Builds His and Her GX 460 Builds (4 Viewers)

[TX GX460]

Below is a photo showing assembly of one of the sensors to the inside of the ARB bumber.

The ARB instructions are pretty decent but not great. I recommend you separate and identify all of the various hardware before starting to mount the bumper. I used calipers to identify each part and separated them into marked ziplock baggies. Note that there are coarse and fine threaded bolts of the same size and length, so be careful about thread as well.

If you are going to mount recovery points to the vehicle, make sure you do that before the bumper crumple-zone brackets are placed on the frame (you can see those here). Recovery points for the Prado 150 are generally mounted using retention nuts that are placed on the inside of the frame through the front opening. Once that gets covered up it is almost impossible to do without taking off the entire bumper assembly. Plus, the bumper has supports that are using the same bolt holes, so you may as well kill two birds with one stone.

Recovery points will generally use the same bolt locations as the support bracket shown in the photo below. So if you are going to add them, do it at the same time you are attaching this bracket.

 

[TX GX460]

I decided on a Warn 10S Platinum winch. I liked the wireless features, speed and reliability. The ARB bumper comes with various mounting options for different winches, and one of them is for the 10S Platinum. To install it, you need to use the extension kit that allows movement of the control box away from the body of the winch so it can be remotely mounted. I also added the range extender kit that comes with an external antenna in case the body is submerged in water. Both kits must be installed before mounting the control box to the bumper.

A few more photos of the Warn assembly and mounting below.

As you can see above, there is a lot going on in the bumper. When you are running wires, hoses, etc., note that the best/only place to run is through the gap between the winch control box and the bumper sheet metal (in front of the control box), because anywhere else interferes with the function of the winch.

 

[TX GX460]

The fog lights should be the last things you install. The reason is that they are the best access points from which you can secure the bolts holding the bumper to the frame structure. So make sure the wiring is tied down such that you can easily get it reconnected to the lights and just keep them removed. You also have some limited access from below until you screw on the lower panels, but the fog lights provide better and more direct access to the bolt locations.

The wiring loom for the fog lights, marker lights, etc. was a bit of a hassle, and what's more startling is that the LED turn signals did not come with resistors required to allow them to blink without the system thinking there was a bulb missing. luckily about $20 later I had what I needed at a local auto sound shop.

The winch kit comes with a flip-up license plate bracket that of course does not fit U.S. license plates. This is one of the only things I need to actually modify, adding screw holes to fit my plates. But I really liked the feature and it fits over my Factor 55 just perfectly.

More to come on the bumper install tomorrow. Then on to other items.

 

[TX GX460]

Bumper Trim.

The trim guides for the Prado 150 are worthless. Don't even try to use them in any meaningful way. Because it was possible to at least attempt installing the trim while the bumper was in place, I used an iterative approach that involved several attempts at installation, followed by additional trimming, before it was where I wanted it to be. I taped the trim and then measured the distances between different points on the body and the bumper, trying to take into account the angles of the body lines and working in a gap between the bumper and trim to allow for flex. I then drew the measured points on the taped trim, drew lines between them, and cut. Then I attempted to install, figured out where I was still having issues, and made additional adjustments.

I tried a number of different tools for this process, and found that personally the one that worked best for a good mixture of control, speed and clean lines was an electric jigsaw. Cutoff wheels got too hot and didn't work quickly enough, and a reciprocating saw didn't give me the control or clean lines I needed.

As you can see in the photos below, the bumper comes very close to the headlight locations. There is a black plastic part just below the headlights that holds the body panel in place through a notch on the top just under the headlight. But the bottom of the plastic was so close to the bumper that I was concerned about contact during flex, so I trimmed it off. It did not negatively affect the function of the part, and the body trim is still held in place without issue. Before and after below.

