Builds 2001 LX470 build LEGUSY (11 Viewers)

[SS100]

That look great! Good idea placing the fittings on the front to avoid water mess in the back or the sides where one moves a lot more in the campground. Bonus feature I can see is that you can stand on the bumper and hold the shower head while someone else takes a proper shower!

I've been thinking about the Helton myself but I'm kinda weary of cutting into the OEM cooling system thinking it might be more prone to leak from somewhere. In your opinion does the system compromise the 2UZ engine's reliability in any way?

Do you think the water heater will fit with an un-cut engine cover?

 

[Odyseuss]

That look great! Good idea placing the fittings on the front to avoid water mess in the back or the sides where one moves a lot more in the campground. Bonus feature I can see is that you can stand on the bumper and hold the shower head while someone else takes a proper shower!

I've been thinking about the Helton myself but I'm kinda weary of cutting into the OEM cooling system thinking it might be more prone to leak from somewhere. In your opinion does the system compromise the 2UZ engine's reliability in any way?

Do you think the water heater will fit with an un-cut engine cover?

Thanks, I don't think that this system compromises the reliability of the vehicle by a considerable amount. I know of several trucks that have been running this or a similar unit for years and many miles and they have sure been put through the paces without issue.

The only modification to the cooling system is the replacement of one 90* heater hose with 2 different hoses that run the coolant through the heat exchanger and then into the T fitting to the heater cores. These hoses are the only reason that the engine cover needed to be trimmed and it only needed slight modification. I had already cut my engine cover for different reasons and would not hesitate to do it again or run without a cover entirely.

I suppose that its possible to find hoses that will clear an uncut engine cover. That is likely more work than its worth, as the hoses require several tight premolded bends to fit the heat exchanger in this location. If you relocated the exchanger then its a different story.

 

[Odyseuss]

I made a video from a past trip and posted it in the video section, but I think it belongs here too.



I modified a C-clamp to get the shot of the suspension in action. I like seeing how it functions and I will be doing more shots in the future to evaluate its performance. here are a couple of the parts I have been using to get my shots with an older GoPro.

Hopefully I'll make a Legusy specific video at some point in the future.

I've been falling behind on my trip reports, so I'm trying not to post them up in several places at the same time. Here's a link to a more recent one that I've posted on Expedition Utah.

Day Trip Exploring and Circumnavigating Utah Lake - Expedition Utah

 

[Odyseuss]

Here is another link to a trip report from a recent day trip near the Great Salt Lake.

Day Trip- Salt Lake to Skull Valley - Expedition Utah

I have been using the hot water kit a fair amount, and it has proven useful in various applications. I still have yet to shower with it though.

When we were on a recent trip visiting some family I thought that it would be nice to try and use the truck to fill a bin with hot water and soak our feet. I'm sure this method could be used for cleaning things as well. It took about 25 minutes to get approximately 10 gallons about as hot as I could stand setting my feet in. It was rather nice.

I also used the kit to thaw ice. Its been getting down into the single digit temps lately and my MWC was 1/2 full and frozen solid. I added about 1 gallon of water and ran it through the hot water exchanger for about 10 minutes and it was completely thawed. After a bit longer it was warm enough that I could pour it on some frozen pipes and hose to free them up for disassembly.

I have also been using a 2000ml/~64oz Nalgene bottle to store water in the rig and it fits well next to the rear seat. Its secure and easily accessible.

 

[Odyseuss]

I took a trip to Southern Utah and spent some time at the Sand Hollow OHV area.

On the way home, I stopped by the ghost town of Sulphurdale to take some pictures and report to the Expedition Utah ghost town project.

Ghost Town: Sulphurdale, UT - Expedition Utah

And a short stop at Cove Fort, a restored pioneer stage coach station.

 

[Odyseuss]

I led a Wasatch Cruisers club run to search for our MIA geocache. We found the cache despite the snow and introduced another roaming geocache.

Even after sitting in my warm garage for several hours, Legusy still had snow packed deep into the undercarriage.

 

[Odyseuss]

I found this grid-it organizer that was almost a perfect fit for the console lid. With minor modification, I was able to fit it and rivet it to the bottom of the cupholder(which we actually use on occasion). The cupholder is still completely operable it just takes a thin item like a screwdriver or a key to push the button and open it.

I was having a bit of noise from the drive belt. A bit of silicone spray would quiet the belt, but then the noise would return on occasion when wet or at first start up. I replaced the belt and the noise stayed about the same. I had noticed that the belt appeared to be very close to the tensioner and was barely rubbing against the belt. The old belt was showing some slight wear on the side of it. So I replaced the tensioner with the new updated part. There is much more clearance at the belt now and the noise is gone.

I also performed another oil change and sent a sample out for testing and comparison to the last sample. I want to establish a comparison between different oils and the wear metals.

 

[Odyseuss]

We recently made it out on another run to the Little Sahara sand dunes with Wasatch Cruisers.

