on the road, day 6

currently in lafayette, LA...staying at the home of new friends (that i met thru Instagram) Jan and Rob. and wow, what a great first 6 days. it truly is a beautiful world we live in, and i highly enjoy the awesome people that i get to encounter and meet along this road known as my life. i'm going to roll up this first week into one blog, apologies if its a bit long. (either deal with it, or dont...no sweat off my nuts)

first stop was Atlanta (monday)...and i was greated by new friends and an awesome food fight (yea, it was a bit of a waste of food, but definately a chaotic 30 min ordeal). though i only got to kick it in atlanta for only a day, it treated me well and engulfed me with some nice memories. hey chris, if you're reading this, we'll probably cross paths again along our journies...kerri, thanks for everything. while making the trek from atlanta to franklin, TN...i noticed that the van chugs down oil like a rockstar does booze...whoa! though, she did amazingly well, even through the hills/mountains...during this entire days drive (tuesday), i actually got the privilege to pass up one other vehicle...that's right, only one....lol...
franklin is a pretty neat little eclectic city about 20 min south of nashville. thanks prosperity for putting up with me for two days, i truly had an awesome time. good food and live music...thanks to sarah for hanging with me in nashville, it was a nice afternoon. i chef'd up steaks and burgers for 'prosperity and friends' in the evening before i head'd out.
thursday was my drive until i was tired day (i wanted to get to lafayette friday sometime)...nothing too exciting, except i got to pass up 4 vehicles that afternoon...yea, i gunned it and honked the horn with excitement as i cruised by them. (its awesome how many people love and respect the van, and only a very small handful dont...but oh well) the stretch of highway i was on, was covered with trees and only had exits every so often...so thankfully i had good tunes, my portable pee pee bottle and snacks. finally as night crept upon me, i'd guess somewhere along the lines of 10:30ish i decided to pull over off the beaten path and do a little guerilla camping...it was kind of in the middle of bumfuck nowhere in mississippi...and to a small degree it was horror movie scary. but i had my garden gnomes harry and benny, so i knew i was safe...plus, i once received a chuck norris roundhouse kick and didnt die...so, i'm sure i can surive anything now.
friday was my take my time driving to lafayette...so i stopped and got an oil change, and now...i'm hitting 20 mpg on the highway...not too shabby. my original plans for the weekend were to stay with some friends and posssibly cross paths with some new ones that i met thru Instagram......however, my friend and her sister (hannah and chas) lost their father...ladies, i send abysmal love and condolences to you and your family...lucky enough for me, one of the IG friends offered me a spot to kick it, so i had a spot to crash...its amazing how lovely things work out for me.

i'm sure there are a few kickass things that i'm purposely leaving out as well as just randomness i'm probably forgeting....but oh well....

i'll put pics and possibly update this again sometime in the near future...until, stay RAD and share your love and happiness...

sorry for the delay

long story short...i'm back

i guess first, i should update you guys on the progress of the van (sadie). well, mechanics wise...she runs like a champ now. put in a brand new transmission and have had all the oil leaks addressed. the interior is now done and looks pretty damn good. also replaced the radio and added a few speakers in the rear (not mounted or installed, but in small boxes with extra speaker wire for camping or hanging out purposes). eventually i'll get all the body work done (though, i did notice that the windshield leaks a bit, so i used clear silicone around the edges, to hold up until i can have it completely redone)

ok...thats enough of the past...and i'll add pictures when i get a moment to load them up.

restoration, the inside...part 1

after reading through forums...scoping out blogs...and allowing my creative juices to flow...i decided to start the process of working on Sadie's insides (figured it can't be that hard). so this past sunday, me and a friend of mine (thanks Butch) decided to grab some beer and start gutting Sadie out (hopefully pics will pop up on the bottom of this post). but first, i needed all the right tools. for, up to this point in my life...i've only owned a few tools, though...nothing too impressive to up my "man meter" (however, i do own a 20' ladder, hand truck, and drill that i'm proud to own...**fists beating my chest**)...and Butch being a carpenter...we came up with a nice list and hit both, Lowe's and Auto Zone to fulfil the list of tools needed (yes, i have upgraded on my "man meter".....again, fists beating on chest.

this past sunday...we were given great weather...so the only two other ingredients needed to start this project were beer and tools...check and check.

