ROTW- FirstToy

FirstToy · 04-03-06, 10:00 PM

1996 Lexus LX450
It all started with Jim Brantley's Realcruiser.com, then meeting the Norcal guys and a few Socal Cruiserheads, and now the fantastic memories built along the way in the driver's seat of my 80!

Mods

-Slee Offroad OME Heavy lift, AC dryer protection, t-case skidplate, SS extended brakelines
-Hanna Quality Sliders, Rear bumper
-ARB front bumper
-Lightforce 170
-33" MTR's
-Engel fridge, Slee fridge slide
-Offroadair.net CO2 tank
-removed roofrack, added fusebox & powerpoints, other little do-dads

Bought thru a Cruiserhead buddy. I sent out some feelers and turns out his friend's sister was considering selling this LX450. They just bought a 06 LX470 so my timing just worked out perfect. It was never on the market and I am still surprised at how pristine it is.

One thing I had to do straight away is DYNAMAT the rr panels and wheelwells! It helped alot.

Here is the rear cargo detail. I strapped a Quickfist to hold the extinguiser

As is the story with all the great Cruiserheads I have met, my friend Evan helped me deal with the only major problem-a leaky valve cover gasket. Thanks to C-Dan, I ordered the plug gaskets as well and glad I did. Evan has helped me and I have learned alot about wrenching from him and his generosity of time has been great.

Ken Hanna. I have known Ken for several years and he has been fantastic. I never felt my 80 was done until it was 100% Hanna-fied! I feel very lucky to have his work on my rig and you will find he is a no-nonsense, highly skilled craftsman with no ego and alot of pride in his work.

A detail of how I used the hot shower setup and slipped garbage below

I cleaned up the bolts on my Slee AC dryer plate by adding metric buttonhead bolts- makes for a clean appearance

A driveway shot when I just got the ARB and MTR's on
I have to say that Slee Offroad has been stellar. They helped me alot when no one else even thought of OME for the 2003 4Runner. Ben at Slee's is the best and when it came time for the 80 lift, it's the only call I made. I think the 80 community is very lucky to have this caliber of vendor, it obviously works out for them too but it's certainly something to be proud of!

notyourmomslx450 · 04-03-06, 10:11 PM

Great looking rig. Nice writeup. Got any good side shots? I'd like to see where mine can go, looks-wise.

FirstToy · 04-03-06, 10:12 PM

A few shots while wheeling w/ The Dude. "New $h!t has come to light, man!"

Death Valley Daze 2006 w/ The Dude and Big Moose

DVDaze 06 muddin' -pic by Alvarorb

And the best part of it all has been the epic, beautiful and interesting trips with the Norcal Crew. The awesome wheeling, camping and people are what makes it so great. This also drives the mods I do to the rig.
I am lucky that in Socal we have some die-hard Cruiserheads that really keep the LC legend going and I can always call on them for advice and help.

Several pics from Sedona by DesertDude (my first time doing all the trails in Sedona)

Thanks for looking!

beno · 04-03-06, 10:38 PM

Real nice. I like that blastin-through-mud pic. I've got it as my wall paper.

-o-

[edit]: "Dude, that is not the correct nomenclature..."

FirstToy · 04-03-06, 10:42 PM

Thanks Beno, Alvaro took some great photos of that trip
here are a couple more pics- the Lightforces were bought used for a good price, I balked at retail until I stumbled on these.

bulldog-yota · 04-03-06, 10:49 PM

Real nice man, I love the brand new condition of your 80. Still looks like new.

Cruiserdrew · 04-03-06, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bulldog-yota

Real nice man, I love the brand new condition of your 80. Still looks like new.

And if anything it looks better in person. Nicely done James! I can't wait to see next year's mods...

NorCalSam · 04-03-06, 10:51 PM

Very nice First Toy.

That one good lookn Cruiser!

NorCalSam · 04-03-06, 10:53 PM

Do you like your Gas and water cans they look like very good quility. If so where could I pick some up.

Bluto · 04-03-06, 11:17 PM

Very Nice.

Dynamat - what caused you to use it in the back of the cruiser (sound deadening)?
That bumper looks great ! Did you have any of the Turbo whirrr sound in the back when you cut the resonator. If so, how did you resolve it?
Thanks.

i4c4lo · 04-03-06, 11:28 PM

It is an extremely nice rig but the best part of this truck is the owner. He is talented and a super nice guy. For you guys that has met him or know him you will all agree.

Also I think the old owners of this truck never got in this truck, the carpet is new and the seats are brand new - maybe they had plastic covers on it

Amando

Big_Moose · 04-04-06, 12:08 AM

James,

The Lexus is looking very stellar!

Great write-up & pictures...........

I bet you already have had it detailed from AZ - what a

....

