Because I bought this and sold my ML.

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As my wife's family would say it is from the wrong side of Germany, they are a bit loyal to Stuttgart cars. But I now have two of them in my garage, go figure.

Heater core acting up on my daily driver Jetta so I bought this...

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Been wanting a small truck for a while as an occasional parts hauler. Not really a "truck guy" but this Ranger Splash pushes all the right buttons - I like the blue color; flareside instead of slabside; 2WD; and it has working heat!

The 4.0L V6 runs good and, though it has its share of minor issues, this truck will be a fun project.

I work on the 914 for a week or so-on the road with the family going to MN for a funeral unfortunately . My brother-in-law passed away yesterday so we head back up the frozen tundra. And I can’t even get to a football game due to timing - I think MN is away at iowa(passing thru Iowa’s city tomorrow but no time to stop . Go Gophers!!
And I can say it’s dang cold in St Louis right now! I do have some projects to do when I get back. , I have some goodies on the way from BD Stone, and I did order the new Hella horns as well.

Two words:

Kidney Stones

Sorry for your loss, Doc.

I feel your pain, Clay.



Our tenant and I picked up some 3/8" bungee rope and a HF silver tarp, and installed it above the rear driveway a couple days ago. Should keep the rain off of his cycles.

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Still prepping for my AZ trip. Yesterday, I moved the wife's Subi & the Westy ('Eileen') to get the trailer out of the driveway. Then I got a bone-headed idea - decided to run the Ghia through the $4. automated car wash across town. Afterwards, I started heading home, made a turn into a driveway about a mile away and it just died.

Checked the engine compartment to see iffin anything got wet, but everything looked OK. Also checked all the fuses - all were OK too. Unfortunately, I didn't have any tools or diagnostic equipment to do any additional diagnosing, so I called AAA for a tow home. Safe & sound under the lift again ... I'll have to deal with it when I get back in December.

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Click to view attachment To far from home !

I stopped in Buckeye AZ to drop off my old my '83 XT200 that my friend, Fred, wanted to buy. He's really happy to have something larger than a CT90 now and can ride with the big boys on our desert camping trips.

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Got some heavy rain and hail the other day

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... but it cleared up the following day

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Fred & family asked me to stay through Thanksgiving w/e, so I'm doing some stuff around the house to earn my keep. We removed the bent bumper and worked on the dented fender from a '67 Ford Fairlane he recently purchased. I purchased a HF bottle jack to get the initial dents out, then we removed the fender so I could bang on it some more.

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Still have a bit of hammering to do, and Fred is going to order a patch panel for the rotted area behind the wheel arch, but it already looks much better.

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Been up at my place in the AZ mountains since December 7th. - it's been 1.5 years since I was able to get back up here

A tree in the front yard died, so had to cut it down, as well as perform some overdue yard maintenance. Another unexpected item, we discovered that a big rat had taken up residence in the RV garage, and judging by the amount of it's turds, it must have moved in shortly after I left last year The pest control guy stopped by and gave us some traps and the rat was 'liquidated' in less than 24 hours.

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Of course, the clean-up took much longer


Sorted through a lot of 914 parts that I need to bring back to CA and performed some general clean-up in the garage, since I need to park the trailer in there for a while.

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Also, had a friend come by for a few days and we constructed a 'safe space' (dog run) under the rear deck area for when we bring our small dogs up here. Will install some nice decorative, vertical, stained-redwood 2x2s to make it look more architecturally pleasing when I come back this summer

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No work on the 914 this week, unfortunately our almost 18 year old dog took sick and could not pull out of it a week of trying to see if we could get him back on his feet but no go- so sorry no 914 content in this post other than to say if he was outside or in garage wile I was working in and around the car he was always by my side, yesterday was a hard day, one I knew would come sooner than later but hoped would not be this soon and around the holiday, hard day for the “kids”- I know most of you have been thru this as well . So here’s to furry family pets of the 4 legged variety, and here’s to Snickers the dauchshund!
Here he is older and younger

I have been through this too many times with my dogs before. Nothing I can say will make this any better but just know you gave your dog the best life they could have, many dogs are not so lucky.

