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Sat Oct 29, 2011 10:12 pm

Just wondering what other thoughts were. Im about to dive into a new project and its a full westy...but the interior is less than pretty right now...and I have a another parts carat with a nice interior. Let me also say that I had a full westy before and camped in it often and cooked in it never. The full width bed and rear facing jump seats/space of the carat are tempting me to convert it from a full westy to the carat set up. Oh and this is a syncro too if that makes a difference to anyone.

Thoughts?

Sat Oct 29, 2011 10:19 pm

vw7266 wrote: Just wondering what other thoughts were. Im about to dive into a new project and its a full westy...but the interior is less that pretty right now...and I have a another parts carat with a nice interior. Let me also say that I had a full westy before and camped in it often and cooked in it never. The full width bed and rear facing jump seats/space of the carat are tempting me to convert it from a full westy to the carat set up. Oh and this is a syncro too if that makes a difference to anyone.

Thoughts? Theres a weekender interior in the classifieds right now @$900. You gain a full queen bed and lots of space. IMHO, SyncWestfalia should stay SyncWestfalia, but, it's all you. There were so few brought into the US. :cry:

Sat Oct 29, 2011 10:56 pm

vw7266 wrote: Just wondering what other thoughts were. Im about to dive into a new project and its a full westy...but the interior is less than pretty right now...and I have a another parts carat with a nice interior. Let me also say that I had a full westy before and camped in it often and cooked in it never. The full width bed and rear facing jump seats/space of the carat are tempting me to convert it from a full westy to the carat set up. Oh and this is a syncro too if that makes a difference to anyone.

Thoughts?

I say go for the swap, Having had both Westies and Weekenders in the past, I prefer the Weekender interior any day. Just a lot more useful day to day. :)

Sat Oct 29, 2011 11:23 pm

Go for it. You won't look back. I have a weekender westy and I wouldn't trade the space for the full westy package. I carry two portable cooker that stows away with minimum space and I have engel fridge. For water I carry MSR dromedary 10 ltr bag for water. I installed huge 100 ah Odyssey battery under the rear facing jump seat and have plenty space left in the jump seat area. I'm very happy with my set up.
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/749319.jpg
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/849778.jpg

Sun Oct 30, 2011 6:48 am

I too have a full westy and if I were to do it again I would prefer the weekender package.......at least I think I would. Only use the cook top to boil water, the fridge is too small and not cold enough in the heat.
Have you taken into consideration closing the receptical holes in the body panel.
You will be looking at body work and paint.

Sun Oct 30, 2011 7:29 am

carterzest wrote: Theres a weekender interior in the classifieds right now @$900. You gain a full queen bed and lots of space. IMHO, SyncWestfalia should stay SyncWestfalia, but, it's all you. There were so few brought into the US. :cry:

I would have to agree with carterzest. So few full SyncroWesty's exist in this country, it would be a shame to see one less. There's nothing I wouldn't do for one. Keep resale value in mind. A full SyncroWesty keeps its value better, even if the interior is less than ideal.

Sun Oct 30, 2011 7:29 am

I have a full westy and honestly, I wouldn't cook inside because of grease spatter. I have a propane bottle stove I set outside

My fridge works, but I'm paranoid to put anything like meat in it. (Keep in mind I live in the south so temps in the van climb high). I use a coleman cooler with ice

The cabinets are great and the sink get occasional use.

The issue I have is that I'm 6'3 and would love for my seat to go back another inch, but the cabinets are there.

I love my van and enjoy using it, but if I could have my dream van, it would be a weekender. Of course, it would be a syncro as well. Maybe yellow with a white top, early striped interior ...... :D

Sun Oct 30, 2011 8:27 am

i would leave a syncro westy a westy, there are so few out there
unless you kept all the bits and converted it back if you ever came to sell

Sun Oct 30, 2011 8:50 am

I agree with all the others who say to keep it a Westy due to it's rarity.

I just don't understand folks (including personel friends) who don't use the stove in their vans. Maybe it's because my wife and I love to cook and also love the convieniance of having EVERYTHING always in the Westy ready for a trip but we just adore cooking in the van. We don't eat much greasy food but everything from Snapper Veracruz to spaghetti to omelletes has been cooked there and we don't have any excessive mess or smells.

Sun Oct 30, 2011 9:02 am

Rhinoculips wrote: carterzest wrote: Theres a weekender interior in the classifieds right now @$900. You gain a full queen bed and lots of space. IMHO, SyncWestfalia should stay SyncWestfalia, but, it's all you. There were so few brought into the US. :cry:

I would have to agree with carterzest. So few full SyncroWesty's exist in this country, it would be a shame to see one less. There's nothing I wouldn't do for one. Keep resale value in mind. A full SyncroWesty keeps its value better, even if the interior is less than ideal.

