[lx450landcruiser]

All right well not sure exactly what I should say but since I'm the first Ill give it a shot.

My truck is a 1996 Lx450 with exactly 140k. It has stock wheels and tires with a 2.5 inch lift from slee. I have duel batteries wired to a center consol painless switch so I can jump-start my trucks battery from in the cab. My truck has a front ARB winch bumper however I don’t have the winch yet. For the rear I have a homemade bumper that I built about 6 months ago. In the rear I ran a 450-watt sub woofer in a separate box with a plug in connector so I could take the sub out when I needed the space. I also installed a small lockable box with shelves in it for some tools. I have an auxiliary fuse block inside and a custom switch panel where the factory sub used to go. I have a CB where the ashtray used to go and an 11.3 inch flat screen attached to the dash. I have a custom cat back exhaust with a magnaflow muffler. This truck is my daily driver however I do like to take it off road every chance I get. I use it for primarily safari type wheeling however I like to take it on some rocks as well. If any one has any questions I'm glad to give you as much help as I can.

Future plans are diff locks
Sliders, new rear bumper,
Winch, possible a larger lift,
Larger tires, well the list it endless.


Mike

[lx450landcruiser]

more pics

Jump start your truck from inside the cab? How does that work?

[RavenTai]

Nice truck,

the picture in the snow is great

why are you ditching the rear bumper? looks good in that shot, have plans for something better?

[lx450landcruiser]

Originally Posted by nyk438

Jump start your truck from inside the cab? How does that work?

the set up allows me to run the truck off one battery (stock) Both batteries at all times (duel) and the last possition is with both batteries at all times.
Basicaly if i run the truck on one battery (stock) i can run a heater int he truck at night to keep warm camping and not have to worrie about draining the battery to far. i can get up in the morning and if she doesnt turn over i can flip the switch and never have to get out.

mike

[YngTLCOwner]

Mike,
Do you have a pic of the switch setup for your dual bat system? Just curious as to your setup in the cabin.

[lx450landcruiser]

Originally Posted by RavenTai

Nice truck,

the picture in the snow is great

why are you ditching the rear bumper? looks good in that shot, have plans for something better?

Thanks i really love this truck

As for the bumper it was my first attempt at one and while building it i was really pressed for time. i have lots of fun ideas for the next one. One of my bigger ones is side steps to reach the roof that will double as tow points for recovery. I plane to build a few of them this summer for some of the guys here on the board.

mike

[lx450landcruiser]

Originally Posted by YngTLCOwner

Mike,
Do you have a pic of the switch setup for your dual bat system? Just curious as to your setup in the cabin.

ill run out and shoot some pics

mike

[lx450landcruiser]

Originally Posted by YngTLCOwner

Mike,
Do you have a pic of the switch setup for your dual bat system? Just curious as to your setup in the cabin.

here ya go. i painted it black but you could keep it the factory color as well if you wanted to. when i took the stock sub out i took the box out as well and it gave me a perfect place to put my aux fuse block and line converter for the new sub

[beno]

Real sweet!!

to a really nicely done truck.

Can I ask a stupid question? (you'll get those from me... )

Where did you find directions/schematic for doing up the dual battery system and interior control console like that? I'm constantly amazed by the things people come up with on the board here for there rigs.

Anyway, what plan did you follow? Have you done some thing like this before? I guess, give us the meat and potatoes on how you were able to rig this up. I'm really interested in setting something up soon as well.

Thanks in advance.
Best.
-onur
Akron, OH

[Arleaux]

Mike,
Nice Truck. Very well done.

I have a few questions.

How is your flatscreen attached ?
What video are you running to it ?
Did you recarpet the rear sidewall ?

Can I have your bumper w/ you get another ?
I think it looks great !

[lx450landcruiser]

Originally Posted by beno

Real sweet!!

to a really nicely done truck.

