Any regrets from removing original Westfalia interior?

[craegandbritt]

Hi All,

First post apologies if the question has been asked and answered, I couldn't find it in search and I have been lurking for weeks.

My wife and I just bought a 1984 Vanagon Westy, building it out to travel in for a year out on the road. The OG cabinets are in decent working order and aren't bad. However, we really don't like the layout and some nice custom cabinets with wood counter tops would really amplify the space. I am planning out the interior removal, including AC and rear heater. I know some of you will say I will regret taking out the AC but it doesn't work and it sounds like on the '84s it never really did. Will likely upgrade to the in-dash AC down the road.

For those of you that removed your original interior, what do you wish you had done differently? I want to remove everything and start over. No bench seats, just a bed, cabinets, pull out kitchenette. Found a guy and gal on youtube that did something similar to what I am thinking. Here is a link to a video of their van.


Link


Any advice on what you wish you had done differently on a camper re-design would be much appreciated!

I plan on selling the old AC equipment and cabinetry.

Edit:
- I have a lot of experience making custom cabinets and counter tops so they will be high quality.
- We have a 2.5L engine going in as we speak so a little bit more weight from the nicer interior is not a huge concern. Plus we are dropping about 80lbs from the AC and heater removal.

[MarkWard]

Have you camped in it yet as is? Post up your build. Pictures or it didn’t happen.
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[drj434343]

I gutted a poor condition Westy interior in my 83 and added a custom teak interior; including solid teak countertop. Damn the weight, I love teak.

A couple of regrets:

1. I wish I had conceived of a folding countertop extension prior to construction. As it is, I added a slide in extension which you can see in the last photo. I wish I had designed something fancier which could slide out from under the counter when cooking to double counter space.

2. While I love the all-drawer setup, I wish I had been more aggressive with drawer sizes, as there is some dead space between them. But drawers are so much better than digging in the back of cabinets!

3. Speaking of drawers, I wish I had added at least 1 under the rear seat. Unlike most, I use that under seat storage for semi-accessible stuff, and lifting the seat while camping with stuff everywhere can be cumbersome. A drawer would have been awesome.

4. Speaking of more drawers, I wish I had sprung for the drawer style isotherm fridge rather than the truck fridge. I'm on my knees digging in the back of that thing pretty often.

[Ahwahnee]

[erste]

OP, there are some good builds in this thread if you haven't seen it yet:
Custom camping interior ideas.

And of course the Drive Nacho Drive build:
http://www.drivenachodrive.com/about-nacho/installing-custom-cabinets-in-nacho-vanagon/

I've just started watching the youtube video you linked, but can't imagine having the stove and pantry on a slide like that. No access to that entire space unless the door is open and the slide is pulled out seems like a total pain. Really nice build though from what I've seen so far, and if it works for them, that's awesome.

[craegandbritt]

The van is at the mechanics right now but I will swing by tomorrow to take some pictures to show you what we are working with.

drj434343 that is an amazing build! Love the teak! Thank you for sharing the idea about the pull-out countertop, that's a great idea.

[jimf909]

Here's a nice one although Drive Nacho Drive is outstanding too. But these stick to the general Westy layout which may not be what you're thinking.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9344883#9344883

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- Jim

[g shepherd]

There are some interesting ideas at 4yourvan.com

The rear slide out kitchen is intriguing, and the slide out pantry seems like a good use of space.

I've got half the Adventurewagen kitchen in my van-- a stove/fridge unit behind the passenger seat. I like being able to stand outside the van and cook-- and grab a beer from the fridge! But I also like the big 'living room' feel of the traditional Westy layout with the passenger seat swiveled around. Trade-offs!

[djkeev]

The belief that "factory" VW A/C worked poorly new is a myth.
Many of us who have rebuilt our aging systems have proven that this Vintage layout has the potential to freeze you out of the Van.

That being said, cold air out of the dash vents is really nice!
Off the shelf Vintage Air provides this feature.
Most who have done this report good operation though many say it isn't large enough to cool the rear of the Van.

