I'm getting conflicting information this front. Nick Kennedy on the TVRCCNA page stated he had to use a wedge shaped part. I would swear the plywood piece i removed from my car was uniform thickness. But today when I was testing the booster on my car the reservoir cap was hitting the bottom, even without a spacer at all!
Unless I'm somehow putting it back together incorrectly, I beleive my car will call for a wedge shaped piece.
It should be said my bonnet is just slapped back on for flat-bedding purposes to the body shop. The fit is not well adjusted. If we want to wait 2 months I expect to have it back then with body panels aligned and we can see if that changes anything.
Okay, more epoxy and more fun. First up I added a couple more patch panels to fill in the "Roll Bar" cutouts that the PO gifted to me.
First one is right behind the passenger's seat:
And the next one is right behind this one in the fuel tank area:
Yesterday it was pretty hot in the workshop, and my epoxy kicked so fast it melted the cup. Today I was a bit more careful and spread all the epoxy onto fabric right away. Still easy to work with, and not as much thermal mass to create that runaway reaction.
On the doors, the mounting holes for both the door latches and the window cranks were all slotted out and crappy. So I got them filled in. First up was taking a dremel and small sanding drum and beveling the edge way back:
The red paint is actually overspray of the original burgundy color. Kinda cool, and I was going to try and preserve it. Not sure I'll be able to, though, it's a really light dusting and comes off like nothing with a little acetone. We'll see.
First door panel with the patches added. There's packaging tape on the back side to give some backing for the layup.
And the other side:
After they cure I'll go in and flatten the surfaces and drill new holes for the bolts. If I remember right, the components are threaded and the bolts go thru the top. Maybe some metal inserts bonded in would be a good idea.
Also, the mounting points for the hood latch pins were all messed up. Looks like there were some "fixes" performed there, and also some general decay.
I forgot to take pics of the before, but here's the driver's side. It's the worst one:
This will take a bunch of sanding and smoothing. I think a few layers of carbon might be worth it to bulk up the strength. Then I'll paint the steel support plate, and glue it to the FG mounting point. Probably some back-up washers would be good, and then I'll put some rivet-nuts in. Should be a nice strong sandwich by the time I'm done.
Passenger's side here:
I cleaned up the pedal box and painted it too, but I didn't take any pics. All the bushings and everything looked pretty good.
Is there a way to test a vacuum diaphragm? Mine seems to be okay, but I'd really like to know for sure before cleaning it up and reusing it. What about clutch and brake master cylinders?
That's it for now!
In reply to TVR Scott :
I've missed my TVR fix.
TVR Scott said:Is there a way to test a vacuum diaphragm? Mine seems to be okay, but I'd really like to know for sure before cleaning it up and reusing it. What about clutch and brake master cylinders?
Try pulling a vacuum on the brake booster and see if it holds. As for the clutch and brake master cylinders, I'd take them apart and check the bores and rubber condition. If there's no pitting, clean them up and see how they work in the car. Otherwise, buy new.
Not a car update!
Anyone who regularly reads this thread knows I have had long-time problems with back pain. This spring I renewed my efforts to try and improve this. Physical therapy ended up making it feel worse. Saw a physiatrist, and he did some steroid injections, which didn't help either. He ordered another MRI, and things are a bit worse than my last one 11 years ago.
Since every update needs pics, the trouble spot:
That's the L5/S1 joint, and it's highly arthritic in the back at the facet joints, and compressed and pinching nerves in the front. Total shift is about 12 mm. Layman's terms: it's jacked.
After many years of trying to do less, I finally talked to a neurosurgeon about it. Cool guy - former Air Force doc who operated on lots of special forces soldiers. He said based on the MRI all of my symptoms are expected and I should in-fact be in as much pain as I am. He also said I'm a great candidate for surgery and should feel way better afterwards.
So Sept 21 is the day! For the surgical nerds out there, I'll be getting a TLIF, basically a minimally-invasive procedure from the back side. He'll be removing the disc and the facet joints, and adding a spacer between the vertebra as well as rods and screws on the back side. Everything will get bone matrix which will then fill in and make the entire space a solid piece. Shouldn't lose much mobility since it's just the one joint.
Whole procedure takes about three hours and they'll have me walking a few hours later. I can stay the night in the hospital if I want but don't have to. They just want to make sure the pain is under control. Recovery to full strength will be 6 weeks, with lots of walking and PT during that time.
In the meantime I'm trying to get as strong as I can - swimming, walking, and short bike rides. As if to confirm my decision, I often feel like total crap the day after a workout.
There you go, internet friends. I appreciate you all. Take care of yourself.
In reply to TVR Scott :
Awesome! Hope everything goes swimmingly!
In reply to TVR Scott :
Well since he's an AF doc you know he's one of the best. Good luck and really hope this gets your quality of life back.
Good luck! I had neck surgery 11 years ago , having issues again, MRI scheduled, I definitely understand where you are coming from!
Good luck with the surgery, Scott. The TVR will be there when you are healed.
Good luck scott. I hope its successful and beneficial. My family will be keeping you in our prayers.
In reply to TVR Scott :
you've got the right outlook going in, and doing those exercises from now to surgery should pay off nicely with recovery time. good luck!
Good luck fellow Scott. I always say surgery sucks, but the reward is feeling better!!!
Looking forward to more very thorough and detailed build documentation. The car, I mean.
Good luck!!
TVR Scott said:That's the L5/S1 joint, and it's highly arthritic in the back at the facet joints, and compressed and pinching nerves in the front. Total shift is about 12 mm. Layman's terms: it's jacked.
I deal with work comp cases frequently, and can reliably tell you that that will not, in fact, buff out.
Exercise and PT post-op will make worlds of difference to the outcome, but it's probably gonna suck.
Afterwards, you should feel great- something to look forward to.
I'll be sure to keep you in my prayers, hang in there and give us updates!!!
Here's wishing you a boringly routine procedure and a speedy recovery. It is amazing how the techniques have gotten to the point where this (L5/S1 fusion) is damn near outpatient. I hope post-op doesn't suck too bad. Swimming, when they permit it, is your friend. I actually got measurably taller doing laps. Lots and lots of laps. Good luck.
Thanks, internet friends, for all the kind words. Three weeks out.
You got this Scott, good to know exactly what was causing the problem and knowing you have a doctor that is confident he can fix the problem. Looking forward to the next update that you are well on your way to recovery!
Good luck with the procedure and recovery.
Good luck with the procedure and the recovery.
Good luck with the surgery and recovery. Feeling better is getting closer every day.
Yeah, that! ^^^^^
Hope everything goes super-smoothly!
Best of luck to you, please keep us updated with your progress.
Thanks, internet-friends! You guys are awesome.
In preparation, I got the shop super cleaned up. Looks better than it has in a while.
On the car front, I'm also looking forward to the cool mirrors that I'm getting from Angry Corvair.
Also Stu is going to send me his good-condition HVAC duct, and I'm going to pull a mold off of that. That will be so much easier than trying to sculp the missing part of mine. Could be carbon fiber too...
See you on the other side!
The other side!
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