Removing FWC Fridge

[DesertBoater]

I recently acquired a FWC Eagle and having spent about 2 weeks in it driving back to Prescott, I've decided on a couple of things that need doing. The first and foremost is more storage space accessible both in and outside. Has anyone here removed the fridge in these campers? I've had a 50qt ARB for a few years and love it, so I'd probably just figure out a way to mount that somewhere as a replacement. My thoughts on removing the stock 3 way fridge are to build a set of shelves in its place that could be accessed via the vent hatches (also to be replaced with hard hatches) on the outside and also on the inside to minimize the amount of gear/food shuffle when cooking outside vs inside. Does anyone have any photos of removing the fridge, installing an ARB or similar, or other custom storage modifications?

Cheers,
West

 

[pods8]

Some WTW threads on folks removing their iceboxes to turn them into storage:
http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/index.php?/topic/1285/

http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/index.php?/topic/337/

Should be able to do something similar if that is what you are going for. Finding a good place for the 50qt ARB without a galley reconstruction may be interesting though, they're pretty big (I have one too).

 

[DesertBoater]

Yeah, that's what I'm trying to figure out next... I'm thinking maybe remove the small sliding cubby storage at the back end passenger side and install the fridge down there. In a perfect world, I'd like to put it someplace with a loadspotter so that i can get at it both inside and outside. But that's not going to happen any time soon. I'm considering removing the horizontal propane tank in favor of a small 10 lb upright bottle, probably in the same space. That would allow me to trim the plastic cubby that houses the propane to a smaller (less deep) compartment, and use the interior side of it for more interior storage.

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

I've been looking into the arb fridges, as I'm planing my rig. You haven't hadany issues with them? As far as mounting it in my plan thus far I've thought about mounting it sideways under the counter on a removeable slider so I. Can just use it in my rig on small trips. Or pulling out part ofba bench seat. Just an idea

 

[DesertBoater]

Yetti, that's kinda my thought with the ARB. I paged through a thread on WTW about a guy with an Eagle that remodeled his bench seat into a Dinette that looked really functional. I'd like to do something like that perhaps with the fridge underneath one of the seats on a set of sideways sliders. With regards to the fridge, I have had zero issues so long as I keep up on charging my battery. I've just been running it off of my starter battery :Wow1: and it's not the best, but it works. The FWC has a couple of solar panels on the roof that should provide enough juice to keep up with the draw. I have made a reflectix (shiny foil/bubble wrap) jacket for mine to help give it a little more insulation, and also tend to pile my sleeping bags/pillows on/around it when I'm parked and not sleeping. I looked at most of the 12 volt options out there before purchasing my fridge and in a perfect world with unlimited funding I would have gone for one of the National Luna models with both the fridge and freezer compartments...but the price on that wasn't quite as do-able.

Cheers,
West

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

west,

Whoo, sorry for all the typo's I am pretty busy so usually only get to reply via my phone. That is good to hear, I was thinking that as well. It sounds like you have done a lot of research. Good luck and keep us posted.

happy trails

 

[UglyScout]

I removed my fridge - sealed up the vent/doors on the outside and trimmed out the hole with some thin birch plywood. I left a big spot for stuff!

I quickly filled it with a 43qt Edgestar fridge - in my grandby I had enough room to just put it in the spot and strap it down. It works great!

 

[DesertBoater]

Nice Uglyscout! Any chance you have photos of the exterior after it was all sealed up? In searching for the right sized hatch, I've come to the conclusion that it will probably be way easier and cheaper to build them myself. I've found some stuff called King StarBoard from Jamestown Distributors. They claim that it's a plastic sheet that can be shaped/drilled with standard woodworking tools, and is virtually maintenance free. It's also about $10.00 for the size sheet that I need. I'd like to get rid of the aluminum frame that surrounds the opening, but without a pre-manufactured frame/hatch, it might end up looking ugly. Has anyone tried working with this StarBoard stuff?

I've already got a set of drawers installed in there that I modeled off of some sleek looking sliding, pre-built deals that Lowes carries. The Lowes models looked like they would have been perfect had they not been 3/4 of an inch too deep. So instead, I broke out the rivet gun and some square and angle aluminum with a couple of slides and have a set of rock solid, lightweight drawers. I'm hoping that when I'm done with the hatch, the drawer bottoms (which have sides and handles, can be pulled out of the drawer tray (angle aluminum) and slid through the hatch to my outdoor kitchen.

On another note, if anyone is looking for a 3 way fridge, I've got one sitting around.

Cheers,
West

 

[tanglefoot]

Not an FWC, but I removed the fridge in the '88 Four Seasons. I turned it into an open cargo area with tie-downs. It can fit the cooler, sleeping bags, pillows and port-a-potty with a ratchet strap over everything. It's definitely very helpful added storage. I was thinking of extending the kitchen counter over the space but I think it's easier to access without the counter over it.