Builds SouthTxGX’s question and build thread (2 Viewers)

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Joined
May 24, 2020
Threads
6
Messages
316
Location
Texas
I’m sitting at the dealership for service waiting for what may be a few hours so I’m going to pass the time with planning out my build and asking a few questions. We decided to take a trip to New Mexico and Arizona doing as much offroad stuff as possible along the way. We may hit the southern areas of Utah and Colorado depending on time constraints. Where I live there isn’t much as far as offroading other than sandy beaches and muddy trails that lead to fishing spots. The only rocks are part of people’s landscaping. I guess I’m going big for my first real offroad trip.

My 460 is completely stock at the moment and I have one year at most to get it all built up. There are a few things that I either can’t make up my mind on or haven’t read any people’s experiences with the product to find out if that’s the route I want to go.

I’ve been looking at possibly going with kings front and rear with the total chaos front upper control arms and their rear link kit. Has anyone used the rear links or know anyone that has? I remember hearing they did have a downside to them but I can’t remember what it was.

I’ll be needing a rear bumper with a tire carrier. Any of you with a rear swing out bumper have issues with the tire blocking the passenger side taillight? In most of the pics I see it looks like all of them completely cover it. Not sure if it’s really a big issue in the first place. Don’t want to put it on the rear door either.

Would I be able to fit a fridge setup and still use one of the third row seats? We could squeeze everyone in with just the two rows, but using one of the third row seats would give everyone a little more room. This may not even be done before the trip as there’s going to be 5 people stuffed in the car and we’ll need room for all the associated stuff.

I’ve already decided that it’ll get either an Ironman or CBI front bumper. Just depends on what I’m feeling at the time.

Anything else you guys can recommend to make the trip a little smoother? Any trail recommendations that aren’t too extreme in any of the states we’ll be in?

I guess this might as well morph into a build thread too.
 
Can't help you much, but if you're passing through southern Colorado, make a point to stop in the Ouray/Telluride/Silverton area and check out the awesome trails there. You could spend a week there doing them all, most are doable with a small lift and good tires. Black Bear Pass, Imegene, Engineers, etc in that area.
 
I’ve been looking at possibly going with kings front and rear with the total chaos front upper control arms and their rear link kit. Has anyone used the rear links or know anyone that has? I remember hearing they did have a downside to them but I can’t remember what it was.

I’ll be needing a rear bumper with a tire carrier. Any of you with a rear swing out bumper have issues with the tire blocking the passenger side taillight? In most of the pics I see it looks like all of them completely cover it. Not sure if it’s really a big issue in the first place. Don’t want to put it on the rear door either.

Would I be able to fit a fridge setup and still use one of the third row seats? We could squeeze everyone in with just the two rows, but using one of the third row seats would give everyone a little more room. This may not even be done before the trip as there’s going to be 5 people stuffed in the car and we’ll need room for all the associated stuff.
Okay... I cut out all the stuff I can't comment on, but here's my 2¢ worth, so take it as you with.
First, do you have about $10-15k to put into your rig within a year? Between tires, wheels, suspension, armor, etc. you'll be looking at about that much.
Second, don't let your wife see that first line I just wrote... Or you may not be able do do anything to your rig!
  • Now to the meat. Regarding suspension, I believe, and my opinion is just like belly buttons, everyone has one, unless you're going to be real hard on your rig, almost any suspension setup will be fine. Just make sure it's tuned for what kind of weight you'll be adding, e.g. steel bumpers, sliders, winch, roof top tent, trailer, etc.
  • Now bumpers, I have a MetalTech with swingout and all the accessories that go with it. I'm running about the largest tire within reason and it is not even close to obstructing my taillight. I really don't think any of them do unless you mount a 40" tire or something stupid big like that. You should be fine. Personally, if I were to do it all again, I'd do aluminum bumpers all around and lighten my rig. NOTE: With a swingout, you will have to relocate your backup camera, license plate (& light).
  • As for fridges, you can get them in almost every size needed. We have two. A small one that's only 21 quart (20 liter) Amazon product ASIN B075R1LH8D We LOVE this size! We've (just my wife and I) have gone cross country (So. Cal to Maine) and many other road trips. This is our go-to fridge. We love it! Not too large (about the size of a PlayMate) always ice cold drinks, snacks, whatever. I have dual batteries and added a dedicated USB and 12 VDC power panel that I keep this plugged into. I just leave it on 24/7 and it never draws the battery down as long as I drive my rig within a day or two. Then we have our large 85 quart fridge Amazon product ASIN B002W8GV8S This we use for long family camping (a week or so in the wild) and this too works great! When camping, and not going anywhere, I'll start my rig for a few minutes every day to give a little juice to the batteries, not to draw them down too much.
Again, this is just my 2¢.
 
Can't help you much, but if you're passing through southern Colorado, make a point to stop in the Ouray/Telluride/Silverton area and check out the awesome trails there. You could spend a week there doing them all, most are doable with a small lift and good tires. Black Bear Pass, Imegene, Engineers, etc in that area.


In regards to the trip itself, I second this suggestion. There's no better trip in that part of the country (IMHO) to see more scenic views of peaks, passes, valleys, and vistas than running the entire Alpine Loop. Base out of Silverton, Lake City, Telluride (pricey), or Ouray and hit a few of the passes each day or simply grab a room each night along the way. We try to do this trip every summer and lately more so on the dirt bikes as it's more challenging and three to four times faster, but the experience itself is hard to beat regardless of your mode of transportation.

