OverlandLexusTN's GX470 Build

eloist said:
Great build. Nashville area here as well. We have a 3 year old and are having another boy in June. We should hit some trails. I'm in an LR3.

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That sounds like a great idea. I'm hoping to start getting out more here in the next few weeks.


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Graeman said:
Did you set the front shock/coil to the lowest setting on the 5100's?
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Yes they are on the lowest setting due to the springs being 2 inch springs. I was told the perches were really designed for stock height springs. I do have a slight forward take though that I'd like to correct.

I have spoken with another GX owner on the same setup that moved his to the second setting and achieved all level with no problems outside a slightly firmer ride. I'm debating doing that or trying a Toytec aluminum top hat spacer that gives 1/2" to 3/4" of lift.


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Installed CBI Fabrication ditch light brackets and a pair of Rigid Duallys (Flood). There were a few wiring gremlins but about 6 fuses later they are working great.
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BIG things are in store for this weekend.

Toytec 1/2" Net spacers to help the front end a little bit. I didn't quite get 2 inches out of the Toytec 112-620 springs largely due to the increased weight of a GX over the 4Runner. This is a temporary solution as I'll likely switch over to Toytec Boss Coilovers once a front bumper comes into the picture.

Front Runner Slimline II Rack will be here Friday along with FoxWing Awning Mount and HiLift Mount. I got a great deal on it off of a fellow GXOR member.

New Lower and Upper Ball Joints along with new Cam/Caster Bolt Kit are on order. I got a quote of $650 labor to install the lower and upper ball joints on both sides. :flushed: So i'll probably be attempting that myself.
 
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^^^ FrontRunner Slimline II rack for the 120 installed over the weekend. Have the FoxWing Awning Mounts and Hi-Lift mounts as well waiting to go on.

I didn't get everything done that I wanted to this weekend unfortunately. The rack install took much longer than expected and during the process of installing my accessory fuse panel from blue sea systems there was a small firework show that took place when I accidentally let the positive and negative battery leads graze each other. This mistake apparently blew several fuses including my (Downhill Assist Control Relay) that turns out is also my Brake Switch Relay. So I spent all weekend trying to determine why my brake lights would not go off. Problem solved though!
 
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This is an interesting build. Can you tell if the drivetrain and components are built sturdy enough.to handle off raiding? I wonder if the Lexus was intended to be taken off road? It will be interesting to see how it holds up over time.
And just because you might want to know, those are coilovers, not struts.
 
Arizona Overland said:
This is an interesting build. Can you tell if the drivetrain and components are built sturdy enough.to handle off raiding? I wonder if the Lexus was intended to be taken off road? It will be interesting to see how it holds up over time.
And just because you might want to know, those are coilovers, not struts.
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The drivetrain and components are some of the best in a Toyota/Lexus. The drivetrain is the 2UZ that has been in many Toyotas and is arguably one of the most reliable. It's a US copy (with a nicer interior) of the LandCruiser Prado that is used off-road extensively in Australia and Europe. In US terms it's a 4th gen 4Runner with a V8 as most all parts are interchangeable with same model year FJ Cruisers and 4Runners.

I've actually gotten many comments from Lexus techs on how they are glad to see it used for what it was designed. I'm not the first however. Check out "GXOR" on facebook.


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OverlandLexusTN said:
The drivetrain and components are some of the best in a Toyota/Lexus. The drivetrain is the 2UZ that has been in many Toyotas and is arguably one of the most reliable. It's a US copy (with a nicer interior) of the LandCruiser Prado that is used off-road extensively in Australia and Europe. In US terms it's a 4th gen 4Runner with a V8 as most all parts are interchangeable with same model year FJ Cruisers and 4Runners.

I've actually gotten many comments from Lexus techs on how they are glad to see it used for what it was designed. I'm not the first however. Check out "GXOR" on facebook.


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Right on. So its the second life where these rigs are gonna shine then. Guys like you who buy them used. Im thinking we will see more and more of these out on the trail then. Are you going to go RTT or trailer?
 
Arizona Overland said:
Right on. So its the second life where these rigs are gonna shine then. Guys like you who buy them used. Im thinking we will see more and more of these out on the trail then. Are you going to go RTT or trailer?
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Yep. Just too expensive new. It was a $55,000 vehicle brand new. Lot of GX460's falling sub 20k now though. That's the sweet spot for most people rig shopping.

I'll be going Tepui 3man on the roof with two AluBoxes on the front and fox wing awning. I'd like to have a trailer one day but it's just not in the funds right now.


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OverlandLexusTN said:
Yep. Just too expensive new. It was a $55,000 vehicle brand new. Lot of GX460's falling sub 20k now though. That's the sweet spot for most people rig shopping.

I'll be going Tepui 3man on the roof with two AluBoxes on the front and fox wing awning. I'd like to have a trailer one day but it's just not in the funds right now.


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Sounds awesome.
What I like about those second owner is the first owners will generally be older country club types that don't off road them. Im real curious to see how they do as overlanding rigs.
 
Arizona Overland said:
Sounds awesome.
What I like about those second owner is the first owners will generally be older country club types that don't off road them. Im real curious to see how they do as overlanding rigs.
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The early returns are A+. I know a guy who sold his 5gen 4Runner for one. With a rear locker and center Diff lock + atracs it will climb a mountain so it's really fun to drive if done right.

The only issues I've seen is some have problems with the factory center Diff lock freezing up because with so many of these trucks the lady driving form home to the mall never used it so some are plagued with lack of use issues.


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OverlandLexusTN said:
The early returns are A+. I know a guy who sold his 5gen 4Runner for one. With a rear locker and center Diff lock + atracs it will climb a mountain so it's really fun to drive if done right.

The only issues I've seen is some have problems with the factory center Diff lock freezing up because with so many of these trucks the lady driving form home to the mall never used it so some are plagued with lack of use issues.


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Well, thats a good excuse to get out there and use it then.:sunglasses:
 
Getting excited this morning as more progress is being made! I expect my MaxTraxII's and some ARB Recovery items in the mail tommorow and then Friday will bring my new ARB 2500mm Awning and Room. I went back and forth on awning brands but in the end the available room for the ARB 2500mm is just massive. The FoxWing is a little outside of my budget however I'm hoping to fab up some type of swing mount like FrontRunner sells (for $550) that will allow the awning to swing from driver side to rear on demand.

This past weekend I went for a short drive just to get off the pavement for a little while. It's tough getting out with two very young kids at the moment. I also mounted up the new 48" HiLift Xtreme Jack. Clears the rear spoiler and door perfectly.

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