Another issue was that the grill no longer had any support in the middle, and I had even further structurally compromised the grill by cutting the bottom-most horizontal slats to make room for my lights' wiring harnesses. I wanted to create a brace support in the middle of the grill area behind the logo, but the only horizontal piece that goes in front of the radiator had to be removed to fit the ARB bar. So I modified the part with a cutoff wheel to clear the bumper, and was able to reinstall it. I then created a padded wood brace that attached to the horizontal piece and provided support behind the L logo to prevent movement while driving. I was planning to replace it with a metal piece later but it has worked so well it hasn't been necessary. Below is a photo of the clearance necessary for the part to be reinstalled. It also provided a good place for tying down wiring chases routed behind the bumper.

 

[Turbohardtop]

I am reading your thread carefully so I could go through the same process. I am waiting for the part where you would list part numbers for the Prado kicker panels. I do not want to over order unnecessary parts for that. Also, Metaltech suppose to come out with a bumper for the 14+ GX460's.

 

[TX GX460]

I am reading your thread carefully so I could go through the same process. I am waiting for the part where you would list part numbers for the Prado kicker panels. I do not want to over order unnecessary parts for that. Also, Metaltech suppose to come out with a bumper for the 14+ GX460's.

The parts I ordered are:
75805-60050-B1
75806-60050-B1

Note the "B1" is a color code for the dark gray on the Prados. I do not remember the other colors available or their codes but if you need something different I am sure you can figure it out with a little research. I got mine from jp-carparts.com and was happy with the service and speed. Cost was between $800 and $900 shipped from Japan, and arrived within 2-3 weeks if I remember correctly.

You don't need anything other than these two parts. You can use the existing screws you remove from the steps (open the doors to find them). And you don't need any additional structural support if you are just using them for trim filler between the door sills and sliders. Entire swap for both sides took me about 30 minutes.

That reminded me about my LED ground lighting that I tied into the step light harnesses I removed. I will take some photos and add that to the thread.

Good luck with your build!

I know I haven't gotten to the rear bumper yet, but I must say that I am not pleased with the fit, finish, or design of the MetalTech rear bumper. I have had very good luck with their sliders, but I would choose an Australian bumper over MetalTech any day of the week based on my current experience. I ordered a Kaymar rear bumper that is going on my wife's GX (I will show photos of the parts but it isn't installed yet), and the design and build quality is light years ahead of MT. More on that later...

 

[Nickk6]

Where will you be getting the Kaymar from? That's disappointing to hear about the MetalTech. I wanted something that I could still keep a decent tow capacity.

 

[TX GX460]

The Kaymar is already here, but I haven't installed it yet. I can post a few photos of the parts if you would like. TRD83 posted some photos on his build: GX460 Build Thread

The official U.S. Distributor is Gary Kardum at Mudrak Custom Cruisers. He usually imports them by boat a few times a year and groups his shipments with Cruiser Brothers to fill a container. This means that it takes several months to come in. For example, I ordered mine at the end of January and it arrived in the beginning of July. So you will have to be patient with the schedule. It is also more expensive than the MetalTech, but I personally believe the additional cost is worth it. Just my own opinion; I am sure there are many others who prefer the MetalTech.

If you are interested in the Kaymar, Gary is a great guy and will take care of you. He will even air freight it if you really want to, but the expense is astronomical. Just be patient and realize that much of the scheduling is out of his hands.

 

[TX GX460]

Going back to the sliders, as I mentioned I replaced the door entry lights in the steps with LED replacements. I bought some very inexpensive LED lights from Amazon (http://a.co/c7HutUE). I then covered them in clear adhesive-lined shrink wrap, also purchased from Amazon. This served two purposes, protecting the light from the elements and dust, and keeping the wiring from coming out too easily. I then cut off the factory weatherproof wiring harnesses from the steps and spliced them into the lights. I connect them to the frame between the slider legs (foam tape on passenger and zip ties on driver side), and secured the wiring out of the way.

