Bravo---East Coast to the rescue.
Michael in San Antonio
91GL Weekender AT 2.1L 'Gringo'

On Sat, Sep 25, 2010 at 4:04 PM, Brandon Christophel <bchristophel@gmail.com
> wrote:

> I had beed doing small projects on my 1987 Westy for a few months.   As you
> do van research, you can't help but run across peoples experiences with
> rust.  I could see where my seams were showing a tinge of rust color.  I
> sense of dread sunk in.  Rust is like an iceberg they say.  If you can see
> the tip, then whats underneath is huge.  This is what started the sense of
> dread that I carried while finishing up small projects.  Pretty soon it
> became the monkey on my back and I couldn't take it anymore.  I finished up
> the projects and began to seek out a doctor for my baby.  Not just any
> doctor, I wanted a specialist.
>
> I put out some feelers.  The name that came back was "Zoltan".  He's had my
> van for awhile now.  He sent me a mail saying, "its out of paint and it
> looks beautiful".  You have to know the man but, he usually doesn't use
> decorative words like that.  He'll say, "and it's fine" or "that's ok".  So,
> I was *very* curious what I was to see.
>
> Getting the van to this point is the culmination of a lot of hard work.
>  Zoltan has been like the conductor of an orchestra.  Doing the tear down of
> *everything*, noting items to be replaced or fixed and giving me options
> along the way, getting the sanding done and bringing the body metal back to
> trueness,  attacking rust and going through the procedures he has to get rid
> of it and probably a hundred other things I'll never know he did.
>
> Today I get to see it.  The results of all this work so far.  So, in my car
> and off to Lynnwood I go.  I saw Zoltan and waved hello.  He was moving cars
> around among the fleet of Westys that are his domain.   We greeted and
> walked as we were chatting.  We rounded the corner of one of the other
> Westys and suddenly, I looked up and there it was, my baby... it was simply
> STUNNING...  I think I clapped my hands and yelped.  I turned to Zoltan and
> shook his hand.  "It's fantastic!" I said.  All his preparation work had
> paid off.  The van is incredible looking and yet, it doesn't even have it's
> trim put back on it yet.  Zoltan took me around the vehicle and led me
> through pieces of the the work and how it was done.  I just couldn't stop
> looking.  It's gorgeous!  We still have a ways to go but, man it's going
> well.  It is a work of art already.
>
> Zoltan won't brag so, I felt it necessary to send this mail.  He may not
> like it but, the way I see it, If I don't inform the community of the
> availability of a master craftsman and the fine work he is doing then, I am
> doing a disservice to all all those van owners who were like me and had a
> monkey on their back but, didn't know who to trust.
>
> Get rid of your monkey.  Call Zoltan.
>
> -Brandon