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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

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.

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

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.

Yard work!

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!

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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. Apparently medicine gets a free pass.

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

107 degrees again

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/

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...

"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).

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

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

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@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!

Ouch -- that's brutal. 10 lb restriction - technically you can't even carry a 12 pack

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.

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!

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.

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.

Tearing apart a 997....no rust but just as bad as doing a 914, worse it has coolant.

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

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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!

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.

Wow Phil, that's really scary. Glad you're with us and recovering fast!

Damn! I am glad you guys are doing way better- both of those events are scary. I worry about stuff like that all of the time.

still here kicking and screaming! I guess I was a difficult patient! my poor wife, I really needed to rest and recover those first 24 hours are so critical , even being sedated they couldn't get me to settle I guess, and i pulled a Houdini and pulled my vent tube out!, they were going to put it back in but somehow right after that my breathing went to normal and heart stayed in rhythm! so other than the pneumonia which is clear now, it was an amazingly quick recovery , atleast being able to get out of ICU so fast and get up moving. I have to go pay a couple visits to say thanks to a bunch of people now that i am up and going. No driving for another week or so and no working on the car for some time. Looks like i will be trailering the 914 for Okteenerfest. I have a friend coming up with again so he will shoulder the load driving but i will be there!!.

i have some parts i need to sell so if anyone wants some Restoration design rocker panels or other bits let me know i can bring it all up- we need a new thread for listing parts for buy/sell/trade / swap at Okteenerfest i think.

... and here I am complaining about chronic sciatica

Praying for your speedy and full recovery, Phil

DrPhil's situation sort of puts it all in perspective.

So glad you made it into the Dr's office!

Well, my wife wanted to mow our back yard, so I had to dig out some ancient lawn cutting machines that haven't been started up in over 10 years. We recently told our gardener that we'd take of the rear yard, because we grew tired of all the debris their blower blew into the many nooks & crannies in the car port area, under the cars, and everywhere else back there for that matter.

The edger wouldn't start. Going through the standard troubleshooting process, found that the air filter element was dried up and very brittle, so I had to make a new foam element. Pouring a little gas down the carburetor's throat allowed it to start for several seconds, then it died. Did the same thing on a few additional attempts, so I decided I'd get back to it after trying to start the mower.

The mower fired right up after a couple pulls, but was stuck on high speed, no matter where the speed control lever was positioned. I partially disassembled it to work on the carburetor linkages. Found that the throttle plate was stuck in the full open position, so it's working fine now after freeing the stuck shaft up

Back to the edger. I disassembled the carburetor and shot cleaner through all the passages. Put it all back together and it still didn't want to run. After watching some Youtube videos, I determined that the check ball at the base of the fuel pick-up tube wasn't completely opening, and not allowing enough fuel into the carburetor (there's no bowl), so I'll have to wait on the new tube I ordered to get here next week.

So my wife mowed the lawn, and I edged 40' of walkway with poultry shears

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Oh ... it was 90° here today

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This might have something to do with it.

We towed our non-running 914 project 1 street over to my place with a toyota tacoma and some ratchet straps.

Wow, there's a blast from the past. How ya doing Daniel?

You getting back to work on it soon?

I'm too busy driving my car to work on it. I drive it just for the fun of it, and, almost every day.

Spent the day picking up my exhaust system from Marty and Mattylite in L.A. then the afternoon looking over and hearing James MSDS system. Evening my family heading over to Mission Viejo lake for a concert on the lake. Back home happy

Thanks guys!!!

I am doing well and having a huge withdrawal and trying to behave - not easy for a work-a-holic ! I do hope to driving in the next week and doing light work like oil changes etc in the near future.

If you want some perspective, we had dinner with good friends last night, and my buddy’s wife’s says her brother works for the AHA, and a sobering statistic is this:
Only 10% of those having a heart attack episode resulting from a blockage or collapse Of the Left Anterior descending artery (widow maker) will survive . So needless to say I am truly blessed to be here !
I still have a bit of a problem processing this. I know many others here have had similar experiences or had family that did so I know it hits close to home for many.

I actually feel great! And am planning on a full recovery -
You guys be careful out there, do not ignore the symptoms or your genetics.

But enough of that - Let’s all get back to work

Dr Phil. Glad you are still alive. All the best for a fast and complete recovery.