The old Behr units provided the best design with two .Evaporators. One in the dash, one under the rear seat.

Dave
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Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos

Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[space]

Not sure I'd get rid of the bench seat/bed
Spin the passenger seat and u have a nice space to relax (one in passenger seat one on the bench) w/o being nose to nose in the front seats or side by side on the edge of the bed

[djkeev]

Westfalia was walking a narrow line between having an everyday driver that carries a family and fits into your garage and a full vacation camper Van.

They did a good job.

But, as individuals, such as your linked video, they have no need to carry a family (yet) and are enjoying youth traveling free.
Retired/empty nesters are in that same boat of no need for extra seats, unless you plan on bringing Grandchildren along as we have done.

Go for it!
There are great designs out there, make what suits you.

Do realize that if executed poorly, your Westy's resale value plummeted remarkably.

Dave
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Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos

Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[dobryan]

Definitely use the passenger swivel seat. It transforms the interior.

Consider what width bed you two need to be comfortable. My wife and I found the westy width bed too narrow for us as we got older. I have removed the rear closet from my '87 westy and did my euroBus build with a full width passenger seat/bed.

Whatever you do do it well and you'll enjoy it for years.

This is my euroBus interior.

More details of what I am building are in my signature line.
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Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2002 Subaru EJ25 and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

Building a bus for travel in Europe (euroBus)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=695371

The Western Syncro build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794

[MarkWard]

Coming from a 68 bus camper, the vanagon is like the Ritz. We have found it to be extremely functional as laid out. We can stock it for 2 weeks for 2 and an 80 pound dog. That’s why I asked if you had used it yet.

With a new to you camper, the money and time might be better spent making a 30 year old vehicle reliable. Plus once you start actually living it in, ideas will start coming to you.
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[space]

A couple of notes from the video
They have No floor space
It has been my experience that floor space is crucial to not feeling like a sardine

Also, getting to the motor with that biga$$ mattress on there is would drive me nuts ( the pad on the original is a lot more convenient)
And Yes u will have to get to the motor its 30+ yrs old

[Ahwahnee]

[4Gears4Tires]

[fishgo]

The very best feature about a stock Westy is the fact I can roll out of bed and make coffee first thing in the morning, without going outside. BW (Before Westy), I was looking at a tear-drop camper but then realized I'd have to get up, get dressed, get outside, get cold to make coffee. It took one cold morning (the very first morning) to appreciate the stock setup. Your setup photo looks like an outside adventure; not for me.

Also agree with another poster, having floor space is king. The interior is spacious when you put things away. My having a 4'x4' (or whatever size) empty piece of carpet to look at or walk around in feels luxurious.

[michaelasnider]

My wife and I did 8 months in our '82 with our 100 pound dog. It is a super functional space. Improvements we've made since that I wish we had made ahead of time:
- Removed the fridge with the GoWesty delete kit. Our fridge worked great but it was a lot of wasted space compared to the amount of shelving you gain.
- Added an Engel behind the passenger seat. We had been using a Yeti, but not dealing with ice was a big improvement.
- Rear cabinet fridge door mod. Replaced the hanging cabinet with more shelving. It is a way better use of space for 99% of the time.
- High top. Way more storage and you never have to do the westy shuffle again.

Otherwise, other than adding a locker under the front seat for valuables and roof box on top, the stock configuration worked great. We carried a lot of stuff with us:
- 2x mountain bikes and all associated gear
- back country camping gear
- 4x surfboards + 1 skimboard and wetsuits for 2 people
- clothing for cool Canadian fall temps right up to warm Mexican summer temps.
- 30lbs of dog food and other things a 100lb dog needs (toys, bed, bowls, extra towels)

[space]

For food storage we used cargo nets
2 x spice rack
1 x rear cab
also, the idea of rolling around w ceramic and glass (as they do in the video) doesnt make sense to me

[joetiger]

Check out this thread for some ideas:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...p;start=40

Some disagreed with negating the passenger swivel, but all agree that Ryan did a pretty incredible job on it.
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Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32

"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

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