I would buy it in a hearbeat...magnificent improvement....
Builds 2001 LX470 build LEGUSY
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I'd buy one 
I have really enjoyed following you build/ adventures!
Keep it up!
That ARB bumper looks amazing on the LX
Keep it up!
That ARB bumper looks amazing on the LX
- Thread starter
- #324
In doing some more preventative maintenance and inspections, I changed out the spark plugs. Fortunately, they all had decent indications of normal operation. One of them was a bit more loose than I prefer, but none of them were stuck. I did note however, that 7 of the ignition coils had some minor cracks down the sides. Shown here are the worst 2.
They all appeared to be OE coils. I swapped out these 2 with spares that I had on hand that were not cracked. The others will have to wait a bit. All of the coils appeared to be working properly as I had no misfires. Obviously this an indication of some sort of damage and even though it doesn't appear to have affected the operation yet, its not a good sign either. I've seen photos of this here on mud, but I'm not sure how common it is, or how significantly it affects the coils reliability. So I'm going to prioritize the replacement of the remaining cracked coils at some point, though I'll probably wait for a good price. The first day I checked the Denso replacement was listed at $55 ea on Amazon an the next day they went up to $60. I'm still carrying these 2 as spares and the others are running strong. Eventually, I'll probably destroy one to see if I can tell how significant the cracking compromises the coil?? Any thoughts?
I also replaced a few of the old vacuum and evap hoses. I went with OE replacements for the premolded hoses with particular bends cause I still wanted to keep that fit and routing. I also replaced the PCV valve.
They all appeared to be OE coils. I swapped out these 2 with spares that I had on hand that were not cracked. The others will have to wait a bit. All of the coils appeared to be working properly as I had no misfires. Obviously this an indication of some sort of damage and even though it doesn't appear to have affected the operation yet, its not a good sign either. I've seen photos of this here on mud, but I'm not sure how common it is, or how significantly it affects the coils reliability. So I'm going to prioritize the replacement of the remaining cracked coils at some point, though I'll probably wait for a good price. The first day I checked the Denso replacement was listed at $55 ea on Amazon an the next day they went up to $60. I'm still carrying these 2 as spares and the others are running strong. Eventually, I'll probably destroy one to see if I can tell how significant the cracking compromises the coil?? Any thoughts?
I also replaced a few of the old vacuum and evap hoses. I went with OE replacements for the premolded hoses with particular bends cause I still wanted to keep that fit and routing. I also replaced the PCV valve.
- Thread starter
- #325
The exterior protection, sliders, bumpers, links etc were in need of a little touch up protection themselves. So, I cleaned any surface rust off the exposed edges where the powder coating had been scraped off. With a bit of surface prep and cleaning out of the way, I brushed on a few coats of oil based satin black to get things looking fresh again and help hold the rust off.
Previously, I had also gone through the underside of the body outside of the frame rails and filled all the holes from running boards and such with a liberal amount of fluid film and appropriate bolts. Hopefully that helps to keep moisture and rust out of the lower body portions.
Previously, I had also gone through the underside of the body outside of the frame rails and filled all the holes from running boards and such with a liberal amount of fluid film and appropriate bolts. Hopefully that helps to keep moisture and rust out of the lower body portions.
Great build thread! I literally went through all 17 pages just now! It's like I was there with you in all your adventures! Keep it up.
- Thread starter
- #328
We recently got out for another club run with Wasatch Cruisers. I organized this route along portions of the Pony Express and California trails, sections of the old lincoln hwy and did a bit of exploring in Timpie valley. All in all, we had a great turnout with nice weather as I led 13 other toyotas (~5 100 series) for just under 100 miles. It made for a nice day trip with the whole family and lots of friends.
Bandit
SILVER Star
Looks fun. I need to join up once my life settles down a bit!
- Thread starter
- #330
With a front seat passenger, I realized a need for a better handheld radio location. I'm still using a handheld dual band transceiver because its cheap, simple and very versatile. One of these days I'll get a mobile unit, but for now this works just fine most of the time. I do use an external mag mount antenna much of the time when clearance allows and I don't need to carry the radio outside of the vehicle. I found plenty of clearance near the AHC decal that I'm definitely not using anymore. I pulled out some more Kydex and made a radio holster allowing for the clearance of the power wire from the battery eliminator. This appears to be a convenient location for access to the radio power/volume and the mic. If I need to change other functions of the radio, its pretty easy to pull it out, make adjustments, and clip it back on. I made a bit of a stand off to clear the clip. Its all still attached with velcro, so it can still be removed and replaced.
what suspension are you running?
