1986 Wolfsburg Weekender Intro and Chronical

[MSGGrunt]

I plan on something similar. I already have an ICECO Frig/freezer that I plan on using in place of the original Dometic frig. I will remove the rear facing seat behind the driver's seat and add a cabinet there as well as behind the passenger's seat where the original frig sat. Also added will be a 2-burner cooktop.

Nice looking cabinets, did you build them yourself or have them built?

[vanagonjr]

It’s too bad the Weekender fridges were not more efficient. They are a great size and lightweight. Mine is in the kitchen of the house adding some capacity at the moment.
I used mine on a spring cross-country trip. Ran on DC while driving, unplugged it at night and covered it with towels, etc to insulate it better. Worked great for that trip since the hours not driving were relatively short.

I now use an ARB in its place. I’ve wondered if it would be feasible to update the Weekender fridge with a Danfoss compressor.
_________________
John - 86 Wolfsburg Westfalia "Weekender"
Flint reversed 1.8T W/Passat 5-Speed
LiMBO (late model bus club) www.limbobus.org
LiMBO is on Facebook too! https://www.facebook.com/groups/
FAQ thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=525798

[MSGGrunt]

I got a closer look at the interior today and I will definitely be swapping in the seats and smaller bed from my Syncro, which is still a work in progress. The original fabric is pretty "delicate" and I am afraid more use would only make it worse. I will store them away for any future owner/need. The syncro's material is in great condition, so an easy decision.

Syncro door panels are also in better condition, and I swapped them too so the material of the seats and door panels all match.

I also ordered a new carpet set in the original caramel color.

[MSGGrunt]

Tested out the frig plugged into 110 house power.

Seeing I already have an Iceco frig/freezer combo and a cabinet will be going in its place, this too will be stored away.

Need to figure out the best place for this LARGE unit. I am thinking a slide out built into a cabinet along the driver's side wall behind the driver's seat with drawers and a sink and removable stove in that area as well.

[MSGGrunt]

I have to replace the cracked windshield, and it pains me that I will lose these stickers. I thought maybe a heat gun will release the glue, but I have little hope given how old they are.

I have a great photographer at work that can probably take high-definition photos of them and reproduce them on paper and then laminate them. Maybe he knows a better way to reproduce them.

[MSGGrunt]

While waiting on mechanicals from GoWesty I am relegated to cosmetic projects. The plastic on the front grills had faded to a dull greyish color. Now they are a nice satin black.

[MSGGrunt]

Door panels and seats swapped. Nice to see an intact vapor barrier.

[MSGGrunt]

Removed the weekender interior. Now I need to do some cleaning and a bit of rust treatment. I'm sure the ground to the ECU would have eventually given me issues. The rust will be removed and the metal treated with 3M's 3513 mar-hyde. I used to use POR15 but have found I like mar-hyde better. Once the mar-hyde dries I coat with Rustoleum oil based paint.

The fiberglass insulation will be replaced with HaveLock wool or something similar.

https://havelockwool.com/collections/van-insulation

[16CVs]

Rare to see intact weather barriers that are that nice, if they were all that nice I wouldn't sell any of mine.

Whatever remote fridge you use be sure have it properly tied down and not with a bungee cord or cheap strap. GW sells a nice tie down kit for items like this

I was in a G Wagen that went over and the fridge was hanging in the air by a cheap strap. Get a proper Tie down kit and keep your self safe.

Stacy
_________________
1987 Syncro Westfalia Triple knob (bastard)
1989 Syncro Tristar Triple knob "Swedish"
2013 Jetta Hybrid a true "Zwitter"
Samba member # 14980
Call anytime number 650 722 4914 .
Keep Your van running and upkept tastefully for the love of the hobby.
Don't let your van end up in an "abortions" thread.

