So last night . . .

Yes  there is MUCH to go over getting me to this point, but I have been a busy man the last couple days.

Monday night I picked up my Bostig.  My engine has served her purpose dutifully and has not let me down, but she is tired and leaking from one of the gaskets.

So the observant reader will notice that I bought a turnkey version.  Yes, I do have the skills to install one of their kits easily, and yes it was  more expensive to buy a turnkey.  However many skills I have, one of them is knowing a good deal.  By purchasing the turnkey, I get the high capacity oil pan, the SCT reflasher included, an engine with less than 40k, and a 5 year warranty on the engine.  Plus at this point in the year, after being down more than I wanted for paint I need to minimize my downtime and maximize our enjoyment of the van or the wife will get on me.  Happy wife - happy life!

Since Bostig is an hour from my home, I went to pick it up and save shipping. 

Two nights ago, I yanked the WBX out of the van.  I did it myself and in one piece.

I put the van up on ramps with a piece of plywood underneath.  I then disassembled the wiring I would not require and placed over the top of the WBX.  I lowered the engine and transmission down upon a bread rack roller I had around and slid it right out.

Complete removal - ecu, fuel system, electrical system all still attached.  This will either be placed into my parts van (after a head gasket repair) or be sold as a complete unit.

Last night, after getting pissed off by a client, I started prepping the van's engine bay for the installation. 

Sandblasted the compartment.

Sprayed Dupont's Metallok primer and allowed to cure.

And then sprayed the Imron color to match the body this morning at 5:30.  It will be 90 degrees today while I work, so the paint should cure up nicely before I get home. 

I have already installed the clutch assembly on the zetec, changed out the transmission oil and can mate them together tonight.  Will require assistance to get the motor back in so I can make sure I do not ruin my new engine bay paint while jacking the engine up.

Keeping track of time to install?  Remove WBX took 2 hours.  Prepare and perform sandblasting took 2.5 hours and most of that was constructing a tarp tent inside the van to contain any aggregate mess.  Clean up the mess, wipe down, tape up the bay and to spray the primer took about an hour.  and then to paint the color and clean up the mess this morning took about an hour.

Jumping ahead

We find a completed (are they aver REALLY completed?) Vanagon, with new bits and pieces installed.  We will delve into various systems installations, but since it has been a month since painting, the public deserves to see the current state of the Thingamajigger.

 

Sixth car in the lot for the Vermont Tough Mudder.  I was a bit excited and could not sleep anyway.

Numerous comments while we were at the event on the van.  Everything from 'Cool van man' to 'What the F*** is that?'







On the way home from the Mudder (I survived it) we saw a couple other Westys.  We stopped and enjoyed the Vermont views wherever we could.

My son believeing that the Thingamajigger needs a hood ornament like the Mercedes.  He broke our statue of Buddha earlier in week and I found it propped up on the van.  Strangely appropriate, yet unsettling.

Enjoying the New Hampshire countryside.

 

 The Passaconaway park on the Kancamagus Highway.  Met another Westy owner here.  Nice 86 weekender painted Pearl white.











Nothing like a heavy downpour to prove that you really do need windshield wipers.  This one turned 180 degrees on me in a hurry, leaving me to pull over and swap the passenger one over and continue with a single wiper.  Later I found that I had picked up a nail when I pulled over and needed to get my tire repaired too.

Painted

As I write this, the van has been painted approximately 1 month.  So I am being lazy about maintaining progress on the blog.  Have actually been using the van for some camping.  A weekend in New Hampshire's Kancamagus Highway with my son, and a weekend in Massachusetts' Erving State Park.

And here she is, The Thingamajigger!

So this is how she looked after driving home from the body shop.  Only glass installed is the windshield which I had a glass shop install a new one.  The old one was cloudy around the edges.

As you can imagine, she needs a TON of work to replace all the bits and pieces that have been removed to get her here.

You can notice the missing flue vent here.  cleans up the lines a bit.

No gaskets in front doors here, just some rags and duct tape holding doors closed.

Clean tail section.  Did install the gasket in hatch, along with the rubber bumpers but a bungee cord is holding it closed.