Why Didn't You do Anything to Your 914 Today?, or, What the Fuch is Keeping You From Working on it? Options

[tvdinnerbythepool]

Took a break from German Engineering to fix some long overdue bugs in this beast!

Our second restoration and an absolute blast to drive. 1970 Maverick 302.

Chased down and found a bad ground after 6 YEARS that was messing with the headlights and turn signals. Driver window fell off it's track, hood latch adjustment. Snug up the exhaust, a bit leaky. And installed a new harmonic balancer to hopefully solve some vibration issues.

Hope all you 914 lovers can appreciate something a little morerumbly

[Mueller]

Hard to work on the car when asleep most of the weekends. Not sure if depressed, not motivated or just so far behind I don't care anymore..I am trying to clean my mill today after sitting idle for 4 months. Not sure what to do afterwards.

[914 Ranch]

Worked on the truck, got the fuel tank back under it. Mabe tomorrow I can get it ready to put fuel back into it.

[michael7810]

Because it’s too effin’ hot in Phoenix

[TravisNeff]

Because it’s too effin’ hot in Phoenix

That's for sure! I got roped into helping my son replace most of his AC system in his honda this past weekend. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[championgt1]

Yard work!

[Superhawk996]

Well, yesterday I was supposed to have a skin graft surgery, one and done. Nope, they pulled a bait and switch. Due to size and depth of wound, it's now at least 2 surgeries.

1st to put in a synthetic skin layer that is really shark cartilage and cow cartilage collagen matrix that encourages your own tissue to grow into it. Topped with a silicone layer to hold in moisture and keep bacteria out.

Now here's were it get's interesting. To keep it all in place and to help ensure grafting between the tissues, they put a vaccum bag type dressing on it and uses a small vacuum pump to pull slight negative pressure.

Just like carbon fiber, I've been vacuum bagged!



It literally sucks. Very annoying and feels like a giant leech or something sucking on your neck. Very weird feeling.

Get to keep this baby for at least a week, maybe two. Then about a month from now we repeat the 2nd graft with another thinner epidermis layer.

There is the element of medicine that I find fascinating like this sort of technology but then I'm totally put off by having to sign a dozen forms that state medicine is not and "exact science", and to know that even a procedure like this still has a 10% failure rate where the graft doesn't take.

I'm an engineer - what if we made everyone sign forms that engineering isn't an "exact science" and there might be a small chance that your steering system might fail or a bridge might collapse unexpectedly due to load cases that the engineers might not be able to foresee or to control. There would be hearings in front of Congress and protests in the streets. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) Apparently medicine gets a free pass.

[euro911]

I had two doctor appointments yesterday ... an annual physical with my primary care physician and a follow-up with my gastro doctor. I asked my PCP if some dark spots, that have gradually shown up on my shoulders over the past couple of years, were something we should be concerned with.

Thankfully they're not, but seeing what you're going through, and what some other friends who've developed melanoma(s), have gone through, I wanted to get in front of it if needed.

Wishing you the best outcome (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[914Sixer]

107 degrees again

[Superhawk996]

Good job Mark! Better to ask and investigate than ignore it. Take it seriously guys -
Melanoma can kill you if left untreated.

In my case, both myself and even my dermatologist overlooked it for about 3 years because it looked more like Rosacea (light redness but blotchy). So basically it wasn't until it was evolving over time that he did the 1st biopsy of it and then we were off to the races. This was caught pretty early but it had grown in size substantially over the 3 years. Glad it didn't go another 3 years!


Here's a good except on Melanoma:

“Is this melanoma?” This is one of the most frequently-asked questions we hear. Most cutaneous (skin) melanomas are found by patients, not doctors, so it is important to know your skin and body well so you can recognize when a mole isn’t “just a mole.” Melanoma can look different from person to person, but if you suspect that a spot on your skin fits the following descriptions, talk to your dermatologist right away. Not all skin cancers and melanomas fall into these categories, so use this list as a starting point:

A change on the skin – this could be a new spot, or a change in color, shape or size of a current spot
A spot, sore or mole that doesn’t heal, becomes painful or becomes tender
A mole that becomes itchy or begins to bleed
A spot, sore, mole or lump that looks shiny, waxy, smooth or pale
A firm red lump that bleeds or appears crusty
A flat, red spot that is rough, dry or scaly
A black/dark spot or streak under a fingernail or toenail (that hasn’t come from previous trauma to the nail)

https://melanoma.org/melanoma-education/wha...oma-looks-like/

[cpavlenko]

Recovering from hernia surgery. B down for a month, no lifting, pulling, pushing over 10 lbs. Done with the liquid diet, and walking around the house and yard. I'm ready for a steak... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/chowtime.gif)

[napasteve]

"What the Fuchs is Keeping You From Working on it?"

