Tater's "OH Deere 116 dragster" [2017 Build-Off Entry]

I have been having lower back pain and pain down my right leg for 6 months. It was tolerable until my wife talked me into getting a massage. Now upper back and neck are screwed up.

Hope you get to feeling better and can get back in the saddle soon.

tater195 wrote:

I have been having lower back pain and pain down my right leg for 6 months. It was tolerable until my wife talked me into getting a massage. Now upper back and neck are screwed up.

bad news for ya brother... when that starts, the only thing that will fix it for an extended period is surgery... some folks get by for a while on steroid injections, bed rest, etc, but only for a short time... that burning pain down your leg means a nerve is pinched... the longer it stays pinched, the more likely it is for the damage to be permanent. Ignore it long enough, and the motor nerves go, and you end up permanently disabled like my ancient ass. Talk to a neurosurgeon (ask your doc for a referral)


Just hate to see a brother suffer the pain and loss I have

I have had the upper back problems on and off for the last 25 years. I had it under control until I went in for the "massage" to try to fix the lower back problem. Have not heard any real success stories about the lower back surgeries. Trips to the chiropractor usually turn out like the last deal. I didnt get better until I quit going. Went to Dr for upper back deal and was referred to specialist, who ordered MRI, then 6 weeks of PT, 3 times a week and 40 miles away during my working hours. Didnt fix a damn thing. Got put on medical disability for 3 months to get healed up. 1 month back on the job and I was just as screwed up as before. Now I have a "sit on my ass job" and gained 40 pounds. That could have something to do with the lower back issues now.

Got a chance to do a little work on the hot rod today. Still trying to take it easy. Right leg is still shorting out. Have a Dr. appt on Tuesday. Welded some brackets for the steering and working on the hi/lo shifter. Next is bending the foot wells, then pedals.

Sweet, not to sound like a parent, don't overdo it. I like to see this thing finished. It is way AWESOME!

I got the right foot well fabbed up tonight. Back is still screwed up. 2 MRIs next Monday. Dr is wanting to do an epidural. Sounds like we are changing the oil in a worn out engine at this point, but will have to wait to see what the MRI comes up with.

I had to splice in the triangle at the back because I got stupid and cut to the wrong mark. That will get some extra body work and I wont make the same mistake on the other side. I put off doint this for close to a month thinking I could do it in one piece, but couldnt figure out a good way to do it. It will end up being 4 pieces with a bolt on shifter plate. The rest will get tacked together in place.

Went in for the MRI last night. L5-S1 disc is screwed up bad enough that even someone like my wife looked at the pics and said that is screwed up and she doesnt have a clue what she is looking at. The doctor she picked is a "pain management" doctor. Sounds suspiciously like the "security monitor" commercials. Doesnt sound like he fixes anything, only administers pain meds. I hope that isnt the case and he can refer me to someone that can fix it. Wont find anything out until next tuesday.

Yuck, hope they can get you fixed up good. I agree, many doctors are becoming "security monitors" these days.

Hoping you get fixed up and for quick pain relief.

Pain management can do cortizone shots to your joints. They will do it under an X-ray to make sure they hit the spot. I did 2 rounds of that, Instant relief for me for my lower back. That was over 10 years ago and still working. And their pain med are good too Hope it works for ya.

the pain is tolerable right now because I have been taking it easy for the last 6 weeks. It get worse while standing for more than 30 minutes. I can work for short periods if I dont have to bend over much. I will be spending some time on the inversion table and some light work on the treadmill for the next few months to try to get this worked out.

That does look painful, if what I am seeing in your pic, the disk being pinched or herniated? I sure hope they can give you good news next Tuesday.

what a fantastic exhaust design, it is just like the Dragsters you see at the races, fantastic effort, cheers

^^^^ thanks.

official prognosis on my back is 4 bulging discs at t7- t8, t11-t12, l4-l5 and a big one at l5-s1. I received an epidural today. They said it may take up to 3 days for it to kick in. Sometimes the first one does the trick, other times it may take 3...or i may have to go in for a tune up once a month. He said the l5-s1 wasnt bad enough to do surgery, but if it ever blows up, I would know it and to take it easy for awhile. Doesnt sound like he is gonna put the fire out, just take the battery out of the smoke detector.
Hope to be back into this project by next week. If the epidural doesnt work, I will switch to the 12oz muscle relaxers and fight through the pain.

Don't overdue yourself. Hope the Doc can fix you up!

Got a chance to get back on this after 2 months of a jacked up back and mowing the grass and keeping the grass cutters going. Welded in 1 foot well and started on the other one when the ring on the ground clamp fried .
Proof of life pic...

Hey man, welcome back! We missed ya! I'm still amazed by your fab skills, lol

even after getting juiced up, it is hard to bend over to weld for an hour. This contest and the deadline is the only thing keeping me going. I am ate up with this sh!t. Have builds lined up for the next 3 years (or more).

and I know everyone wants to see this thing finished out! Take care man!

Rock and roll Tater! I finally finished the move to Illinois, and am at the moment rebuilding a dead re-badged mtd (White outdoor equipment) I found in the back yard to (GASP) MOW with!

Good to see you well enough to progress on this man!

Most of the structural stuff is completed. Still need to work on the control and pretty stuff.  I hope to post a redneck dyno and wheelie bar test in the next 30 days. That should complete the functional test, except for the mowing part. That will be an easy add on. This turned out to be a bigger build than I planed on. I didnt figure in mowing season and the week long out of town vacation listening to some kick ass Texas music. ( do it if you get the chance)
.

Finished filling in the fire wall tonight. Will need to punch a hole for the drag link when I figure out where I where and how long the pitman arm needs to be. I dont want the steering to be too fast, but with a butterfly wheel, I dont want more than a half a turn lock to lock either. That may have more to do with the spindle than the pitman arm. Gotta do some lab experiments to find out what works best. ( that was yesterdays post that somehow got non posted).. Still working on the firewall. I try to get atleast 2 hours of fab time in a day. Just now getting back on schedule after 2+ months. Got side tracked tonight cooking the worlds best burgers...

Colby Jack cheese? That's my favorite!

tater195 wrote:

Finished filling in the fire wall tonight. Will need to punch a hole for the drag link when I figure out where I where and how long the pitman arm needs to be. I dont want the steering to be too fast, but with a butterfly wheel, I dont want more than a half a turn lock to lock either. That may have more to do with the spindle than the pitman arm. Gotta do some lab experiments to find out what works best. ( that was yesterdays post that somehow got non posted).. Still working on the firewall. I try to get atleast 2 hours of fab time in a day. Just now getting back on schedule after 2+ months. Got side tracked tonight cooking the worlds best burgers...

Both affect the speed of the turn best bet is to work on the spindle arm length where it connects to the tie rod... lot easier to adjust the length on that than the pitman arm (assuming the pitman arm is a cast part... if not, split the difference between the two till you get the right throw)

Hey Tater,

How is your back doing? Done anything with the dragster lately?

Take care man.