1149 Mono Replica - Page 17

Jim Rosenthal · 7th December 2010, 07:54 PM

It hasn't gone away- thanks for asking. It's caused by swelling of the seventh cranial nerve in a canal in the skull called the stylomastoid foramen; the treatment is steroids and antiviral drugs, although no one is really sure whether viral infections have much to do with it. No improvement so far, but it can take weeks or months. Or not get better, which I certainly hope isn't the case. It makes it hard to talk (some would cite this as a plus in my case) and sometimes it hurts like crazy, although not all the time. Meanwhile, I am getting real good at putting in eye drops.

Dalton Veitch · 7th December 2010, 08:59 PM

Ah, the old seventh cranial nerve swelling!

Sorry to hear of this, Jim, so I trust it WILL improve.

Cheers, mate.

Ian Anderson · 8th December 2010, 03:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimbo

the treatment is steroids and antiviral drugs,.

Jim

That puts you out for the 2012 Olympics for sure!
Wishing you a speedy recovery. You need to so you can grive this car I read about on a daily basis

Ian

Randy V · 9th December 2010, 07:39 AM

Hi Jim -

I'm hoping for the best for you... Having just been treated a little more than a year ago with CyberKnife for Atypical Trigeminal Neuralgia - I can truly appreciate what the drug therapy does and what you may be going through... There is light at the end of the tunnel - although it may seem distant at times..
Hang in there...

Jim Rosenthal · 9th December 2010, 05:08 PM

Sometimes I think the light at the end of the tunnel is actually the locomotive coming towards me..... I have a few days off beginning tomorrow (after working an overnight tonight) to rest up a bit and take it easy. And all indications are that we are going to actually drive the car Saturday- the weather is supposed to be good, the windscreen is glued in (which they say stiffens the chassis, interesting) and all the side windows are either on or will be on. So we may actually have footage of 1149 on her maiden run..

And it will be a maiden run, for certain- just a stately trundle up and down the road to make sure everything works and that nothing leaks or overheats etc. I don't want to push my luck here. I will try to get some photos or a short video of it all, providing it goes well.

Thanks for all the good wishes, I appreciate them a great deal. I have seen a lot of patients with Bell's Palsy, but none of them every complained that it hurt. That is not unknown, but not the most frequent component of it. I'm hoping that goes away, too...if and when my face starts working again.

Frank3 · 9th December 2010, 09:57 PM

My toys have always been the best medicine for me , seeing them come to life , the smell ...the noise ....

Good luck this weekend , and feel better !

Jim Rosenthal · 11th December 2010, 06:15 PM

Today was the first drive of GT40P1149. After warming it up in Ron's driveway, I drove it a few miles up the road, and back. Although not totally complete externally (the mirrors have to be attached yet, which we can't do until the interior is in and I know where they need to be located) the car lacks only the large plastic rear window- and Ron left that off to make it easier to adjust the Weber carburetors, which will need plenty of adjusting.

What went well: the car tracks straight, the brakes are fine, the clutch will be fine once adjusted, the cooling system seems to work well (at least the thermostat opens and it did not boil over, neither did the fans come on, bearing in mind it was no warmer than forty degrees outside today), the car seems tight and solid. The ZF transaxle seems perfect (it is, after all, brand new with no miles on it to speak of)

What it needs: the tires rub the body, especially on the front. Smaller ones need to be fitted, which I will order tonight. The clutch does not quite disengage, which will not be too difficult to fix- there are adjustments on either end, according to Ron. Very few of the gauges work- the oil pressure is pegged all the time, the temp does not come up, neither the tach or speedo work (and this is an electronic tach which is supposed to be able to understand an MSD box signal) Most of all, the Webers need a lot of adjustment. The engine pops a lot, and does not seem to want to run under load. So clearly some Weber tuning is in order.

But it is worth remembering that this car was not a kit car. It was created de novo from nothing- from scratch, a chassis from NZ and UK, body from Ohio, engine from here built on a vintage block. None of these parts have had to work together before- they have had to fit together, which they pretty much do, but now they have to work and get along with each other. So that will take some time, but we ARE on the way to that. And after more than a decade, if a car is something that starts up and goes down the road, I have a car.

Kevin L · 11th December 2010, 06:19 PM

Congrats, I cannot imagine how good it felt.

Jim Rosenthal · 11th December 2010, 06:22 PM

A few photos from today. Notice the plush seats

An old photo got in there by mistake, but it does serve to illustrate how far we've come.

Frank3 · 11th December 2010, 06:41 PM

Au-some ! It lives ! It lives !
I'm very happy for you .
Looks good outside too .

Dalton Veitch · 11th December 2010, 10:07 PM

Jim, you have a car, Congratulations, and fettle it through to the end.

Ian Anderson · 12th December 2010, 04:06 AM

Congratulations - now the fun and final fettling starts

I bet your face is sore from smiling!

Ian

Jim Rosenthal · 12th December 2010, 02:03 PM

It's more like relief... that it finally runs and does something like it is supposed to. And it is not too loud, which means with some insulation it will be usable for vintage rallies and that kind of thing. It wasn't too much of a white-knuckle trip, it was kind of fun, wish I had been able to drive it further, but the tire rubbing limited that. We'll have new rubber by Tuesday or so, but the road insurance will be off it as of Monday, and unless we get a spell of really good weather and a lot of progress made on fixing the small stuff, I am not going to reinsure it for road use until the spring.

**brianstewart** · 12th December 2010, 05:16 PM

Congratulations Jim (proud Dad!). 1149 looks stunning. Hope it has been worth the time and effort.

Ron Earp · 12th December 2010, 05:29 PM

Jim congratulations on the first drive!

Victors · 12th December 2010, 05:53 PM

Jim,
She looks fantastic!

Man, beautiful... and that color looks great!

Congratulations, amigo

Best
JP

Chuck · 12th December 2010, 08:54 PM

Way to go! That is a huge milestone. Now you can sort it out in time for the spring weather.

Jim Rosenthal · 12th December 2010, 10:11 PM

Thanks to all...it has been a long road and we are not done yet. First thing is proper tires which don't scrape, and then on to the long punch list. None of these things are insurmountable, though, and I feel like home plate is in sight. And if any of you want to visit Annapolis, you can get a ride in it. Annapolis is worth visiting even without a ride in a GT40...

This would not have been possible without all the help I have had from GT40s forum folks who contributed parts, knowledge, encouragement and expertise. Thank you and Happy Holidays to all of you, and fair winds and following seas on all your own projects, which are as dear to you as this one is to me.

Jim Rosenthal · 12th December 2010, 10:15 PM

I forgot to add.... if you look at the photos in the post up above, and compare the two engine shots, the pipes have begun to turn color. Kind of a nice gold. Hope they styay that way. Also note the exhaust silencer shield, another piece of lovely work by John Shriver's shop... the guy who hates the word "perfect"...but comes very close to it in his work.

Woody · 13th December 2010, 02:22 AM

Beautiful Car Jim
Ive really enjoyed you build thread. Congratlations on your fist drive. I drove through your neck of the woods once while staying in Greensboro NC we toured to Phili, Clevland, Indy and back hell of a road trip but I do agree with you Annapolis is a lovely spot in the world.
Looks like you have been getting your share of snow this winter.
Take care on the roads
Woody