Final prep before the show....

Finishing touches before loading on the lift gate truck.

1) oil the chain & gear (believe it or not, it already had a tiny hint of rust!)
2) tighten the brakes
3) put in nicer looking canopy safety bolts, one on hood, one on top.
4) remove a few inches of Velcro from rear of lens so it fits on the cowl tighter.
5) put a dab of grease on tie rod ball joints
6) redo the front door seal using neoprene and a hot glue gun setup
7) remove powercheq modules so battery setup can be seen more easily

I had use of a stake rack truck with a lift gate. Equipped with a HEMI engine, it was a remarkably smooth running engine and had great climate controls, but boy does it like it's gas! I couldn't help think about the contrast of the truck to the BugE from an energy standpoint. After driving for 45 minutes, I arrived at the BugE assembly location. Loading the BugE on the truck to drive it to the symposium required two people. Since the lift gate was just a little narrower than the front tires, we needed to be a bit creative in how we loaded it into the truck.

First, the BugE was driven onto the lift gate so the left tire was on the gate. Then, setting the rear brake & propping up the fender, I could safely grab the rear wheel and put it on the lift gate as well. Then, we put a board under the front wheels, lifted the vehicle using the lift gate, then used a wooden dowel underneath to roll the board into the flatbed. Once loaded, it was then tied down. Then, the lens was covered with a soft cover & secured with tie down straps. Getting the BugE off the truck was the reverse of the process. The vehicle arrived in one piece and was then driven to the storage area to await being displayed during the symposium.

The lens had some fingerprints & smudges on it. To clean the lens, I found a 80/20 mixture of sprayed on water and white vinegar is gentle enough. Since scrubbing would likely leave scratches, I wanted to use a different approach. I found dragging a soaked microfiber cloth across the lens can remove smudges without leaving scratches or water spots. Just before the symposium, the body will be cleaned for a final time to get rid of any roadway grime. Gotta remember the Armor all for the tires!

POST SYMPOSIUM NOTES
The BugE was not promoted too well for this event, but it was very well recieved by those who did see it in it's pre-road legal form. It was a fully functional vehicle at that time, but it didn't have tags. Since then, it has undergone a retrofit to meet NYS-DOT requirements to use public roadways.