These are not rock lights; I don't have a separate switch for them nor do I plan on using them as such. They are a pool/puddle light that lights the ground when entering/exiting the vehicle. They are plenty bright and the vehicle even dims them off and on.

Overall I've been extremely happy. These have been on for over a year in a part of the vehicle that has seen a lot of water, mud, rocks and dust, and they still work great, even covered in dust as you see below. For the price, it's a very useful modification

 

[TX GX460]

Back to the front bumper trim, one thing I wanted to mention is that I spent a little extra time and effort to keep the forward protrusions on the factory bumper intact, despite interference with the vertical hoop supports on the ARB bumper. I think it really adds to the look of the vehicle. It requires a little more trimming time and effort, and you have to flex the factory bumper around a little while installing to get around the ARB supports, but in my mind it was worth it. Below are some photos showing that detail.

Photo credit: Toyota Lone Star Jamboree Media Crew

 

[TX GX460]

Next was the snorkel. I ordered a Safari snorkel (an ARB product) along with my front bumper and installed it at the same time.

First issue was why I got a snorkel. We live in North Texas, and just about anywhere you drive offroad in this state is going to have lots of dust. Ask anyone who has been to the Lone Star Toyota Jamboree. I also like the additional airflow and lowered chances of hydrolock that come with having the snorkel. I don't plan on fording deep water if I can help it, so that was not a primary consideration. For this reason, I also kept the drain holes in the airbox open and did not plug them.

I have driven through significant rainstorms at freeway speeds and checked the airbox to find it bone dry. I also do not see much dust on my air filters after being in dusty conditions. The snorkel works very well to expel water and dust out of the intake head before the air reaches the airbox.

Why Safari when Amazon and Ironman are cheaper? Although the outside portion appears the same, there is a difference in quality of the part that sits in the fender and carries air from the snorkel to the air box. The Ironman and Amazon versions show a rather boxy transition, while the Safari model has a smooth, rounded transition that looks like it provides more laminar flow. It probably doesn't make that much of a difference as to air volume or horsepower, but it was enough that it made me appreciate the extra cost.

I did install by the book - that means using the templates and cutting mounting holes in the A-pillar instead of using double-sided tape. I would do the A-pillar installation again every time, because my snorkel has hit all sorts of branches and brush without flinching, while I have heard of a number of people whose snorkels have been torn out under similar conditions. BTW, in close conditions you can always loosen the snorkel and turn it backwards to prevent snagging.

Now that I have told you how I did it, let's talk about a better way. The template is meant for a Prado 150. While likely not significantly different from the GX at the door gap and hood location, the main problem is that the template is not very clear or precise in how to line up the snorkel. But the snorkel is very location-specific with respect to both the A-pillar and the bend in the fender (see below).

The best way to locate holes to install the fender is to first get a general idea of where you are going to be cutting. So tape the fender in the area of the cuts with masking tape, as well as the approximate area of the snorkel body. Cut out the template as directed, and put some dots in the area of the holes to give you an idea of where they might be going. Try to also place some around the locations for the outline of the snorkel body. This helps with the next step.

The next step is key. BEFORE putting the threaded bolts into the body of the snorkel and BEFORE taking the film off of the gasket adhesive, place the body of the snorkel over the fender in the location shown by the template-guided dots above. Move it around until the snorkel is flush against the body and the bolt holes for the mounting bracket on the A-pillar center on the A-pillar. Then, while holding it in place, trace around the body of the snorkel onto the taped area. This gives you a positive location for the snorkel that is much more precise than the template alone and prevents you having to widen out the holes (something I had to do as shown below).

After widening out some holes:

Once you have the external location, you can then use the template (which has an outline for the snorkel body) to positively locate your center holes for drilling. Drill according to the instructions. One thing to note is that the top-rearmost hole is very close to the internal frame, so that my stepped bit kept bottoming out before reaching the proper diameter. You can see where my bit bottomed out in the photo below. You may need to get creative with this location.

