In March of 2014 I purchased a 1984 Vanagon GL passenger Volkswagon Vanagon. This was a GL passenger van. I've wanted a vanagon since i was a kid. I remember my childhood friend Jason Gibbons and his family had a two tone orange and creme colored vanagon that - even in elementary school - i was drawn to. I always thought IF i found a vanagon at the right price, i would love to get one.

Now - with that being said - another fact - I love to shop at Thrift stores. a few months before i purchased the van, i happen to be shopping at a local thrift store and I ran across an RC Helicopter - not a crumby Airhog one, but a competition ready Align Trex 250 for the price of @15! i didn't know anything about Heli's, but i knew enough to realize that if a large RC helicopter (like 22" long) with large Carbon Fiber blades, batteries, aluminum case, controller, etc. was there for such a measley price - you should buy it.

So I did. For about 2 months i attempted to fly this beast. If you've never flown a larger RC Heli - they take an amazing amount of skill to fly. Each time i attempted to just hover with this contraption - inevidebly, it would end in a part breaking - which would then result in a $50 repair. After MANY visits to the local RC store and numerous custom orders - i came to the conclusion that perhaps RC helis were not for me.

About the same time i came to this conclusion - i happen to stroll into yet another thrift store. This particular establishment - in addition to selling the standard old tired clothes, used tire chains, broken camp chairs and other whatnots - also had a 'donated vehicles' lot. It was within this area that i stumbled across a 1984 Volkswagon Vanagon GL passneger van. The price was quite attractive - $500 as is. It certainly presented a conundrum.

After looking over the van - i thought - MAYBE i could sell the damn RC helicopter for half the funds needed to purchase this van. Sure - there was a TON of work that needed to be put into it. the engine was completely disassembled. I CANNOT understate the state of disrepair this van was in. The engine was literally torn apart - down to the connecting rods separated, the crankshaft laying in a pile of metal pieces that may or may not have consisted of a complete engine, VW parts, subaru parts, some engine related, some not - laying in the middle of the van. but there was ALOT of parts and pieces there, maybe enough to assemble an engine - but probably not...

There was a cavernous hole where the engine went... either that or several kids that could power this box Fred Flintsonte style, with their short squaty legs through the bottom, moving the beastly van at 5mph through traffic. Tires, various parts struined about in all places of the van. I wasn't sure what to make of it, but i was still intrigued. I thought i would wait and see if the price lowered consindering the vast amount of work that would be entailed to get this thing running - muchless roadworthy.

After a ferw weeks - the van was finally available on a 'Half price' day - so i took the plunge - taking my proceeds from the RC Helicopter that i sold on ebay for $240 - and purchasing the vanagon. And so - the journey began.