Builds Project ToyLET (PICS)
- Thread starter 4alarm
- Start date
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Josh that looks alot better then the po weld job. It should not come apart this time.
- Thread starter
- #243
Finished up the steering today.
Painted everything:
Mounted the steering box, connected the lines, and filled the reservoir. Every thing's working again:
Painted everything:
Mounted the steering box, connected the lines, and filled the reservoir. Every thing's working again:
- Thread starter
- #244
I love the look of the out board and the full size axles. Gives it a killer stance.
- Thread starter
- #246
Now I need to build a bumper that will tie the out boarded mounts together. I have some ideas. I just need to get some steel.
What is the width of your cruiser measured from the outsides of the tires? Your 40 looks amazing! 
- Thread starter
- #248
It's wide. 7' 6" in the front, 7' 4" in the rear. I need to widen my trailer.
Just wanted to check up and see how you were doing? Been thinking about you and praying for you.
- Thread starter
- #250
I do appreciate it!
I haven't been able to do anything with the cruiser, not even drive it. I've been on the couch drugged or in pain for the past few weeks. I have some new pain meds that are helping, but I'm still not really able to do much. I had been in contact with 2 different surgeons, one was supposed to be the one that would do the surgeries that no one else would do. Both told me no. I have one more surgical appointment next week in Austin TX. I think he's my last hope for surgery. We'll see what he says.
Although my latest CT scan showed that the tumors are stable on my current treatment, I look and feel worse. My doctor in Cali wants me to try another treatment but that would disqualify me from participating in another trial that is supposed to start in the next month or so. I really want to be in this new upcoming trial. So I didn't switch yet. My Tucson doc tested me and samples of my tumors for another trial that is going on locally (in Tucson). I have a certain immunity in my blood, and my tumors have specific markers that qualify me for this trial. I will start this new trial the week after next if I don't get surgery. This will tide me over until the trial I really want to be on opens.
Tomorrow there is a 4x4 meet and greet just down the road from my house. I'm going to try and pull the cruiser out to that for a little while. Sorry I don't have better news. I was waiting to post until I had some good news to follow the bad news. I guess my appointment in TX is some good news.
I haven't been able to do anything with the cruiser, not even drive it. I've been on the couch drugged or in pain for the past few weeks. I have some new pain meds that are helping, but I'm still not really able to do much. I had been in contact with 2 different surgeons, one was supposed to be the one that would do the surgeries that no one else would do. Both told me no. I have one more surgical appointment next week in Austin TX. I think he's my last hope for surgery. We'll see what he says.
Although my latest CT scan showed that the tumors are stable on my current treatment, I look and feel worse. My doctor in Cali wants me to try another treatment but that would disqualify me from participating in another trial that is supposed to start in the next month or so. I really want to be in this new upcoming trial. So I didn't switch yet. My Tucson doc tested me and samples of my tumors for another trial that is going on locally (in Tucson). I have a certain immunity in my blood, and my tumors have specific markers that qualify me for this trial. I will start this new trial the week after next if I don't get surgery. This will tide me over until the trial I really want to be on opens.
Tomorrow there is a 4x4 meet and greet just down the road from my house. I'm going to try and pull the cruiser out to that for a little while. Sorry I don't have better news. I was waiting to post until I had some good news to follow the bad news. I guess my appointment in TX is some good news.
My prayers are with you man. Reading your build is really touching and I hope that everything turns out ok. Good luck with your clinical trials I hope they have good results.
Jon
Jon
Keep up the fight. You're in my prayers too.
- Thread starter
- #253
Thanks guys. Right now I could use some specific prayers that God will give me the wisdom to choose the right treatment for my next step. I thought I had everything figured out but now I don't know what to do. Please pray that I make the right decisions in choosing my next treatment.
I met with the TX doctor yesterday and he won't operate either. He at least took the time to explain to me why an operation is not possible at this time. Basically the 2 main arteries in my pelvis are encapsulated by the tumors so removing the tumors is not possible. If only one was encapsulated then there would be a chance, but that's not the case.
He felt that tumors are showing a lot of necrosis and said that cells will swell as they die so that may be why some of the tumors appear bigger and I have more pressure. Now I'm torn between continuing on my current treatment to see if things improve (since there is more necrosis, maybe I just need to give it more time to start shrinking), or switching to the new treatment hoping for faster results but not knowing what it will bring me. I have to make a decision in the next day or so and I just don't know what to do.
