Camper interior build on a 64 Kombi

[BarryL]

Westfalia is prostrate saying in German, "I'm not worthy".

Make a real nice dense beautiful close integral cushion for the head banger edge. I bet you could make one that people would beg for a copy at any price. You'll see.

[sgellis]

Fitted the trim bits to the rear cabinet. I will shorten the cabinet 1/4" and add some solid wood for the corner.

Wasn't happy with the fit between upper and right cabinet so made some adjustments.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[sgellis]

Spent the evening converting large chunks of wood into smaller bits.

Made the edging strips for the cabinets. Started with a 16'x14"x1" thick board. All the smaller stuff was on the bottom of the pile. I am just covering what shows on the face. Not worried about the parts hidden by doors.

Chopped up three large heart nut boards into manageable size parts. Very twisted and a few cracks. Planed them down to 7/8". Next they will be ripped into strips, edged, glued back together and planed down to 5/8".

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[sgellis]

Worked on counter tops today

All the parts cut and edged except I am 1 strip short for the table. Started gluing some together. I want to get all the tops fitted before pulling the cabinets out to finish them.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[BarryL]

I bet it smells so good with all the woods and milling/woodwork you do.

[sgellis]

First set of tops planed and fitted.

Remainder glued except the table.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[sgellis]

Couldn't find a proper hing for the 1/2" thick bench top. Had some door hinges for surface mount doors that actually work. I will use 4.

They look a little odd from the back but won't really be that noticable with chrome pan head screws.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[sgellis]

Cooler unit for the fridge arrived so did some testing.

It is two 120w peltier chips with heat pipe coolers. Quite efficient at lower voltage.
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07NZ5C7F8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The cooling plate will be attached to an aluminum plate on the bottom and partial sides of the fridge interior.

Both chips in parallel
12.5v at 13 amp
14v at 15.5 amp

Both chips in series, half voltage to each chip.
12.5v at 3.25 amp
14v at 3.75 amp

In parallel the plate frosted over quick. It got quite cold as it didn't melt when I stuck my fingers on it. Heat pips were warm but not hot. The hot side should be as close to ambient as possible to improve efficiency. The air will be vented outside the bus. I can heat the bus but cant cool it down.

After I reversed the voltage and heated the plate back up before testing in series. It took about twice as long to get frost and it didn't get as cold but still well below freezing. At less than 1/5 the current that is not bad. My goal is to get 24 hours out of a 84ah AGM battery and it looks quite possible. Eventually I want a 150ah lithium battery, approximately same size and weight as a 84ah AGM but they are very expensive.

The plan is to get an efficient DC-DC converter to control the voltage. High voltage when needed while engine running or AC connected and lower voltage when on battery. Lower voltage is more efficient but less cooling capacity. These chips shouldn't be turned on and off but have their voltage adjusted for demand. Once the fridge is down to temp it will have just enough voltage to maintain the set temperature. Will also adjust the set temperature up a bit when on battery. I will be able to play with the controller program to improve efficiency over time.

After this quick test I am confident it will work.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[mandraks]

while i am interested in the technical aspect of your solution, i think you can by a LOT of 20lbs bags of ice at Walmart at say 3 bucks a bag for the 180 bucks the parts cost for your fridge. Then again, i am lazy and i do drink a lot of beer when i am camping in 90 degree weather here in the south
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regards

Uli

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'53 3-Fold Oval, L35 Metallic Blue, looking for a narrow hatch panel

[sgellis]

[sgellis]

Fridge cabinet top glued. My plainer is only 12" so glued up two sections and planed them. Tried to get them as flat as possible. Will still be a lot of sanding.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[sgellis]

Cabinets coming back out.

Rear overhead sanded and ready for finish.

Glued the back trim on the right rear. Hope to complete this cabinet tomorrow.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[sgellis]

Getting closer.

Right rear and left front only need a bit of sanding. Front bench ready for finish.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[sgellis]

Got the rear deck ready for finish tonight. It is time consuming cutting out the unnecessary material but it makes quite a difference.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[j.pickens]

[sgellis]

First layer of shellac on a bunch of parts.

looks uneven but the second layer will fix it.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)

[Joey]

Nice work! Lots of wood there. I can see why you took the time to lighten up those panels.
_________________
Joey

‘60 Kombi - '74 Bus - '79 Panel - '65 Beetle

[don.ville]

Curious if you took the time to weigh all the parts before putting them in?
How much does it all weigh if so?
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67 Standard 11 window How I Keep My Bus Alive
04 Jetta TDI Page (SOLD)
01 Mexican Beetle Hello Kitty Rescue (SOLD)
29 Ford Model A Rat Rod (SOLD)
2015 Audi A8L TDI Quattro

[sgellis]

[sgellis]

Sanded parts and second coat of shellac on some. Forgot to pick up more shellac. Second layer goes on much nicer.

Pulled the floor and getting it ready. It will be lightened under the cabinets. I cut out where the 4 gal water jug will go in the bench. It will get an ABS tray that will set in the hole to catch drips and condensation from the jug.

Should have started the floor earlier as it will take quite a few layers of urethane and needs to go in first.

_________________
My 64 Kombi restoration
My camper interior build
My 54 standard restoration
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (YouTube)
The Nova Scotian Barndoor (CAD drawings)