Dave Garth (of San Luis Obispo, Calif) has made some impressive
modifications to his 86 Westfalia.
Click on a thumbnail image to see the expanded picture.
Here is a shot of the "Platinum Cat" vented catalytic heater Dave installed. It is facing rearward behind the passenger seat. Dave built the cabinet for the heater himself, out of material similar to his Westy, so it would look factory - and it does! This heater really cranks out the heat, and due to it's vented design you don't even have to crack a window. Note gas line coming up from the bottom.
For more information on this heater, you can contact Arnie Lind or check out the A & L Enterprises Web Site.
Here is a shot of the front passenger wheelwell so you can see what was done to install the heater. Copper line carries propane from the tank on the other side of the van. I believe the round black plastic thing behind the copper line is the vent tube, which routes the products of combustion to outside the van so they don't kill you.
In the cupboard on the drivers side of the van, Dave has installed an auxiliary deep cycle battery to power accessories. To fit the battery in, he had to move a panel over an inch or so, resulting in a slight loss of cabinet space, but it was well worth it. Note the professional-quality work on the fuse bar and wiring.
This is a shot of Dave's amazing hot water setup. He took some copper tubing, routed engine coolant through it, and actually immersed a coil of it in his water tank (visible in the picture). There is a thermostat that automatically shuts the flow of coolant off when the water in the tank reaches 110 degrees so it will not burn anyone. The Flojet pump supplies the water to the sink and the shower fixture in the rear of the van.
Dave demonstrates the hot shower at Pfeiffer Big Sur.