Suspension is very personal, I don't think you can go wrong with anything currently available on the market, but I would suggest something middle of the road instead of King's. They are nice but they are pricey and require a lot more maintenance than most. There are four more rear bumpers set to hit the market in the next 6-9 months so I'd hold off on that purchase and see what transpires. And yes, you can keep a fridge to one side and retain use of one of the third row seats. I'd recommend keeping the fridge to under 60L in size.
 
I figure just about any lift will do the job, but after having the icons I had before I’d like to get adjustable coilovers again. The smoother ride keeps the other half happy on and off the road. The compression adjustments were a big plus. May still go with icon just to save money since I still have new parts that were supposed to go on the 4Runner.

I’d love to do the trails in Colorado, but it’s going to depend on the amount of time we have. I’ll probably take two weeks off so maybe we’ll end up with a couple of days to get up there.

What companies are going to be releasing bumpers? I know demello is going to be releasing 460 stuff soon, but their rust issues have me kind of leary.

Good to know a fridge can still be used. That’ll keep the family from complaining too much on the long stretches in the middle of nowhere.
 
Rear bumpers in the works from Demello, 4x4Labs, Victory and C4.
 
Rear bumpers in the works from Demello, 4x4Labs, Victory and C4.
Great news for sure. More choices on the market is always a good thing.

Any word on additional front bumpers in the pipeline for the 2010-13 GX?

From what I have seen, there are a few choices for the 2014-up front end, but not much for the 2010-13...

Since I’m still a ‘newb’ on the GX platform, maybe I’m just not looking in the correct places.

-George
 
lab rat: I think C4 might be coming out with another bumper for 10-13 models.


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Always an option to look at business who will import an ARB model as well.

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A 460 pic with the Ironman on it


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Warn Warehouses for all of the Americas in Miami and a few months back they only had one Prado 150 bumper and it was gone before I could pull the trigger on it, hence why I ended up with the Ironman. I am more than happy with the Ironman bumper and at two-thirds the cost who can complain. They might have more in now but I would call and check.

For the 2010-13 GX I really like the minimalist approach of the C4 bumper.
 
Josh Walker on GXOR who they prototyped the C4 off of has put his 460 and C4 up to challenging use and seems to be holding up fine.

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That’s what I’d like to get. Something that adds protection, but isn’t real bulky. Hopefully something similar comes out for the 14+ models soon. If not I’ll probably end up with an Ironman unless something I like comes out between now and then.

Any of y’all have experience with replacing the windshield on these? I didn’t realize until a few days after I bought mine that the upper passenger corner has a good sized crack in it from an impact. We got a good downpour today and I realized it’s leaking there. I’m guessing the trim and clips need to be replaced as well? Any experience with aftermarket vs OEM glass?
 
As for windshields..no complaints with the the Pilkington replacement a few years back. You are on track... absolutely get new clips and trim. They are not reusable and installer might try to use an adhesive to keep the side trim on there.
 
As for windshields..no complaints with the the Pilkington replacement a few years back. You are on track... absolutely get new clips and trim. They are not reusable and installer might try to use an adhesive to keep the side trim on there.

Come to think of it, the one that’s on it is a Pilkington. Seeing that I just put a totaled 4runner on my insurance I’ll probably pay out of pocket for it and go with another Pilkington to save some money.
 
Well, the plans have changed. We’re going to hit Colorado first and stay in the Ouray area for a few days. After that we’ll head down to the Grand Canyon and I might sneak in a few hours to see broken arrow in Sedona on the way back.

Any recommendations on hotels in the Ouray area?
Also, is black bear as bad as it looks? I want to do it, but don’t want to get in over my head.
 
Take your time on the steps on BlacK Bear and you'll be fine.
 
Found a set of 4Runner trail wheels with lugs for $100 that I’ll be picking up tomorrow evening. Just wanted a temporary set to have better tire options for the time being. At that price it’s hard to pass them up.

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I finally got around to getting my lift. I was going to order an ome setup for now because I’m tired of it being stock, but knowing how firm even the light duty ome stuff is, I kept putting it off. A 2” dobinsons kit with comfort valving popped up for sale in Houston so I’ll be picking that up along with a spare set of wheels next week. I drove 3 hours one way last week to pick up a spare wheel only to find that the guy sold it the day before without telling me. Luckily I found a whole set so I’ll have a few spares in case I need them.

Just have to figure out tires soon. I think I’ll go with 255/75r17 to try out some skinnier tires.

Next will be getting sliders and trimming the front and rear bumpers.
 
I finally got around to getting my lift. I was going to order an ome setup for now because I’m tired of it being stock, but knowing how firm even the light duty ome stuff is, I kept putting it off. A 2” dobinsons kit with comfort valving popped up for sale in Houston so I’ll be picking that up along with a spare set of wheels next week. I drove 3 hours one way last week to pick up a spare wheel only to find that the guy sold it the day before without telling me. Luckily I found a whole set so I’ll have a few spares in case I need them.

Just have to figure out tires soon. I think I’ll go with 255/75r17 to try out some skinnier tires.

Next will be getting sliders and trimming the front and rear bumpers.

Check out Demello sliders. They are DOM steel, DOM is stronger than HREW. They have 4 legs that attach to the frame some brands have 2 or 3. Directly bolts to the frame with good hardware that is supplied. I like a pronounced kick out for better tree and rock protection but that is optional.
 

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