Sorry to hear about your pup, Doc They are family members and it's a real heartbreak when their time comes ... more so when you have kids

We're nearing that stage again with our 'Mrs. Brown' ... 20 year old Dachshund. We're hoping she makes it through the this holiday season.

The pounds and rescue centers are full of little critters that need a good home. We've rescued several doggies over the years, and will grab more when our current pups are gone.

Thanks guys, it’s amazing to see these dauchsies live so long. I really thought and good as he was this year it was going to be closer to 20 years, but we had to leave him with someone for a sudden trip to MN a month ago we didn’t think it would be good for him to take(brother-in-law passed away) and he didn’t want to eat for them so she gave him soft canned food aid it really messed him up, and he could not get back what he lost in health and energy after that.
Anyone here that has dogs knows especially when they get older you can’t change foods on them like that their systems cannot tolerate it.
My sister and her husband had adopted 6 or 7 dogs over the years too, but I know my wife does not want to do that. I would probably do that and get another dauchshund, she also likes not having to think about caring for one for a while. By the way he loved to go for rides in the car and if I left the car door open working I would frequently find him in the 914, and sometimes just go for a short ride because he was in there and I needed a test run or something anyway.
Also we live in a small neighborhood in our previous house and everyone knew snickers, he was not a barker and loved kids and others, well some friends teen daughter and friends would go for golf cart rides around the neighborhood and one day she gave him a ride in the golf cart and after that if he heard that golf cart coming he would run out to try and catch a ride with her. Also we always knew the UPS truck was coming he could hear it before we could and would let us know with a few barks! Wow fast diggers they are AND found out that a dauchshund will bay like a blood hound when they tree a coon or possums! Thanks for letting me share, helps to process all the thoughts and feelings going on in my head.

Very sorry to learn of Lucky’s passing. It is never easy losing a close family member and faithful shop assistant. My heart goes out to you and your little pal.

Very sorry for your loss! You and your family must have cared greatly and should be proud to steward a dog for 18 years!

Well done

Been there not easy ,time heals but not quickly.

So sorry for your loss. Lost my first one, a boxer, many years ago. Still hurts a bit, but I remember the good times too. He could really make me laugh!

I’m stuck in a VRBO house with my wife’s relatives for the next few days. Oh fun! Wish I could have figured out how to stay home without causing trouble with the lady who takes care of me.

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Hi Doc. I am so saddened to hear about the passing of Snickers. As a fellow weiner doggie parent, we have 2 miniature females from the same litter, it is one of my most dreaded thoughts that one day will be the last day our lives are blessed with them. They are presently 12 and healthy so I pray they make it to 18 like Snickers. I know you are hurting and hope that one day you will be able to give another Dachshund a forever home and be rewarded with all of the love and joy they bring, 24/7. God bless. Michael

Following suit, our little mini Dachshund, Mrs. Brown passed away his afternoon

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She started a severe downhill run about a week ago, and stopped walking, drinking and eating yesterday. We kept her hydrated her with a syringe and administered adequate pain medication for two days, and she went peacefully in her sleep.

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We'll miss the old gal, and are thankful that she didn't suffer for a long time. She lived a very good and very long life ... 20 years.

So sorry to hear that, but 144(dog years) is a really long life! It makes it hard though having them as a part of the family that long. Glad that it was not a long and drawn out process, like it can be. Looks like to still have lots of company to help you .

I lost all my animals last year, two very old black labs which were my constant companions at home and out on the trails, not to mention our 16 YO orange tabby. What a sh!tty year. We took some time off from pet ownership to let our hearts and bank accounts heal. Just recently we adopted a stray cat, which was abandoned by her sh!tty owner and left to live off the land. She was so tiny, we thought she was a young cat when our vet said she was probably three. We also added a 70 lb poodle cross (not my idea of a trail dog, but the Mrs is not allergic to him) whose owners took it to the vet to have him put down because of medical issues. So now we are back up to two and will hold there. Love, good times and heartbreak is what pets are all about.

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Dogs are Mans Best Friend....Sad to hear,,,to all. My little Man "Nacho" moved on last month...The New Year is upon Us..

Finished my 914 Guest Room...finiishing up my 50 State Giveaway prizes.

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Oscar...you never cease to amaze. All the best in 2020 buddy!