[ledogboy]

For what it’s worth- I have an ‘86 that started life as a weekender, and I have molested the hell out of it. Full camper conversion, Syncro conversion, rustoleum paint job- the whole 9. Your example is so frigging pristine and gorgeous, that I would hate to see you do that (even though I personally prefer a full camper to a weekender). But hey- it’s your ride, and you need to enjoy it how you see fit!
_________________
1986 Westy Weekender
Now a full camper
1.8t Syncro conversion
Some people call him Maurice...

[4Gears4Tires]

[MSGGrunt]

Started building out the interior, and yes, I will save all of the weekender pieces.

Swapped in the smaller bed from my Syncro project. Also swapping out the passenger's side trim panel. I like the smaller bed as it gives me more room f cabinet space, my Iceco frig/freezer, a cooktop and a portable toilet.

I chose to remove the fiberglass mat insulation and replaced it with Rockwool. I did some research, but searching for the best van insulation is like asking what is the best oil. In the end I feel the Rockwool will work just fine.

On the driver's side I used the side reinforcing rib to mount a piece of wood that I dado's a slot into. I feel between this and the floor I will have a solid place to build some cabinets.

Lowe's was able to color match some paint for the hardboard panel I made as a backdrop.

[MSGGrunt]

One difference I found between the weekender and the Westfalia camper interior is the rear locker. The weekender is smaller and doesn't have the wardrobe, but I like the better use of space of the weekender locker. I plan on using the extra space to build more cabinet storage or shelves of some sort.

Just mocking things up and seeing how everything will fit. The Westfalia camper cabinets are a great design, but I was looking for a better frig/freezer with more space, so that means modifications. I originally thought I would want a three-burner stove, but going this route will not leave me room for a sink. And I feel ultimately a two burner (front to back vs side by side) will be sufficient. Of course, the stove will be raised on a custom cabinet to a more manageable height. The frig will be mounted on sliders so I can pull it out when I need to get something out of it.

Still a lot to think about regarding wiring, my diesel heater location, plumbing for propane, running solar (300 watts on the roof), and long-term a roof mounted Dometic AC.

[MSGGrunt]

Decided on this Ramblewood GC2-37P (LPG/Propane Gas) high efficiency 2 burner gas cooktop stove. About the same front to back size as the Dometic, but only 12' wide and a thin 3" deep. What sold me on this was the battery ignition vs having to plug it in as well as the safety features.

Electric ignition (1.5V DC), Off-The-Grid feature works in case of storm power outage-can be lit up by match.

Safety device with thermal couple & flame out failure detection. Auto shut off gas supply

ETL safety certified.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06ZXYZGQT/ref=a...ba869c226b

[MSGGrunt]

The two burner Ramblewood stove will leave plenty of room for a sink once I build a cabinet.

The only other concern will be also building a heat shield/deflector to keep the temperatures as low as possible on the back wall.

Next up the floor.

[MSGGrunt]

Ready for the new carpet from GW. I was happy to find no rust anywhere except a little bit of surface rust in the battery box behind the driver's seat. Any reason this battery would have been eliminated?

For those of you who have installed new carpet, have you put a layer of padding over the factory front rigid pad?

[dhaavers]

[THE KESZTHELY KID]

Oh Wow!

I have just seen this on the forum and adore the Colour combination of Brown with a Biscuit interior.
Reminds me of my old Brown Bomber Porsche 912E, #576, long sold on and now living in Malta.
_________________
Current owner of 1980 T25 Westphalia Joker.
1973 Karmann Ghia Coupe - Semi-automatic!!
1983 Trabant 601S Sedan

Daily Driver - 2024 Dacia Duster Journey - Automatic

[MSGGrunt]

New Forst carpet installed. Next is a new floor and cabinets.

[MSGGrunt]

The floor got a treatment of sound deadener and then foil backed insulation over that. The floor is 3/8" plywood. I had my local hardware store color match a quart of porch and patio paint to match the dark brown interior. Now I have to build cabinets for the Iceco Frig/freezer/stovetop and the Dometic toilet. The Frig/freezer will be built on a slide out so I can open the top compartments and then slide it back into place.