TheSamba.com :: View topic - Another hidden space: Westy cutlery drawer

Wed Apr 18, 2012 8:56 am

that's a very cool idea, i'm on the look out for new extra space, i might well try that one

SyncroGhia wrote: Great idea,

It would be possible to move the control panel to in front of the sink and use all three spaces...

Ideas ideas!

MG
maybe just putting the control panel on the other side of the sink, would give you 2 useable drawers 8)

OP, have you removed the fridge, do it !
we have now a huge cupboard where the dometic used to be

the dometic was a heavy propane user, $50 a month :shock: not that efficient

Wed Apr 18, 2012 9:35 am

rubbachicken wrote:
the dometic was a heavy propane user, $50 a month :shock: not that efficient

Whoa! you must have a leak or something. In both of the westys I've had I could run the fridge continuously for more than a week and use maybe $3 or $4 worth, including using the stove.

Wed Apr 18, 2012 6:29 pm

photogdave wrote: rubbachicken wrote:
the dometic was a heavy propane user, $50 a month :shock: not that efficient

Whoa! you must have a leak or something. In both of the westys I've had I could run the fridge continuously for more than a week and use maybe $3 or $4 worth, including using the stove.

could be the heat of key west
there were no leaks, it was tested before use

Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:06 pm

rubbachicken wrote:
OP, have you removed the fridge, do it !
we have now a huge cupboard where the dometic used to be

Yes, chances are I'm going to remove it.

It works, so my plan was to use it in June on our way to Chicago, to give it a last chance to prove its worth. If it seems like it's not worth keeping, I'll have a nice garage space at my gf's parents' house to take it off and make some shelves.

BTW Rubbachicken, it would be awesome to run into each other! We'll be driving from California to the Midwest in June, and then back in July. You're making your way west, right?

Thu Apr 19, 2012 10:14 am

juanb wrote:

BTW Rubbachicken, it would be awesome to run into each other! We'll be driving from California to the Midwest in June, and then back in July. You're making your way west, right?

we might be in the bay area by then, if you would be up for a meet up, we would for sure :D

Thu Apr 19, 2012 11:14 am

juan,

High points for creativity and initiative!

Where, oh where did you get the window hammock above the stove. I've looked all over and haven't found one.

Thu Apr 19, 2012 1:52 pm

jacklndn wrote: juan,

High points for creativity and initiative!

Where, oh where did you get the window hammock above the stove. I've looked all over and haven't found one.

Funny, you're not the only person to ask that. Of all places: at a dollar store. Pretty sure it was one in Sacramento, not far from the big drive in theater on hwy 80.

And yes, I think it was just $1 :)

Sat Jun 09, 2012 1:03 pm

I installed the stickers on the stove plate today. Looks pretty good:

Hmm. I think I might have installed the "Westfalia" one a bit too high. Oh well :)

Sat Jun 09, 2012 3:19 pm

That is sweet!

Sun Mar 03, 2013 6:52 pm

Wow, great job! Which colour/paint did you use? Your can was just turned so I couldn't see! LOL

And, those drawers! Why didn't Westie come up with those? I want drawers and I'm not handy like *that*. Great job!

tam

Sun Mar 03, 2013 7:32 pm

jacklndn wrote: juan,

High points for creativity and initiative!

Where, oh where did you get the window hammock above the stove. I've looked all over and haven't found one.

We boaties call these "gear hammocks"; they're a long-time solution for stowage on boats, when you don't have enough cabinet space for odds and ends.

West Marine sells pretty high-quality ones. We've bought theirs; they're quite heavy-duty nylon and ours have never come apart. You can stow quite a bit in one of them.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servle...howReviews

For BC west-coasters, there's a West Marine near Granville Island in Vancouver, and one in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.

---
Kathy

Sun Mar 03, 2013 8:13 pm

One more islander... wrote: jacklndn wrote: juan,

High points for creativity and initiative!

Where, oh where did you get the window hammock above the stove. I've looked all over and haven't found one.

We boaties call these "gear hammocks"; they're a long-time solution for stowage on boats, when you don't have enough cabinet space for odds and ends.

West Marine sells pretty high-quality ones. We've bought theirs; they're quite heavy-duty nylon and ours have never come apart. You can stow quite a bit in one of them.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servle...howReviews

For BC west-coasters, there's a West Marine near Granville Island in Vancouver, and one in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.

---
Kathy

Thanks, Kathy. We have a West Marine here in Santa Rosa, CA. I'll pay 'em a visit!

Sun Mar 03, 2013 8:38 pm

I think I mentioned it before, the hammock is from a dollar store near Sacramento. I think it might have been $1.99 or so.

I have to say, I kind of hate the thing. It's really practical, but after months on the road, it became a catch-all of sorts. EVERYTHING ends in there, making it bulky and in the way of the stove cover and table. We try to organize it every few days, but it's so easy to just dump stuff in there when we are about to drive off that it keeps getting full of things.

Sun Mar 03, 2013 8:43 pm

juanb wrote: Hey Marius,

That sounds really interesting, raising the bed a bit in order to gain some storage space there. I rarely sleep in the bottom though, so thise wouldn't be adding usable space for me--I use all the back for storage anyway. But it does sound very cool!

