Optimusglen's build off challenge, 6-cylinders of goodness. Ready for my next cross-country trip. Options

[whitetwinturbo]

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[rudedude]

Are you going to leave as a tail shift? I believe that is what you have isn't it?
Might have all the parts you need gathering dust for side shift.
Jule

[Optimusglen]

It is a tail shift. For now at least I'll need to keep it, the limits on time and money are wuickly approaching. I'd love a side shift, but it's not in the cards.

[Optimusglen]

Yes, I have one of them on order.

Another day in the garage, I built a positive pressure bleeder to keep the reservoir full and pressurized to about 3psi. I have speed-bleeders on all 4 corners so it was pretty simple to crack the bleeder, pump the pedal several times to move fluid through, then close the bleeder. Bled them in the correct order (RR, LR, RF, LF) and adjusted the rear brake pad clearance before and after. Got all corners bled and ran out of fluid, I'll let it rest and then bleed the whole set again once I pick up some more fluid.

I didn't have a chance to fully rebuild the axles, it'll need to wait until later. I absolutely needed to get the car on the ground and moved over today, so that meant not hooking up all the cables just yet and just getting the axles in. In my VW days I know that if you rolled a MK1/2/3 VW Rabbit/Golf/Jetta without the axles in place, you'd ruin the bearings. Not sure if that's the case with the 914's, but better safe than sorry.

Once the brakes were done and the axles in, it was time to mount the wheels again and lower the car. It's been a mystery exactly what the "stance" would look like so I was very excited to see what I had. I knew that I would probably want to space the fronts out a bit, and that the rears would be close to the fender even after I rolled the lip.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/c1.staticflickr.com-19709-1483138538.1.jpg)

Happy to report that the rears are about perfect. On full compression they tuck inside with almost a centimeter of room. The fronts DO need to be spaced out, I'll start with 20mm and go from there.

I rolled it outside in the daylight.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/c1.staticflickr.com-19709-1483138538.2.jpg)

Never before has the orange rocker covers and front lower panel looked so odd. Can't wait until it's warmer and I can paint those...

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/c1.staticflickr.com-19709-1483138539.3.jpg)

So now that the car is on the ground and my wife can park inside again I'll be hitting small things here and there on the weekends, the goal is still February for running/driving.

[PanelBilly]

Looks like the front is sitting high. It's not much work to lower it a bit.

[Optimusglen]

Yes, that's on the list too.

[Optimusglen]

More un-progress.


I decided to put the Compomotive Fuchs up for sale with the tires and get something else. After a bunch of forum reading I settled on Euromeister Fuchs in 16x7 all around. These will get the same RSR treatment as the previous wheels, or something close.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/c1.staticflickr.com-19709-1490041598.1.jpg)

Here's someone elses car with the same wheels/size/offset. Stole it from Facebook. If this is you, sorry, and thanks. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/c2.staticflickr.com-19709-1490041599.2.jpg)

Since my last update I also got the headers blasted and ready for paint or powdercoat. Been working on some projects for Eric at PMB and in return got a new pair of rear rotors to finish out my brakes. Picked up a new speedo cable, but have not installed. Started assembling the shift linkage but have not adjusted.




Work in the garage is delayed even more though, we had a pretty big scare late last week. TL;DR at the bottom

Last Wednesday my wife went into the clinic because her leg started swelling up. She had some lower back and hip pain on that side for a few days prior. They did an ultrasound and discovered a massive clot (DVT) from her ankle all the way up into her hip. Any amount of googling will tell you this is a very serious thing.

We transported her over to the hospital where they got her on some blood thinners and kept her overnight Wednesday. She started on pill blood thinners and also shots to get it started while the pills built up. Thursday they did another ultrasound and saw that the clot was extending all the way up into her abdomen. Later on Thursday they prepped her and did a procedure. First they went in through her neck to place a safety screen/mesh in her chest. This would catch any rogue blood clot bits and potentially save her life. Next they put a special catheter in at her knee and fed it up into her abdomen. This catheter has several holes that slowly soak the clot with a breakup drug. The catheter also has a wire inside emitting an ultrasound pulse that helps to break up clots. They left all this in place overnight and moved her into the ICU for the night. Surrounded by machines buzzing and beeping.