Such a great question.

My main answer is vineyard work but we're also building new 10,500 gallon concrete water tanks for when the next fire comes along (not if, when).



And it's nice when your neighbor lends his excavator to dig up the partially burned 4" pvc pipe.



But it's a bummer when the track comes off.

[tygaboy]

@NapaSteve - Now THAT is real work! Here's to you never needing those tanks for their designed use case...
Hope all's well with you, Carole and Ethan!

[Superhawk996]

Recovering from hernia surgery. B down for a month, no lifting, pulling, pushing over 10 lbs. Done with the liquid diet, and walking around the house and yard. I'm ready for a steak... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/chowtime.gif)

Ouch -- that's brutal. 10 lb restriction - technically you can't even carry a 12 pack (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[jd74914]

But it's a bummer when the track comes off.

BTDT-at least they're rubber tracks; metal really, really suck to remount. My dozer undercarriage is shot and we've put them on way too many times. It's looking cheaper to buy another dozer than fix this one.

As for me...

My wife and I are simultaneously clearing an acre of rocky, wooded land (almost done, just moving rocks now), putting in a new driveway, and building a retaining wall/staircase from the pulled rocks to our future patio. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

Oh, and all of the work is being done with a 51 year old JD500 backhoe that likes to break stuff. Last month it was the diesel lift pump; this month its chassis stuff. Just today at lunch I machined tapered bushings to press into the bored out steering arms to tighten up the tie rods. Later this week they'll be getting pressed and welded; well, once I bore the arms. Then the stab cylinder blew a seal last weekend while pulling a 6'x4'x4' granite boulder (that's an 8 ton rock) so that's on the list for this weekend if the parts get here. Guess I pushed it a little hard. The strange part is you can usually feel over-pressure on the levers since they're direct so I'm chalking it up to age. At least these rocks will look great in the retaining wall! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

And on top of all of that I'm finishing writing papers before compiling into my dissertation...2 down 3 to go. If anyone has questions about extreme nearfield jet in crossflow mixing or flame stabilization just give me a buzz. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol-2.gif)

[bbrock]

Now here's were it get's interesting. To keep it all in place and to help ensure grafting between the tissues, they put a vaccum bag type dressing on it and uses a small vacuum pump to pull slight negative pressure.

Dude! That's gonna be one helluva hickey!

Keep your spirits up. Melanoma ain't no joke. Wife had melanoma removed about 25 years ago. Glad you are on the healing side of this deal.

[Mark Henry]

Tearing apart a 997....no rust but just as bad as doing a 914, worse it has coolant. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

[Larmo63]

I was busy trying to buy a '69 912 Targa.

[DRPHIL914]

My excuse is medical also- no work on the 914 for a while- has a major cardiovascular incident last week Monday- almost didn’t make it, i was on the floor face down in the dr office!
I am way ahead of what they expected- right after surgery(right after I was brought in Monday) they told Roshelle it would be 32 hours before they knew if I would make it and if I would recover - in 24 I was awake conscious and pull lung my ventilator out(I don’t remember that)
- it was my Left Anterior Descending(widow maker) and I have no cardiovascular disease or blockages (genetics are a bitch too) but that one he said was congenitally smaller and narrow and had a bend in it and over years of grown collateral circulation- we don’t know why it closed up suddenly - but if I had not turned my car around and driven back to dr office I would not be here- fell on floor of the dr office they did cpr the EMS was there in 1 minute, I was jump started 2x in ambulance, and was at the cardiac cath lab I hospital in 5 min- I was in and out with a stint in 15 minutes but it took a couple days for it all to settle down. It ICU recovery room for 3 days and 3 more to make sure I was stable, oh and then there is the pneumonia I got IN the hospital, but hey I am alive and here!
Sorry no pictures lol! I didn’t have my phone for a week.
But let me be a cautionary tale, 53, no CVD, no high BP, I don’t smoke, my cholesterol is 157, etc etc, . My warning to all if you is if your genetics are strong for a family history of heart attack at a young age, you need to be checked. Not just blood test, not a EKG, but a full work up with a ultrasound and maybe even a nuclear MRI. We probably would have found this decode it was too late I’d i had.
Cheers!

[Dion]

Glad all you fellas with the health issues are all on the mend. That some heavy duty crap. As an RN I know what all of you are dealing with. I’ve worked with patients with your scenarios.
Wish you all well! I count my blessings cause I’m in this age bracket now.
Be well. My excuse this week. Moving kids to college.