God bless Mrs. Brown. I am happy to hear she enjoyed 20 years of love and family. They are truly great dogs.

Completed color change....

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NOW...

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Wow! Amazing before and after.

... Nice job, Oscar. Stunning


I dove into the non-starting issue with the Ghia a couple days ago and continued through Thursday evening. It died a mile down the road after going through a drive-thru car wash a couple months ago

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After checking the coil, distributor, generator, voltage regulator and the fuse block, I think it's narrowed down to a faulty ignition switch (no power the oil & generator lights when the ignition switch it turned to the run' position as well as no power to most of the fuse block).

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Gonna pull the switch out tomorrow and see iffin it's really the problem and if it's repairable. If not, I already found a source for a new one ...

Pulled the trigger on this... Should put a few smiles on my face once it's home.

Installed the stock radio in our 79 928. Took a few years to find a working unit...

Apparently the ignition switch and turn signal switch had been replaced previously as evidenced by numerous splices behind the dash

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I replaced the old turn signal switch because the self-cancelling mechanism didn't work, but routed the new wires to the factory terminals rather than splicing again. I also cleaned up the fuse box terminals and reinstalling some instrument lights that were dangling 'while I was in there'

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I couldn't get the ignition switch to come out of the steering column, but found a bad P/O splice, so the ignition system is back to normal at the moment. I still want to replace the switch, so I'll have to research the process for removing this particular switch assembly.

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Now, need to the get the rear window defogger and back-up light circuits fixed - even though they're not critical, I'd still like them to work. For now, just glad it's running again ...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=/R9jaU0rVKJw

Oscar

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Mark, I still the some Ghia parts and one of them is the rear window defrost relay if you need one.

Didn't do anything to my 914's today but did get to ride in a real factory 914-6GT and a real 904... won't be doing that in a single day again!Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

I appreciate that, Kent, but the relay I have checks out OK. The problem is either the wiring from the fuse block to the switch under the dash, or the wiring from the switch to the engine compartment.

It's not a show stopper, I need to get some mo-impotent stuff done during the next several days (having back surgery next Wednesday) ... and 're-coop' time might be a couple months

The problem with the Ghia dying and not restarting after going through the hi-pressure car wash was just coincidental ... a flaky ignition switch splice was the culprit all along

Nothing today, cold weather hits S. AZ lows are 26-28, not too warm in days right now too.

I was buying my new to me Click to view attachmentClick to view attachmentClick to view attachment75 914

Bob B

Geezes, Bob ... how many do you own now? ... Looks nice


Recovering from back surgery, was told not to lift anything over 5 lbs. for a while, so I built the Fuhrmann 4-cam motor 1:3 scale model kit the wife got for my 66th birthday ...

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Mark,

How's the back doing from the operation?

Hope you are doing well.

Bob B

The procedure appears to have been successful. Still have some pain in the region where they went in, and still have some residual pain in the left leg, but nowhere near as bad as it was before. I think a few more weeks will let us know how much improvement will be gained. At least I can walk again without a walker.

Thanks for your concern

@euro911 glad your on the mend Mark.

Working on my sons water pumper 944.
Needs new injector o-rings, as well as motor mounts. One step at a time...

Cleaned out the way too many drains, which many are hard to reach, on the pig.



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Have not worked on the 914-V8 for 10 days now.

But I have been busy:

fixing the washing machine and our truck - I am REALLY GOOD at taking things apart!

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Replaced the trunk seal on the 928, cleaned and painted the front brake calipers on the Elan, working on fixing the mounting brackets on the new but incorrect Fiat 124 radiator (grrrr).

Against my spine surgeon's recommendations, (I can't sit still for too long), been working on a few different projects instead of resting.

Installed a wood floor in the 'Eileen' the Westy's galley. I have my annual Mojave desert camping trip coming up at the end of the month, but I won't be taking any motorcycles (my doctor was glad to hear that)

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Did some temporary rust mitigation around the windows, polished it and reinstalled the ladder. A friend is going to perform more permanent repairs and touch-up the paint this coming summer.

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I'm planning to put my Tacoma on the market, so took to get it washed, then my wife & I polished the paint and removed all the HAM radio equipment ...

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... now, I'll rest