Date:         Mon, 20 May 1996 18:31:14 -0400
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Kirk D. Hilliard" <kdh5j@weyl.math.virginia.edu>
Subject:      Re: '77 Westy: Interference between Bed and Table

[ Concerning modifying rear seat bottom so that it can be converted
into a bed without removing the table support. ]

> Whew, I thought about this one a lot on my 6 month trip to Mexico.
> Never did anything about it though.
> 
> Observations:
> - I think you're just looking for the convenience of leaving the
> support in place.  The table gets in the way of the bed when it's
> being unfolded, right?

No.  When I deploy the bed I usually lift the seat bottom to a height
that would interfere with the table (were it there) but the bed can be
deployed (up to the point where it hits the vertical section of the
pipe) with the table in place.  The easiest way to do this is to lift
the seat bottom up only about 20 degrees before pulling it forward.
If you lift it up about 30 degrees it will click into place, making
things more difficult.  (If that happens, you can unlatch it pulling
the seat forward slightly and then lifting the seat bottom up a bit.)

It is only a little more difficult to convert the bed back into a seat
with the table in place.  Just start the process by lifting the rear
of the middle section of the bed.


> - I don't think the bracket is important for bed support, though.
> Otherwise the back of the upholstery would be torn up on my bed...

Right.  The bed is supported by its own brackets and rests one to two
inches above the table support bracket.


> Where do you normally store the support bar and table ??

Contrary to instructions in the owner's manual, I keep the bar and
table in place when I drive, but I have not come up with a good place
to store them when I want to convert the seat into a bed, and this is
what prompted me to write the first note.  I usually wind up putting
the table on top of the main cabinet and the bar on the floor (often
after clearing the cabinet top of the luggage that I just moved there
from the rear of the bus).

I will probably go ahead and make the modification, but I will not be
able to do it for a few weeks.  I'll let you all know how it turns
out.

Kirk Hilliard
'77 Westy