Replacing late Westfalia sink panels

RIOMX

We're getting set to take the bus camping this weekend and I'm trying to recondition some of our cabinets before putting them back in.

The sink cabinet is the immediate priority - the bottom/base panel has been cut and as a result it's not structurally sound when wedged between the cooler and the back of my driver's seat. I picked up a new .9mm panel cut to size last night from Home Depot.

I just want to know - how is the base panel attached to the rest of the cabinet, and how can I remove it? Does it slide like the rest of the panels, and is it glued? I looked at it this morning and it seems to be on quite seamlessly.

Thanks in advance!

poptop tom · Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 9:49 am Post subject:

Are you talking about the base trim at the front of the cabinet?

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

There is a screw at the end of the trim, on the outside of the cabinet, that holds at, and the remaining parts seem to be glued.

Not sure if I'm on the same page, but thought I'd give it a shot. My westy is right outside the door if you need more pics snapped.
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'76 Deluxe Campmobile

RIOMX · Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 10:05 am Post subject:

Thanks for the quick reply - I greatly appreciate it.

What I'm referring to is how to actually take that bottom piece of wood off of the cabinet (the base panel). Mine is out of the bus so I can replace it, but it all seems to be seamlessly put together (rather than screwed together) and I don't want to destroy my cabinet finding out how to remove it without knowing what I'm doing Smile

EZ Gruv · Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 10:09 am Post subject:

I'll take a look at mine closely later. Since I don't have the formica on there, I may be able to see some fasteners.
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Eric
1977 Deluxe Westfalia - 2.0L FI Type IV, Completely Original
Photographer for HotVWs, VolksWorld, AirMighty, VW Camper & Commercial, Hayburner, and more.
My Photography Page.

poptop tom · Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 10:10 am Post subject:

RIOMX · Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 10:11 am Post subject:

poptop tom · Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 10:16 am Post subject:

FYI - I had a 2" section of formica, on the right hand side near the spare tire cover, that was off, and I dont recall any kind of fastener towards that end.
EZGruv can hopefully confirm.
_________________
'76 Deluxe Campmobile

EZ Gruv · Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 5:02 pm Post subject:

Here you go....

Screw hole - I don't have a screw in there...

Staples:

_________________
Eric
1977 Deluxe Westfalia - 2.0L FI Type IV, Completely Original
Photographer for HotVWs, VolksWorld, AirMighty, VW Camper & Commercial, Hayburner, and more.
My Photography Page.

RIOMX · Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 5:33 pm Post subject:

Thanks EZ Gruv. I just flipped mine over and I see the staples. They're in really deep. Now I just have to figure out how to remove them

RIOMX · Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 10:34 pm Post subject:

Progress!

A good old light hammering and pulling the staples did the trick. I did well, and only had one casualty, but I think I can still use the piece I damaged.

Here you can see that the wood was shortened. Whoever had the cabinet before me shortened it, and I also did too, because I had an air conditioning duct where hoses came in from the floor when I first got the bus.

This is how long the staples are when they come out:

The staples come out fairly easily, but here are some of the tricky ones to look out for that are easy to miss:

DO NOT FORGET this screw on the side of the cabinet! It holds the bottom piece under the doors in place. At first I thought it was only held in by staples, and I didn't see this screw when I got started.

As a result, this piece got twisted and I accidentally broke it:

Other than that, everything went well and it was a success! Here is the sink without the bottom panel:

Here is the shiny new 0.9mm panel (couldn't find 1cm) that will replace the old one. I cleaned it up and sanded the edges with my dremmel and it looks great:

Now I just need some help with carving the channels for the sink pieces to connect to the new panel. Can anyone tell me what the easiest way to carve these would be? What kind of tool should I use?

pb24ss · Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 8:27 am Post subject:

dado blade and a table saw

Ritter · Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 10:04 am Post subject:

Table saw and dado blade or a router. If you don’t have either, you can clamp a straight piece of wood along each side of the alignment and use many passes of a skill saw. Make sure you clamp tightly and get your offsets (for the saw base) right or it will get ugly quick!
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1978 westy 2L FI (needs a little bit less work)


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