Class A Diesel Outdoor Kitchen Mod

[Electra 225]

Hello friends,
After a bunch of tedious work, and a break to finish my taxes, I have completed my multi phase project. On my 2014 Itasca Ellipse 42QD, I decided to make a dual purpose out of the tailgate package bay. This is the stock tailgate package on Tours and Ellipses......


After removing the stock unit, I made one half of the bay into my on-board pressure washer deionizer set up. You can see the project explained here:
https://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/on-...od-328026.html

This shows the bay before the washer unit install, with my new "wet bay", and slide rails moved to accommodate the yet to be built kitchen set up.


The finished washer project looks like this.....


My next phase was to redesign my outdoor kitchen. I started by building the basic "box" to fit in the slide rails. I used 1/2 inch sande plywood for construction. I set the box on the rails for a test fit.


Next are pics of progress on the box. I lined the box with outdoor carpet.......cut a hole in the back for fridge ventilation........and added a side vent to draw air in for fridge when bay door is shut. I also added a shelf to put stuff behind the fridge.


I finished the edges with aluminum stock which I polished before installing. On the side, I laminated hardwood flooring to the plywood for looks. It's durable and polishes up nice.

Below you can see the side vent.......and the shelf for stuff. Below that you can see the 12V DC fan installed to move air......and ventilation hole. I hooked the fan to AA batteries for test, but eventually it will be run from chassis battery power, (more on that to come). I installed an on/off switch in the fan wiring also.



More pics and conclusion in my next installment.

Regards,
W.D.

[Electra 225]

Below is the finished box before and after mounting to the slide rails.


Now I had to create my dual counter top. This involved a lot of measuring and test fitting and planning, drawing sketches, etc. The challenge is fun, but at times it can be- Everything had to fit exactly with the space available, or it wasn't going to work.

I originally was going to use Corian hard surface. But I decided to use a laminate on plywood instead, saving a good bit of cash. I found one that looked pretty good. The design is to have a counter top surface on top of the fridge (1/2 thick).......and another counter top over that one (1 inch thick)........being mounted on full depth drawer slides. The front piece hides it all, looking like it's 2 inches thick.
Beside the fridge is a space designed just big enough to store my new Coleman gas grill. I also found a good spot for my iRV2 sticker

Pics of the kitchen system in the bay, and pulled out on slides.



This shows the Coleman grill partially pulled out of it's storage slot.


I had to take the slide rails apart and lower the rails on the frames 1 inch, drilling new holes and re-riveting. This gave me more height to work with as the ceiling of the bay lessens in height from front to back.

Here's the finished project in it's extendable operation. I have about 4 feet of counter top space away from the wall of the coach. Also, the bay door serves as a good wind break and "back splash" easy to wipe down if need to.


As for the fan operation.....I ran wires from the chassis battery compartment through the coach basement (from other side rear).....that was a heck of a job.......over to the fridge....stealthing the wires the whole way. Before the switch and fan, I installed a 12V DC voltage regulator which holds the DC voltage to the fan at a constant 11.8 to 11.9 volts. My tests have been successful. The fridge/freezer stays at 38 degrees on fridge setting, and the fan cools the compartment when shut very well. The pull on the chassis batteries is minimal.

Next, a final few photos.

Regards,
W.D.

[Electra 225]

Here's the final pics to show operation.....



Last but not least, I mounted my paper towel reel vertical on dividing wall.
Hope you like the mod, it was fun to do. I'm contemplating my next mod now.



Thanks for viewing/reading my thread!

Regards,
W.D,

[Retired_Helo_Pilot]

That is absolutely awesome!! Great job!!!!!

[HerbZilla]

Nice job!!!

[RKins]

Very innovative - nice craftsmanship too.

[Gordon Dewald]

Nice work. Hope to see it in person in the future.

[Robleves0143]

Originally Posted by Gordon Dewald

Nice work. Hope to see it in person in the future.

That is impressive and very functional. Good job.

[UncleJamie]

Very nice work!

[Electra 225]

Many thanks y'all.
.

[SFarmer]

Great idea and very well constructed. Maybe Winnebago will buy your concept and make it an option on future coaches.

[Electra 225]

Originally Posted by SFarmer

Great idea and very well constructed. Maybe Winnebago will buy your concept and make it an option on future coaches.

Thank you [emoji4]

[Winemaker2]

Very nice design, execution and write-up.

Thanks

[markhbike]

Very nice. Plus when you are done cooking you can pressure wash your grill off. ;-)