt go mouldy and it easy to clean. The price is a little more expensive but it is really good stuff. Comes in sheet form and has a really nice finish(Black to match your carpets). The 20mm ultra stiff would be ideal for the bedbase and the 10mm eco for everything else. Worth a look.
)
Spent today filling holes in the floor with sicaflex (like silicon). Its an ex Telstra van, so under the carpeted ply floor was a floor with heaps of holes from all the Telstra shelving. Hoping to get some time to spend thinking about or making the bed tomorrow or the next day. Can't wait. Here are some before pics. Its a '99 2.4L petrol Express. (the biggest one I think)
I would get a "Fiamma" style roof vent installed with fly wire in it. They wind up and down, and give you some air, without letting Billy Blowfly and the Mozzies perform a gig in your van. When it's warm, you are going to need it!
Definitely get reflective sun shades for when you go out on the turps and want to lie in a bit next day without cooking off.
Leave the carpet in as it is nice on your feet when the weather gets a bit chillier.
Maybe have a slide out system at the back with some folding support legs on it to have a galley set up, so you can BBQ on.
Have a look at any VW van that has a proper conversion in it. You will get loads of ideas on how to be clever with your space. I had an 82 VW Kamper in Europe and it had a cupboard for every purpose.
If you have the cash, get one of those retracting shade awnings that clamp onto the gutter rail.
Definitely consider getting a leisure battery as you don't want to leave a cabin light on and find you have drained the main battery out in the middle of whoop whoop.
The greatest thing about having a van is the freedom that comes with it, design it well so you can bring friends along. Make it as neat as you can so the ladies won't assume straight away its your shagging wagon (even if it is)
Half the fun is fitting new things to it that make your life easier. I reckon the PVC pipe shower system would be a great idea, even if it is just to get the sand and salt off yourself at the end of a hot day.
Hope you get some ideas from this.
)
hey smedg, i have another idea which i will be doing in my vw caddy soon. using 12 or 16 mm ply. cut it to the the length of your bed by the height you want. cut out the sections which go over the wheel arches.
using 75 x 35 or similar size pine timber, screw a piece the length of the bed flush with the topside of the ply. place these on the sides where you want your bed to sit. then cut your crossbeams to the width of the van and screw to the top of the timber on the sides.amount of crossbeams depends on how wuch weight you want to support. i think i had six.then all you need to do is cut your ply to size for the top and thats it.
shouldnt cost more than $100 or $150 max. ply is the most expensive part.
