Rustoration

[RogerT]

Cleco pins to hold the flange to the b pillar and started tacking.







Then welded.


Went in very well.

[RogerT]

Finished welding, ground and power filed, gobbed on some rattle can.

[300CE]

Cracking work mate!

[RogerT]

I have to say, I’m pretty pleased myself!

[RogerT]

Finicky wee bits for front arch.



Hmm, I’ll need to check that weld on the back, looks a bit unfinished. Mustn’t have had my specs on!










All pretty much ready to be welded in. Then a bit more drilling for plug welds and i should be ready to refit the arch.

[RogerT]

And


Started tacking pieces in.

[RogerT]

Welding grinding power filing. Repeatedly…

[RogerT]

Don’t come looking for updates. Unlikely to be any for the foreseeable future as my wife has a significant breast cancer - found it only three weeks after our youngest headed off to University and we had started to enjoy a child free existence after 30 years of parenting. So now the future and the present look rather different, and I’m unlikely to be heading off to where the van is stored a couple of miles away for a regular zen afternoon of cutting, shaping and welding.

Not sure when regular service will be resumed, months of chemo ahead, and hopefully surgery after that. And then? Probably more uncertainty.

Thank god we no longer live in Caithness, with a five hour round trip to the hospital.

[jrt]

I’m sorry to hear this and hope you are both back doing the things you love soon.
David.

[mike the van]

Wish you and your other half all the best on a rocky road, been there myself, you have to be selfish and look after those who are important

Mike

[R0B]

All the best to you both. Stay strong.

[Porkscratching]

A little late to this thread but rotten luck all the same. I guess it's all about priorities now. I wish you both all the best for a return to good health.

Best regards, Max.

[RogerT]

Thanks Max.

Surgery no longer on the cards after further MRI scans showed areas throughout the lumbar and thoracic vertebrae, the upside of which is a less aggressive chemo regime with one week off a month, and immunotherapy.

Having beaten the odds on the flavour of cancer (triple negative is only 10-15% of breast cancers and mostly affects younger women, so she’s pretty unlucky) she’s aiming to beat the odds again and become the poster girl for immunotherapy. And so far the only symptoms are medication side-effects, which leave her with up to two and a half fair days a week, and one steroid-superwoman day a week! Getting into the rhythm of enjoying the good days and assuaging the bad days.

[Splurt]

Im very late spotting this and very sorry to hear. A sh***y reminder for the rest of us to appreciate life in the moment.

That is a rough rollercoaster for both of you. Keep the positive mindsets going, all the best with the future treatment.

Ryan

[RogerT]

Before I fit the front arch, the locator for the breather tank is needing replaced as it’s rusting out, and access is easier without the arch in the way. And fabricating a replacement is easier done at home rather than in the lockup, which suits current circumstances.

Measure up


Make formers


Apply hammer



Finished article before welding


Measure finished article and find its way too long in the horizontal dimension, but ok vertically. It’ll do