Converting An Astro Minivan
By Robert Wells
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At a get-together of members of the yahoo group vandwellers, I built this
bed-shelf unit for a wonderful member of the group, Two Knives Katie. It
turned out so well, I am going to give you directions here on how to replicate it.
This basic unit would work on nearly every van, you would simply change the
lengths to fit your van.
There are two parts of the unit. Directly behind the drivers seat is a shelf unit
that reaches all the way up to the ceiling. We spaced the shelves to fit the
exact items she wanted to put in them. Behind the shelves is a bed that is 72
inches long and 26 inches wide. First, I built the bed the size she wanted, and
then put that in the van and closed the door. When I was sure that the bed
cleared all obstructions I measured the space between the bed and drivers
seat and built the shelves to fit there. If your van is longer, you will have bigger
shelves. A possibility that didn't work in the Astro, but would in a bigger van,
was to build a second shelf unit at the foot of the bed and run a shelf between
the two shelf units like an overhead cabinet.
bed-shelf unit for a wonderful member of the group, Two Knives Katie. It
turned out so well, I am going to give you directions here on how to replicate it.
This basic unit would work on nearly every van, you would simply change the
lengths to fit your van.
There are two parts of the unit. Directly behind the drivers seat is a shelf unit
that reaches all the way up to the ceiling. We spaced the shelves to fit the
exact items she wanted to put in them. Behind the shelves is a bed that is 72
inches long and 26 inches wide. First, I built the bed the size she wanted, and
then put that in the van and closed the door. When I was sure that the bed
cleared all obstructions I measured the space between the bed and drivers
seat and built the shelves to fit there. If your van is longer, you will have bigger
shelves. A possibility that didn't work in the Astro, but would in a bigger van,
was to build a second shelf unit at the foot of the bed and run a shelf between
the two shelf units like an overhead cabinet.
plywood gussets to the legs that went against the wall. I didn't add them to the
in-and-out from under the bed. We measured the height of the tallest thing she
in-and-out from under the bed. We measured the height of the tallest thing she
wanted to put under there and made the legs that high, 19 inches. We also put the
Sterlite drawers under the bed, and placed the middle legs around them so we
could get the maximum amount under the bed. Making the bed couldn't be any
easier. Cut two 2X4's to 72 inches long. Then cut 6 2X4's that are 19 inches long
for the legs. Using 3 inch screws, attach the legs to each end and in the middle.
Cut and attach the gussets out of 3/8 plywood. Cut the 72 by 26 inch bed top out
of 3/8 plywood. When we put the bed frame in the van we found that the
wheelwell wouldn't allow the legs to go back flush against the wall, so the
plywood overhangs the back legs by a few inches. Once I was sure how
everything fit, I screwed down the bed top. All the plywood was attached with 1
5/8 inch screws.
in-and-out from under the bed. We measured the height of the tallest thing she
in-and-out from under the bed. We measured the height of the tallest thing she
wanted to put under there and made the legs that high, 19 inches. We also put the
Sterlite drawers under the bed, and placed the middle legs around them so we
could get the maximum amount under the bed. Making the bed couldn't be any
easier. Cut two 2X4's to 72 inches long. Then cut 6 2X4's that are 19 inches long
for the legs. Using 3 inch screws, attach the legs to each end and in the middle.
Cut and attach the gussets out of 3/8 plywood. Cut the 72 by 26 inch bed top out
of 3/8 plywood. When we put the bed frame in the van we found that the
wheelwell wouldn't allow the legs to go back flush against the wall, so the
plywood overhangs the back legs by a few inches. Once I was sure how
everything fit, I screwed down the bed top. All the plywood was attached with 1
5/8 inch screws.
the plywood shelf unit, so it is very strong. To add strength to the back legs I cut
out an upside-down U shaped gasket and screwed that into the end legs, making
sure the drawers would fit under it, seen in the above picture. Notice that the
bed is in the middle of the van and actually hanging out over the end of the van.
Once the bed was finished, we pushed it out there and built the shelf unit right on
the front end of the bed. That gave us room to work all around the shelf unit.
