Author Topic: A West Coast flavour for your swing-out table  (Read 2503 times)

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Offline kinggeorge13

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A West Coast flavour for your swing-out table
« on: March 07, 2019, 06:21:35 AM »
Been thinking of doing this for a while so this week I decided to try making one to see how it would work out.   The basis is pretty simple:  perhaps you have Westy missing the large table.  Perhaps your table is all messed up or damaged and needs significant repairs.  Maybe you just don't like it.  Half the Westy's I've had are flat out missing that table.  So my idea was to give this Westfalia a little West Coast feel and used one of my kids well-worn skim boards from our many trips to Tofino area beaches quite a few years back (yes, I save everything).   They already had some stickers on it and I've added a few more and gently scuffed the new ones up so they fit in.   

The hardest part was manufacturing a strong, stable base out of wood to allow attaching and swiveling on the original table swing-away arm that I had.   The 2nd hardest part was removing the tons of sticky wax and embedded sand in the top.   Measuring the location of the connecting base carefully so the table would both swing away and fit properly over the side bench and come out fully so it could actually be used as a table to eat off of when sitting on the rear main bench seat was a bit tricky as well.   

It's probably not to everyone's taste but I think it turned out really well and so far everyone I have shown it to (family, friends, my dogs) have all loved it.   VW buses and surfing are often a thing and this one certainly adds to that flavour.

1975 Westy, Serenity
1975 Westy, Jack Sparrow
1979 Kombi, Pistachio
1979 Kombi, Oliver
1977 Tin top camper, Cosmos
1974 Westy, Garfield
1973 Tin top camper, Bart (now thinking he's 1976)
1974 gutted Riviera, Casper
1975 Westy, Stella
1979 Super Beetle, Penelope
1967 Fastback, Green Hornet

Offline Brenticon

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Re: A West Coast flavour for your swing-out table
« Reply #1 on: March 07, 2019, 07:39:32 AM »
I've thought of that too, just never did.
Looks great, Cheers

Offline gsun

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Re: A West Coast flavour for your swing-out table
« Reply #2 on: March 07, 2019, 09:10:08 PM »
Brilliant! Westys and surfing. Time for a Calif trip.
9 years and counting....

Offline kinggeorge13

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Re: A West Coast flavour for your swing-out table
« Reply #3 on: March 07, 2019, 09:18:33 PM »
Brilliant! Westys and surfing. Time for a Calif trip.

Not sure I'm quite ready to try my bus to California just yet but I got the surfboard yesterday and we are planning Tofino in September.   Here is the surfboard (assuming anyone can see it in the clutter of my garage).

1975 Westy, Serenity
1975 Westy, Jack Sparrow
1979 Kombi, Pistachio
1979 Kombi, Oliver
1977 Tin top camper, Cosmos
1974 Westy, Garfield
1973 Tin top camper, Bart (now thinking he's 1976)
1974 gutted Riviera, Casper
1975 Westy, Stella
1979 Super Beetle, Penelope
1967 Fastback, Green Hornet

Offline gsun

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Re: A West Coast flavour for your swing-out table
« Reply #4 on: March 08, 2019, 09:06:28 PM »
That's funny - in the old days I would go on a trip to CA in my bus on a whim. No prep necessary! Of course the bus was only a few years old...
9 years and counting....