I met with the TX doctor yesterday and he won't operate either. He at least took the time to explain to me why an operation is not possible at this time. Basically the 2 main arteries in my pelvis are encapsulated by the tumors so removing the tumors is not possible. If only one was encapsulated then there would be a chance, but that's not the case.
He felt that tumors are showing a lot of necrosis and said that cells will swell as they die so that may be why some of the tumors appear bigger and I have more pressure. Now I'm torn between continuing on my current treatment to see if things improve (since there is more necrosis, maybe I just need to give it more time to start shrinking), or switching to the new treatment hoping for faster results but not knowing what it will bring me. I have to make a decision in the next day or so and I just don't know what to do.
Your fight always puts all of my measly complaints into perspective.
Stay with it brother!!!!!!
Stay with it brother!!!!!!
Tapage
Club 4X4 Panamá
I know each body it's diferent .. but maybe a desision based in % of success of each threadment help you in your choice.
TJDIV
UP of MI.
Dude. I jumped in here to read up on a slick Cruiser Build...this is quite the storied thread ( not to make light ).
I hope things work out for you; keep your head up. Looks like your kids are appreciating the beast!
I hope things work out for you; keep your head up. Looks like your kids are appreciating the beast!
- Thread starter
- #257
Unfortunately this disease is so rare that there is no %'s to look at. As far as I know, I'm the only DSRCT patient on ET743, and I'd probably be the only one on the new trial. I can look at other sarcoma patients that have similarities with DSRCT, but that would only give me numbers for one of the drugs. The other is a Phase I trial, so no data has been released yet.
I met with my doc in Tucson yesterday. I was all prepared to discuss the 2 treatments (my current ET743, and the new one MKC1106-PP) and make a decision.
My doctor does not want me to wait for the OTHER treatment (R1507 {an IGF-1R inhibitor} combined with Everolimus {an mTor inhibitor}). He doesn't feel like I have time to wait for it (even doing one of the other treatments while I wait). He said if it was him, he would forget ET743, and MKC1106-PP and do the other IGF1R inhibitor that I can start in California right now. This is not R1507 but it is the same type of drug, just a different manufacturer.
So we have a monkey wrench. A third option that I wasn't really considering until yesterday. Both R1507 and Everolimus have shown great results as mono-therapies so combining them theoretically should be even better. There is no guarantee, however, that this new trial will start in the next month or two, or ever for that matter. Many of these trials get canned before they ever even start. If the IGF-1R treatment alone works, then I'm that much better off. This is the treatment that I've wanted to start for the past few months, the only reason I didn't start it for my last treatment is because I heard of the upcoming one. The doctor says we have good data on the IGF-1R working by itself, so why wait?
I've had MANY people praying that I make the right decision, and yesterday (when it was still just between the 2 drugs) I had no idea which way to go. I now feel strongly that my new 3rd option (IGF-1R alone) is the way to go. I'm going to call the doctor in California in the next few minutes to discuss this 3rd option, so if there is no problems with me starting it, that's the way I'm going.
Tapage
Club 4X4 Panamá
Nice to know you have a decision and I see success in your future .. go Strong !
Hi Dude!...
From Spain pray for you, and God with wisdom and strength of the apostle Santiago, hopefully everything goes well, your family and the Cruiser-Family we are with you...
Keep Going Mate!
"impossible is nothing"
From Spain pray for you, and God with wisdom and strength of the apostle Santiago, hopefully everything goes well, your family and the Cruiser-Family we are with you...
Keep Going Mate!
"impossible is nothing"
- Thread starter
- #260
I can't tell you guys how much I appreciate the thoughts and prayers. I talked to the doctors office in Santa Monica (couldn't speak with the doc directly). I'll have to get another CT scan done next week so they can look at it, then schedule an appointment to get out there and go over the paperwork. Then I'll have to wait while they get me registered, and if all goes well I'll start soon after. This treatment will be every other week and will only take an hour for the infusion. I should be able to fly in early in the morning, get the infusion, and fly out that same afternoon. It'll still cost me for the plane tickets and cab fare, but I'll save by not having to get a hotel room. I will have to do this more often, so costs will still be higher. I can still try the Angel Flights program to get free flights, but then I'd probably have to stay over night to accomodate their scheduling. We'll see.
