BUILD-OFF CHALLENGE: Dirty Cossack's Build Options

[JoeDees]

It was a long weekend but more in-laws were in town... but I still found some time to hit the workshop. It still wasn't the most productive time because I realized after it was too late to buy more that I was extremely low on welding gas. So I used my little bit of gas to weld the little piece on the long to flush it up, and the little piece on the front engine shelf. Then I got the floor cut out and all sized up to receive the new panel from RD, cleaned up the pictured rust and did some other random cleaning up around the car. This made days 2, 3, and 4 that I actually got to work on the car in 2016 since illness and an eye injury sidelined me... But the best 914 news of the year was finding that the inside of the tunnel was clean and 99% clear of rust!

Funniest moment was that the only thing I screwed up when cutting were both of the old fuel lines, which were rotted and needed replaced anyways.

[JoeDees]

Other pics

[JoeDees]

We picked up a new class of students this week so it was a short, 1 day weekend. So I spent it getting the floor piece ready to weld in, but then realized it would be easier to fix the lower firewall pieces with the big hole there, so I fabbed and welded in some pieces. Just a note and a question: My plan is to get the pieces welded in and a quick, rough grinds, I'll then go back for finishing/cleaning/prettying during paint prep--one area at a time. Is that a bad idea?

[JoeDees]

This weekend's goal was to tack the floor section in and finish making the firewall. I actually met my goal. Due to the curve at the bottom of the upper firewall, I found it easier to make it in sections rather than one big piece. I decided to make a photo sequence of my grinding technique: I first hit it with the grinder to get the tallest, toughest spots, then I switch to a rough grit flap disc and work my way to smoother discs. There are still some holes to be filled and grinding to be done, but that will come later when it's time for finishing/paint prep.

[JoeDees]

But the big event of the weekend was getting the floor section welded in. I had it fit and ready to go from last weekend, so it was just a matter of lining it all up, getting the edges even, etc. The big task was at the corner where the triangle will go; it stuck up a few mms and almost a cm at the corner. However, starting the plug welds at the other end I found I could hit the next hole's area a couple times with the hammer and it would go down flush all the way down the line. For some reason I threw a couple extra welds at the edge...and wish I didn't..they're extra ugly.

[JoeDees]

The story begins 2 weeks ago... I spent that Saturday grinding the welds that hold the new floor section in, and it went wonderfully. So I decided to weld the seat mounts in, which worked out well too. I then decided the next logical step was to weld in the little reinforcement plate underneath. It was now Sunday and I had been in the garage for about 20 minutes fitting the piece in place when I noticed a completely separate area could use some grinding... 2 seconds into grinding my bad shoulder gave out causing me to drop the grinder which caught my finger on the way down, taking an enormous chunk of it with it. Over an hour later I still couldn't get the bleeding to stop so we went to the ER where they had to cauterize the wound since there was no flesh to stitch.
The real horror was upon arriving home to find that our 11 year old dog had lost the use of her back legs (she spent a night at the vet's the week before and had been having all sorts of issues) it seemed that she had another stroke... She died peacefully a few hours later and only a few hours after that I was taking my students to their field training exercises.
Cutting to the chase, spending a week in the field with my wound was a bad idea and I developed a rather wild infection deep in the finger (but luckily not the bone). So here I sit with a well healing but oddly swollen finger and antibiotics that give me explosive diarrhea watching March Madness. I may not even be allowed in the garage next weekend, which would mean 3 weekends in a row. After the eye injury and now this, added to the fact that I'm taking the entire month of April as vacation to visit family; this build is waaay off schedule, but better late than never right? Bonus picture of the dog.

[Andyrew]

Really sorry to hear about your dog! Looks like a really loyal part of the family.

Hope your infection heals soon!

Best wishes! (Your metal progress thus far has been fantastic!)

[trojanhorsepower]

Sorry about the loss of your dog. I have one that has been on her last leg for over a year now. Every time I wake her up in the morning, am surprised when she gets up!
Keep plugging away.

[JoeDees]

So it's been a long time... After the finger injury's infection caused a bout of pneumonia, and then the going on vacation for the entire month of April, it was really nice being home in the garage the last 2 weekends.

Last weekend, APR 30-MAY 1 was only a one day in the garage weekend. That Saturday was spent with the newest addition to our family: a little girl we found at the dog pound named Muttley. She's an interesting mix: German shepherd and greyhound... Then Sunday I finally got the little floor support piece welded in, a job I started in early March which almost claimed my finger. Then I welded in the little jackstand triangle thing. All of this was pretty straightforward work so I feel like I had to have done something else too...