Yep

Sun Oct 30, 2011 9:20 am

I far prefer the weekender interior over the full westy, myself, but I think I might have to fall slightly on the side of "keep it original" crowd due to the rarity and the resale value, if the westy fixtures are salvagable. That said, if the current westy interior is totally trashed, and you alreay HAVE a Carat interior on hand, and/or if you intend to keep it long term ... that would push me back the other way, were it mine.

Doug

Sun Oct 30, 2011 9:46 am

you brought this question to a public forum for some public opinion.. else you'da just asked the wife or kids.

While I do love bacon and eggs, I still don't see why/what everyone always equates greasey food w/camping.
we still rarely cook those items, but the inside to heat water, soup, griddle a quesadilla or a myriad of other non-splattering fuming foods are still very yummy and more than convenient with the interior stove there and always ready to cook.

a sink & fridge also have more than any one particular value,
but then again you could just install a micorwave and cook burritos in the woods..

to each their own. but you already know that a Syncro Westy costs $$$ as you own it.. less than 2,000 syncro westfalia units were produced/sold and with losses over the years the survivors only gain value over the years (you're 401K won't grow $$ nearly as fast.) seeing aircooled campers starting to hit the $5k+ pretty regularly.

and with the weekenders back cabinet it's still only a 2seat bead on a 3seat sofa.

if it were a regualr 2wd westy there wouldn't be a conversation.

Sun Oct 30, 2011 9:51 am

Since you asked..... I'd do the conversion but keep all the parts from the original Westy stashed in the attic. I'd also leave the outlets on the side intact, just not hooked up to anything on the inside. I'd not molest the body in any way so if I ever had to sell I could convert back to the original Westy interior easily and without anyone being aware of it's time as a weekender.

Enjoy the Carat interior and have the Westy stuff stashed and ready for later. You'll have the best of both worlds. :D

Sun Oct 30, 2011 10:07 am

Its yours, do what you want. Do a clean job, if you don't get top money for it later you will know why and will have no reason to whine about it. Good luck!! I love my weekender.

Hans

Sun Oct 30, 2011 10:08 am

Its cool to get some feedback from everyone...I was really just wanting to see and hear the debate among others as to their preferences....as for the vanagon its nothing really to write home about...its a syncro and it if wasnt a westy Id probably consider parting it out. haha Heres a few pics so you can see its not some perfect unmolested original van. It was wrecked and parked and had plenty of mice and everything else living in it. Ive thought about the pros and the cons of each and I probably would leave the exterior as is so it could be returned to a a full westy if I or someone else wanted to in the future.

after a day of gutting/cleaning...its smelling a little better but still need to do some real scrubbing.

Sun Oct 30, 2011 10:20 am

Ahh ha... a picture IS WORTH a thousand words.

do as you like with it. you can't be doing anything but preserving it to any degree.

and you do have a clean (figuratively speaking only) slate with inerior design.

Sun Oct 30, 2011 10:40 am

Restoration project!

You will be surprised just how clean the cabinets can get. I had one with stickers and trash and mice turds too. Took it all out and cleaned it all out. Fabrezed it inside. Cleaned each part as I put it back in.

You can at this point restore the body and make it all pretty again. That dent in the left front is a hard hard one to pull and will take a few tons to pull. Or cut it off and stick a new corner on.

That is one of the ones worth doing a nice job on.

Later get a regular tin top, Put the carat interior in it and a pop top on if you want and go from there.

Sell the Westy.....

I must say I really really like our Multivan for everyday use. That has a basically the carat interior and pop top. Restore the Westy and then make a van you like.

Sun Oct 30, 2011 11:25 am

I have done this exact convertion more than once. Its more work than you realize but do-able. I would keep it stock. As mentioned earlier, you still wont have a full bed and it wont be be worth as much. $ on resale.
Also I camp a lot ! Me and everyone I know cooks in there van in the winter. Summer, outside.
In the end, its your van, do what you want.

Sun Oct 30, 2011 11:48 am

From the looks of the plywood sunroof that's been cut into your pop-top, keeping it original is the least of your worries. You've got so much work cut out for you with that one it probably doesn't matter what you do with it, so if you want a weekender, make a weekender!

Sun Oct 30, 2011 12:53 pm

How's the body on your 2wd carat parts car? That syncro westy looks ROUGH! I'd almost consider swapping the syncro gear and the pop top over to a van with a straight body, as body work gets really expensive really fast, and that van need lots of it.

I know syncro westys were rare, but with what it would cost to get yours into good shape, I really wouldn't worry about originality.