My doctor increased the frequency of my pain medicine from every 12 hours to every 8 hours. This has kept the pain away. I started using the Ritalin in the morning and at lunch time and so far I have more energy. I haven't been sleeping near as much during the day. Maybe I'll be able to get back to work and get some things done in the garage for a little now.
Now back to the cruiser.... I got a set of ram style exhaust manifolds that dump straight down in the center of the engine. I'll get the headers removed, get these new manifolds on it and get the passenger side exhaust wrapped under the motor to exit on the drivers side, then it's back to the muffler shop to have him redo the exhaust tubing. Then I can hit the trails again. I also noticed that front axle seems to have shifted on the leaf springs. I'm using a small, low grade, bolt as the spring pin and I think it either bent or just allowed it to slide a little. I've been having some mad death wobble since the first wheeling trip. I'm going to get some new spring pins and I'm also going to replace the u-bolt plates.
I'm gathering the parts for my rear coil suspension. A good friend of mine (Dave, the one who did the roll cage) gave me a set of Jeep TJ front and rear coils and some XJ front coils. It looks like the TJ fronts are going to be the ones I'll use. They may be a little too tall. I'll have to rig it so I can get the weight of the rig on them to see how much they compress. Ballistic Fabrication Ballistic Fabrication - Manufacturers of Precision Offroad Fabrication Supplies has lots of brackets that would make doing a custom coil spring suspension really easy.
I'm thinking of using an all-in-one (coil mounts, shock mounts, trac-bar mount and link mounts) bracket that they have for a Jeep front axle and use it on the rear axle:
They also have the top coil spring retainer that will weld to the frame, and frame mount pan-hard bar mount. I can get all of this for about $160. This would save so much time on fabrication. I figure, if I'm feeling well, I could do this in about a week, working a few hours a day on it.
I just have to decide what kind of link suspension I want to do in the rear. I have a few friends that have done one-link suspensions on the rears of their rigs (a 4Runner, a pickup, and 2 Jeeps) that have worked extremely well and have held up to the abuse of some VERY hard core trails. That is the way I'm leaning right now. I may do some sort of 4-link, but I think I'd rather save the money and not have to buy all the link mounts. We'll see.
My doctor increased the frequency of my pain medicine from every 12 hours to every 8 hours. This has kept the pain away. I started using the Ritalin in the morning and at lunch time and so far I have more energy. I haven't been sleeping near as much during the day. Maybe I'll be able to get back to work and get some things done in the garage for a little now.
Now back to the cruiser.... I got a set of ram style exhaust manifolds that dump straight down in the center of the engine. I'll get the headers removed, get these new manifolds on it and get the passenger side exhaust wrapped under the motor to exit on the drivers side, then it's back to the muffler shop to have him redo the exhaust tubing. Then I can hit the trails again. I also noticed that front axle seems to have shifted on the leaf springs. I'm using a small, low grade, bolt as the spring pin and I think it either bent or just allowed it to slide a little. I've been having some mad death wobble since the first wheeling trip. I'm going to get some new spring pins and I'm also going to replace the u-bolt plates.
I'm gathering the parts for my rear coil suspension. A good friend of mine (Dave, the one who did the roll cage) gave me a set of Jeep TJ front and rear coils and some XJ front coils. It looks like the TJ fronts are going to be the ones I'll use. They may be a little too tall. I'll have to rig it so I can get the weight of the rig on them to see how much they compress. Ballistic Fabrication Ballistic Fabrication - Manufacturers of Precision Offroad Fabrication Supplies has lots of brackets that would make doing a custom coil spring suspension really easy.
I'm thinking of using an all-in-one (coil mounts, shock mounts, trac-bar mount and link mounts) bracket that they have for a Jeep front axle and use it on the rear axle:
They also have the top coil spring retainer that will weld to the frame, and frame mount pan-hard bar mount. I can get all of this for about $160. This would save so much time on fabrication. I figure, if I'm feeling well, I could do this in about a week, working a few hours a day on it.
I just have to decide what kind of link suspension I want to do in the rear. I have a few friends that have done one-link suspensions on the rears of their rigs (a 4Runner, a pickup, and 2 Jeeps) that have worked extremely well and have held up to the abuse of some VERY hard core trails. That is the way I'm leaning right now. I may do some sort of 4-link, but I think I'd rather save the money and not have to buy all the link mounts. We'll see.