Light at the end of the tunnel....

[oldguy668]

The short story is my FIA body being at the paint shop for 6 months. I finally got it back last Thursday and it really isn't bad for a budget paint job. I decided I needed help to set the body and hinge all the parts, so I enlisted the aid of our friend Mike Everson, who made the rush-hour, 75 mile trip from Norton to Methuen this morning.

Good news is that Mike got it done! Doors fit great, hood and trunk are ready for latches, and the windshield is bolted in despite my rookie mistake locating the fuse box. Mike had already done a full fitup of the body and panels before I disassembled for the body shop, and everything fell back into place.

The bad news is I figured out that I'm not Ironman. I'm halfway through my course of chemo- and radiation therapy, and I've been gloating about how well I'm handling the side effects. After all, if I lay around the house all day,I'm a wimp. Today, my 70 year old body hit the wall, so all I could do was watch Mike do his thing while I sat around, getting up occasionally to hold a panel or fetch a tool.

Back to the good news, Mike did his usual helluva job and I think I'll post a few pics tomorrow. I have to invent a mount for the door latches because FFR's "adapter plates" aren't going to cut it in one of my builds, but everything else is straightforward. Depending upon my state police visit, I have a 50-50 shot of making Open House.

Thanks, Mike

[David Hodgkins]

You'll make it Joe!

Glad to hear about progress! In the car AND your Chemo! Keep your head up man!

I'm hoping we can share a hotdog (or at least some lemonade) at open house this year!

[oldguy668]

David, I've been trying hard not to vary my routine, so I will be at Open House but the car is iffy at this point. Thanks for the encouragement and I'll look forward to that hot dog with you.

[michael everson]

Good working with you today Joe. Glad I could lend a hand. I really hope to see the car at the open house.
Mike

[bil1024]

Awesome