TheSamba.com :: View topic - Westy Table vertical slider modification (How-to)

Fri Jan 06, 2012 8:04 am

plummerdesign wrote: The elevating table is neat, especially to access the bins below. My fix was not for bin access, but for keeping the table in place when not using it. Simple solution using a child latch...cheap and works like a charm. No more swinging table!

Been installed now for 18 months and still keeps the table restrained.
Cheers,
Jeffery
.
(Westfalia travel/camping videos at YouTube link below)

Any idea where you bought that thing or what section of the store it's in? I saw that in another post of yours. I've been all through Lowe's and HD, and I can't find anything quite like it.

Fri Jan 06, 2012 9:13 am

Yes some kind of restraint is necessary for all westies, even moreso when you have the slider mod. With no slider, it looks like a great solution.

My aversion to a catch (as above) it forces you to always set the table at the bottom to align. If you use your closet more often than your bins this might work. With a slider however, the increased access to the bins will alter your habits and I think you will find a low catch like that to be limiting.

I use my bins for food/coffee/mouseproofness thus open them many times a day. I open the closet maybe once or twice a day if at all, so for me it made much more sense to elevate the table. I restrained mine with magnets http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3912304#3912304, but with the handwheel below the table a little bit 'loose'; the targets for magnets need to be larger than what I have.

Apologies for (again) going off-topic but the problems and solutions are related..... Here's thread topic called "80's Westy table won't stay put...":
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=323793 which has various solutions to the problem.

Fri Jan 06, 2012 9:30 am

My stock hold down seems to keep the table in place just fine while driving. Is that unusual? I hadn't heard of others having the problem.

Fri Jan 06, 2012 10:53 am

PDXWesty wrote: My stock hold down seems to keep the table in place just fine while driving.

Same here.

I do like that grommet idea for the hole... will be going to Ace today to get one. 8)

Fri Jan 06, 2012 10:58 am

indytriple wrote:
Any idea where you bought that thing or what section of the store it's in? I saw that in another post of yours. I've been all through Lowe's and HD, and I can't find anything quite like it.

I have identical ones on my kithcen cabinets. Definitly bought them at Home Depot. I've got boxes of extras if you only need one. Pay the postage and it's yours.

Sat Sep 29, 2012 8:45 pm

I just did this mod today after having it bookmarked for months.

Thanks to Indytriple's generous research at Lowe's, it took all of 5 minutes. It would have taken hours to sift through all the departments to find the right parts to make it work.

Thanks Indytriple!

Sat Sep 29, 2012 9:25 pm

i did this to lucy, using a larger diameter pipe to the table leg, i figured using a smaller pipe, if something in the closet fell against the pipe inside the table leg, you couldn't drop the table, using a slightly larger diameter eliminated that potential issue
also the cut out in the shelf helps keep the sleeve over the leg really tight, making it very solid

Sun Mar 24, 2013 10:40 am

Jon_slider wrote: Today I went and bought a 24" length of 3/4" Schedule 40 PVC and a 1/2" threaded Schedule 80 irrigation coupling.

Trimmed the PVC down a bit less than 2"

Wrapped the threaded coupling in a layer of tape, I had foil duct tape at hand so I used that. Just to make the coupling a tight push fit into the PVC.

Trimmed about 1/2" off the coupling, wrapped a couple more layers of tape around the end, and push fit that into the stock plastic table leg bottom fitting.

Totally reversible install. I like that I can get to the closet by swinging the table over the stove.

Also like that I can get into the food cabinets even when the table is not over the stove.

Whats not to like?

I spent $2.50, used only 2 PVC parts, some tape, and 2 cuts of a saw to shorten the plastic pieces. Does not require removing the table leg bottom bracket.

It took me about 2 years to have the courage to mod my table leg:-), I did not want anything that could not be reversed. Took about 10 minutes to actually do it.

thanks to everyone for sharing their ideas especially indytriple's http://tinyurl.com/2b2w85m and Harold's pictures http://tinyurl.com/2de2kqp

can the table still lower back to the original height to use when sitting down? and do you also have the option to put it back down over the cabinets?

Sun Mar 24, 2013 11:05 am

thenosyt wrote:

can the table still lower back to the original height to use when sitting down? and do you also have the option to put it back down over the cabinets?

yes

Sun Mar 24, 2013 12:51 pm

Timwhy wrote: thenosyt wrote:

can the table still lower back to the original height to use when sitting down? and do you also have the option to put it back down over the cabinets?

yes

x2 Definitely YES!

