Rebuild update

[DaveW]

Good to see the car coming back together Andrew. The Merry Miller 928 meet is looming again....

[shandyhaggis]

Andrew, do you remember the VW Polo harlequin?? Maybe we could swap a few panels ?? Doors and bonnet ?? That would be novel ))

I do remember those think thats a great idea...I get to have a car of all the colours I like... if only the bonnet and boot lid werent such a pain we could do a temp swap at meets:-)

[shandyhaggis]

Good to see the car coming back together Andrew. The Merry Miller 928 meet is looming again....

Thanks Dave I cant tell you how nice it is to bolt things back on rather than take off and mostly throw away:-)

Merry Miller was a great day out let me know if youve got room for a little one;-)

thanks

Andrew

[Helen]

The Merry Miller 928 meet is looming again....

Is any 914 allowed to gatecrash ?

[jackstowers]

The Merry Miller 928 meet is looming again....

Is any 914 allowed to gatecrash ?

Someone's getting impatient!

[DaveW]

The Merry Miller 928 meet is looming again....

Is any 914 allowed to gatecrash ?

Don't see why not Helen. Depends on turnout - you may have to make way for a few bigger bruisers in the main car park!

Andrew came down with me as a passenger....2 years ago wasn't it AB? He was still taking bits off his 914 at that point...

[shandyhaggis]

Hello all
its been a while. apols for the radio silence and not posting an update Ive not been well for just over a year now. Long shaggy dog story but in the short edit (you will thank me for that) I was really ill, couldn't walk for a number of months and was eventually diagnosed with lymphatic cancer. Had chemo second half of last year so that’s cleared up the cancer but I still cant walking properly and now Ive got jerky arms, head and appendages to add to the comedy ensemble. Still not well so looks like I have something else going on. Latest thinking is thyroid/adrenal issue with some sort of neurological movement disorder. I walk like Im woody from toy story while trying to uppercut the invisible man.

So crawling under the car has been challenging but Ive done some bits over the last 6 months (usually at 3 am after being fuelled with an elephant dose steroids and not being able to sleep).

Ive manged to fit the new loom to the front of the car, fuse box and to the rear engine compartment. The rear loom is fitted as well so I just need to join them both together and test everything. Haven’t quite figured out battery to solenoid/starter but I haven’t got the engine in yet so Ill worry about that later so still a bit left to do to finish it off.

After that I can try and bleed the brakes (hoping that the new lines I put in seal correctly) though I am missing the brake pad pins for the rear callipers. I can’t find them for love nor money, does anyone have a set or can give me an idea of where I can get a new/replacement set? They seem to be like rocking horse do da.

Ive no real plans to crack on again with it at the moment and sadly the car stares at me every time I walk in to the garage and I just get miffed that I cant really do much at the moment so it will just have to wait. I have thought about giving it to someone to finish off but then that was half the fun of doing it myself. Still pondering that one:-).

These are the last pics a took a few months ago, it has progressed a bit since then and the wiring in the cabin is all tidy now. My god trying to fit the new loom to the fuse board – what a faff that was. My fault really I didn’t measure the wire lengths accurately enough and it was all criss crossed and a mess frankly. No idea how they make them so neat in the factory but I take my hat off to them. If I was doing it again Id probably build the loom into the car rather than building on the bench and then trying to fit it. But you learn:-). At least Ive a pretty good idea of how the wiring on a 914 works etc now.





Anyway the weathers good so its nice to get outside and sit in the garden. Hoping I can get another diagnosis over the next few weeks and get some treatment (whatever that might be). Ill be fighting fit and raring to go again. Till then Ill not go into the garage very often:-).

Happy days - Cheers

Andrew

[nrc914]

Hi Andrew

Sorry to hear your news and glad to hear it sounds like you're now more on the up. All things considered it sounds like you've made great progress on the car alongside all you've had going on, so don't be despondent although I can imagine it's very frustrating. Always good to look back through the pictures to see how far you've come!

Regards

[glovebox]

Looks excellent:)

[Tosh]

Life getting in the way - glad you're getting on top of it though. Hope the progress - medical and car-based - continues
It's a cracking colour

[sladey]

What they said

[Darren C]

Just to echo what's already been said.
Health, family and friends are the important things in life.
Sometimes it can feel the world is against you, but when you look at the odds of life ever beginning on this tiny planet in this infinite universe, let alone evolving into a man with a 914 in the garage; you see everyday in this world as a miracle.
Do what you can, as you can, but always try to do more of what you love and never stop chasing your dreams.

[Mr Pharmacist]

Yes, all of the above Andrew.

Speedy recovery mate

[shandyhaggis]

Thanks folks

Ive not been very good at the life balance thing I have to admit Ive been too focused on cracking on and working to pay for shiney things we think we need but we know deep down we dont. The 914 was a distraction to all that as was running and not being to do either has miffed me more than anything. Being ill has been a really humbling experience it has made me think not only how lucky I am but also that there are some genuinely fabulous people out there who had endured a lot more than me with less support. So I do count my lucky stars quite often nowadays.

The car continues to stare but Ill have to be patient and get round to it when I can. In the meantime the R100RT gets a little toddle down the road a couple of times a week – ‘to keep it lubricated’ (that’s what I tell the wife):-). I ran out of fuel the other day and I had to get her to bring some to me. I was only ½ a mile from home but it was too far to walk it. That was a bit embarrassing but the reserve fuel must have evaporated in the warm weather and Id not been out on it for a month or so. She wasn’t very sympathetic.

I often think of life being created from a soup of warm water and chemicals and how we’ve grown from pond life into what we have now. That reminds me I must read hitch hikers guide again.

Anyway tomorrow I vow to join 2 bits of cable together, call it progress and be happy with a job well done. Then watch the football and wish Id stayed in the garage .

Cheers
Andrew

[silverfox]

Hi Shandy, life does get in the way of a good restoration, I've had better health than you and I'm still not finished so you put me to shame. I wish you well one bolt at a time will get you there
Silverfox