@fisherman978 see the first page second paragraph.......
- Thread starter
- #333
@fisherman978 I'm running OME shocks and T-bars with 864 rear coils. SPC front upper control arms, OME lower control arm supports and 555 front lower ball joints. Metal Tech rear lower offset links, with Slee bushings in the rear upper links.
- Thread starter
- #334
In addition to my growing collection of morale patches, I have been keeping a dry erase marker velcro'ed to the headliner for quick access. Its been handy for writing quick notes on the window or windshield. Things like call signs, or reminders that I have stuff on the rack that won't fit under the carport etc. Well the old marker dried up, and rather than stick more velcro on another marker, I used a couple velcro cable ties that would be reusable in the future.
I noticed @REZARF did something similar in his build tread lately. I bet it works for lots of things.
I also added a locking box, for securing small valuables and still keeping them accessible. The cable can be routed around something steadfast and locked to the box.
I noticed @REZARF did something similar in his build tread lately. I bet it works for lots of things.
I also added a locking box, for securing small valuables and still keeping them accessible. The cable can be routed around something steadfast and locked to the box.
Looking great man, keep up the solid work. The kydex mount looks sharp, I carved up a GPS mount to fit my Yaesu HT. I like the look of yours a lot though
- Thread starter
- #336
18 Baja Norte Trip prep and report
Since this thread covers much of the way this truck is built and used, I’ll add this other report here too. I’d like to try and do this trip some justice and share a bit more about it than usual. I have a lot of content, so I’ll still try and cut to the chase. The pictures will have to do some of the talking and maybe they will help sort out some ideas for the video that will likely follow.
A good friend and fellow 100 mudder @Morty was instrumental for helping to organize this trip, so I’ll give him a thankful credit up front. Next Gracias goes out to my Rio Dave(another 100 owner) for helping to copilot Legusy.
As you can see in some of the previous posts, I spent some time getting the rig dialed in with preventative maintenance and thorough inspection. I also complied and sorted through the tools, equipment and spare parts that I would carry(more details on that stuff to come later).
The basic plan for this trip was for 8 days into the northern part of Baja California. Dave and I would take Legusy, as the remainder of the group(6 others including a bunch of guys from work) would caravan to San Felipe and ride motos from there. We would all meet up each evening, but our routes would differ considerably during the days, so for most of that travel in Mexico we would be solo in this 100. Plan A was to get through without any problems, and plan B was to sort out any issues on our own if necessary. We were also prepared to help carry equipment for the moto group and help them where possible.
With the locations for our evening lodging laid out, I proceeded to dig through tons of tracks, maps, beta, and trip reports, looking for route info and points of interest along the way. I found tons of helpful information and hopefully this trip report will go a ways to entertain and pass on that favor.
I’ll give a shout out here to Baja Bound for the great deal on convenient Mexican insurance and the wealth of information on their site.
Baja Adventures :: Pack Your Bags!
With insurance covered, I sorted out the other documents, registrations, passport, tourist cards, proof of ownership, route info, and numerous copies in a binder with folders. It was overkill, but I didn’t want any snags or concerns stressing me out.
I also made several custom maps including one large folding version of the Baja Almanac Norte. I pre ran the routes on google earth and uploaded the tracks to my trusty tablet for navigation.
I spent a few weeks trying to learn some Spanish, as neither of us spoke it.
I also organized a Wasatch Cruisers vehicle inspection tech night at the local Bountiful Toyota dealer, and Legusy passed through along with the other trucks.
I left my kids with a map on the fridge of where we were going so they could follow along at home when they received the SAT messages from one of my moto friends. My kids donated two toys as mascot passengers for the trip. The musical duck and the Duplo fire chief became known as “El Jefe” and made various appearances daily. I’d like to think they helped us keep in great spirits and diffuse tension at the numerous vehicle inspections along the way. Regardless, it was another fun way to share and relate with the crew back home.