[JoeDees]

This weekend was spent on one major job, a job I thought was going to be minor. I had about a 4" x 4" hole, but when I went to weld in the piece that was part of my RD replacement panel I found that its bends and shapes didn't really fit and the surrounding metal was unweldable and I had to cut a lot more out. I salvaged some of the piece, but the rest needed to be fabbed. I'm extremely proud of the work and the technique and wish the photos could better show the compound curves accomplished. Here's how I did it: I would weld one edge of a small piece, then bang another edge to meet its mate, weld it, then bang the next, etc, one piece and one edge at a time. I used no hammers, but only dollies for the banging since they were easier to wield in the small spaces.
It was kinda funny that on Saturday I ran out of welding wire, and then today (Sunday) I ran out of gas, so I did some work organizing the garage, removing the heat shield and targa pad, and other little jobs that would eventually need done anyways... It's just funny that what I thought would be an easy, 2 hour job turned out to be a crazy, 2 day job. It still needs some finishing, but that will come later when it's time for primer prep.

[jkb944t]

Looks like you are making some good progress despite some unfortunate setbacks!

Jeff B

[mbseto]

Just catching up on your thread, quite a month... Sorry about your loss... Good to see you can still grip a torch!

[JoeDees]

Thanks! My only handicap (from the finger) I've noticed is that I can't really grip things with my forefinger, such as hand tightening nuts, so I have to use my middle finger...

But a serious question: walking through the garage today I noticed that the bottom, passenger side corner of the windshield trim has popped off. I have no idea when it happened, but could this be a bad sign of something? I checked all of my gaps and they meet the measurements I made both before and after the long surgery. What could have caused this? Temperature/pressure change? All of my recent bangings on the car?

[JoeDees]

The "build off challenge" has turned into a "life challenge," and this weekend will be remembered as the one spent sitting bolt upright but crooked, and doped up. If you recall my shoulder issue, the newest doctor's theory is that the minor neck issue I'd complained about for 2 years was actually pinching a nerve that caused certain muscles to not function properly which resulted in the shoulder instability/dislocations and subsequent labral tears and detachments. So in the Army's style, they began a treatment program on the neck (physical therapy, chiropractor, etc) without ever imaging the neck. Fast forward to Friday; the damn neck locked up and is stuck in a weird position with shooting pains down and across my chest, back, and shoulders, but mostly the left/good shoulder and arm with a weakness in the arm that won't let met even hold a coffee mug... On Friday they just sent me home with drugs and told me to wait until Monday, so hopefully this will finally result in an MRI and a referral to a specialist.

It's a terrible thought, but I'm starting to make contingency plans for how to quickly and easily get the car ready for travel home to KY in the event of a medical retirement/discharge... I think it's inevitable at this point, the only questions are when and what medical procedures will come first.

I'm not giving up on the 914 or the challenge, but I know there is no chance this thing will be done by 9/14/16... In the spirit of the challenge's fun, I'm hoping there's an extension contest for those of us who don't finish.. haha

[Darren C]

Shit Joe, I'm real sorry to hear your news. I hope the specialist can get to the bottom of the issue and sort it out.
I wish you a speedy recovery. If its any consolation I am really enjoying your build and have marked you high in the last two votes. What's important now is your health, don't worry about deadlines on the car. I'm a Gulf War veteran myself who was invalided out of the Uk Armed Forces following injuries sustained during Operation Desert Storm many years ago. I know first hand how once your on that Military injury runaway train your career and life is turned upside down. I imagine its the same stateside as it is here in UK. Lets hope they can fix you up and not worry about discharge.
Best regards
Darren

[JoeDees]

Thank you, I'm confident I'll be fine. This whole thing has just been annoying.

[Andyrew]

Really sorry to hear about your health issues! I hope you get better soon!!

[JoeDees]

I'm a Gulf War veteran myself who was invalided out of the Uk Armed Forces following injuries sustained during Operation Desert Storm many years ago.

Apparently I didn't "add" the post I wrote last week, but you guys were my heroes when I was a kid. I was 11 during Desert Storm and used to run home from school to watch the coverage on CNN. I had "support our troops" t-shirts and hats, had my dad take me to a homecoming parade and all that jazz. Even my Cincinnati Reds who won the World Series only months before took a backseat to my obsession with Gulf War vets. Given this and that my parents were both Vietnam vets, it's really amazing I waited until I was 31 to join.

[JoeDees]

Still fighting Army doctors for an MRI and referral to a spine specialist, but I managed a bunch of time in the garage today. I had a couple miracles in that I got out of work early Thursday and Friday so I played around pulling the foam out of the right rear fender corner and some cleaning up. Today I dissected my right sail panel removing rusted metal, foam, and seam sealer (total pain in the ass-the factory was obsessed with seeing how dense they could get this stuff). After I took the pics I cut out some more metal before hitting the area with the wire wheel, sandblaster (which made my day of cleaning up pointless), and treated the whole area with rust converter stuff afterwards. And since I had some time left on the clock I decided to weld up the holes on the heat shield stands in preparation for the day when I drill holes and make it removable.I also realized that I am really dreading/avoiding that daunting task of welding the suspension console on...

[2mAn]

man, that thing is collecting a lot of rust.... and yet it doesnt seem like much for a 914 haha keep it up