TheSamba.com :: View topic

Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:04 pm

There are some things I don't like about the Westfalia floor plan.

First is the A/C cabinet. After agonizing for almost a year, I finally removed the non functioning A/C unit. I was concerned about re-sale value but I decided "The hell with it" and yanked the box out.

Second is the top bunk. I will never sleep up there, neither will my girlfriend and there are no kids. My chances of picking up the Swedish bikini team looking for a place to spend the night are remote at least.
I plan on taking the fold down part out and remove the comfy 1 inch foam matress (HA !) from the fixed part. There must be enough room to store sleeping bags or other stuff up there.

Third are the 110 outlets and hookup. Never camped where I could plug in. I installed a inverter behind the drivers seat and that powers the espresso machine and the chargers for the camera, GPS and laptop.

Fourth is the fridge. I am not sure yet what to do with it but the thing is useless on 12 Volts and it takes way too much time to light the propane candle. I always end up taking a coolbox with me too keep the beer cold.

I would like to hear from others what usefull modifications they made.

Thanks,
Neal

Fri Mar 11, 2005 6:44 am

Before you go ripping out the fridge heres a few tips. Refrigerate your food and drinks the night before you leave on your trip. Also the night before you leave plug your fridge in to the 120v all night long. Get a fridgemate fan or two. These little things make a HUGE difference. Then while driving maintain the coolness on 12v. When you get to your campground and turn your key off, switch to propane and light. The fridge will light in the first click or two AFTER it has run on 12v or 120v for at least an hour or more. Sometimes if my my fridge has not run on propane for a while and it won't light, I'll unscrew the drain screw at the very bottom front of the fridge and blow it out with compressed air. You may need to insulate the door with a little light density foam. If you simply cannot get your fridge to light after all this you may just need to blow out the gas line of the fridge with an air compressor. This will of course require removal but that is not a big job. Years ago me an a buddy made ice in his 82 westy just to see if we could do it and we did.

Link to fridgemate fans http://www.rvpartscenter.com/ProductDetail.asp?Pro...&BasketID=

Link to removal instructions http://www.type2.com/bartnik/fridge.htm

Fri Mar 11, 2005 11:49 am

In general Neal, make sure any modifications can be undone when you decide to resell. Few things diminish the appeal of a used Westy more than a PO's idea of an 'upgrade', especially if it is poorly executed. If you decide to tailor your Westy to suit your needs, at least keep all the original parts so it might someday be returned to stock condition.

In addition to supplicationjam's helpful advice regarding your stubborn fridge, I also suggest you visit the Vanagon.com site. Go to: Info > Articles & Essays > "Refrigerator Info", where you'll find lots of info on properly maintaining and upgrading the fridge. Unless a PO has permanently damaged the unit, you should be able to get it going again. Thanks to the tips offered there, my 22 year old unit now fires on the first 2-3 tries (assuming an overnight 120V pre-chill), and runs for 30 nights on one tank of propane. Between propane at night and 12V while driving, I can travel virtually forever with a fresh supply of cold beer and cheese.

I'm from Wisconsin, so I never leave home without it ...

Jeffrey Earl
1983 diesel Westfalia "Vanasazi"

Fri Mar 11, 2005 9:08 pm

You can visit my site.

http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed/Campingart/index.htm

I came up with a few ideas that you might like.

Plus I have some info there on how I got my fridge to work..

Yey!

Sun Mar 13, 2005 9:48 am

Thanks for the ideas. I'll give the fridge another try :D

I did take it out and apart last year and cleaned the junk out, but it still took about 50 tries to get it lit. I will try the pre-cooling from now on.

Neal

Sun Mar 13, 2005 10:53 pm

Sounds like you need a weekend westfalia insted of a full camper.
You could sell yours and buy a weekend for less.

Tue Mar 15, 2005 9:56 pm

I just bought a syncro weekender and I am already missing the cabinets.
It is so convinient to carry my kayak and bike clothes with me and just grab a bike after work and go.
Ideally I could make one out of both vehicels.

Neal

Tue Mar 15, 2005 10:06 pm

Hey how much did the syncro set you back?

Tue Mar 15, 2005 10:38 pm

I paid $4500.- for it. The seller was the second owner and had it well upkept.

Neal

Wed Mar 16, 2005 12:50 pm

Here's an idea for the top bed in the Westy. My wife and I prefer to sleep up there because it's wider. I bought a 2" memory foam pad online that I keep rolled up behind the back seat and use that for extra padding when we set up. Very comfy.

Wed Mar 16, 2005 8:35 pm

I like sleeping up there too, but with *my* wife :D

I added a "pillow bunk" - a simple foam covered 48"x12"x1" pine board with 2" of foam and some fleece to cover it. Total cost = $20 - total value of having an extra FOOT to sleep my 6'2" body on - priceless!

The extension fits up behind the folded bunks (in the back). Out of the way..

I also added a fan from a PC power supply, with a magnet from a hard drive, and a 12v cord (with socket). The fan draws almost no power, and is very quiet and flows air in from the front "upper" screen on hot/stale nights - the magnet clips to the cross bar.

Sun Mar 27, 2005 7:21 pm

Update on the stubborn fridge.
I installed a cpu fan on top of the aluminum heatsink and wired it to a switch.
Turned on 12 V, waited an hour and it was already getting cold. Lit on propane (about 15 tries) and wait another hour. A beverage placed inside was down to 39 deg, the cooling heatsink measured 22 deg!!!
Pre-coolingworks great!!!!

I did remove the upper bunk. There is room up there to store items like bike helmets and other stuff.

Neal

Sun Mar 27, 2005 7:36 pm

attaboy Neal!!! Those westy fridges are little jewels but like all things require a little maintenance in order to perform well. The CPU fan sounds like a good mod.