Since this thread covers much of the way this truck is built and used, I’ll add this other report here too. I’d like to try and do this trip some justice and share a bit more about it than usual. I have a lot of content, so I’ll still try and cut to the chase. The pictures will have to do some of the talking and maybe they will help sort out some ideas for the video that will likely follow.
A good friend and fellow 100 mudder @Morty was instrumental for helping to organize this trip, so I’ll give him a thankful credit up front. Next Gracias goes out to my Rio Dave(another 100 owner) for helping to copilot Legusy.
As you can see in some of the previous posts, I spent some time getting the rig dialed in with preventative maintenance and thorough inspection. I also complied and sorted through the tools, equipment and spare parts that I would carry(more details on that stuff to come later).
The basic plan for this trip was for 8 days into the northern part of Baja California. Dave and I would take Legusy, as the remainder of the group(6 others including a bunch of guys from work) would caravan to San Felipe and ride motos from there. We would all meet up each evening, but our routes would differ considerably during the days, so for most of that travel in Mexico we would be solo in this 100. Plan A was to get through without any problems, and plan B was to sort out any issues on our own if necessary. We were also prepared to help carry equipment for the moto group and help them where possible.
With the locations for our evening lodging laid out, I proceeded to dig through tons of tracks, maps, beta, and trip reports, looking for route info and points of interest along the way. I found tons of helpful information and hopefully this trip report will go a ways to entertain and pass on that favor.
I’ll give a shout out here to Baja Bound for the great deal on convenient Mexican insurance and the wealth of information on their site.
Baja Adventures :: Pack Your Bags!
With insurance covered, I sorted out the other documents, registrations, passport, tourist cards, proof of ownership, route info, and numerous copies in a binder with folders. It was overkill, but I didn’t want any snags or concerns stressing me out.
I also made several custom maps including one large folding version of the Baja Almanac Norte. I pre ran the routes on google earth and uploaded the tracks to my trusty tablet for navigation.
I spent a few weeks trying to learn some Spanish, as neither of us spoke it.
I also organized a Wasatch Cruisers vehicle inspection tech night at the local Bountiful Toyota dealer, and Legusy passed through along with the other trucks.
I left my kids with a map on the fridge of where we were going so they could follow along at home when they received the SAT messages from one of my moto friends. My kids donated two toys as mascot passengers for the trip. The musical duck and the Duplo fire chief became known as “El Jefe” and made various appearances daily. I’d like to think they helped us keep in great spirits and diffuse tension at the numerous vehicle inspections along the way. Regardless, it was another fun way to share and relate with the crew back home.
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- Thread starter
- #337
Day 1 was pretty straight forward. We met up with our Moto buddies and with a short delay not affecting our high spirits, but rather increasing our dedication and enthusiasm to put distance behind us. It was quite windy as a storm was blowing into our hometown of SLC,UT and it kept blowing into the next day. The trailer carrying the bikes had some issues as the RH side door skin started peeling off. A first quick attempt to repair the door with gorilla tape failed so we dug into the spare parts and found a few bolts and hardware to place through the door that held the entire rest of the way. We cruised on through the day until we arrived at our hotel just north of the border in El Centro, CA. 722 miles behind us.
- Thread starter
- #338
Day 2
After a quick breakfast and rendezvous our group and bags were all loaded up for the drive into Mexico. We crossed though the border without issue as we got our tourist cards stamped and were on our way. The convoy stopped in San Felipe for a nice meal and to sort some gear. The moto riders loaded some equipment in Legusy, finally feeling a nice reprieve from the wind in warmer temps.
We went separate ways as they got loaded up on their bikes and we proceeded back to the military checkpoints of MEX5&3. As we drove along MEX3, the wind was back and we could look out over the Laguna Salada to the south seeing a dust cloud high into the air. At this point, I was glad to have decided not to take that route and I appreciated the comfort of the 100s closed cabin, thinking that it must be exciting for the moto crew that would be riding through it. We turned onto our first section of dirt road towards Mikes Sky Rancho knowing that good pavement would be sporadic at best from here on. The road started out washboard dirt evidently good enough for some mexican cars and got more rough as we neared the ranch. We arrived to see a guided group of Wide Open Baja performance buggies parked out front. After a quick walk through and a short visit at Mikes, we kept on in the diminishing sunlight towards our last stop of the day. From here, the trail was consistently much more uneven, yet still exciting as we navigated around numerous alternate spur routes in unfamiliar terrain.
