Expanding Westy's Rear Storage using Rear Door Panels - Post #1 of 3

At this years Westyfest II everyone was anxious to expand Westy's "garage space" by removing the plywood panels around the Black Waste Tank. I think Win had come up with this even prior to Westyfest I. I removed my plywood during Westyfest II and found a couple of inches each in front of, on top of, on the bottom of, under, to the rear of and to the right side of the black waste tank. Actually the space behind the tank is very useful. A few of us stood around and wondered if there was storage to be had behind those rear interior door panels. There is! And I quickly filled it up. Prior to this mod I was almost out of room in the rear for anything. Now I've added a few things and have almost my entire "trunk or garage" area open for whatever needs there are (like cases of wine purchased) All this space didn't come only from the opened door panels. I added some things seldom used inside my hard spare tire carrier, added some things inside the door of the hot water heater compartment, and stored a lot more things in front of the hot water heater door and the wardrobe door. Even one door shelf is also completely empty now. Maybe this will inspire you to organize and create more space to bring home more booty from your travels.

Wished I had taken some before pix or even better yet the pix of all my "luggage" piled in the yard while I completed this project.


Here's the wide shot of everything stored. Notice the open areas! They used to be filled with less stuff.




This is a shot of the driver's side door panel removed. It's a little less space than the other door due to the license plate recess but useful nonetheless!




In this shot you'll see a couple shelves of drinking water bottles. Used to carry a partial case of this in the rear storage area and it took up a lot of room. Hell, if you drink the sanitized water from your main tank you have even more space to use. Margaret and the dogs both insist on bottled water. I'm ok with the tank water myself. That's my big camping mat in that door cavity. That folded used to take up a good bit of my "tunnel" storage.




A close up of that space shown above. I really like the area above where the camping mat is shown. Now all my little parts are in zip locks and easy to get to in one place.




For me, this shot is the pièce de résistance! I like Win's idea of carrying around spare diesel just in case. It's not at all like carrying gasoline around with it's high volatility and high vapor pressure. When I get on the interstates I like to minimize stops when I have a lot of miles to cover in a short period of time. With diesel not being available every station I find myself stopping sooner than I might otherwise to keep from running out of fuel. A spare two gallons will give me the piece of mind I need to pass up a diesel station when down to a quarter tank. If I ever really get that low I'll add the two gallons before running it dry. It's a pain to get a diesel to suck fresh fuel after running it dry! Here's where I got my narrow profile, very heavy duty plastic diesel fuel container: http://www.thereadystore.com/2-gallon-x-treme-rotopax-diesel-container Also note the empty door shelf up top. More detail about the storage around the diesel tank in next post...

Expanding Westy's Rear Storage using Rear Door Panels - Post #2 of 3

The comments labeled on the pic say it all. Forgot to take a before pic when panel first removed. Also not I've added a padded 2x4 under the diesel tank to provide a flat surface to preclude from damaging the tank on a sharp metal edge.




Ditto here also. Love this Cabela picnic table and benches. Thanks Win for the idea! Win stores his in his "tunnel". Someone else at Westyfest II had one and stored it where I have mine. Here's the ordering details. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0024876516370a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Product_liberal&QueryText=51-6370&sort=all&Go.y=7&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&Go.x=21&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form23&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1 It's a great table and badly needed by us. NOTE: the hinge is totally unemcumbered by the "stuff".




Here's the few things I store in the hot water cabinet; a tow cable leftover from my 4x4 Roadtrek days on the beach, an extra extension cord, and some misc. sewer connections I seldom need but have used them before.




Before I closed up my spare tire carrier I stuck in yet another extension cord and a sewer hose extension that I've needed only twice in 2 years. But I needed it!




The labels in the pix say it all! One more post following this to wrap this up mainly to show you how to remove the handle on the passenger side rear door which is necessary to remove the panel.

Great write up
Richard

Expanding Westy's Rear Storage using Rear Door Panels - Post #3 of 3

Taking off the Passenger side rear door panel. You have to remove the interior handle assembly to take the panel off. Then reinstall the handle. Even though we have no way to use this handle from the inside, it's part of the automatic door locking mechanism. I'd put it back. Once you get the door grab handle cover off (which is a little tricky), you'll expose 2 screw holes for a T-27 Torx bit screwdriver. Remove those and the handle comes off. To get the cover off... In this pic I had already removed the panel before I came back to document. So ignore that fact. In my hand I'm holding the cover close to the position where it came off. It takes two motions to "unlock" it. I also used a narrow putty knife to explore my options here. Although I forced the left and right attachment points (you can only see the left on in the pic) with the putty knife, it looks like it was made to slide to the right to release the tabbed attachment points from the only 2 rectangular holes pictured. Once it slides to the right about 1/2 inch, the tabs should pop out more easily than the way I did it. Once the top left and right tabs are out of the rectangular holes, then the whole cover comes off by pushing it vertically. It took some doing and with the help of the putty knife it came lose.




