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Making my 84 Passenger van more "camping" worthy?
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joezeeuw
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 14, 2006 9:38 am    Post subject: Making my 84 Passenger van more "camping" worthy? Reply with quote

Hello, I just bought an 84 7 passenger van and I'd like to take it camping. I'm mainly interested in a seat that folds into a bed. Can I just swap out the interiour from a weekender or carat of westy? What would you reccomend? What models/years would be best? Did any of them come with a blue interior?

Thanks very much.
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erdonline
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 14, 2006 12:08 pm    Post subject: Camp-worthy Reply with quote

From what I recall from other posts and people who have done this, there are basically two things to know: I believe that the "locks" that the seat back locks into are in a slightly different position in the passenger van than in one that uses a Z-bed. You will have to have those moved. The other thing is that the vans that have the "plastic wall" on the dirver side in the rear (the ones that have the pop-up table and rear-facing seats) have a slightly smaller Z-bed.

I believe Joe Federici, found on the Yahoo Adventurewagen forum, and probably elsewhere, has done a similar thing, as he put a z-bed in a passenger van, which was the basis for the Adventurewagen.

Ed
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flyingCoyote
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 14, 2006 12:34 pm    Post subject: Re: Making my 84 Passenger van more "camping" wort Reply with quote

joezeeuw wrote:
Hello, I just bought an 84 7 passenger van and I'd like to take it camping. I'm mainly interested in a seat that folds into a bed. Can I just swap out the interiour from a weekender or carat of westy? What would you reccomend? What models/years would be best? Did any of them come with a blue interior?

Thanks very much.

It shouldn't be too hard to transplant a Westy interior from a similar year, plenty of people have done it. Check the classifieds on here and ebay.

I'm using a 1968 z-bed in my 1985 van. I hope to install it in the next week or two (waiting for fabric and cushion material)
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Deep_Blue
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 14, 2006 1:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The 85 and up rear couch folds into a bed, my 85 does it, and they are blue. I heard it was an 85 and up only option, 84 and previous got the one-way opening couch.

Makes the whole rear end a bed, bot just the left side like a westy, and would probably be cheaper than anything with the Westfalia (c) name attached to it.
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flyingCoyote
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 14, 2006 1:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Deep_Blue wrote:
The 85 and up rear couch folds into a bed, my 85 does it, and they are blue. I heard it was an 85 and up only option, 84 and previous got the one-way opening couch.

Makes the whole rear end a bed, bot just the left side like a westy, and would probably be cheaper than anything with the Westfalia (c) name attached to it.

Yeah...my '85 GL originally had a full-width rear seat that folded down flat - but the PO butchered the thing and fixed it on a homemade wood frame
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Deep_Blue
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 14, 2006 1:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've seen a lot of those butchered beds. People putting them on plywood!

Why would they ruin a perfectly good bed?
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flyingCoyote
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 14, 2006 2:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Deep_Blue wrote:
I've seen a lot of those butchered beds. People putting them on plywood!

Why would they ruin a perfectly good bed?

I can't imagine...they actually cut through the steel tubing in a few places and screwed the thing to a crappy plywood frame. Everything else on the car was well cared for so it's a mystery...
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bljones
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 14, 2006 2:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

you can get a seat/bed kit from bus depot.
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Deep_Blue
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 14, 2006 3:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Do you have any pics, Coyote? I have seen someone lay a cushion on plywood and call it a bed in an 84.
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buspor63
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 15, 2006 1:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I just took apart a '85 with the tan Z bed. It appeared that the threaded holes were there for the mounting points of both seat types. The interior panels are matched to the seat type by where the holes are prepunched for mounting hardware.
Unfortunately I havent taken an '84 apart in years to have remembered what looked like what.
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getset
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 15, 2006 12:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have an interior question along the same lines. I would like to put in the rear panel and table out of a multivan/catat/ weekender? in to my 87 syncro. I am interested in the panel with the fold up table and cup holders. I am assuming there is something more substantial than the plastic plugs that hold my interior panel in. Is there a bracket that I will need to find or fabricate?

Thanks
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flyingCoyote
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 15, 2006 2:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Deep_Blue wrote:
Do you have any pics, Coyote? I have seen someone lay a cushion on plywood and call it a bed in an 84.