Sand dunes can be tricky to navigate and get around in with a heavy full size SUV. The inconsistent stability of the sand combined with the steep grades of the dunes kept us entertained. We did quite well, and made quick work of a couple recoveries with use of the Maxtrax and the winch. It was also pretty messy with the recent wet weather as we covered a lot of ground.

 

[Odyseuss]

We kept on moving after the club dispersed and met up with some other friends to brave the cold night around a warm fire. We then set off to cover a lot more ground, some firm and some slick. In the daylight, there was little dust as we moved on to a disclosed location for the initial placement of a club geocache. It was good to have a capable group as we kept the pace and had to get the trax out some more to keep a couple trucks moving. I didn't expect to be nearly 1/2 of a tank away from the nearest fuel stop, but it was nice to know that our group had enough to go around. When we finally reached a fuel station, I put 24 gallons in the thirsty tank as we all set off for home.

 

[Odyseuss]

I don't particularly like running that low on fuel, but its good to get a better sense on the distance I can cover with the fuel light on. I decided to change out the fuel filter that was due for service anyway and may have collected a bit more sediment.

The truck was very dirty and required quite an extensive thorough cleaning to remove the sand and mud buildup. I have had an ongoing issue of noise caused by rocks getting caught in my rear brake pads. I replaced the worn rear pads at the end of April last year with some aftermarket ceramic pads. Those replacement pads had a channel cut in the center to allow for heat to dissipate. I was a bit concerned about the possibility of debris collecting in there from the start, but I took the chance and installed them anyway. Well, after enough annoying noises randomly coming and going from the rear pads, I obtained a set of Aisin OE style replacement from @cruiseroutfit . Cruiser Outfitters supplied some BRAD0773 pads that did not have the center grove for a reasonable price and you can see the comparison. The old pads only had about 10,000 miles on them and were trashed, and one of the shims had slid out of place to rub against the rotor a bit.(there was no significant marking on the rotor). To be fair, they had been packed with mud several times and seen a fair amount of dirt roads, but that's what I use this truck for. Maybe 18" wheels would be a better option to allow this debris to free up and clean out easier as the 16" wheels fit pretty close around the brakes. In the photos, the old pads were wet from the brakes being washed off, and I cleaned the debris out of the groove to see how much it had been worn.

 

[Odyseuss]

I was doing a bit more maintenance and prep for another trip, and decided to do some service on the rear lower links. I wasn't really having any issues with them, but I wasn't able to get any grease in the front joints. I had put the grease zerks on the top of the joints in the mount, because I would have broken them off on a rock if they were exposed pointing down. I have a fitting that slides on at a 90* angle but it wasn't fitting tight enough to push the grease in anymore for whatever reason. I easily dropped the links inspected them and changed the zerks in favor of a 45* angled fitting. Then I lubed them up and now I can grease them on the vehicle with ease.

This might be something to consider for anyone installing these links

 

[Odyseuss]

In search of a better navigation setup, I went the route of the tablet and found that a 10" offers about 3x the screen size as my phone. Its nice to have my phone free for other uses as well. I am currently using a RAM mount that bolts to the front passenger seat mounts. It is a very solid setup. It appears to take up some of the passenger interior space, but I haven't had any complaints from passengers there and its seen some serious road trips by now. If anything, front passengers have actually commented on how convenient it is for them to adjust and use. I started building a less intrusive design using tube, but this is working so well for now that I'll probably leave it as is for a bit. I found a tab tite unit that holds my android tablet well and with the paid version of several apps, I have lots of options. I also installed a screen protector that reduces the glare but it still isn't ideal in certain light conditions ( I don't know if anything is perfect there).

 

[Odyseuss]

We left on a Wednesday morning for Big Water, spotting a beaver in Beaver and picking up a Battery for Daren’s truck in Kanab. As luck would have it, the BLM visitors center and dinosaur museum is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so we took a quick look around before buying the last 3 bundles of firewood and settinging off along the smoky mountain road.

Turning off towards Glen Canyon NRA, we left the GSENM in the afternoon sun. Rolling out along the cliffs surrounding lake Powell, we arrived at Alstrom point. Overlooking Padre Bay and Warm Creek, we setup camp and enjoyed dinner in the sunset. The water was smooth as glass providing a mirror for the features of Gunsight pass

 

[FxFormat]

Your pictures are incredible, i live in the East Coast and we have nothing remotely close to what you have in your backyard. Your truck is beautiful and clean as well, i like that front bumper a lot.

 

[Odyseuss]

Thanks,

After a very nice warm and calm night, camp was taken down and the sights left behind at 920am. Returning to GSENM, we took the smoky mountain road up the Kelly grade. I never did see smoke rising, but I’m sure that we will have to return again to double check. We took a left onto Left Hand Collet and drove down through the narrow canyon to connect with the Hole in the Rock Road. Cruising out to hwy 12, we made it up to Boulder for a quick pit (and to get some gummy bears) and then out along the Burr Trail with a few more quick stops along the way. Down through the switchbacks, we then proceeded out to the next fuel stop near Bullfrog. We pushed on after a long day on the road to reach hwy95 and enjoy one of the most beautiful stretches of Utah pavement in the colors of the setting sun. Radio contact was made with @nnnnnate setting up base camp in Comb wash, and we quickly found the group and settled down after covering 280 miles in 10 hours.

