Date:         Sat, 23 Nov 2002 11:45:18 -0800
Reply-To:     Mark Keller <kelphoto@HIGHSPEEDPLUS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mark Keller <kelphoto@HIGHSPEEDPLUS.COM>
Subject:      Jump seat single bed project.
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed

Vanaganeers,

The jump seats in my Carat were missing when I bought it.  I replaced
the missing  left side jump seat with used a conversion van style
captains chair with armrests  that swivels and will also layout about as
flat as a dentist chair. Knowing this I decided to lengthen the seat
track run so that seat could be fully reclined into a single bed and
utilize the bench portion of the rearseat to completely support the
individual.

We now have a good safe bed to sleep in while the vehicle is moving. In
fact the bed is extremely comfortable.  I'm 6' 2" and cannot touch the
rear bench seat back or the back of the front seat, albeit another two
inches and I could. Since we are not campers, we now just drive straight
through, changing drivers while the other sleeps. Our longest to date
was a vaction road trip that began by going to some friends and a
Concert 2400 miles away. We took our time coming back.  Excluding gas
stops, we drove 40 hours straight.  It reminded me a lot of taking the
train; not real fast, but comfortable and you could sleep, eat or just
look out the window.  When we arrived at the concert, we all had had our
full sleep and really didn't feel fatigued, we went to bed at 11 pm at
our friends house and the next day we felt it was just like we had never
spent  40 hours driving.

 If your still with me, remeber the swivel pedistal?  The seat  also be
rolled back on the tracks an then rotated to forward facing sea,
although  the rear facing configeration seems most preferred..  At
events I just rotate the seat so that If face toward the sliding door
and recline in it. The project cost $225 |Cdn, the main expenses were
$125 cdn for the captians seat, and $75 for the  machine shop.

If your interested, pmail me and I send you the how discription.

Sincerely,

Mark Keller
91 Carat