After cutting and clearing all of the holes, make sure to debur them; you don't want sharp edges or shavings when you are reaching blindly inside the fender trying to attach the retention nuts or transition pipe to the snorkel. To prevent rust, I also dabbed on primer on all hole edges with a Q-tip.

 

[TX GX460]

Another friendly tip: fender well clips. These little buggers hold the fender liner to the body. You will have to remove them to get your arms into the fender well to attach the retention nuts and transition tube to the snorkel body. The easiest way to get these clips out that I found is to go from the engine bay and squeeze the protrusions with a pair of needle-nose pliers and push them out from the inside. Otherwise they are a PITA to get out. Some of them are hard to reach, such as below the airbox or secondary air injection system, but getting to them that way is still significantly easier than trying to pull them out from inside the wheel well.

 

[TX GX460]

Next is skids.

***Cheat sheet note: For GX 460, although most RCI 5th Gen 4Runner skids work (front, engine, gas tank and LCA skids), the transmission and transfer case skids should come from a 4th Gen V8 T4R. The cross brace for the transfer case skid should be from a 5th Gen T4R, and will have to be modified. The vertical wings on the transfer case skid will also need to be trimmed a little to fit.***

To date, no one makes a Lexus GX 460-specific full skid kit. It took me some trial-and-error to figure out what works. Based on our feedback and them getting in a 460 to test, RCI now sells a GX 460 kit (you may have to call them) that includes a 5th Gen T4R front, engine and gas tank skid, and 4th Gen V-8 T4R transmission and transfer case skids. You will likely still have to modify the brace over the transfer case as I outline below. RCI's LCA skids for the 5th Gen T4R fit great as well.

First, what generally works without modification: 5th Gen 4Runner gas tank, engine, KDSS front and LCA skids. In the rear, the BudBuilt rear diff skid fits great and works with the KDSS rear end without modification. In front, the GX oil filter is located higher up than the T4R one, and is oriented differently, but you can still access it through the access plate in the RCI skid. The oil drain plug is also still spot-on.

The problem with the transmission and transfer case skids is that the additional size and length of the V8 drivetrain components in the GX cause interference problems with 4Runner kits build around V6 engines. I have not tried the entire skids for Prado 150 kits made for V6 or diesel models, but I can only assume the same would likely be true due to their smaller, less powerful engines.

After much research (but before I discovered the issue above), I first ordered a full KDSS 5th Gen T4R RCI steel skid kit, including gas tank and LCA skids, and the BudBuilt rear differential skid. I went with steel because I prize strength over weight savings.

I paid for the RCI skids to be powdercoated black, while the BudBuilt rear diff skid came bare metal. I used a self-etching primer (careful to mask off the threaded bolt holes) and hammered black Rustoleum to paint the rear diff skid. The rear diff skid went on great and does not interfere with articulation or the KDSS system that I have seen.

I did not know how the RCI skids would work out and whether I would need fabrication, so I brought them to Tandem Automotive here in the DFW area for fitting. It's a great shop if you are looking for work on an offroad Toyota or Lexus platform. They can do installations, fabrication, and they even have their own line of Toyota/Lexus offroad wheels that look fantastic. Tandem Automotive

As mentioned above, the RCI 5th Gen T4R gas tank skid fits great. Photo below.

One of the first issues arose with the front skid. The front shroud of the ARB bumber attaches to bolt hole locations on the factory skid that are not found on the RCI skid, and are in fact located further outboard than the RCI skid edges.

I ended up with a simple but inelegant solution - I had them sandwich the ARB center shroud between the frame and skid, then tightened down the skid until it was flush. Below is a photo before tightening. This bent and secured the tabs on the ARB shroud to the point that it wasn't going anywhere. Several hundred serious offroad miles later and there has been no movement.