Watchout for those elusive Sasquaches

FirstToy · 04-04-06, 12:56 AM

hehe, Joe I think I'll let it ripen since rain is forcast

Thanks Mando man

Here are some links for details:
HQ bumper and resonator whining sound
http://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/83624-new-hanna-quality-rear-bumper.html

My marker/turn signal/ARB light modification
http://forum.ih8mud.com/showpost.php...37&postcount=9

Jerry cans
http://offroadrecovery.com/category/...rrycansandacc/
http://www.dandbsafety.com/index.asp...TS&Category=78
Alvaro had a neat siphon from expeditionexchange.com that worked like a charm, I think I'll get one of those.

Bluto,
Dynamat b/c it was too loud. When I first drove it on the freeway, I thought something was wrong... turns out it was just loud, lol. It was very easy to do that rear section and made a big difference to me. If I need to take out other panels, I will add Dynamat before re-install (but it is very comfy right now).

reffug · 04-04-06, 03:59 AM

WOW that rig is clean..........

Nice write up.

Beautiful truck.

Excellent wheelin pics, really adds to the whole feature.

Do you plan on going bigger in the future i.e. 35's, lift, regear, etc....?

Thanks for contributing, you west coast guys are truly lucky to have the wheelin you do so readily available.

mot · 04-04-06, 04:15 AM

I wish mine looked half as good as yours!

AWESOME!!

Mot

Hayes · 04-04-06, 08:24 AM

Very nice looking rig and very nice photographs.

Hayes

Romer · 04-04-06, 08:37 AM

Nice Job First Toy. Now I know why you were late, had to wash it.

cc93cruiser · 04-04-06, 10:40 AM

really nice 80, nicely equipped... I remember when you were the 4 runner guy, now you've got an awsome 80....Keep up the nice work....

NorCalDoug · 04-04-06, 11:17 AM

A very sweet rig!
Excellent writeup James.

Now you've inspired me to make a few upgrades...dynamat will be applied to the

's rig -- not worth it on mine at this time...

Plus, I like where you have your fire extinguisher strapped.

I'm looking forward to the next trip.

:cheer:

FirstToy · 04-04-06, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reffug

Do you plan on going bigger in the future i.e. 35's, lift, regear, etc....?

My goal is the Slee4 w/ 35 MTR's and 4.88's. I am really impressed with the Slee4 kit.
I am very happy w/ the OME though, it's great and very capable. Only thing it needs are upgraded shocks.

This photo was taken when I first met NorcalDoug and Alvarorb. It was also the first time I saw modded 80's in person. I thought these 80's looked so tough and impressive! At the time Doug and Alvaro were comparing to see who had the taller rig

It's funny now b/c I cannot even recognize these as their trucks!

I also made these front swaybar 1" drop blocks (just in case). The driveshft was just a tad close to the swaybar for my comfort

locrwln1 · 04-04-06, 11:54 AM

In my best Goldmember voice..."Very nice, very tight". Let me know when you upgrade to the 4", I would like your OME's.

Later,
Jack

alvarorb · 04-04-06, 01:11 PM

James,

What a sweet setup. Not a spec of dirt on that thing! I wished La Cabra looked have as neat as your truck.

I'm really glad to see you moved up to the 80 series. When you do Walker hill on your rig, I'll let you take Poquita on your lap.

Regards

Alvaro

clownmidget · 04-04-06, 01:27 PM

James, ditto on how immaculate your truck is

So how about some under the hood shots? You do the dual batteries yet? Oh, and you must be ready for the "hole filler" on that ARB - right?

Great pics and hope to get out on a trip with you.

rockclmbr · 04-04-06, 01:52 PM

Very nice set-up James! I also did the dynamat (actually it was a product called FatMat) and measured a 5dB decrease.

Lookin' forward to the next outing!

alia176 · 04-04-06, 04:01 PM

I'm still waitning for the hot shower setup pics and writeup!

AMMO · 04-04-06, 04:28 PM

James,

Great rig, super clean. After seeing the 4runner at SnT 04 I wouldn't expect anything less from you now in an 80...

-Ammo

TiredIronGRB · 04-04-06, 05:22 PM

Very, very nice rig.

I covet your rear bumper

SinCity4r · 04-04-06, 06:02 PM

Congrats on ROTW James! Nice photos also!

Joel

FirstToy · 04-04-06, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alia176

I'm still waitning for the hot shower setup pics and writeup!

It's nothing fancy, I just like the triple can carrier for easy water access.

A- 5 to 15 gal of water on tap
B- goes to hot water heater
C- zipper pass thru
D- hot shower, ah!

A small Action Packer fits in the triple can holder, so I plan to use that to hold recovery gear on day runs (quick access).

Locwrin,
You might have a long wait! I want to really learn this setup and save up $$ for the gears & Slee4 full kit. (I believe the full kit is well thought out and not a "filler" kit for profit)

PhILIE · 04-04-06, 07:07 PM

Very nice write up. I like the suspense with the first two shots. Well done.