Can I ask a stupid question? (you'll get those from me... )

Where did you find directions/schematic for doing up the dual battery system and interior control console like that? I'm constantly amazed by the things people come up with on the board here for there rigs.

Anyway, what plan did you follow? Have you done some thing like this before? I guess, give us the meat and potatoes on how you were able to rig this up. I'm really interested in setting something up soon as well.

Thanks in advance.
Best.
-onur
Akron, OH

i really cant take credit for the system as its a kit that i bought from painless. it comes ill all thee wires (color coded) and the solonoid. All i had t do was order the stock battery tray and stuff for a early modle 80 which fints in the right hand side. then i moved my washer bottle with slees kit. i had to get the battery cabels of the right length and i welded a mount for the solonoid. I rewired my fj40 from scratch and then i rewired it again with a painless kit designed for a chevy truck. i did the chevy truck one becasue i had installed a gm tilt steering column and no i can just plug my harness into the coulumn for my turn signols, horn, ect...

[lx450landcruiser]

Originally Posted by Arleaux

Mike,
Nice Truck. Very well done.

I have a few questions.

How is your flatscreen attached ?
What video are you running to it ?
Did you recarpet the rear sidewall ?

Can I have your bumper w/ you get another ?
I think it looks great !

The flat screen is attacked to the stock holes in the dash that usualy hold the clock. Its not the most ideal place but its the only place i could think of that doesnt block my site other then on my hood. That and every one in the truck can see it with out struggle. It has just about every connection u can think of in the back. i run dvd players on it when i make the drive home from washinton to az. and ill be able to run GPS which is what i really wanted for it . I have an old lap top i plan to run under the seat and run a wirless mouse -key board, however it looks like if i can gather up somee money this summer i may run the new mac mini which ill mount in the stereo slot.

thanks again for all the complements and im really happy i can contribute something to the board.

edit: i also forgot to mention i can take the screen off and on in under a minute so i dont have to leave it in the truck and worry about it getting stolen.

[Junk]

lx450landcruiser,
Nice writeup. Thanks for taking the pole by agreeing for the first week. ... greatly appreciated.

For those switches related to the dual batts - what are they rated? Reason I ask is most guys that have the marine switch try to not set up the winch through the switch because of the heavy draw.

Thanks - and again, nice write up dude.

[lx450landcruiser]

well the dual battery set up runs off only one switch. you can look the kit up on painless web site and i think i bought mine from summit racing the kit is a 250 amp and comes with everything u need including two lights for the 3 position switch so you know what position your running in. and for the guys with 40s or less weather proofing on there trucks you can pay a bit more and get a water proof kit although a little liquid tape and you wouldnt know the difference.

link
http://www.painlesswiring.com/webcat...at-battacc.htm

[cc93cruiser]

lx450landcruiser, what's your next mod on your cruiser?

[semlin]

mike it looks great. I like the rear mudflaps!

[lx450landcruiser]

well im not totaly sure yet as my funds are some what low at the moment. so this summer it will prob be small stuff that i can afford such as make a new 3/4 rack, new rear bumper, i plane to build some rear drawers. I may lookinto a onboard air system using the gm compressor with either a supercharge pully. I will also toy with some sliders, skid plates, i love to fab with metal and im notthe best with the mechanics of my truck however i have to say i pride myself on doing everying on my truck myself even if i dont know how.

[lx450landcruiser]

Originally Posted by semlin

mike it looks great. I like the rear mudflaps!

HAHAhaha yeah well after the bumper i was pulled over 4 times for mud flap violation so i just cut up some napa ones and attached them to the stock holes.

mike

[cc93cruiser]

hey that's cool... You fabricate your own armor for you cruiser, wish I had the skillz and tools do these kind of jobs... good luck and keep us posted!

[AnnoymousUser]

Since its ROTW, I'm really intrested in knowing more about your dual batt setup and your 450w stereo. I'm in the process of upgrading my stereo too and wondering how your dual batt is setup w/ everything else. Pics would be GREAT!