I haven't installed the thing yet - I still have to redo the cushions and fabricate something for the back, because the Bays were apparently 3" taller back there...but here's a pic of the bed as it is now (it is in "bed" position, but the bottom seat cushion isn't attached):
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


here it is assembled:
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.



Here you can see how it (not quite) fits into my '85:
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


...and here are more detailed pix of it:
http://www.peterbergin.com/?p=125
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flyingCoyote
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 15, 2006 2:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

buspor63 wrote:
I just took apart a '85 with the tan Z bed. It appeared that the threaded holes were there for the mounting points of both seat types. The interior panels are matched to the seat type by where the holes are prepunched for mounting hardware.
Unfortunately I havent taken an '84 apart in years to have remembered what looked like what.

Here's a pic of the bolts holding the bottom edge of the rear seatback in my '85 GL, maybe it's similar. The nut for this bolt is welded inside the body panel where you can't see it, so you have to turn the bolt itself to remove/install.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

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Deep_Blue
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 16, 2006 4:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm totally content with the 85GL folder-bed. I highly recommend.
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flyingCoyote
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 6:46 am    Post subject: Got the zbed in there Reply with quote

Since I used a '68 zbed, the rear is about three inches higher than the rear deck. Depending on time, etc., I'll either build a little frame and have storage space for flat objects or just put another layer of padding there...but it's in:

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

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amtjk
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 9:52 am    Post subject: add a kitchen Reply with quote

Heres another thought. We have a Westy Weekender which has the wider bed but no "kitchen". We decided that the refrig, since not propane, sucks too much juice so we removed it. We just use an ice chest now. In its place is going to be a removable sink/stove module, similar to the camper version. Sink on top, with a foldup table the will have a colman two-burner propane stove incorporated into it. Inside will be a small water supply and grey water tank. Both removable and easily filled/dumped. The whole affair will bolt down through the frig mounting holes. It will have lever style nuts that can be quickly loosened and the unit will slide out the door, for use outside(which is were we will use it the most). And since its next to the sliding window when inside, I think a small fan that blows outside should remove most of the cooking smoke when we use it inside, or it the weather is nice, it can be used while standing outside under our future awning.

Seems to me there is a version of this on some model, but I havent seen one at the junkyards, so its build time. Just waiting to find the right salvaged aluminum and stainless steel for fabrication.


art
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getset
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 10:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I too have been thinking of a sink and stove which is a litle more flexible for indoor/outdoor use. In my 79 I only had the sink, and found that to be approriate for our use. I was planning on fabricating a similar cabinate, but wanted to use something other than plywood. Has anyone seen any custom work using another material? I figured I could draw up some CAD drawings and have a shop CNC the material for me to assemble. I would provide a place to install a sink and water tank. I figured I would drain it through the floor and catch the grey water in a bucket for disposal when needed. Another thought was to salvage a newer westy cabinate and modify it. What material where they made out of as I am only familiar with the bay westy interiors. I am trying to get away from the wood look. As I have plenty of that in my house.

Cheers!
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buspor63
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 11:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've been playing with the computer, amazing what these old Comodore 64's can do! This is from an '85. Compare this to what you have and the pic that flyingcoyote posted. You may be able to bolt a weekender bed in your bus in blue, gray or tan. You would need all hardware and interior panels for an OG look.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.
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flyingCoyote
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 6:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

buspor63 wrote:
I've been playing with the computer, amazing what these old Comodore 64's can do!

Ha! Anything more powerful than a Vic-20 is for wusses :-p
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 10:37 am    Post subject: porta kitchen Reply with quote

Im going to use stainless steel(hopefully) and have a one large piece cut and bent into a U shape. Then, add a piano hinge for the cook top table and the door. Drop the sink in the top and bingo. The inside just needs some tabs and brackets tacked in for mounting and strengthening purposes. Very simple design. If I cant find some salvaged SS, then I will do the same thing using light gauge aluminum, which there is a ton of at the local metal salvage. Its much easier to work with and in fact, I can do all the fabricating myself. It just requires more maintenance. I love SS but its not easy to work with. With either material, I can take the whole thing out and powerwash it once it gets nasty, and store it in the garage when not camping. It will also make a nice portable kitchen for backyard parties (parked next to the SS BBQ)

art
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