Once it was done, we slid it into its permanent home.
out an upside-down U shaped gasket and screwed that into the end legs, making
sure the drawers would fit under it, seen in the above picture. Notice that the
bed is in the middle of the van and actually hanging out over the end of the van.
Once the bed was finished, we pushed it out there and built the shelf unit right on
the front end of the bed. That gave us room to work all around the shelf unit.
Once it was done, we slid it into its permanent home.
The picture at left shows the shelf unit almost
finished. Katie didn't want it to interfere with
her ability to get into the back of the van from
the front seats, so we sized it the width of the
front seat. For strength, we used 5/8 plywood
for the shelf unit. The shelves rest on strips of
5/8 plywood. Just like the legs of the bed,
Katie decided what she wanted on the shelves
and we sized them to fit. Eventually she will get
a AGM house battery and it will set on the floor
of the bottom shelf. Above it is a slide-out shelf
her butane stove sits on (see picture below). I
her butane stove sits on (see picture below). I
made a mistake here and the bottom shelf
support has to go all the way out to the end of
the plywood to support the slide-out. Above the
slide out sits Katies insulated water container
which is tall so it is a high shelf. The shelves are
14 inches wide and 16 inches deep. Of course you
will fit them to your van.
finished. Katie didn't want it to interfere with
her ability to get into the back of the van from
the front seats, so we sized it the width of the
front seat. For strength, we used 5/8 plywood
for the shelf unit. The shelves rest on strips of
5/8 plywood. Just like the legs of the bed,
Katie decided what she wanted on the shelves
and we sized them to fit. Eventually she will get
a AGM house battery and it will set on the floor
of the bottom shelf. Above it is a slide-out shelf
her butane stove sits on (see picture below). I
her butane stove sits on (see picture below). I
made a mistake here and the bottom shelf
support has to go all the way out to the end of
the plywood to support the slide-out. Above the
slide out sits Katies insulated water container
which is tall so it is a high shelf. The shelves are
14 inches wide and 16 inches deep. Of course you
will fit them to your van.
The above picture shows how I had to cut the sides of the shelf unit to fit the
curve of the van's roof. I measured the height of roof in the front, middle,
and back wall of the shelf unit and cut to fit.
curve of the van's roof. I measured the height of roof in the front, middle,
and back wall of the shelf unit and cut to fit.
Katie wanted easy access to her butane stove,
so we built this slide-out. If she had a propane
stove the shelf would have needed to be taller
to allow room for the arm that holds the green
propane bottle. She reports she loves it and
uses her stove more. In fact her whole life as
a vandweller was revolutionized by the away
and she had to shuffle things around every
morning and night. But now she is able to
organize and put things away in their home.
so we built this slide-out. If she had a propane
stove the shelf would have needed to be taller
to allow room for the arm that holds the green
propane bottle. She reports she loves it and
uses her stove more. In fact her whole life as
a vandweller was revolutionized by the away
and she had to shuffle things around every
morning and night. But now she is able to
organize and put things away in their home.
moved many things she used often out of plastic
laid down red drawer liners on the shelves and
they keep things from sliding around. Just in
case, bungie cords across the shelves make sure
that nothing will go flying. Stacking the Sterilite
drawers under the bed was an especially good
idea, giving her lots of organization.
This is really a very inexpensive bed. We bought
one sheet of 3/8 plywood, one sheet of 5/8
plywood, a 1/2 pound of 3 inch screws, and 1/2
pound of 1 5/8 inch screws, and four 2X4s. I
used my Ryobi cordless 18 volt power tools from
Home Depot for this and many other projects.
Very highly recommended!!
laid down red drawer liners on the shelves and
they keep things from sliding around. Just in
case, bungie cords across the shelves make sure
that nothing will go flying. Stacking the Sterilite
drawers under the bed was an especially good
idea, giving her lots of organization.
This is really a very inexpensive bed. We bought
one sheet of 3/8 plywood, one sheet of 5/8
plywood, a 1/2 pound of 3 inch screws, and 1/2
pound of 1 5/8 inch screws, and four 2X4s. I
used my Ryobi cordless 18 volt power tools from
Home Depot for this and many other projects.
Very highly recommended!!