Love your ride! Thanks for being the first on ROTW!!!!

[ultimauk]

"I will also toy with some sliders, skid plates, i love to fab with metal and im notthe best with the mechanics of my truck however i have to say i pride myself on doing everying on my truck myself even if i dont know how. "

Utterly demoralizing!

Thanks!

BTW, what’s with the black metal thing with the bottle opener and padlock over it?

[best4x4xfar]

Hey LX, Nice looking truck. I hate to sound negative, but in the interest of safety, have you considered the passenger side airbag deployment path, and that large monitor?? It sure looks like it would be hit by the deploying airbag, possibly sending the monitor toward a passenger at a high rate of speed, and possibly disrupting the deployment enough to degrade (if not nullify) the safety of an airbag for the passenger. Just something to carefully consider, as this could be a really bad situation in an accident.

[lx450landcruiser]

Originally Posted by AnnoymousUser

Since its ROTW, I'm really intrested in knowing more about your dual batt setup and your 450w stereo. I'm in the process of upgrading my stereo too and wondering how your dual batt is setup w/ everything else. Pics would be GREAT!

Love your ride! Thanks for being the first on ROTW!!!!

ill post up some pics of the dual bat set up. i really like it and havent had a single problem with it since install. Its also really easy to set up even if you dont know much about wiring. The stereo as well was super easy. it was my first sub woofer install and since then i have installed about 4 different ones if friends trucks.

[lx450landcruiser]

BTW, what’s with the black metal thing with the bottle opener and padlock over it?[/QUOTE]

Its a flush mount-lockable storage box. its acctully an electrical box i found at home depo that was the right depth and size. i welded in some sheves and a bracket to mount to some of the stock holes and now i have a lockable box in the back for some tools.

[lx450landcruiser]

Originally Posted by best4x4xfar

Hey LX, Nice looking truck. I hate to sound negative, but in the interest of safety, have you considered the passenger side airbag deployment path, and that large monitor?? It sure looks like it would be hit by the deploying airbag, possibly sending the monitor toward a passenger at a high rate of speed, and possibly disrupting the deployment enough to degrade (if not nullify) the safety of an airbag for the passenger. Just something to carefully consider, as this could be a really bad situation in an accident.

I have thought about it, its rarly used at high speeds as its primarily for my GPS. i looked for several place to mount it and after some consideration i could see no different mounting it here then having a lap top mount in my truck? I will check the dimensions of the deployed air bag again and get the sats back but last time i checked it would come out over the screen.

mike

[Grouseman]

LX450,

Very nice rig, and great write-up. Question? You have the dual battery set-up for the purpose of using the heater when camping. That sounds like a great plan, but how long will your heater blow warm air, say when it is 30 or so degrees outside? Basically in your experiences how long does the engine stay warm enough to put warm air thru the heater system?
Just wondering because this would be an excellent way of heating the interior of the rig.

Thanks
SS

[lx450landcruiser]

Originally Posted by Grouseman

LX450,

Very nice rig, and great write-up. Question? You have the dual battery set-up for the purpose of using the heater when camping. That sounds like a great plan, but how long will your heater blow warm air, say when it is 30 or so degrees outside? Basically in your experiences how long does the engine stay warm enough to put warm air thru the heater system?
Just wondering because this would be an excellent way of heating the interior of the rig.