Sun Mar 24, 2013 1:00 pm

Here's a pic of our solution, pretty much the same as everyones. Just a piece of ABS plastic and a couple of fittings. A little plastic filing in the corners but no metal work.

Tue Apr 02, 2013 1:38 am

I was inspired from the other post in this thread, if you have access to a lathe and Delrin (Acetal) bar or a friendly Machinist this is pretty simple to do.

I just machined a 16" long bar to fit inside the tube(longer would also work, maybe it works even better but this is what I had on hand at the time) and I turned down the end so it would fit inside the bottom piece on the floor. I also machined a guiding piece with a flange that I pressed into the top of the cabinet (the flange could be smaller, I made it big to cover a chip in the cabinet). Works really well , no wobble with the guide and nice gliding action with the Delrin. Now if only I had some grey Delrin to match the van that would be nice.

Sun Sep 22, 2013 1:20 pm

I saved an old broom handle for this fix, but when I finally found the time to do it, couldn't find it. So, I used a toilet plunger handle. It's not quite long enough, but has decreased my table wobble and will work for now. Am I understanding correctly, there are TWO reasons for this mod. 1) to keep the table where you put it and 2) to help it slide in/out easily?

How much over hang is there? How far up does the PVC pipe stick above the cabinet? Kind of looks like 1cm (~1/3")?
thenosyt wrote:

What stock hold down? Wondering if my 87 is missing it or I just don't know what it is. I've yet to notice a real problem with it, I lock down the knob and with the car seats there, I've yet to notice it move.
kamzcab86 wrote: PDXWesty wrote: My stock hold down seems to keep the table in place just fine while driving.

Same here.

I do like that grommet idea for the hole... will be going to Ace today to get one. 8)

Those child proof latches come from the BABY section of the store. Walmart has them. Just know there are two kinds. Ones that are there (and in the way all the time) and the ones that pivot and fold out of the way. For my cabinets, I used the pivot ones, we don't really need/use them anyway, but now I've just flipped them out of the way and there are not holes everywhere in my cabinets, just bits of useless plastic...then if I have a friend's 1yo over, I flip them down.[url]

http://www.amazon.com/Safety-1st-ProGrade-Position...lock[/url]
indytriple wrote: plummerdesign wrote: The elevating table is neat, especially to access the bins below. My fix was not for bin access, but for keeping the table in place when not using it. Simple solution using a child latch...cheap and works like a charm. No more swinging table!

Been installed now for 18 months and still keeps the table restrained.
Cheers,
Jeffery
.
(Westfalia travel/camping videos at YouTube link below)

Any idea where you bought that thing or what section of the store it's in? I saw that in another post of yours. I've been all through Lowe's and HD, and I can't find anything quite like it.

Sun Sep 22, 2013 3:45 pm

tam_shops wrote: Am I understanding correctly, there are TWO reasons for this mod. 1) to keep the table where you put it and 2) to help it slide in/out easily?

Yes. After the mod, you can lift the table to any height and lock it in place. It also makes putting it back down to its normal stow position easier because it stops the table leg from squirming all over the cabinet.

tam_shops wrote: What stock hold down? Wondering if my 87 is missing it or I just don't know what it is. I've yet to notice a real problem with it, I lock down the knob and with the car seats there, I've yet to notice it move.

It's simply the knob that you turn. For some folks, apparently, the knob doesn't do a good enough job so they add supplemental latching mechanisms.

Sun Sep 22, 2013 7:15 pm

Perfect, thanks! That's what I was hoping and thought, thanks! :) Mine stayed up fine, it was just a serious pain to get it up and/or down and wobbled around and got stuck. Then, my pretty new grommet would move around and I was afraid it would break. I couldn't find one in Canada, so had to go to a special store in an unusual location to get it. At the store Kamz suggested in her blog! Yeah and thanks!
kamzcab86 wrote: tam_shops wrote: Am I understanding correctly, there are TWO reasons for this mod. 1) to keep the table where you put it and 2) to help it slide in/out easily?

Yes. After the mod, you can lift the table to any height and lock it in place. It also makes putting it back down to its normal stow position easier because it stops the table leg from squirming all over the cabinet.

tam_shops wrote: What stock hold down? Wondering if my 87 is missing it or I just don't know what it is. I've yet to notice a real problem with it, I lock down the knob and with the car seats there, I've yet to notice it move.

It's simply the knob that you turn. For some folks, apparently, the knob doesn't do a good enough job so they add supplemental latching mechanisms.

