Builds 2001 LX470 build LEGUSY (8 Viewers)

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You get the merit badge on vehicle fabrication. A+!
 
Thanks guys.

That means a lot coming from the teacher.

I've been shaking it down and so far things are going really well.

This message sent from Swasey cabin.
 
Man, that rear bumper looks great!
 
Scott, I enjoyed meeting you in camp and going over the details of your build. Having just barely got the tire on my 4x4Labs bumper in time for Moab I was grateful to come home with some new ideas from your truck that will help me finish mine.

Very well thought out and executed changes, especially on the details.

Great work!
 
Thanks for the kind words and encouragement, It was nice to meet some new and friendly faces and show off my project.


CM15 trip/test report

I had been looking forward to Cruise Moab 15 for several reasons, among those was the opportunity to try out and utilize several of the new upgrades and modifications to my 100 series. Overall the trip and the trucks performance were a great success, things went smoothly and though there is always room for improvement, I was very pleased with the results. It was very nice to be able to cover some diverse terrain over several days with various multiple passengers in comfort, which was key to getting my family/friends to enjoy and tolerate the trip.

With 6 days on the trail and several Highway miles in between, this truck saw a fair amount of all around use. I didn't set out to test the limits of anything in particular but to use it as was needed and not hold anything back or "baby it" because something was new. I did choose a couple of the easier trails to run in Moab, but that was more to do with the type of experience that I was looking for with my family in mind. If I want to run something more difficult and risky, then that is what I had in mind for my 4Runner and FJ40 anyway.

Several of the upgrades that I added for the sake of protection or durability certainly got used and held up well. The rear lower links and skids saw contact with rocks in several places without any signs of damage beyond the paint. The rear shock stone guards got bent around the lower shock bolts a bit, but that shouldn't be a problem. I did crunch the tail pipe of the exhaust a bit, but I don't think it affects the performance at all. I think the resonator would have seen way more contact given its size, though for the benefit of the noise reduction, it might still be worth finding a way to reinstall the resonator up a bit higher. I dragged the rear bumper mounting bolts a few times without any consequence, and I was surprised at how many times the bumper did not make contact when I was almost sure that it would. Various trees along the trails added a bit more pin striping to the collection.

Here are a few Photos from the Devils Racetrack trail on the Swell Overnight run. I think they fit better if I show them in a sequence.
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Overall, the most significant damage sustained was to the sidewall of 1 tire. At some point on Porcupine Rim, my tire received a large gash in the sidewall that was quite deep, though it still held air and there was no damage to the wheel. I was surprised that it held air, and decided to change it with the spare before making the long freeway drive home. However, before changing it out, I drove on it for another day on the trail, aired down, and it still had no issues. I changed it out for the peace of mind driving freeway speeds for several hundred miles with all good tires. I used the Hi-Lift on the lifting point that I added in the front bumper and was easily able to lift the vehicle enough to change the tire without any problems. After I got home, there was no trouble getting the damaged tired replaced under a road hazard warranty. These BFG All Terrain KO2 tires have held up well so far, providing good traction.

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Bravo on taking off the hoop on your front bumper. IMO it looks so much better without it.
 
Nice to meet you at CM. nice Hundy , as well. Cutting the resonator off hardly changes the sound at all. I had mine off for years without any noise complaints.
 
Thanks.

@SoupGFX I think it looks cleaner without the bar, and I would rather have the light bar. Now I just need to sell all the old bumper parts and get them out of my way.

@bluecruiser It was nice to meet and I look forward to running trails together and checking out your 80 someday. I noticed a pretty significant difference when I cut off my resonator for some reason, but it's still way quieter than other trucks that I've driven for years so maybe I should just crank up the stereo and rock it.
 
I am pretty sure that my Magnaflow muffler contributes to the exhaust noise, I'll have to see how much more a set of headers affects it when I get to that point.
 
Rear swing bike mount

As a bit more final progress on the rear bumper is done, I have mounted my bike on the rear swing and it fits securely. After driving on a variety of road surfaces, I am rather confident that it will continue to serve its purpose. I can easily swing the bike out of the way to access the back of my vehicle and it is easier to position that lifting it onto the roof rack. For reference, the rear tire sits about 18" off the ground.

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Nice bike integration! Would you happen to have a profile picture of the truck with the bike on the back to show how far it sits from the vehicle? I'm trying to imagine a Stumpjumper FSR in profile...
 
Thanks. I didn't take that picture, but I will next time I get a chance.

For reference, the inside of the frame mount is 19.5 " from the bottom rear portion of the rear hatch lid(closed position). This is a Specialized Stumpjumper Expert Evo.
But you could measure from the bottom of the frame to the seat (and add 19.5 to that) if you have a specific bike in mind.
 
I guess I should post this video link here since I used this truck to make it and as a result, it in shown in there quite a bit.

Here is my 2015 Cruise Moab San Rafael Swell overnight run video.

<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/127988911" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> <p><a href="">Cruise Moab 2015 San Rafael Swell Trail Run</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user14948594">Scott Howe</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
 
The stop locks on my ARB outback drawer broke again, shortly after replacing them. I don't know what is causing them to fail, but it sounds like there might be a design issue. I suppose the drawer could have an alignment issue though it seems to work great aside from the stop lock on this RH drawer.

As a result, I decided to find an alternative way to lock the drawer open.

I found a hole on the inside of the drawer that lines up with the frame in the completely open position.

I drilled that hole through the outside of the drawer and added a spring loaded detent pin. It is easily installed and removed even with both drawers open and it wont fall out.

It holds the drawer from closing when parked on an incline.

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We headed up to a local ski resort over the weekend to check on a family cabin and relocate the snow machines depending on the road conditions. There is still way too much snow to drive to the cabin which is located at the top of one of the ski lifts. So we moved the snow machines to the edge of the snow melt and took them up to the cabin to check on it. During the next few months 4wd access to the cabin will likely become the most efficient means of access as the road conditions change.

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I installed a Front Runner Braai/BBQ Grate

http://www.frontrunneroutfitters.co...-tire-mount-braai-bbq-grate.html#.VYD1rEYgmSo

It has already been usefull and I haven't cooked on it yet. I would imagine it could make a small table when not used for cooking.

I am really looking forward to cooking on it and using this BBQ basket.

http://www.amazon.com/GrillFella-Copper-BBQ-Wok-Simultaneously/dp/B00F8UZ5XY

So far here are my results.

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The 2 filled in slots on the grill are actually wrenches for its assembly. They were still well attached and I didn't want or need to distort the grill for their use so I left them in place. Who knows, maybe someday a couple 8mm wrenches will come in handy.
 

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