I did a 350km (~220 mile) round trip in my Grenadier today to visit a 79yo friend who is two years into a diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease; also called ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease. He has read the Grenadier story and wanted to know all about it. Unfortunately his condition has deteriorated to a point where he is unable to leave his elevated house to go for a ride.
He is a self-taught engineer, toolmaker, welder and mechanic. A talented inventive man who is known as a go-to for solutions to tough engineering problems. If he doesn't have a required tool or jig he'll make one. He is one of those irreplaceable old-school guys that everyone wants to know if they have a curly problem to solve.
His long term automotive project was restoring a Mk 8
Davrian fibreglass tubbed sports car built in the UK in the early '70s. Older UK guys might remember the Davrian. They had a bit of a cult following. A bit like the Delorean but on a smaller production scale. He got as far as fabricating and fitting a new chrome-moly engine sub-frame to bolt up a Toyota 4A-GZE supercharged 1600cc engine picked from a wrecked MR2, plus fabricated new trailing arm suspension with coil overs. All before his failing health stopped him from making trips to his beloved shed. The Dav' will not get finished.
I finally got agreement from him today to let me go into his shed unescorted (!!) to do an inventory and photo catalogue of his tools, parts and materials so he and his family can commence an estate sale. Until today he was resisting this in the hope he might hang on long enough to get some more time to work on his many projects. A emotional day today to again face his mortality and approaching fate, but also a relief that someone like-minded has stepped up to help his wife and daughters deal with "the shed problem".
He told me today that he cannot afford to waste a single day because he doesn't have many left. His speech will go soon and then communication becomes harder. His voice has been recorded and digitally synthesized in preparation for this stage.
My work is definately cut out for me over the next few weeks. He has a LOT of stuff, but it will be personally rewarding to help this talented man in a way that his family and carer team can't. I'm fortunate to be on an extended voluntary work break (I'm not ready to say I'm retired) so I have plenty of time to help.
The Grenadier connection? It's a bit tenuous but it will do some runs to the dump and metal recyclers as part of a shed cleanup.
Name withheld for privacy reasons
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