Leaderboard

Middle seats back up and front platform packed. We'll use the space inside the flatform (it's framed with 1x4s, so there's a bit of space in there). The platform is rigid, so I'm contemplating adding a set of longer folding legs and letting it double as a pull out table. The folded platform section can be stowed on top of either the front or back half of the rear plaform, so you can access either of the folding sections. One last shot to show that having the plaform in the van has no affect on the functionality of the center row of seats.

Hinged back panel. We did this more so we could still sit on the back of the floor than for cargo access. We like to go to drive ins. I considered hinging the panel down so that it would serve as a backrest, but decided the complication wouldn't be worth it. Front hinge panel. This one is for cargo access. I'll probably put the cooler and possibly the water jug here. The underside of the front panel and the slot in the frame that it fits into: Underside of the cargo area. I should have put the seatbelts above the plaform...

Note the straps attached to the front seats. You can also kind of see the hinge mechanism in the middle: Full platform from the back with a bit of frame view: Fits pretty nicely. We'll have some of those interlocking foam squares on top eventually so we shouldn't feel the hinges, though they're pretty far to the side anyway.

My 2014 LWB Wagon camper conversion: My goals were to create something that my wife and I could sleep in on trips to bike, ski, see things, etc. but not have it compromise everyday functionality (so no built in cabinets or removal of all the seats). So my work plan: Part 1. Rear half of platform 1. Unbolt and remove rear two seats. 2. Create an 18in high frame out of 1x3s the fits in the area behind the back seats. 3. Hinge a piece of plywood to fit on top of this Part 2. Front half of platform This is trickier as it has to move out of the way, so can't be fully built in, plus the folded seats aren't as flat as the rear floor, so there is that to deal with. The roof isn't high enough to just have the front half of the platform fold up from the back in one piece but it needs to be rigid. My solution was to create a framed hinged section that hinges in on itself from the frame side, so when there is weight on top of it, it can't collapse in on itself as the track of the hinge runs the frame of each half into the other. I should have took a better picture of this, but if it's not clear, I'll do so later. To hold the frame up, I use hooked cam straps that hook under the front of the frame and then to the head rests of the front seat. I'm going to add some small legs that will take a bit of weight off of the straps, but it's more for redundancy than any real worry. To connect the front part of the platform to the back, I created a gap in the rear frame that's just over the width of a 1x3. I then screwed a 1x3 coming off the underside of the front section of the platform. It slides into the gap and things are locked up very tightly. Pictures coming in the next post.