And tightened down from a different angle:

Once we figured out that the 5th Gen V6 T4R transmission and rear diff skid were not going to work, I purchased the 4th Gen V8 ones and we tried again. As it turns out, the cross-brace for the V8 T4R does not fit the GX 460 (makes sense), so we ended up modifying the 5th Gen brace to clear the transfer case. Below is the result. From what I understand, RCI currently instructs GX 460 customers to make this similar modification themselves. I do not know if they plan on creating a new brace for the GX 460 customers.

By the way, I need to hand it to RCI for their great customer service and for working with me and Tandem Automotive to figure this problem out and get it fixed. The people over there spent a lot of time doing their own research and fitting to find a solution for us and I am very pleased with the results.

Once the clearance issue was taken care of, the V8 T4R skids for the transmission and transfer case went on just fine. They did not line up perfectly with the 5th Gen cross brace, and we needed to drill new holes in the brace for the bolts to go through. We also needed to trim back the vertical bends of the transfer case skid because the location of overlap with the cross brace is different than designed, but otherwise they worked well.

 

[TX GX460]

Next up: rear bumper, engine and electrical, interior, and wheels and tires.

 

[msgs350]

Looking great! Thanks for taking the time to put this thread together and including detailed DIYs.
I need to stop checking in here so often, it's going to make me want to spend money.

 

[TX GX460]

Looking great! Thanks for taking the time to put this thread together and including detailed DIYs.
I need to stop checking in here so often, it's going to make me want to spend money.

You're very welcome and I appreciate the nice comments. It's definitely an expensive hobby, but it sure has become a lot of fun for the entire family. My boys keep asking when we are going on vacation again, which is fun to hear. They also like garage time with dad (although their limited attention spans don't result in much useful help). Think of the cost as an investment in family adventures.

 

[HitchCrack]

Really enjoying reading your build you are doing a great service to fellow GX'ers. I am interested to read the rest of this build. I have a 2013 460 and I am surprised I have not seen you around the metroplex. I am always looking for fellow likeminded individuals to hang out and do some exploring with. Maybe we could meet up some time and discuss.

 

[TX GX460]

Thanks HitchCrack. I will send you a DM.

 

[TX GX460]

Sorry all for the delay in posting; work has been crazy busy lately and these posts take a while to create. I will be away at trial for the next few weeks, but will try to get back to posting the rest of my build (and continued updates) when I return.

I wanted to post about a few items and issues I missed in my earlier posts.

First, my front lights. Baja Designs LP9 Pros. These were some of the very first shipment of LP9s. They are different from the current versions in a few ways. First, the casing is machined billet aluminum. Newer versions are cast aluminum. Second (I found out the hard way), there were some circuit board defects in the first few batches of LP9s that made it so the spots did not turn on. Baja Designs swapped out the boards for free and with a very short turn-around time once we figured out what was going on. Great company with great customer service. They would have been willing to swap out the lights entirely, but because they no longer make the billet aluminum housings I decided to keep mine and do the board swap.

They have three modes: Amber, Flood, and Spot. The light they put out is absolutely insane. I considered tying the ambers into my turn signals but decided not to. They do give off a very nice glow at night when I decide to turn them on. I haven't tried them as fog lights yet, but I don't see them being particularly good for that.

The downside is, the light draw a considerable amount of power. I wired them off of a single switch and terminal on my SwitchPro. It works fine, but there is just too much resistance in the line with the power draw for both sets of lights, especially in Spot mode, to the point that the wires heat up noticeably. So I do not leave them on for very long if I can help it, and I will be changing out the wiring to run them in parallel to two different terminals programmed to a single button for the SwitchPro for each of the Flood and Spot modes. Amber is fine running both lights off of a single wire/terminal.