This is a view of the door pull with the cover removed. Note the two holes, left and right and under the rectangular openings. This is where you insert your T-27 torx bit screwdriver and remove the screws. That's it. BTW, regarding removing the door panels, if you haven't removed them before to install a rear spare time carrier, pop off each attachment point with a little help from a narrow putty knife.




This is a great spot to mount the awning tools (the crank and the center rafter). My Westy was delivered with the attachment clip for the center rafter but not for the crank attachment. I emailed Bob Synder fiamma1@fiamma.com. The crank handle clip set is part number 98655-095 and cost $4.20 (2 pcs) with $3 shipping (ask for postal shipping otherwise shipping is $10. Orders can be placed directly from Fiamma at 407-672-0091. I mounted both tools a far to the rear edge as possible to preclude interference with either the outside shower attachment or opening of the wardrobe from the rear.




And lastely a pic of the assembled Cabela picnic table if you didn't see it by following my ordering link above. It sets up in about 45 seconds! Great design and pretty heavy duty.

This is great! I've been toying with the exact same idea. How did you get the pins out of the perimeters of the panel?

I also have that table, but we got it from Coleman. Works great. However, we use a table/bench from Kelsyus, that folds up and fits in the tunnel, from the front (just barely). The pros are that it's actually a little bigger than the Coleman/ Cabela's table. The cons are that it has a mesh top, that although tight, is not as rigid as the metal top. I plan to make a plexiglass top to clip to it, to get the flatness back. Not a super high quality unit, but it has served us well this summer...

http://www.swimways.com/kelsyus/pro...oductid=9CBF865C-C25E-4040-89EC-6D3EE0A0CDB7#

I like that fuel tank idea, especially since I was thinking about toting my little Yamaha generator, which is worlds quieter than the Onan...

Oh, and I finally got around to talking to the guys at Sterling, to weld me up a front hoop in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks Tim.

Pat

The panel retainers are a two part plug - just prise the centres out first then the panel will come away.

mean_in_green said:

The panel retainers are a two part plug - just prise the centres out first then the panel will come away.

Click to expand...

I figured that, but on mine, the center pin is flush with the outer part. A few of them are even recessed. I was thinking about drilling them with a tiny hole, then screwing something small to extract the center pin...

tfrazie said:

Here's where I got my narrow profile, very heavy duty plastic diesel fuel container: http://www.thereadystore.com/2-gallon-x-treme-rotopax-diesel-container

Click to expand...

Tim -

Muchos kudos for this thorough, clear, and concise description of how to gain a lot more storage in a Westy!

In particular, thanks for the link above re: the narrow diesel fuel container. Definitely on my wishlist!

Zach

Tim - Wow! Thanks for posting this! The efficient use of every cm of space is certainly in tune with the Westy feel. My friends like to call it the "swiss army knife" of campers and you just bumped it up a notch. Just added some things to my Christmas wish list!

This is awesome - we are rapidly filling up every nook and cranny so I can definitely see us doing this.

I don't see any mention of leveling blocks. Is that something you just don't bother to carry? Or has RV technology marched on so that there is now a better way to get level? I remember my dad driving up on a pile of boards and cussing up a storm when I was a kid.

janiner said:

This is awesome - we are rapidly filling up every nook and cranny so I can definitely see us doing this.

I don't see any mention of leveling blocks. Is that something you just don't bother to carry? Or has RV technology marched on so that there is now a better way to get level? I remember my dad driving up on a pile of boards and cussing up a storm when I was a kid.

Click to expand...

Janine-

Thanks!

I do carry levelers and did mention them. In one of the text boxes describing what I keep in the tunnel (last pic of Post #2 of 3). The levelers I have a great 3 three different levels to climb depending on your needs. The 2 stepped wedges fit perfectly together like 2 puzzle pieces to form a retangular shape that is just short enough in height to fit in the tunnel. In fact I keep them just inside the interior door to the tunnel (you know, in the step up to the kitchen). They go in and then I push them to the right a bit. Perfect fit. and still have my bag chairs to the left of them but all within easy access w/o pulling out a bunch of stuff to get them. Here's a link to the fiamma site where I bought them. http://www.fiamma.com/products/QMP.asp?Fam=P10 Mine are called "level up" and are at the bottom of the paged linked above. There seems to be a larger model called "level up jumbo" which may fit. Dimensions are included but you'd have to check to make sure if your interested int he bigger ones. The smaller ones work wonderfully! Also the smaller ones seem to be included in a package called "kit level) which includes a nice case and 2 chocks.

Here's a link to a video demonstrating them. http://www.fiamma.com/service/useVideo.asp?IDVideo=3#topVideo

-Tim

Riptide said:

This is great! I've been toying with the exact same idea. How did you get the pins out of the perimeters of the panel?

