Whoa, has it been that long since I posted?

WHEW!!!!  I cant believe that its been SO long since I last posted!!!  Things have been CRAZY and unfortunately, the blog has taken the back burner for updates.

But, As things have been moving along very nicely with Shiggles, I have renewed my enthusiasm for posting and documenting our crazy adventure with this vanagon.

So, lets see, the end of the last post had me talking about Shiggles' main key (with POS on it mind you....which I found hilarious....)  So that gives me a good idea on what to update next.  I have so many photos and videos, that I will continue based on the dates.



So, the deconstruction of Shiggles continued on as it was cold and ...well cold (feb 2013)....  The extra hair dryer was making a dent in the bite of the chilly garage, but regardless, I was able to make substantial progress.

Ugh!  Yeah!  Diesel!  .....not for long though.... :(  

I was working on getting the windows out one at a time.  Pretty much the last one that I had to do was the rear hatch window.  This was rather easy since I had done it 5 other times just prior, so I thought of making a video describing how I did it  (below).  Well, I SAY easy....but that wasnt entirely true.  It was quite a kick in the nuts how stuck those seals were.  For example, The front pane needed like 80% of its seal COMPLETELY removed before the glass could come out.  It was insane how stuck that glass was to the rubber.  I found out the hard way (thus the cracked windshield) and was one of the reasons why I decided to buy the donor bus....(you'll see later....)

I started on the side doors and then worked around the van one at a time.  Realistically, I was just ripping shit off the van one piece at a time and for some reason, the windows looked enticing? 

The rear hatch after it was taken off and put in a place where I would actually cut the seal.  

Video

Meanwhile, I was taking things off the bus and documenting how they came off, their original condition, and things to take note of for later.  

The front of the van before I took everything off.  Pretty decent but needs some love.

 Parts of the grill is cracked and the whole thing will most likely need to be replaced or totally rehabbed. 

 I of course had to make sure that I evicted any nasty little buggers that came along for the ride.  I happened to find quite a few of these types of things on the exterior of the bus.  No dead animals in this vanagon.  ( FYI I might reference shiggles as a bus now and again. Its easier to type.....I know technically its a VAN......but I dont care.  Bus sounds better and is easier, so eat it a like it!)

 

 The front lights came out nicely and they were in good shape.  I will be reusing them.  Rubber was intact & supple and the hardware would be reusable if dealt with properly.  

A good portion of the front of the van was off.  Now it was time for the bumper..... Boy was I not expecting this....

 

When It came off, the backside was NASTY. The only thing that really bothered me about this was that it sort of embodied the two sided nature of these beloved vans. The front looks amazing, but just like most vanagons, you need to look past the shiny bits and pay attention to the spots that really matter.  Maybe you should take a look behind your bumper some day?  Youll be glad you did!  

 The backside of the bumper.  Lots of surface rust.