Looking forward to seeing you at Okteenerfest, hope you are bringing that/6!

No BBQ from the Pink Pig! I didn’t have good luck last time we all are there a couple years ago. That’s one thing we really enjoyed last 2 years in Helen GA was great German food!

Rebuilt a shed floor yesterday at my son's new hose. Carpenter ants got to it. Framing was okay, they where building their home between two layers of flooring. Cut it all out, laid in 3/4 pressure treated and sealed it all up. Cut in a new door on the end of the shed so, he can get his mower in.

Today I finished up the shed details, came home unloaded my tools, started charging all the batteries I have for the cordless tools, and while I was waiting, I worked on my jib crane project. I was laying out a couple of pieces of 1/4" plate I will be using to hold the I-Beam to the top of the post. When I missed the edge of the bench, and promptly learned a lesson in gravity. both plates came down on my foot, missed the steel toe by about an inch. Sitting here typing this with ice on it, trying to keep the swelling down.

Glad to hear you pulled through Dr. Phil, BTW, great idea on a FS, Trade, or WTB at Okteenerfest. I have a lot of crap, treasurers I need to move out of the shop.

More Dr. visits, not cancer related thankfully. Latest PET scan and MRI look good.

Left eye has been blurry lately, diagnosed as L CHOROID NEOVASCULARIZATION.
Growth of new blood vessels that form on retina and pop bleeding into eye.

Had a shot into the white of my eye, will be going back monthly for anther shot.

On the plus side I have my mill running so I can attempt to make my boxster caliper adapters.


DrPhil, glad to hear you are recovering.

Working on the '64 Ghia, getting it ready for picture & getaway car duty at my daughter's wedding Sept 7.

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I was driving it all weekend.. Dawn Patrol at 10000 ft.

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Agreed! Father passed away at 69 following second heart attack, mother passed away with a burst aneurism. I felt tired trying to walk after eating, tight-chested and slight numbness down each arm – classic angina. When docs learned of my family history, straight in for stent and haven't looked back. Like the OP says, do NOT ignore symptoms.

BTW, did you know the guy who invented the heart stent is a Porsche collector?

now that is acool bit of information! did not know that - what was his name?
- my stent is a new hybid drug emitting type, has been infused with an anti-rejection medication , same used for people with organ transplants, to keep your body from buiding up scar tissue and rejecting the stent, that along with 2 specific meds to decrease any other platelet build up around it for the next 6 months, then if all clear ess back to normal with no meds etc! - lucky to be here, sounds like you are too!

will have to research that info about the stent development!

I am making an effort to get my truck back on the road. I finally got the fuel tank back into position, it's not bolted in yet. So maybe tomorrow I can finish that and put some fuel in it. Still need to bleed the brakes. It will be nice to have it running.

Not working on mine, cause I’m hindering umm I mean helping Dave with his 914.
Some TLC work to be done.

This wayward orphan followed me home today, and I think Underdog was a little jealous of it getting all of the Porsche attention.......

If not for a wobbly gas pedal, I'd drive it to cars and coffee tomorrow.

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Nice buy brother.

'Cause I still don't have a garage...storing the cars off site in temporary storage. But the plans are currently being made up and the bobcat has already leveled the yard for it

Worked the '70 Ghia a little more. Replaced all the old worn out window felt with new stuff, unclogged the gas filler well's drain tube, installed a new external mirror mount, washed it, took it out for a short drive, and parked it on the blvd with for sale signs on it

Still on light duty restriction and awaiting more engine parts.

Spent yesterday day trouble shooting and fixing a Rotel RB-970BX for a buddy.

$6.00 transistor replaced. Back in business. Nice little amp that will run 180W in bridged mono.

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Hopefully get out in the garage yet today and do some light welding repair work on GA000099 engine tin that I can do at the bench before it goes to media blast and powder coat.

Packing for our move in 5 days, and still on restrictions, it all the tools in garage got packed yesterday, 10 guys showed up and packed my whole garage!!
So while I am not working on the 914, some work will be getting done this week, a friend of mine knows an upholstery guy and is taking my original back pad over tomorrow and he is going to put my new replacement vinyl kit from 914rubber on it! I have been holding on to my original for 10 years, vinyl was shot but the padding is very good condition, just had to fix one bracket,- anyway- once that comes back I might be able to say I actually worked on my car again