 

[Odyseuss]

 

[Odyseuss]

The first night was a bit cold, before welcoming the sun over comb ridge. We rolled on as a group towards Hotel Rock. The challenging terrain distracted us from the beautiful views of comb ridge and beyond. Our group kept a consistent pace creeping up the trail. Accommodations at the Hotel provided us a great spot to enjoy lunch and look around the ruins. Troy led as we carefully maneuvered down the trail with expertise. We had some leisure time at camp to play around, relax, and wash off. While gathering for the evening, more friends joined the group for more festivities.

 

[Odyseuss]

I'm still working on getting the hot water kit set up for showering, and though I have used it several times before this is actually the first that I have used it for showering. There was enough heat in the system that We could take showers without the engine running and still have enough hot water for each shower. I would run the engine for a minute or so between showers, and at first the water would be a bit too hot, so I would spray it back into the tank until it reached the desired temp. Then it was good to go for another shower, wash, rinse, repeat. At this point, I don't have an internal system to regulate the temperature, so I'm careful and it works well. I also take care to run air though the system after use to remove any water that could freeze and cause damage.

 

[Odyseuss]

The next day, we moved out as a group for Arch canyon. I took the position as tail gunner again enjoying a few extra stops to take pictures and video. After a short stop at the ruins we moved on up the wash. The trail crossed back and forth through the canyon and the narrow spaces between the brush. I particularly enjoyed looking up at the tall thin rock spires standing around the canyon. At one point, I drove through a tight section of trail between a tree and some rocks. After review of the recorded play footage, I realized that I had been moving a bit too quickly as some rocks on the right side bounced my truck to the left. The drivers rear door rubbed on a section of the tree that was sticking out and now carries a reminder in sheet metal. No functional performance has been affected and the tree was not harmed.

In this photo, you can see the arch from the end of Arch canyon in the background and the newly acquired reminder in my door panel. Regardless, we are having a great time and I'll remember that.

Having lunch at the end of the trail with the stream and the arch in view was a real highlight. Eventually we cruised on again and began to go our separate ways at the end of the trail as some of the group left for home. We stayed another night, gathering around the fire cooking and conversing. We shared pie irons, food, desert, glow sticks, toys, stories and spirits. The next morning, the last of us packed up and made our own detours on the road home. I noticed that a few parts on the truck were due for some more maintenance and repairs as a result of the several thousand hard miles accumulated over the past several months. After looking the truck over the next day, I realized that it was time for a front steering and suspension overhaul before the next trip in just a few days. So I got after it with some help and repacked the bearings, surfaced the rotors, replaced the pads, Replaced the steering rack and outer tie rods, Installed new upper control arms, changed the lower ball joints, and got the alignment dialed. More details on that to come.

I have also noticed an accumulation of pin striping in addition to various other marks. Some mods you just cant buy, though I felt that it was reasonable to get a morale patch for the occasion.

 

[Odyseuss]

I try to keep up and stay ahead of my maintenance as well as to keep track of what was done when. Even still, some things stack up. Hopefully, as I replace more of the original parts, they will last for another while. After shaking things down on the trail, I had noticed some looseness in the front steering and a loud creaking noise when turning. After another shakedown in the garage, I found several items that needed to be addressed in just a few days before the next trip to Colorado. The folks @cruiseroutfit helped me to round up most of the parts that they had in stock. Luckily I was able to get the rest of the stuff in time.

I replaced the front pads got the rotors machined, and repacked the wheel bearings.

The outer tie rods were worn, with the LH being very loose. The rack had a little play, was starting to seep, and the bushings were coming apart. I replaced the steering rack, removing the oil cooler for access and replacing that O-ring as well. I used a reman unit that I was able to get with a lifetime warranty for 30% off. It looks like a decent unit, but only time will tell how it survives, the boots don't seem to be as robust as the OE ones, but I was able to save the originals for spares just in case. W13210 Whiteline bushings were installed in the new rack. They were a tight fit, so I used the bolts and washers from the rack along with some sockets as spacers to push the parts together. A set of outer tie rod ends connected the new steering in place.

While I was in there, it seemed like a good time to install a set of the SPC upper control arms. I like the adjust ability of these units, and the idea that the upper ball joint could theoretically be replaced on the trail with a part that is interchangeable for both sides. The free floating bushing design seems to have smoother ride characteristics.

The steering was still making a creaking noise, as I realized that the lower ball joints had to be replaced now as well. I found some 555 units in stock locally rebranded through another supplier with a lifetime warranty. While I had the Lower arms out, I installed a set of the OME FK27 brackets as cheap insurance to help ensure that my arms don't crack.

The work was finished just in time to get the alignment dialed in.