I've been reading so many threads on different bed designs, and figured I'd start listing out all the ideas I'm having for my own Sprinter.
The van:
2012 144" High Roof Passenger model, two rear benches removed
I started a thread a month or so ago asking whether a passenger model would be a good fit for me. The advice given was to hold off for a cargo model, but like a petulant child I jumped at the first van I drove and started my journey into Sprinterdom. So, here I sit trying to figure out how to work around all the panels and windows in the way of my potential bed mounting locations.
My needs:
#1 - Motorcycle roadracing.
I bought the van to replace the need for an enclosed trailer, as I live in an HOA neighborhood that prohibits them. When I go to the the track, I have access to showers and bathrooms, so I don't need to build this thing into a full blow RV. MY racebike is about 44" tall, but I could minimize this to 42" if I remove the windscreen. For most race weekends, we'll be able to drive to the track and unload the bike and equipment, then make our sleeping area. There are a couple instances, where the track is so far away that we'll have to sleep in the van on the way to/from the track somewhere on the road. We're also thinking about heading down to one race a few days early to check out the beach, and it would be nice to not have to unload the bike at night.
Ideal implementation:
I'd like to build a bed system that can be positioned at a comfortable height (~35"?) to an upper position of 45" of clearance. I'd also like to maintain a wide enough rear opening to be able to carry two bikes inside, though this will be very rare. For now, I'm pretty wary of tearing the van down too far to prevent any possibility of resale, but I don't mind drilling rivnuts or holes where needed. I'd like to stay away from stripping the interior panels or welding too much. I'd also down the length of the van, not side to side. My wife and I are both short, but I still like this idea better.
Inspiration:
I like the sliding bed design here, and actually purchase some Skorva beams in case I could make them work recently:
https://creatid.com/news/sprinter-conversion-adjustable-bed-system/
I also like the idea of using L-track for vertical beams, as I'm sure it would come in handy for attaching other items later on. Inertiaman had a clever idea for this, where he made his track perpendicular to the horizontal:
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showpost.php?p=433645&postcount=77
He mentioned a couple limitations of installing rivnuts at greater heights along the D pillar area, but it seems like I've seen other people mount rivnuts at the ~45" height, so I'm not sure what that will entail.
So, I suppose the design comes down to a few components:
1) Wall support, for adjustable height these would be vertical
2) Rail, front to back
3) Cross members, side to side to support mattress/platform
My ideas:
1a) L track mounted flush to the wall of the van. This would require bending the track to make it match the profile but I feel like this could be done semi-easily with some perseverence.
1b) 8020 rails similar to what was used in the creatid.com link above. This seems like it would be hard to bend to match van walls. This would require either professional help or cutting the extrusions to create weak areas to bend about.
2a) 8020 in that double profile height
2b) angle iron
3) for now the Skorva rails. For the 8020 side rails, I was considering making mounts similar to the Ikea mounts that just have a simple lip to catch the end of the Skorva rails. It seems like this system would be conducive to accounting for the angle change along the vertical path from the higher to lower bed rail heights.
Does anyone have any opinions on this rambling? I'd post more detail, but my flight is about to take off.