The purpose of this thread is to explain what I did to construct a bed inside my r56 MINI Cooper S.

Step one remove the front passenger seat
Remove the four Torx bolts that are located in the channel that the seat slides back/forth on.




Remove the electrical connection to the seat: pull the black tab out sideways which unlocks and loosens the connector allowing you to pull it apart.




Gather some 2X4's and lay them out in the front area like so. The long ones are roughly 52 inches and the vertical supports are 11.5 inches,if I remember correctly. The ones stacked up in the footwell are to change the angle, the more that are stacked up the more level you will sleep. I also ended up cutting the long ones shorter to let my feet hang off the end since I am so tall.

I made the vertical blocks tall enough to hold everything just above the rear seat cushion.



Cut a piece of plywood, I used 3/4 inch, to fit in the back to act as the main support board on which I will sleep.


I then cut a piece to fit down the rest of the length of the bed


not pictured: I used screws to screw the plywood to the 2x4's and removed the clamps.

Gather some bedding material. I scored these seat cushions from the patio furniture in our backyard, they are super thick.




Next step create a curtain for privacy and to keep the light out.
I used an old bedsheet cut in half


I used some twine to hang it up with, I strung it from the rear trunk hooks, around the rear hand hold, behind the front hand hold, and finally wrapped around the front visor. Make sure you unhook this from the trunk before you open it as it will probably rip the visor off of the mount or something.
sorry the pics came out kind of dark



Then use some clothes pins (pack of 100 from 99 cents store) to hang it up along the twine





I have yet to make anything for the front or back, I figure I'll pickup a sunshade for the front and use somemore sheets for the back.

 

for all who care to know, I am going on a 2 week long cross country road trip ending up in Las Vegas for AMVIV. I plan on sleeping in my MINI as often as I have to. Perhaps alternate between sleeping in the MINI and getting a motel room on a every other day basis. I am not doing this because I am broke, but rather for the adventure factor. saving money is just a big plus
Also I do have plans to stay with some friends/ relatives along the way also, so I do have some beds reserved for me here and there across the country

 

Gotta love the ingenuity !

I think I would be in the hospital after a few nights of sleeping in such cramped quarters. But if you can do it, more power to you.

Sounds like a great trip... enjoy !!

 

nice, original mod! if i had that bed, i could mod my car all night and then roll-over and sleep. my wife would get suspicious, though.

useful to see pics on how to remove the seat as well as the parts and floor underneath.

 

lol i was about to say...problems with the lady? haha

gl on the trip

 

lol. better than the couch IMHO. an excuse to escalate the next argument.

 

well in your car yeah.... you can do everything there lol

 

I slept in my car by putting the passenger seat all the way forward and tilted it like you would for access to the rear seats then put a sleeping bag in the car. I have a false-floor sub-box that levels the folded down rear seats and the load floor. You're feet aren't quite level and you don't have much room to roll around but otherwise it's not bad. The curtain's are a good idea.

 

Proving yet again, that you can sleep in your car, but you cannot race your house.

 

My house beat the neighbors... Maybe you don't have enough flame stickers on yours.


What was wrong with simply reclining the seat? I sleep better in a sitting position than I do lying down. But maybe that's because I always nap in the library couches on campus listening to ambient music internet radio from my laptop. My huge headphones prevent me from lying down on the couches, plus the couches are so short... they are more like love seats... in the library.

 

Wow, it I wish I had that much time on my hands.

 

LOL, when I was looking through your pics, I thought you were setting it up because your frequently kicked out the house by your wife or something. Good imagination I guess.

 

This gives me a thought. What about for really tall drivers, we take the front drivers seat out?

 

When you turn the ignition on with that under-seat wire cable connector off, you will get an AirBag Warning that can only be reset by a MINI Dealer.

 

good point. nothing a permanent marker, back tape, or wire cutters can't fix. like the ear plugs i wear for the seat belt chime.

 

This is funny. You really need to get a one piece type mattress though or you will be very uncomfortable.

 

Whew. Here I thought you were going to say you were homeless or something. Pretty cool, but what if you pick up a passenger? Is it easy to put back the right way?

I just throw my tent and sleeping bag/pad in my car for cheap roomage on the go....

 

Yeah then we would actually be able to see under the rear view mirror!
Before I put the passenger seat back in I'm gunna try to see what can be done to lower the seat on the frame, even at the lowest setting its still way too high.

and yes, driving around town the airbag light comes on but there is no chime or anything so I'm just living with it. as long as it resets when I reinstall the seat I'm happy.

and I if I feel the need to pickup hitchhikers I still have the back seat available to legally belt them in.

I should also note that I am 6'2" and with this set up I barely fit, my feet are well under the dash and the top of my head is nearly touching the back seat if I lay strait front to back.

 

Im pretty sure it won't reset by itself when you put the seat back. I think you will still need a MINI dealer to reset it. lets hope for the best here lol

 

haha, awesome DIY. i think you should add a pic of you laying in the bed though

 

OMG this is awesome. Now i can stop paying rent and afford my JCW!

 

Awesome idea should totally look into something better for the mattress. Also you sleep out side under the stars. Either way good luck on the trip. Oh ya stick with the curtain idea. It will be cheap and easy.

 

Did you ever go on your road trip and sleep in your car? I'm planning a very similar two week long trip.

 

Very nice DIY bed! How tall are you?

This past March-April I went on a 7500 mile 2 week long road trip with a co-driver in my MCS. Instead of making a bed, I brought my tent and camped out 10 of 14 nights.

Good luck! Definitely will be a great adventure and a truly unique bonding experience with your Mini.

 

The Canadian RV maker Roadtrek uses almost the same method to set up a bed in its conversion vans. You rotate the front seat left or right. With the seat behind it, take the backrest off and pull out a support drawer underneath it. The backrest simply snaps into place between the seats and you have your bed. Your solution seems a tad complicated. Just get a Clubbie and toss a sleeping bag in the back! All ya gotta do is drop the right rear seatback down and shove the passenger seat forwards. Did that when I arrived two hours before the mall opened for a post-New Year's sale.