You may not quite understand what he was trying to say. The bay bench/bed in the seat position has the seat bottom at the same height as a vanagon seat. In the bed position, tho, it is raised about 6" higher than the vanagon bed in order to match the rear engine lid area which is 6" higher in a bay than it is in a vanagon. If the bay bench/bed is installed into a vanagon, then in order to make the entire bed flat, you create a storage area that is 6" deep on top of the engine lid area. That storage area then has the cushion on top and all looks stock. That storage area is also totally hidden unless someone removes the rear cushion or opens the rear hatch.

Interestingly enough I am in the process of installing an ALH TDI in the 15° angle. The engine will protrude above the vanagon engine lid several inches. Initially I thought of this as a downside but then realized the above regarding the use of the bay bench/bed. After realizing how well this solved the issue I now see it as a total plus to gain all of that excellent storage area.

Sun Mar 03, 2013 9:19 pm

Andrew A. Libby wrote:
You may not quite understand what he was trying to say. The bay bench/bed in the seat position has the seat bottom at the same height as a vanagon seat. In the bed position, tho, it is raised about 6" higher than the vanagon bed in order to match the rear engine lid area which is 6" higher in a bay than it is in a vanagon. If the bay bench/bed is installed into a vanagon, then in order to make the entire bed flat, you create a storage area that is 6" deep on top of the engine lid area. That storage area then has the cushion on top and all looks stock. That storage area is also totally hidden unless someone removes the rear cushion or opens the rear hatch.

Interestingly enough I am in the process of installing an ALH TDI in the 15° angle. The engine will protrude above the vanagon engine lid several inches. Initially I thought of this as a downside but then realized the above regarding the use of the bay bench/bed. After realizing how well this solved the issue I now see it as a total plus to gain all of that excellent storage area.

I've been thinking for a while on doing something like this on my Westy - replace the hinge mechanism of the rear bed with something like the Reimo version (link: http://www.reimo.com/de/58001-sitzbankbeschlag_mit_anhebung_vw_bis_8_89/) in order to gain some extra storage space over the engine bay

Are you planning to do so something similar or cannibalize a bay version? Will that fit in a Westfalia Vanagon? Could you please post pictures/any additional information?

Sun Mar 03, 2013 10:28 pm

I will be using only the Bay hinges, not the entire seat. The bay hinges are what Reimo used and are available for $100 new. I will be building the seat and platform using plywood, foam and upholstery of my wife's choosing. The 6" deep space over the entire back hatch area is a considerable gain in storage.

Mon Mar 04, 2013 3:00 am

Andrew A. Libby wrote: I will be using only the Bay hinges, not the entire seat. The bay hinges are what Reimo used and are available for $100 new. I will be building the seat and platform using plywood, foam and upholstery of my wife's choosing. The 6" deep space over the entire back hatch area is a considerable gain in storage.

Don't mean to steal the OP's thunder and get this thread off track, perhaps you could start a new one with this. Anyhow, how will this impact the use of the rear closets? I'm away from my van and can't measure, but six inches sounds like a lot. Also, is it as simple as a hinge switch, or is it a more involved process?

BTW- Juan, excellent work, don't know how I missed this one before. Thanks for the clever storage idea. Bookmarked!

Mon Mar 04, 2013 9:40 am

Andrew A. Libby wrote: I will be using only the Bay hinges, not the entire seat. The bay hinges are what Reimo used and are available for $100 new. I will be building the seat and platform using plywood, foam and upholstery of my wife's choosing. The 6" deep space over the entire back hatch area is a considerable gain in storage.

Hi Andrew,
Do you have a link to purchase the New Bay Hinges?

Cheers,
Gruppe B

Mon Mar 04, 2013 9:40 am

Andrew A. Libby wrote: juanb wrote: Hey Marius,

That sounds really interesting, raising the bed a bit in order to gain some storage space there. I rarely sleep in the bottom though, so thise wouldn't be adding usable space for me--I use all the back for storage anyway. But it does sound very cool!

You may not quite understand what he was trying to say. The bay bench/bed in the seat position has the seat bottom at the same height as a vanagon seat. In the bed position, tho, it is raised about 6" higher than the vanagon bed in order to match the rear engine lid area which is 6" higher in a bay than it is in a vanagon. If the bay bench/bed is installed into a vanagon, then in order to make the entire bed flat, you create a storage area that is 6" deep on top of the engine lid area. That storage area then has the cushion on top and all looks stock. That storage area is also totally hidden unless someone removes the rear cushion or opens the rear hatch.

Interestingly enough I am in the process of installing an ALH TDI in the 15° angle. The engine will protrude above the vanagon engine lid several inches. Initially I thought of this as a downside but then realized the above regarding the use of the bay bench/bed. After realizing how well this solved the issue I now see it as a total plus to gain all of that excellent storage area.

Actually I think he was quite successful in describing the setup, and I got it. What I said is that in my case, we just don't use the downstairs bed as a bed, so it makes no difference to me if it is flat or not. I just use the back for storage, and sleep upstairs. And regarding "hidden" storage, there's other places too as I'm sure you know.

Sat May 18, 2013 11:04 pm

I was getting Winston ready for VW's on the Green this evening, I'm sure I'll be hearing about the missing stove plate, and I'm fine with that. Getting it done, and done right, is enough. But rather than going in from the front, the way you did here, I'm wondering about going in from the SIDE, next to the vent, making the square cut in the cabinet with a drill-and-jigsaw, possibly bolting in a new drawer pre-made on good runners... Food for thought.

Best!