I'll check on that Stuart. Remember, I installed the Westy stuff into a tin top, so I did have to make a few mounting mods. But I don't recall beefing up the joints.
What I did do when I added the new brace was to bend up a small stainless steel strap and screwed it to the pass side vertical part of the shelf and to the metal ceiling. Helped secure the shelf a bit more.

But I will look at the joint between the shelf bottom and the side I just attached the strap to. But I know it means taking the shelf out, grrr.

It's buried in my blog, but I have pics of how I hung the overhead cabinet - shelf in the tin top.  It was a bit of a pain to get the pass side supported well, not having the plywood bed above to mount to.

Thanks for the heads up Stuart,

Alistair

> On Jun 17, 2016, at 8:59 AM, Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Alistair,
> 
> With unlimited access to aluminum stock and a machine shop and there is no
> end to your creativity!
> 
> I can tell you that the early rear cabinets were hung only from the top of
> the sides by four L brackets to the bed plywood shelf, and the bottom can
> sag. The later cabinets with A/C are attached at the front the same way, but
> the rear has beefy brackets that go from the roof to the bottom of the
> cabinet and are attached with a screw through the bottom. Much stronger and
> supportive for the larger A/C unit.  I rebuilt my '85s A/C cabinet (found a
> door for it too) with new grey laminate for my son's van when we removed the
> A/C, and re-used these brackets.
> 
> I'd recommend that you add some L brackets to the bottom of the side panels
> to keep the bottom from falling completely off!  It's only attached by glue
> to the two side pieces.
> 
> Stuart
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Alistair Bel
> Sent: Friday, June 17, 2016 7:24 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Westy rear shelf support
> 
> Made a brace to stiffen up the rear edge of my Westy overhead rear shelf. It
> was sagging after many years of use. Westfalia, bless 'em, did a good job
> with the cabinetry but there is a limit to the abuse that plywood can take.
> 
> Made provision for another one of the new dimmer switches in the brace. The
> switch controls the strip of lights under the rear edge of the shelf. I was
> using a dimmer switch attached to the van wall, but I think having it up on
> the shelf is neater. Yup, you can still reach the switch when hatch closed.
> 
> Not the most complicated mod, and some less than perfect edges ( I just went
> at the cut outs quickly with a roughing end mill) but it worked out.  
> 
> https://shufti.wordpress.com/2016/06/16/vanagon-rear-shelf-support/
> 
> Alistair=
>