I also have that table, but we got it from Coleman. Works great. However, we use a table/bench from Kelsyus, that folds up and fits in the tunnel, from the front (just barely). The pros are that it's actually a little bigger than the Coleman/ Cabela's table. The cons are that it has a mesh top, that although tight, is not as rigid as the metal top. I plan to make a plexiglass top to clip to it, to get the flatness back. Not a super high quality unit, but it has served us well this summer...

http://www.swimways.com/kelsyus/pro...oductid=9CBF865C-C25E-4040-89EC-6D3EE0A0CDB7#

I like that fuel tank idea, especially since I was thinking about toting my little Yamaha generator, which is worlds quieter than the Onan...

Oh, and I finally got around to talking to the guys at Sterling, to weld me up a front hoop in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks Tim.

Pat

Click to expand...

You're welcome Pat!

Pat I mentioned somewhere in my post that the panel retainers popped out by putting a narrow blade putty knife behind the panel and gently twisting. As far as I can tell mine are not two pieces. They have pliable threads that are bigger than the hole. I've pulled them out once before when adding a spare tire carrier. They go right back in with a little tap.

You mentioned your Kelsyus table. Saw it just today in fact while I was purchasing two back pack reclining bag chairs with detachable canopy. They're small to store and to carry to beach. They're low to the ground which is great for the beach but also good because you don't need a foot rest if you're trying to save storage space. Here they are here from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kelsyus-Recline-Backpack-Beach-Canopy/dp/B0009KF48E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1254355761&sr=1-1

Let me know if you end up ordering a brush bar from Sterling. It's the single biggest eye catcher on my Westy; at least it is to all the Westy owners I met.

I bet you could easily sell you Cabela folding table/benches. I lot of people at Westyfest admired them looking at Win's and another's, I forget who though.

-Tim

We had purchased two of those chairs too, from REI, but ended up taking them back. The three foot design seemed to be a little too tippy, and the back was a little too sloped. We kept the kids model, but I will say that the canopy was a bear to mount on the little one. Never tried the big one.

However, for the beach, they are probably perfect for all the reasons you mentioned. We ended up buying a few aluminum and mesh Travelchairs:

http://www.travelchair.com/the-chairs/579AV/

With all the newfound room you have in the garage, you can get the Fiamma screenhouse! We love ours. Goes up/on in about 15 minutes.

very sleek looking screenhouse! Wish I would stay in one place long enough to use one! I have two chairs like yours except not quite as nice. Getting these beach chairs for the beach and ease of carrying to the beach. And they're small enough with my newly found space I can now carry around 4 chairs!

Tim, you mentioned carrying a spare water pump... Are you talking about the submersible fresh water pump? If so, where did you get one? I just took a picture of mine the other day, and was getting ready to research where to get another...

Pat

Riptide said:

Tim, you mentioned carrying a spare water pump... Are you talking about the submersible fresh water pump? If so, where did you get one? I just took a picture of mine the other day, and was getting ready to research where to get another...

Pat

Click to expand...

Pat-

Yep, the submersible. Carried one as a spare and glad I did cause had a failure on the road. Pretty easy fix too. This is the one I bought from Go Westy. Perfect match. http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_details.php?id=2428&category_id=&category_parent_id= You know there are some PDFs from Westfalia that gives you step by instructions for replacement. Here are the files from the Yahoo Westy Group:

View attachment 16_rem-inst_water-pump.pdf

View attachment Westfalia%20waterpump.pdf

That's the one. I thought it failed on me a few weeks ago, and I was kicking myself for not having gotten around to getting a spare. Turns out, the hose inside the tank had fallen off the elbow at the top of the tank. Happened a few more times, until I got a stainless steel hose clamp in there...

Thanks once again Tim!

This is also the same pump:

http://www.busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=255070805

Van

tfrazie said:

Here's a link to the fiamma site where I bought them. http://www.fiamma.com/products/QMP.asp?Fam=P10

Click to expand...

How did you manage to buy them from that site? I can't find any "buy" buttons. I've done a little Google searching but it looks like they are only sold in the UK; I can't find any sites that typically sell in the US that carry them.

janine

janiner said:

How did you manage to buy them from that site? I can't find any "buy" buttons. I've done a little Google searching but it looks like they are only sold in the UK; I can't find any sites that typically sell in the US that carry them.

janine

Click to expand...

Call them direct (see the contact page), or e-mail. I usually deal with Chris, the girl who will probably answer the phone if you call. They're near Orlando, FL. They've been pretty good to deal with, if they have the stuff in stock. Most everything Fiamma makes is made in Italy, so sometimes there's a wait on things. I had to wait two months before the patio mats came over...

One of the many things I've bought from them is a longer crank, which is much nicer than the stubby one Westfalia gave us. I keep it in the table compartment. Very convenient.

Pat