Don,
It's below 0 up here north of Spokane.  A heat gun or even a hair dryer can
thaw out those frozen doors and save damage. Or place a small electric
heater in the van for a half hour or so.  Good luck
Doug Elledge
84' Van Go
67' Vert-i-Go

----- Original Message -----
From: "Don Hanson" <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 11:42 AM
Subject: How not to unstick a frozen slider.

>   Pacific Northwest, east slope of the mountains.
>
>  It snowed, warm and wet, yesterday.  Today it is clear and cold, in the
> low 20s and every entry into my van was frozen shut...Couldn't get in any
> door, tugging and pulling to no avail.  I finally got the driver's door
> open
> and crawled in.  I could see the latch for the slider had worked, the
> front
> was cracked open just a bit but the rear pivot slider...it was stuck in
> tight...  So I turned around backwards and gave it the boot...down near
> the
> bottom at the back...Wrong!  my foot wentright through the inside panel,
> that cardboard must have been a little old and brittle....The door didn't
> open, either.  I had to go back outside and use a flat pry bar to break
> loose the ice...
>
>  I *love* winter! (not)
>
> I guess it is almost time to think about the desert trip again...
> And I have been wanting to spruce up some of my stock inside panels with
> some nice wood or something....
>
>  Don Hanson