Thanks
SS

well i acctully dont run the trucks heater. i bought a mid price range space heater. i took it apart and welded a bracket for it do that it fits in a slot where the rear sliding windows are when open. It has a build in thermostat so i can set the temp i want for the interior of the truck then go to sleep. the heater then will turn on and stay on ony when its colder then the set temp. It doesnt draw much power and usuly runs through out the night no problem, but even if it did completly kill the batter i always know i can get out by flipping the switch.

mike

[turbocruiser]

Originally Posted by lx450landcruiser

Basicaly if i run the truck on one battery (stock) i can run a heater int he truck at night to keep warm camping and not have to worrie about draining the battery to far. i can get up in the morning and if she doesnt turn over i can flip the switch and never have to get out.

mike

Originally Posted by lx450landcruiser

i have lots of fun ideas for the next one. One of my bigger ones is side steps to reach the roof that will double as tow points for recovery. I plane to build a few of them this summer for some of the guys here on the board.

mike

Originally Posted by lx450landcruiser

Its a flush mount-lockable storage box. its acctully an electrical box i found at home depo that was the right depth and size. i welded in some sheves and a bracket to mount to some of the stock holes and now i have a lockable box in the back for some tools.

Wow, too cool man, you really put a punch of creativity into everything in your rig; not only creativity but everything makes sense money-wise and function-wise! You got what i would term "hardware-store-ninja-skills" - you tend to see several awesome applications to things that most people cannot even comprehend the primary purpose for! Very .

Originally Posted by lx450landcruiser

so this summer it will prob be small stuff that i can afford such as make a new 3/4 rack, new rear bumper, i plane to build some rear drawers. I will also toy with some sliders, skid plates, i love to fab with metal and im notthe best with the mechanics of my truck however i have to say i pride myself on doing everying on my truck myself even if i dont know how.

Your approach is admirable and something i should remind myself about alot; for some reason shyness takes over whenever i think of fabbing stuff like this for my 80 - somehow it seems so much 'safer' to get the pro-made and pro-priced stuff - and yet i am constantly fabbing stuff up for my restoration projects as well as everything else possible from metal work to wood work all without any shyness at all, so what gives? You hit the spot with stating that pride in your work will often make something self-fabbed much more valuable and yet, much less expensive. Very indeed!

Originally Posted by lx450landcruiser

ill post up some pics of the dual bat set up. i really like it and havent had a single problem with it since install. Its also really easy to set up even if you dont know much about wiring. The stereo as well was super easy. it was my first sub woofer install and since then i have installed about 4 different ones if friends trucks.

I'd love to see as many pics as possible.

Originally Posted by lx450landcruiser

well i acctully dont run the trucks heater. i bought a mid price range space heater. i took it apart and welded a bracket for it do that it fits in a slot where the rear sliding windows are when open. It has a build in thermostat so i can set the temp i want for the interior of the truck then go to sleep. the heater then will turn on and stay on ony when its colder then the set temp. It doesnt draw much power and usuly runs through out the night no problem, but even if it did completly kill the batter i always know i can get out by flipping the switch.

mike

Again, I'd love to see as many pics as possible.


Wow, overall what a great way to open the ROTW! Notch my vote as very impressed with your rig as well as your rig-related-skills!

[lx450landcruiser]

thanks so much guys makes me feel better about my truck every time. I think my confidence in my stuff goes back to when i learned to weld. i started when i was 13 at the local college and since i passed arc 1, arc 2, and mig 1 with A's i felt confident that my welds werent going anywhere. I have a 40 as well which is where most my welding went into until i built up the courage to work on my lx450. I have to say with a newer truck like the lx i was worried i do something i really regretted to i made sure every mod i did was reversable if i screwed up. i never drilled a hole in the body or frame and i never cut anything off. Its kinda fun to look at a lace and say ok this is where i wanna mount this but what stock holes do i have to do this? I built a few things in the past 2 years and have ended up selling them with out trying (had a guy run up to my truck at a stop light and asked about my rack) Ill try and take some pics of the dual battery set up this weekend when i get back from canada on fri night. As for the heater its back in az so I'll have to post that up in a few months.

I almost forgot to mention this summer one of my big projects will be modding the tailgate in the lx to fit a electric grill that will fit in the deeper holes of the tailgate. ill have the carpet flip up on a piano hinge with sheet metal on the underside to block the greese when i cook burgers on it.

thanks again for all the compliments i cant wait to get back home and fab some more.

mike