New Door Panels

I came across a set of ABS panels on eBay and emailed the seller to see if he could make a full Westy set.  Turns out they look pretty damn cool installed!  Cutting holes for the speakers was a trick.  I had to build a custom circle jig, and the mounting positions are different in each door, so it was a lot of measuring and remeasuring with my digital caliper.

http://stores.ebay.com/werksberg

Westly Gets New Shoes

I took Westly to the mechanic for some brake work, and he told me that I should have a look at my right front tire.  I'm not really sure how it didn't blow out on me, given that it had a +1 foot tear on the sidewall...  A new set of 16" alloys from GoWesty with some nice tires later, and Westly had gained some road manners and lost some highway noise!

PSA - Leave Woodwork To The Pros

I tried my hand at cabinetmaking for the van.  I had drawn everything up in Google SketchUp and figured I didn't have much to lose.  Well, turns out cabinetmaking is an art.  The end result was a lot sloppier that I wanted, so we're keeping the accessories and beginning the search for a professional cabinetmaker.

The 4th In The Sierras

A few friends and I took Westly into the Sierras for the 4th of July for some much-needed mamping (man-camping).  Needless to say, there was a substantial difference in cruising speed and comfort between the guys in my buddy's new M3 and Westly, but there's nothing that the 1000W sound system can't overcome!  The climb into the mountains was a bit hard on the van - it was 108˚F in the valley, and the steep highway up had us cruising in the shoulder at 25mph.  We had done a bunch of research about dispersed camping before heading up, and needless to say, we found a great spot (details below)!  Lots of off-roading and a serene hike to a nearby lake.

http://www.totalescape.com/outside/campsites/14s11-sequoia-nf/

Westly Geets Bootylicious

Not taking a liking to having bare bumpers, we placed an order for Twin Peaks bumpers from Rocky Mountain Westy (http://www.rockymountainwesty.com/).  Installing the bumper was a SNAP!  Drilled a few holes in the front bumper with a step drill, and everything slid right into place.  I was worried that the dent in the front bumper would need to be flattened, but the plates seemed to fit right over it.  Chrissy's dad also hooked us up with a sweet carbon-fiber pattern Colgan bra!

Westly Has A Beer (Or Two)

Boonville Beer Festival 2013!

Putting The Pieces Back Together

After days of wet sanding, cutting, and polishing, we were ready to get Westly drive-able again.  We ordered a new SA Grill, LED indicators, LT Truck Mirrors, new hookups and seals from GoWesty.  The old handles were sanded down and painted with POR-15 Chassis Coat.  The windows were tinted by a local shop.  Turns out, they made several mistakes, and the tinter claimed that it was extremely hard for him to tint the windows OUTSIDE of the car.  After much bargaining, we got the shop to comp the labor, and we paid $100 for premium tints.  Putting the windows in was a chore, but acting on a tip from TheSamba, we used thin nylon string sprayed with soapy water to pull the seals back into place.  It took a bit of practice, but we only ended up making a minor tear in one seal.  No biggie!