The second thing that I wanted to mention had to do with my suspension. I am using the Dobinsons MRR suspension all around. While at the Red Clay Rally this Spring, I had an interesting failure occur when my rear drivers' side shock shaft unscrewed. Photo below. We were a little surprised that the shock shaft is threaded, given its ability to rotate in place. But luckily we discovered the failure and were able to make a trail repair, including using loctite to hold the treads in place. Below was during the trail repair, after we had removed the bottom mount from the frame.

Now, about three months later, it happened again. Even with loctite, the shaft managed to unscrew itself again. I'm working with Dobinsons to try and figure out a permanent solution, but the fact it happened twice now on the same shock has caused me some concern and more than a little disappointment regarding the shock design. It is back together (again with loctite) and I will provide more updates on the situation once I figure out what we are going to do about it.

Update: Kyle at Treaty Oak Offroad and Mike at Dobinsons have come through with a replacement shock under warranty. Fantastic customer service from both of them (as always). I will provide further updates if I hear anything from Dobinsons about the returned shock and why this failure occurred.

This will likely be my last post for 2-3 weeks, so bear with me.
Next up: rear bumper, engine and electrical, interior, and wheels and tires.

 

[TX GX460]

Back from trial, and ready to resume.

Rear bumper. There are not many options available for the GX 460 in the U.S. At the time I started my search, MetalTech had not yet released its Lancer rear bumper. I tried ordering a Kaymar through ARB (as is advertised in their Australian catalogs) and was told that ARB discontinued its relationship with Kaymar. I then tried Cruiser Brothers, who put me in touch with Gary Kardum at Mudrak Custom Cruisers. He is the current official importer of Kaymar bumpers in the U.S., but because of cost reasons he only ships a few times a year, usually in coordination with Cruiser Brothers to share a shipping container. I contacted Gary in early December to request the bumper. The order was put in to Kaymar in late January, and I received it in the beginning of July. Total cost all in (before any custom powder coating) is about $4k, so it is not an inexpensive proposition.

Because I had the Lone Star Toyota Jamboree and Red Clay Rally in May and June, I ended up ordering the MetalTech Lancer rear bumper and installed that on my vehicle, reserving the Kaymar for my wife's GX. As with the front bumper, I powder coated to match for a consistent look.

My overall impression with the MetalTech Lancer bumper is that it is a good but not great effort. I have actually been disappointed in the result for a variety of reasons. Some of them I have been able to deal with, while others cannot be fixed absent a bumper redesign.

First, general fit issues. I was a mechanical engineer working in the automotive industry before I went to law school, so I have a pretty good handle on design and tolerancing issues. Lexus has pretty tight tolerancing and good consistency from car to car, so I was disappointed when I discovered that there was no way to install the bumper without there being a significant discrepancy between how far out from the body the two sides of the bumper lined up. I don't have photos of that currently but I will take some and amend this post to include them soon.

If you have worked with body on frame vehicles, you understand that the frame moves independently of the body, especially when the frame flexes (such as offroad driving). It was therefore maddening to me to discover that MetalTech designed the bumper to sit very close to the body and even have a corner of the bumper nearly abutting the body panels. I tried adjusting for greater clearance (unsuccessfully) and also checked the photos on MetalTech's website to confirm their bumper was installed in the same location as mine. End result, the bumper sometimes contacts the body panel and dents it, as shown below.

Second design issue, blind spot monitoring and cross-traffic sensors. Apparently MetalTech's GX 460 that they used for design was a base model without these sensors, so MetalTech did not account for them. As you can see below, the bumper overlaps the sensors a little. This caused a number of false sensor readings.

Luckily, I was able to work out a solution. The sensors are bolted on to a bracket with three welded-on stud locations (top, bottom and rear side). I removed all three nuts, then removed the sensors and reinstalled them as shown below, so that it was rotated to the point that it could be attached to the top bolt but the bottom side sat above the rearmost bolt location. I then used some bar stock to span from the rear post upward and provide a mounting location to secure the sensor. This rotation has allowed enough clearance over the bumper so that I no longer get false positives, and everything has worked as normal.