Need some expert DIYer advice on fridge/fermentation

Hi,

I recently bought a refrigerator off a guy on CL with the intentions of turning it into a fermentation box.

One of the eBay temp controllers is en route so I'd like to hack up the fridge to get it ready so I'm good to go once the controller arrives.

It's a Kenmore fridge from 2008 (guy on CL said it was "old" and didn't have any pictures, almost wet myself when I walked in and saw this thing!) Model number is 2536482240g.

1. I'd like some advice on how to hack it up to be able to make the space as efficient as possible.

2. I'm looking to see if I can cut some holes between the fridge and the freezer to equalize the temp. I've scoured the internet to find a

3. Can/should I condition bottles in the temp controlled area?

Here are a few pics of the fridge:

I've thought about doing the same thing, but I have not yet looked inside the space between the fridge and freezer sections. I have 2 ferm chambers (well, three, but one only works in the winter...) and between them I can control temps on like 7 buckets. So the need hasn't arisen.

My idea was to cut the center out of the space so that the doors could still seal against the front.

Also, it might be useful to replace the door panel with a sheet of smooth plastic. usually you can pull back the sealing strip and unscrew it, take it out and replace it and screw the sealing strip back on.

Anyone have any luck putting holes or cutting out the space between the fridge and freezer? Are there generally any coils, wiring, etc in that space or is it just insulation?

I Did

mine was just like that one , except I transfered all the parts to my wooden icebox

re used the control box

There is a refrigerant line that goes around the outside perimeter of the freezer door ,it keeps the door area warm so it won't ice/freeze shut

find this down by the compressor or stuck somewhere underneath

my fermenter

Red -is airflow there are vents to the fridge section . the coldest adj. knob controls a flapper to lower section air flow .. Blue-is the refridgeant line around freezer door. Yellow -is the wire harness to the controls. Take off the back ipanel in the freezer compartment to see

Just a thought. I have left the original temperature controll and installed a temperature controller to turn on/off the supply power. This means I can control the cooling rate (by the minimum temperature). I can slowly chill the fermenter slowly over a few days, or crank it if I need to.