How far up did you leave the poll above the cabinet? If I can't find my old poll--the screw end fits snug in the original grove that's already there, I'll buy a new broom handle next time I'm at the Dollar store...Then cut it so it's longer than my plunger handle. I might also need that plunger handle, but wanted to try it and see if it worked. LOL

Sat May 10, 2014 1:35 pm

indytriple wrote: From the "Beating A Dead Horse Department"...

I wanted to see if I could find a way to do the table mod easily, inexpensively and leave behind a trail of part descriptions and pictures so that someone else here on The Samba could follow suit. I like all of the other table mods, but many folks are doing it with stuff they've found around the garage and the exact measurements and details are a bit fuzzy. I also wanted a minimum of cutting and filing and NO modifying of the original parts. I originally was going with a variation of Sodo's method, but for some reason NONE of the 1" conduit would fit inside my table leg.

I went to Lowe's and stared at pipes and fittings until I was dizzy so you won't have to. I am convinced that this is about the easiest and cheapest way to go about this project and still get a good, solid result.

Lowe's Shopping List

-3/4" PVC Box Adaptor/Enclosure, Grey (in the Electrical Section near the conduit) $0.45
-3/4" Plastic Insert Coupler, Barbed, Grey (in the Plumbing Section near the hose clamps) $0.37
-3/4" x 30" Galvanized Pipe with Threaded Ends (in the Plumbing section).

Total Cost w/Tax: $10.82

Tools needed:
-10mm wrench or socket to remove the table mounts
-Tape measure to measure the galvanized pipe (cut to 22")
-Hacksaw and vise to cut the galvanized pipe
-File to take off rough edges of the cut galvanized pipe
-Hammer to tap plastic coupler into the galvanized pipe

Photos and Details Here:
http://indytriple.smugmug.com/Cars/Westy-Table-Mod-Project/13027247_zkeYv#943292949_tN4be

Enjoy! This is a great van upgrade.

Thank You!!!!!!

We're new Vanagon owners and just did this mod.....
My bottom bracket differed from the one pictured, but the disk sander took care of the problem......
:-)
We look forward to spending more time over here....

Chuck

Mon Jun 30, 2014 9:50 pm

well, its been a couple years - how have the plastic solutions weathered as opposed to the metal solutions if anybody is still paying attention to this thread?

Seems like the plastic sleeve would be potentially more quiet.

-cc-

Sun Sep 21, 2014 8:11 pm

Indytriple, I did your mod today and it was so easy thanks to your clever solution. Also, I like the fact that it's reversible. Best, gb

Mon Jul 13, 2015 6:55 pm

I found a little bag of goodies today, and one of the treasures was the bushing for the rear table. But then I saw this thread and realized there was no point in replacing that thing. Also some curtain hooks and eyes and a few other odds and ends I'm not sure of. No water filler key, alas…

What I did was extend the outer collar from the base up to the locking screw. I used the parts pictured (mostly: had to get a larger size PVC pipe). That's a little jam nut type fitting from your electrical section at the hardware store, a 3/4 to 1 1/2 adapter and the aforementioned wrong size pipe. All in, USD3.80 so far.

Put the adapter through the base plate and screw the nut good and tight, careful not to crossthread it. Cut off the excess so you have something like this.

Cut your pipe to length (I went with about 18 inches). File or scrape the inside of the pipe to accommodate the adapter, you won't need to remove much material. Press it on and if it goes, jam it all the way on. Mount the bottom plate in the cabinet, and you're done.

All in, about $5 (the right pipe was a buck more) in parts, and a half hour of work. I had additional mishaps, not mentioned, but still it went together quickly and is completely reversible.

Now the table is level, stays where it's put, and can be raised quite a bit higher than before. I feel so much better about it, I might paint that support leg, since I'm likely to see more of it now.

Wed Jul 15, 2015 8:05 am

I figured I may as well throw my two cents into the mix, I did this last weekend and it has made a huge improvement!

Very easy and very very worthwhile. Would have liked to have done it a few weeks ago before four of us and a 90lb dog drove 10 hours to Fernie for the week.

I have an '82, and it does not have the plastic coupler on the bottom, it's actually a flanged press fit. I had to use a hack saw and then bend the flange in to get it out. I then cut about 1/2" off the bottom of the table leg due to the flange being welded inside the bottom, so I couldn't fit the galvanized pipe in.

I made up for that 1/2" using a mountain bike headset spacer.