Meet Patience

We are travelling South in an '86 VW Transporter (Vanagon) that we purchased in downtown Vancouver in January 2009. She's not a pop top, but she's styling and way more stealth! The guy who transformed her into what she is today really new what he was doing. He installed shelving, storage, a bed, wood paneling and a swivelling front chair to make it feel like home and to maximize the space. We're surprised at how much room we have and how easy it is to keep things tidy. In our attempts to get her ready for the trip the van earned her name "Patience" and continues to remind us of her name often. Although she has also earned the nickname "White Heat". She's not a quiet ride or a cool ride, but we love her! Here are some of the things that we have done so far...

Fixed coupling in the steering column (Whistler, BC)
New Battery
Front brakes and bearings
New distributer cap, rotors, spark plugs and ignition wire set
New ignition coil
Oil change once using 10W30 and once using 20W50 (she likes it thick)
New thermostat, thermostat housing and coolant flush
New rear CV joints and boots
Fixed a cracked transmission mount (Nelson, BC)
New rear brakes due to a leak (Nelson, BC)
New front shocks (Laramie, Wyoming)
Two new tires and alignment (St. George, Utah)
New starter and hot wire relay (Phoenix, AZ)
New coolant plug due to exlosion (Guanajuato, Mexico)
Got horn fixed (Guatemala and Juayua, El Salvador)
Disconnected the alarm (Juayua, El Salvador)
Installed thermoswitch (Juayua, El Salvador)


Click on one of the photos to enlarge