Here is a quick clip that I made from the first 12 minutes of the trail leaving Mike’s Sky Ranch to the SW. The video speed is not modified. I have another 30 minutes of similar video from this trail.
Disclaimer: The audio track has explicit lyrics.
We arrived just after dark at the remote Rancho El Coyote. We were greeted by a member of the family that had owned and operated the ranch off the grid since the 50’s. As we were shown around the cabins, I marveled at the resourceful ingenuity that allowed such amenities despite limited resources. Our new found friend seemed surprised by the route that we had taken and mentioned that is was one of the roughest trails in the area.
We relaxed for another hour before our Moto amigos arrived with tales of freezing cold and sandblasting wind. In no time, we were dining on steak and veggies cooked to perfection. The night wound down by the side of a campfire with wood burning stoves stoking the cabins. Another 240 miles covered.
After a quick breakfast and rendezvous our group and bags were all loaded up for the drive into Mexico. We crossed though the border without issue as we got our tourist cards stamped and were on our way. The convoy stopped in San Felipe for a nice meal and to sort some gear. The moto riders loaded some equipment in Legusy, finally feeling a nice reprieve from the wind in warmer temps.
We went separate ways as they got loaded up on their bikes and we proceeded back to the military checkpoints of MEX5&3. As we drove along MEX3, the wind was back and we could look out over the Laguna Salada to the south seeing a dust cloud high into the air. At this point, I was glad to have decided not to take that route and I appreciated the comfort of the 100s closed cabin, thinking that it must be exciting for the moto crew that would be riding through it. We turned onto our first section of dirt road towards Mikes Sky Rancho knowing that good pavement would be sporadic at best from here on. The road started out washboard dirt evidently good enough for some mexican cars and got more rough as we neared the ranch. We arrived to see a guided group of Wide Open Baja performance buggies parked out front. After a quick walk through and a short visit at Mikes, we kept on in the diminishing sunlight towards our last stop of the day. From here, the trail was consistently much more uneven, yet still exciting as we navigated around numerous alternate spur routes in unfamiliar terrain.
Here is a quick clip that I made from the first 12 minutes of the trail leaving Mike’s Sky Ranch to the SW. The video speed is not modified. I have another 30 minutes of similar video from this trail.
Disclaimer: The audio track has explicit lyrics.
We arrived just after dark at the remote Rancho El Coyote. We were greeted by a member of the family that had owned and operated the ranch off the grid since the 50’s. As we were shown around the cabins, I marveled at the resourceful ingenuity that allowed such amenities despite limited resources. Our new found friend seemed surprised by the route that we had taken and mentioned that is was one of the roughest trails in the area.
We relaxed for another hour before our Moto amigos arrived with tales of freezing cold and sandblasting wind. In no time, we were dining on steak and veggies cooked to perfection. The night wound down by the side of a campfire with wood burning stoves stoking the cabins. Another 240 miles covered.
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- Thread starter
- #339
On Day 3 we enjoyed coffee and another nice meal while exploring the ranch grounds in the early daylight. A local resident dropped by to offer the bikers an exclusive tour of some new singletrack. While a few riders joined him, we fueled a couple other bikes and got loaded for the next POI. Sierra De San Pedro Martir national park off to the east has the highest peak in Baja California at just over 3,000M/10,000FT. The park contains an observatory, a rare pine forest, and populations of California Condor and Bighorn sheep. We climbed the road to the visitors center and were informed that the observatory was likely closed to visitors for official business. We still drove on into the forest and reached 8500FT before being denied further access and turning back.
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- Thread starter
- #340
Our schedule didn’t allow much more time there as we moved back down to the coast. The road engineering seemed to make for an interesting decent at steep grades with tight turns on a narrow road. After slowly driving down to the beach, we found the shipwreck that we had been looking for reclaimed by the birds and the sea. A group of the motos caught up to us there visiting for a bit before blazing off along the coast. I drove along the cliffs of the coast and through several washed out sections before turning inland for fuel and pavement to the Hotel.
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