Chris Gkikas --  I've visited your website,

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/9860/rust_pictures.html

For a guy who smacked his knuckles working on wheels, you are showing
tremendous determination.  My hat is off to you, buddy!

My best guess is that you are looking at the effects of salt.....  Probably
your vehicle spent much of its previous life in a seaport town.  Midwestern
road salt does lots of damage to lower sheet metal, but raingutter rot makes
me think sea air.  I've noticed raingutter and roof rust in otherwise
pristine cars in the Caribbean islands.

Concerning rot under your windscreen/windshield rubber gasket ---  You can
try sanding this away, lifting the gasket edge and squirting some clear
sealer underneath,  and then painting with rust-inhibiting paints, but the
rot will return quickly.  The problem is that water gets behind the gasket.
The real cure is rather involved......... (if you ask).

(1) Where are you located, geographically?  (2) How much time do you have to
devote to this project?  (3) What's the general mechanical condition of your
Vanagon?  (4) Can you raise a few bucks to upgrade to a carbody in better
condition?

If you will post answers to these questions, you will surely get good
guidance from the Van-Agony folks on the List.

Glenn McComas, veteran of the rust wars, now retired in Queenstown, Maryland