Builds My '78 FJ40 "44" (2 Viewers)

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pngunme said:
Thanks Mate!!

Great news!!

The Danny Repairer says he can fix me... 2" incision, up the spine, from the back.

Home the same day.

1 hour to remove L5-S1 discs and replace with plastic discs. Place a screw in L5 and one in S1. Join the screws to stabilize it.

Bone growing meds injected between L5 and S1.

Three weeks of light activity, to allow bone growers to get a good start.

Then anything but golf and bowling for three months, to allow the bone growers to fuse L5 to S1.

I can work on 44 and I can drive 44, while the bone growers do their job!!

I'll be back!!
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Dang, I need that guy to work on the 40. Lol, hope all goes well.
 
gator25 said:
Dang, I need that guy to work on the 40. Lol, hope all goes well.
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Interesting you said that, Nolan!!

I asked Dr Duke, yesterday, "will I be allowed to work on and drive my old Land Cruiser while I'm rehabbing?".

He said, "Yes. No Problem. Do you have an FJ40? What year?".

I said, "Yes a '78".

He said, "I really want an FJ40. I even flew out and met Johnathon Ward and considered an Icon. But, my sons are giants... all in middle and high school... one is 6'5", one is 6'3" and the youngest will be taller than either of the others. They simply don't fit in the back of an FJ40. Some day, I'll have one, when the boys are grown and on their own.".

The Dr is about 5'10".

Everybody wants a 40!!
 
Today, I spent about 3 hours pulling the harness through all the nooks and crannies and firewall holes... I hooked up the passenger and driver side of the engine compartment and part of the under dash stuff (headlight switch, key switch, and a few others).

Then I went in, took a shower and crawled into bed (at 10:15 am), on my heating pad, for a few hours.

I hope to feel up to hooking everything else up tomorrow morning... we'll see...

I also need to wire in the Oil Pressure Safety Switch... to ensure the electric fuel pumps shut off when the oil pressure drops below 2 psi...

My plan is to drive 44 this weekend... :steer:
 
pngunme said:
Today, I spent about 3 hours pulling the harness through all the nooks and crannies and firewall holes... I hooked up the passenger and driver side of the engine compartment and part of the under dash stuff (headlight switch, key switch, and a few others).

Then I went in, took a shower and crawled into bed (at 10:15 am), on my heating pad, for a few hours.

I hope to feel up to hooking everything else up tomorrow morning... we'll see...

I also need to wire in the Oil Pressure Safety Switch... to ensure the electric fuel pumps shut off when the oil pressure drops below 2 psi...

My plan is to drive 44 this weekend... :steer:
Click to expand...

Wow, that's crazy. Dr.s can do some amazing things now. Boy its a pain getting it all back where it goes. I removed the front and rear heaters and the trans hump, I knew I was going to have to anyway later. When it came time to route, remount and reinstall all the switches, flasher, headlight switch and fuse box it made it a lot easier. Ended up laying on top the transmission. Can't believe in the shape your in, your out there putting it back together. Be careful, don't over do it man.
 
What he said...x2.

Brings back memories. Had a local who was a regular ask me to hang the main harness in his 77 back in '91. I went to his place and hung it in an hour...for a steak dinner! Those were the days.
 
gator25 said:
Wow, that's crazy. Dr.s can do some amazing things now. Boy its a pain getting it all back where it goes. I removed the front and rear heaters and the trans hump, I knew I was going to have to anyway later. When it came time to route, remount and reinstall all the switches, flasher, headlight switch and fuse box it made it a lot easier. Ended up laying on top the transmission. Can't believe in the shape your in, your out there putting it back together. Be careful, don't over do it man.
Click to expand...

I'm only 5'6"... I can lay on the passenger seat, with my feet in the stirrups (e.g. over the seatback) and stick my head under the dash... actually stretches my back and helps mitigate the pinched nerve... but, I get tired really easy.

65swb45 said:
What he said...x2.

Brings back memories. Had a local who was a regular ask me to hang the main harness in his 77 back in '91. I went to his place and hung it in an hour...for a steak dinner! Those were the days.
Click to expand...

