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Copying westy interior?
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WestyMan1971
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:17 am    Post subject: Copying westy interior? Reply with quote

For a while now I've had the thought of removing my original Westy interior ('71), re-using the hardware, and copying the pattern with some nice birch plywood.
The woodgrain laminate on mine is cracking pretty good and I think the ply might actually be lighter than the original fiberboard.

Has anyone done this or anything similar?
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Traveling Writer
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I took off all my peeling laminate, sanded, primed, and painted it a garish blue, along with a proper kitchen countertop...

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

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patayres
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

David, that looks like a proper 'vardo' on the inside!
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Traveling Writer
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

patayres wrote:
David, that looks like a proper 'vardo' on the inside!


What the hell's a vardo?? Laughing

Edit: You're talking about a gypsy van!! Razz
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patayres
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 12:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Exactly... the traditional Romany horse drawn wagon.
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I noticed on your website the Hungarian ancestory and traveler tendencies... don't mean anything derogatory at all. The Romany/Gypsy culture is very interesting... hence my Django avatar and Romany motto, which translates to 'Honor for road travel.'
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Traveling Writer
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 12:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No offense at all... actually, my wife and I describe the look more like what a Buddhist pimp would drive, but hey...

I have to say, over here in Europe, they hate Roma to a person. Rich, poor, educated...It's nuts. We know a wonderful, highly educated (college professor) Christian couple who moved from one neighborhood to another. They reassured us: There are a lot of Roma in the area, but don't worry, the street's almost all white.

Whew! What a relief! Razz
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Desertbusman
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 4:05 pm    Post subject: Re: Copying westy interior? Reply with quote

WestyMan1971 wrote:
I think the ply might actually be lighter than the original fiberboard.

I'm not aware of any fiberboard that was used anywhere in a '71 Westy interior. Mine was all plywood. And the old original plywood is so much better quality than any of the new Birch plywoods that I've seen.
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WestyMan1971
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 4:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow, upon closer inspection, I do believe you're correct. Guess I never looked close enough.

Any Idea how it would look sanded down with a couple coats of clear poly? I'd like to ditch the plastic moulding and router the corners round as well, might need to reinforce and pull the staples to do this I guess. New doors routed the same way too.
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 4:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Desertbusman's right, you are going to have a hard time finding plywood of that quality today, and you may never duplicate that German workmanship.
It should finish nicely, I have yet to find a void or flaw in that stuff.
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patayres
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 5:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah, the Roma don't hold a very dear spot in the hearts of most Europeans. Some of the reputation is earned, but most is blind prejudice. They were targeted along with Jews for the Nazi death camps... the irony being that Roma are one of the most directly linked races to the true 'Aryan' race from Northern India. The fact that they have lived on the outskirts of modern societies for over 1000 years and kept a very pure tradition to their culture vs. assimilation certainly contributes to the mistrust many have for them.
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 5:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Refinishing the wood under the laminate has been discussed a lot here. Try doing a search. And if the cabinets are sound and solid you might consider a new laminate covering. That original ply is so awesome that I keep every little piece no matter how small. Same with any original lamnate covering.
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Andrea and Skip
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PostPosted: Tue May 05, 2009 3:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Those of you using plywood:

are you using 1/4 or 1/8?

I'd like to use a hardwood (like maple) mostly just because it looks so much better, but tracking it down in 1/8 is proving to be tricky.

I'm thinking I will just taper it down on the edges . . . am I creating too much work for myself?
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Remark
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PostPosted: Tue May 05, 2009 3:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I removed the laminate on mine with a heat gun, sanded smooth, and stained it close to the original color. Just be careful when sanding, the first layer of the plywood is thin! (Ask me how I know!)
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peaceful warrior
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PostPosted: Tue May 05, 2009 7:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm redoing my whole interior in birch, but I am paying a premium for it.
I am using the old interior as guides for cutting the new pieces, and I to am getting rid of the plastic inserts. I am dove cutting all corners, and I believe the interior will be awesome when completed. Too each his own,
do what feels right to you.

My main reason for going with new ply, is that the old has delaminated in the corners and joints due to owner neglect and the abudance of mice that like to nest in VW's in the Southwest............ Laughing Laughing They must be deutsch mice...... Wink
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PostPosted: Wed May 06, 2009 3:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I redid all my cabinets, sink, and bed in birch. I wanted to layout my interior they way I wanted - there are pics in my gallery.

It wasn't too pricey but I got the cheaper prefinished Chinese stuff. No regrets, it's light and strong, and I like the look.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Not the best pic but you get the idea. I primarly used 1/2 inch. Still super strong but I lost weight compared to the stock cabinets/bed.
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WestyMan1971
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 2:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Resurrecting this thread because I never got around to it and I'm thinking of making this my winter project.

Remark wrote:
I removed the laminate on mine with a heat gun, sanded smooth, and stained it close to the original color. Just be careful when sanding, the first layer of the plywood is thin! (Ask me how I know!)


Are you happy with this? How has it held up? Do you have pictures?
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WestyPop
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 2:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This thread may have some good references for your plans to eliminate-the-laminate; especially note EZ Gruv's light colored birch strip/refinish job that really shows off the wood details. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=159366&start=0

For many folks the lighter colors seem to 'work better', notably in winter camping and on longer road trips, a very subjective thing. Your bus = your preferences realized.
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 4:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Who redid their cabinetry laminate with a collage of maps? I like that look and am considering emulating it. Hopefully depending on the severity of the current wave of medical madness I'll be picking up a bench cabinet. It's rough but workable and infinitely better than nothing at all.
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