the previous owner had added an extra seat in the back, that faced the rear, due to the fact they had 3 kids...so, the first task was to unbolt and remove this chair (at this point, i dont think i will be putting it back in). second, was to remove the cabinet that housed the sink. thanks to some rust on the under carriage of the bus, i wasn't able to remove 'some kind of ring thing on the sink drain pipe'...so, after an idea from Butch and an executive decision, we sawed the drain pipe on the inside of the bus to remove the cabinet (not sure i will use the sink anyways going forward, so i can always plug the pipe...however, i may use the cabinet housing as storage of some sorts). third, was to remove the side cabinet...which has a cooler and storage box in it...this was very easy. fourth, was to remove the rear seat...which was also easy. fifth, was to remove what a lot of people like to call "the headbanger" ...this was a little tricky due to some jacked up screws...but eventually we prevailed. sixth, was to remove another side cabinet...also very easy.....sidenote, i'm now feeling pretty confident that all this inside jazz and fixing up is going to go pretty easy...now that everything from the inside of the bus is removed, except the two front seats...it was now time to remove the old school carpet...which also came out pretty easy.

a couple of hours and a few beers later...now was time to clean up and relax.

now its time to truly decide how i want to decorate and furnish Sadie's insides...more to come as it unfolds.

here are some before, during and after pics

and so it begins

it has always been a dream to own a VW bus...and this past december, that dream finally came true.

i'm sure you can imagine the excitement racing through my body during my 6 hour drive to Atlanta, in order to pick up my beautiful green 1978 VW kombi poptop. ultimate score...i agree with you.

driving this bay window bus home...was as if i was in my own spaceship pushing against the winds to reach my destination...rockets behind blasting me forward, a bit of a shaky cockpit, windows engulfing me allowing me to see the stars and moon as i zip and zoom down the highway, and the utmost important part, the smile birthed upon my face that takes no moment to breath...pressed on like a womans fake fingernail. however, about an hour before reaching home, Sadie craps out on me...after about an hour of disecting her with my brother (thanks Mic) we realize, she just needs some transmission fluid. and it was back on the road with no problems. (insert thumbs up and High 5)

i adopted Sadie (yes, that is her name...she was actually nameless until we crossed paths) with the understanding that she had some minor rust and leaked a bit of oil. besides the basic, what every man should know (oil change, tire change, radiator flush, air filters, fuses, bulbs...and lucky enough learning to change a windshield) i know nothing of cars or the mechanics to them. i figured, with my ignorance, small plastic surgery and maintenance would put her back into the game looking fresh. not to mention, i'm sure her morale would boost a bit.

well, middle of January i take her in to have the oil leak looked at...only to be called a few short hours later being told that her engine needs to be completely rebuilt due to the leak and metal in the engine, and that they didnt want to tackle this issue...man, my heart fell to the floor and my emotions were completely discombobulated. so, i did what any semi smart man would do, i curled up in the corner of my desk in the fetal position and cried...i'm just kidding, kind of...i hopped onto both forums of the VW clubs i belong to (FullMoonBusClub and LowCountry Vokswagen Club) and started calling around to find a mechanic that works on VWs.

for shits and giggles, i actually call the VW dealership...and was told that the man that would/could work on the older models has retired and that i was out of luck. after a little sweet talking...i got the manager to atleast tell me he would contact the guy, to see if he might be intrested in speaking with me (for i know, just a good chat and i'm sure i could land him to look at Sadie for me). well, 2 days go by and nothing...just as i was going to return to "what any semi smart man would do" (cry)...my phone rings, its Brad...the gentleman who retired. a very pleasing older chap who said he'd come to my house and scope out Sadie and that we would go from there. (again, insert thumbs up and High 5)

a couple days later, brad is over my place giving Sadie a good once over...says the other mechanic that said she needed a rebuilt engine was a moron...he'd be able to help out and for a pretty cheap deal...awesome i say...

a couple of weeks go by and we dont catch up...due to our schedules and what not...but finally i drop her off at his place...and he calls me a few days later telling me to come pick her up, i pick her up and he tells me one of the reasons for the leak was for something down in the dipstick tube or something of that sorts and that he ordered that part and will fix it once that part comes in...he then proceeds to ask me if i had problems with the brakes...i said they were a little hard in regards to pushing on the pedal to get her to slow down. he said that some tube wasnt on properly and fixed that bad boy for me also...after a few thank yous and some random chatter, Sadie and i were off to head home...and man, did she drive a bit different, in the good sense and the brakes...oh so nice! now, i wait to hear from brad in the next few days.

by the way...my first name is JoDan...hope you enjoy the adventures of Saide and I, and whomever we encounter along the way (who knows, may even be you)