Gotta say this project is starting to wear me down. Finally got the engine running a little more smoothly today for the first time. But despite replacing the sump gasket (again) last week I still have a large pool of oil under the car. It looks like the timing chain case gasket is leaking but it's hard to tell. 1 step forward and 2 steps back.
I know exactly what you're going through. I was trying to get my car presentable (not drivable) for a meet the US Lotus club was putting on. IIRC, it coincided with the 50th anniversary of Lotus and it was reasonably close by for a change so I was really motivated to get it ready.
I was working on the electrics and had "graduated" from using a dry cell battery that I used to check continuity to a car battery. I was carefully working on the wiring behind the dash when I turned around for some reason. The next thing that happened was I heard a "tick" of a light metal to metal contact. I turned back around to see smoke billowing from behind my dash! I disconnected the battery as soon as I could and went inside to contemplate suicide. I was devastated! I knew all the dash wiring was a cinder.
After about ten minutes, I gathered myself together enough to view the damage. There actually very little! What had happened is the stainless steel braided hose I used for the oil pressure gauge had flopped over and shorted on something. Most of the smoke that I saw came from the rubber hose of that oil pressure gauge line burning. All I had to do was make a new hose and replace a couple of short wires.
Alex and Brian are right. Step back, relax, and regroup. The last two percent is always the hardest. You car is beautiful. You'll straighten this out and what you're feeling now will soon be a distant memory.