I would have gotten more done, had I not had to keep staunching the blood flow... :rolleyes: lotsa sharp stuff under the dash.
 
The 44 is an expensive inversion table....
 
Man, good luck with the surgery - I'm hoping when the time comes they can fix mine that way instead of fusion , who knows..?
I hear the new cement thing is working well , keeping that for an option too .

Just don't get in a rush , know a few people that had spinal surgery/repairs - felt so good afterwards they went out and did stupid stuff , and damaged the expensive repair work , don't be that guy ...lol .

Sarge
 
Weber Sarge said:
Man, good luck with the surgery - I'm hoping when the time comes they can fix mine that way instead of fusion , who knows..?
I hear the new cement thing is working well , keeping that for an option too .

Just don't get in a rush , know a few people that had spinal surgery/repairs - felt so good afterwards they went out and did stupid stuff , and damaged the expensive repair work , don't be that guy ...lol .

Sarge
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Thanks Sarge... believe me, I'll be very careful.

L5 will be fused to S1, but not the normal bone graft way... instead, Dr Duke uses "bone grower meds" (I don't recall the long name) to cause the bones to grow (fuse) together... that's the 3 month recovery period.

But, he assured me that I can do almost anything (except golf and bowl and I haven't done either in decades) after 3 weeks... trust me, Dianna won't let me do anything stupid... but, she heard him say I can work on and drive 44 during the 3 month period.
 
Disasterman said:
Good luck on the surgery and godspeed on the recovery, there must be some therapy in there somewhere too. Interesting to hear the concept of repair, back pain sucks.
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Thanks!! As I understand it, there is really no therapy with this... he said my back will be stiff for the 3 months that the vertabaes take to fuse... and that the only patients who that bothers are people who suffer from anxiety. The stiffness will abate after the fusing is complete.
 
SuperBuickGuy said:
godspeed on the recovery. follow your surgeon's advice. My wife developed the first disk-replacement so I got a ring-side seat at the issues that arise from fusing, the number one issue being the "it doesn't hurt, so I'm fine" issue.
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Thanks!!

I've had enough surgeries to know to listen to the surgeon... and more importantly... to listen to Dianna.

This one will be somewhat different, because I should feel so much better right away... but, I want it to be completely successful... I'll do only what I'm allowed to do... and Dianna says, "you will do less".
 
pngunme said:
This one will be somewhat different, because I should feel so much better right away... but, I want it to be completely successful... I'll do only what I'm allowed to do... and Dianna says, "you will do less".
Click to expand...

So it's pretty clear why you married her, what's in it for her? ;)
 
44 lives again!!​

Hanging the harness, two days ago, was more debilitating that I thought... and had to take yesterday off.

Today, I finished hooking all the oem stuff up and checking it all three times... labeling the heater-related plugs that are no longer used.

Once I was sure it was all hooked up correctly, I started 44, using the new electric fuel pumps that I was preparing to hook up when I melted my WL and W wires.

She started right up and ran fine on both tanks... the ammeter and the voltage regulator work fine... so, the only damage was a little damage to the wiring (that @Coolerman helped me replace) and a lot of damage to my ego!!

I still need to hook up my tach and the Oil Pressure Safety Switch and Relay (the switch is installed, just not yet wired)... I also ordered some new (better) toggle switches... I'll replace all my accessory switches as soon as they arrive.

So... 44 lives again!!

 
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pngunme said:
Why, I have two wonderful dogs!!

Does you wife have any post surgery instructions for me?

I take advice well.
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I think she's say don't do it - outside of that, take time to heal.

Seems like it should move the scale a bit in your direction when you load it with 2 cool dogs.
 
SuperBuickGuy said:
I think she's say don't do it - outside of that, take time to heal.

Seems like it should move the scale a bit in your direction when you load it with 2 cool dogs.
Click to expand...

Oh, daBoise bring me up more than a 'bit'!!

Thanks, I'll keep it in mind.
 
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