Kim,
I like your idea of getting more out of the westy fridge.
Not sure about using the aluminum plate in the way you describe though.
Once the plates come into direct contact with the interior of the fridge
interior
I think you would loose some of your insulating factor. The westy fridge
cooling element
is about the right size for what it puts out in the way of cold. When you
see the size of the cooling pipe
and the size of the fins there is a pretty good ratio to extract the cold
directly into the air inside.
Not sure you will be gaining much for all the effort.

I have been working on a fridge hack myself as of recent, using a small dorm
style 110v .9amp electric fridge
and grafting the westy "guts" into it. This should offer the ability to run
both at the same time and many other options.

Doug

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kim Brennan" <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, August 07, 2005 6:28 PM
Subject: Fridge hacks

> So until recently I didn't know that the aluminum fins in the back were
> just clip ons to the main cooling pipe. So, now I'm pondering...
>
> Take some aluminum, and, essentially, line the inside of the fridge.
> Clip this to the cooling pipe. Add some additional fins, in places that
> you won't be able to use anyway (behind and below that pipe. You might
> be able to gain some room in the fridge (removing the existing fins) ,
> without loosing any cooling capability. Might even gain some, as the
> walls and floor would now be conducting heat directly to the cold pipe.
>
> Oh, drats. Just remembered the shelves fit snugly into the side walls.
> Okay, still aluminum floor rear and top would still be a pretty big
> radiation surfaces.
>
> The other side of the cooling coin is getting rid of the heat. I've
> found that when camping, the curtains tend to block some of the heat
> from escaping from the back side of the fridge. If the cook top lid is
> up, that too, tends to block some of the heat escaping.