Trick for securing Vanagon Westy rear table?

[Capulina]

Magnetic strips Attach one to the edge of the table and another to the wall panel to match up. Another trick from my Dad.

[jimf909]

I think I’ve landed on a solution that works for me.

My criteria:
- I don’t want to rely on twisting the knob with all my strength to keep the table from swinging out during travel. I also don’t want loosening the knob to be inordinately difficult for others who may be attempting to free the table from the Westy clamp death-grip. (The friction tape sounds like a good idea but it also sounds like a gooey mess after some time).
- The table needs to be secure, I really dislike the sound of the table slamming into the wall after the Westy tensioning contraption has failed to hold the table.
- I want it to be relatively easy to swing the table in and out, i.e. the Westy tensioning knob shouldn’t be so tight that the table is difficult to swing out.

I’ve tried magnets and was just about ready to try a positive spring pin in index hole similar to the centerpunch dimple ideas suggested in this thread.

As a last ditch effort I bought a sturdy magnet, screwed it to the c-pillar and I think I’m happy (so far). I tried magnets before but placed them where screws only went through the trim panel which isn’t sturdy enormous go for this application. Screwing into the c-pillar was a big step forward.

Magnet...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013L36SXA/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Screwed to the c-pillar is key...

_________________
- Jim

[fishgo]

[jimf909]

That’s the magnet...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013L36SXA/ref=o...k129040-20

Right now I have three small fender washers (about 1” in diameter) screwed to the table. I’m hoping to make something that matches the shape of the magnet a bit better today. I started hoping that a few flathead screws would work but they didn’t hold very well. I wish this magnet came with a mating steel plate but I couldn’t find that on amazon. Off to the hardware store for something better than washers.
_________________
- Jim

[Paulbeard]

A strip of steel mounted on a block below the table would work with that magnet without screwing anything into the rubber bumper.
_________________
Currently -> Frida: 87 Tizian Red (mostly) Vanagon GL Westfalia w/ 2.0L ABA conversion
Formerly -> Steward of a 73 Super Beetle (Beater) and 67 Beetle 1300 (Little Max) both names by POs

[jimf909]

Brilliant! (or a steel 90* channel screwed to the table, no block needed) Too late though.

I cleaned up the edges on a plain old hardware store brace and screwed it to the table. Here’s hoping this latest contraption holds. It seems solid but I pull some heavy Gs on the skid pad.

I’ll keep my eye out for a better, one-piece solution and put it right on the bottom of he list.

_________________
- Jim

[dgbeatty]

I put blue loctite on the m10 bolt. After it sets up cover the knob with a cloth and using a large pair of pliers break it loose. It will now be snug and will not back out. It may necessary to repeat every two or three years, Has worked well for us over the years.
_________________
Schau in das Buch

[EugeneM]

Call me crazy or call me lazy. No mods.

[GG099]

I give the knob a firm twist with my jar opening right hand and the smaller table stays in place. The circumference of the post where the bolt contacts it has become rough but there’s no hint of a deepening groove.

My dumb question is how to stop the stove from rattling. Please show me or tell me where you stuck rubber strips under the lid and how many did you need to get a silent stove?

[Yellow Rabbit]

My table never moves. A little dab of grease on both knob threads and I usually over tighten it.

My stove rattle was from the sheet metal box underneath the burners. I thought it was the lid for years. Eventually I took off the knobs, LED panel and long front trim piece. Then I saw the loose screws that hold the box to the wood base. They are a bugger to tighten. I ended up using an old hacksaw blade and bent the last 1/4” 90 degrees into a makeshift flat blade screwdriver. I spent an hour tightening the rearmost screw.

[ledogboy]

[kalispell365]