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MootPoint Samba Member
Joined: September 16, 2006 Posts: 862 Location: ABQ, NM
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 3:29 pm Post subject: Dometic 'Fridge Modification |
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Back in September I asked if anyone had modified their Dometic 'fridge door to access the controls while keeping the 'fridge door itself closed.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=248757&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
Some good ideas and suggestions were posted and I'd thought I'd share, as a FWIW posting, the end result.
The problem, as most of you with Westy kitchen units know, is that to change the energy mode from 12v. to electric to gas requires opening the refrigerator door and letting out all your hard-won cold air. This is especially a problem when you are trying (and trying and trying) to light the propane flame. Throughout the process the door is open and your beer gets warm. But you know that already.
My solution was to take a deep breath and cut the refrigerator door above the door seal, just above the upper hinge. Originally I was simply going to leave it open but noganav suggest a hinged access door and a magnet latch. Perfect!
So, here's the new control access:
Much better looking than simply having the open controls (thanks noganav!):
Nothing gets in the way on the inside and the cut is well above the door seal so the refrigerator itself is uneffected:
And for those of you who worry about such things, I moved the instruction plate to the inside of the large cupboard door.
For me, at least, it turns out the magnet was unnecessary. There was just enough friction between the access door and the door frame moulding (largely thanks to the fact that my moulding has shrunk and imploded a little bit) that the access door closes with a nice little "click" and stays that way.
If you decide to do this, measure the thickness of your closed piano hinge and add whatever is necessary to the thickness of your saw kerf (mine totaled 3/16th's of an inch so it took two passes with a good sharp plywood blade on my table saw). BTW I didn't even take the door apart to cut it, just took off the shelves and cut it with the outside face down. You could probably do it with a circular saw if you have a good fence clamped in place on the door. My cuts were as close as I could possibly get to the top hinge without actually hitting it.
My one warning/concern for anyone who wants to do this is to try the cut on a piece of scrap Westy cabinetry. I had some around from my last project, a new door into the back closet. You want to make sure your blade doesn't tear up or shatter the edge on the laminate surface.
Anyway, I though this might be useful if you need a winter project. See you on the road! _________________ 1984 Westy with tencentlife power! |
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msinabottle Samba Member
Joined: September 20, 2005 Posts: 3492 Location: Denver Area, Colorado
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 3:40 pm Post subject: Kudos! |
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Nice, informative, intelligent, thorough post. Thank you!
Best! _________________ 'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence." |
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82WestyMan Samba Member
Joined: December 28, 2006 Posts: 1098 Location: Western OR
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 4:38 pm Post subject: |
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Now that's a mod that's going on my 'to-do' list of enhancements _________________ "The floggings will continue until morale improves"
"I never did give anybody hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell" - Harry S. Truman
82 Westfalia - w/ a Raby 'Camper Special' engine |
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noganav Samba Member
Joined: January 06, 2006 Posts: 1236 Location: San Diego CA
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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That mod should have been stock, very sharp. I wish I could do that on my own van, but on the old woodgrain cabinets the fridge latch is up near the top. Sour grapes, well sour milk actually. |
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70coupyel Samba Member
Joined: September 06, 2006 Posts: 1657 Location: So.Cal
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 7:09 pm Post subject: |
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Great mod! I know I look at that and it's so simple and functional, Why didn't I think of that?? Maybe can you lay some masking tape on the outside of the door to keep it from chipping while sawing it?
Glenn _________________
TheAndante wrote: |
Saying that specs are different than dimensions doesn't make sense. Porsche specs/VW specs/engineering specs are nothing but a series of dimensions,sizes,percentages,measurements, etc. |
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=338946&highlight=
70 KG Coup
83 Westy Waterboxer |
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Robw_z Samba Member
Joined: April 28, 2007 Posts: 983
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Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 2:59 am Post subject: Re: Dometic 'Fridge Modification |
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Off topic, but does that grated sticker on the inside of the door serve any function other than looking like a grate?
and oh yeah, I have a line on a spare fridge door if somebody wants a spare to cut
-Rob |
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Wellington Samba Member
Joined: September 21, 2004 Posts: 1880 Location: Montreal
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Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 7:55 am Post subject: |
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Nice!.... |
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tds3pete Samba Member
Joined: April 04, 2004 Posts: 914 Location: Seattle, WA
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Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 11:26 am Post subject: |
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Very nice mod.
One trick when sawing laminate covered wood, it to "score" the laminate on a first cut...............run it through the saw once with just enough blade depth to removed the laminate. Then run it through again cutting all the way through. To do this you obviously need to have a method to hold the material in the same place both trips. It is sometime better to score it from the visible surface, the cut it through from the other side.
You can also use the masking tape trick and/ or do both. _________________ '58 Westy camper-come and gone
'73 Westy-bought new in Holland,now gone
'86 Syncro weekender-come and gone
'79 Westy...Oscar
'95 Eurovan Camper/5 spd...Marsha Mellow |
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