Friday they did a follow up procedure and were less than impressed. They went in with different tools to pull out as much of the clot as they could. Got her on an IV drip instead of the shots. We spent the day in the ICU and that evening were moved into a regular room. Friday night and Saturday morning we had to resume the shots.

She saw a physical therapist and did some practice walking and stairs, then were discharged Saturday night.

With blood clots, the big fear is some breaking loose and traveling to the heart, lungs, or brain causing paralysis, stroke, cardiac events, and/or death. Another fear is needing the limb amputated due to internal damage, or cronic swelling and cronic pain. We're blessed that she is recovering and that the pain is going down. She will be on the blood thinning pills for months, and I will be administering shots every 12 hours for several days. It is quite possible that she will have cronic swelling and the pain that comes with it for the rest of her life.

In her current state she can't really take care of baby Wren. She can hold her and feed her, but cannot pick her up and walk with her, she can only walk with the use of a walker. It's saddening seeing your 29 year old wife struggling to walk to the bathroom with a walker. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) So dad duty is at 100%, while also working from home whenever possible because I ran out of vacation days to use, and I am pulling nurse duty too since she cannot give herself the injections that are needed every 12 hours. We have friends and family that are helping out but it is still very hard.

Needless to say, work on the car has halted and will resume at a later date. Maybe when it's warm enough that I can have baby out in the garage with me.

TL;DR
-wife almost died - massive leg blood clot
-working through helping her, being a new dad, and the day job
-progress on the car has stopped for now, will resume later on

[914time]

Glen, I'm very sorry to hear this for you and your family...how scary! Thank you for sharing with your 914World family.

Stay strong for your wife and Wren and your friends and family will be strong for you.

Thoughts and good wishes to you guys.

[raynekat]

Glen...that's an incredible and scary story. Hits home as my wife is just over 30 weeks pregnant now. I send you all my warm wishes and hopes to you and your family. You've definitely got your plate full. Best of luck with everything and hope it all works out for the best.

[simonjb]

God Speed to recovery

[bretth]

Best wishes for the speedy return to good health.

Brett

[RickS]

May her recovery be swift and complete. Unbelievable that this happened to a 29 YO.

[matthepcat]

Scary. May her recovery be speedy and you guys take this time to recognize you are blessed with each other.

[pete-stevers]

Great progress thread!! Keep us updated on how you are all doing! All the best to you and your family!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Optimusglen]

Thanks guys.

Wife is getting better, swelling and pain are decreasing. She can carry baby now so that's awesome. Continuing recovery.

Started refinishing the Euromeisters. Did a faux RSR because I didn't want to get them anodized. Lip is the stock machined/polished, inner width of the lip and the pedals are dull aluminum, and background is flat black. Pic was taken when they were still a bit wet so it looks glossy.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/c2.staticflickr.com-19709-1490792709.1.jpg)

Loving how the first one came out.

Tires are Firestone Firehawk Indy-500 in 195/55-R16 because I wanted easy fitment.

[raynekat]

Wheels look super.
That tire size should work out real well too.

Glad to hear the wife is improving.

[rudedude]

Glen,
So sorry to read all of this. Hope everything continues to improve. If you need anything let me know. I'd also like to come see someday now that the weather is improving.
Jule

[JustinMeier]

Yikes!!!! and 29 even (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

Good thing medicine is what it is today or it sounds like it would have been a lot worse.

[Optimusglen]

Agreed.

She's making a quick recovery so far, swelling is down a lot, and pain is down too. No longer needs the walker to get around and can drive her car again (she drives a manual) All great stuff.

Couple more pics of the project. I finally had enough of the orange rocker covers. The bodywork/paint part of the project will be a few years down the line probably, and I wasn't about to wait that long to fix the rockers, so I just sprayed them quick.

Also mounted the wheels and rolled it out into the sunlight.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/c1.staticflickr.com-19709-1491077781.1.jpg)

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/c1.staticflickr.com-19709-1491077782.2.jpg)

I want to drive this so bad. I might get a whole Saturday next week that I can tackle some more on it. Every time I put a list together of everything I still have to do the lsit gets longer and longer.

[Cairo94507]

Glen - God speed for a full and complete recovery for your wife. When stuff like that happens, the world stops in all other ways.

Oh, love the RSR finished wheels too. Are you going to off the front half of the left front fender and replace or try to straighten that?