Plastic Surgery

The Van of Discovery is going in for major, massive body work. It's needed it for two, three, four, and even five years. I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did. So why didn't I get it done before now? Many reasons. First, when I had the time, I didn't have the money; and when I had the money, I didn't have the time. I chose to use the van for what it was intended for -- to travel and see the U.S. -- and boy, did I.

Second, I tried. I brought the van to many, many body shops. I was told they only do insurance work, I was given the run-around, I was ignored completely, and I was ripped off by the one place that actually did some work. Once I found a local guy who would do the work, but he only worked outside and we lost our window of opportunity; it got too cold for him to work on it.

Then, by the grace of God, I got my answer. A fellow Roadtrek owner by the name of David Crook had major frame work done on his Roadtrek at The Cobra Shop in North Fort Myers, FL. I knew if I ever had a chance to get down to Florida, I was going to have The Cobra Shop do the work if I had to beg, scream, and cry for them to do it. Then my prayers were answered again. I got a job IN FLORIDA; not only in Florida, but in the Fort Myers area -- well sort of, but that's another story.

After working in nearly every corner of Florida and waiting three months, I am finally here and the Van of Discovery is at The Cobra Shop, lovingly being taken care of by Mike and Tim.

For your amusement, here are some pics of the work that needs doin'. These are the three worse:

Here are more pictures that aren't as bad. This is some fiberglass repair that needs doin' on the running boards:

The rip-off work. I paid $2K for this to be fixed two or three years ago. OK, maybe it wasn't all for body work. I had new shocks and a battery installed, too:

Mike called at 4:30 this afternoon to give me an estimate and also told me the work might be done by Friday. I can't believe all that work will be done in less than a week. If it wasn't for the fact that Mike and The Cobra Shop were highly recommended, I would worry about getting ripped off again. Mike assured me I should get a good five years or more out of the van, as long as the engine is in good shape. My mechanic says it is.

The next edition of this blog should be the finished work, unless I can get down to The Cobra Shop and take some pictures while the van is being worked on. It is a bit far and I have no transportation.