99 LX470 build up for an around the world trip! (1 Viewer)

[yukon]

It wasn't terrible, would have been better on a lift possibly but definitely not a gravel driveway job!!

Almost all of the hard lines removed. Do people remove the wiring as well?

The replacement shocks. Look how thick they are! That should help dissipate heat while driving miles of washboard. Also the rears are somewhat adjustable so I can soften them up when not running a full tank of aux fuel. Another bonus is the metal and hard plastic shaft guards, some shocks these days don't include those, and I see that as a real downside, a pitted shaft is the end of the shock! Everything about these shocks screams beefy, they're even heavy for the weight matters crowd.

I put paint pen lines on the shocks at full extend, and full compress. I can use these in conjunction with a zip tie to quickly be able to assess how much travel I have used on a given section of trail, and I can use that info to increase preload on the torsion bars if needed.

If you want some bonus work, you can drop your wrench into the gas tank skid. AHC removal, AND dropping the tank, now that's a fun day in the garage!

Continued...

 

[yukon]

For the rear I drilled the hole, thought my 22mm wrench wasn't hitting the bolt on top of the AHC shock, turns out that nut is a 19mm, could have avoided drilling the hole. Oh well.

AHC coils vs TD 600 pound coils

Installed!

Also installed the included a arm braces. I put them on when I did the front, but didn't drill them. Trail Tailor included them in the kit, nice to have peace of mind especially knowing that the front end is about to get heavier

One more post...

 

[yukon]

Here is the completed product.

The rear is 1.5 inches higher than stock, but after rear bumper and RTT go on, it should settle in nicely. The front is about the same as stock, maybe .5 inches higher. I didn't do any leveling of the bars yet as my ARB and winch come this week.
I don't want a lift, so I will try and keep the suspension as close to stock height as possible. I have plenty of adjustability left in the torsion bars so I can bring them down, or up to get them level with the rear. I expect before I leave on the trip I will have to size up rear coils for one heavier load rating, we shall see.

I was really hoping to get a BIOR rear bumper, but I just can't wait 4 months for one, the Slee is just too expensive, and the Dissent... Well honestly it has a ton of great features, but I'm not crazy about the look, also it's nipping at Slee's heels in the price department. That leaves Dobinsons. Anyone have any experience with them? I'd have to get a factory hitch for my bike rack, but the extra hang down could also protect the fuel tank. But it also seems like there would be no spot to mount a table, which I really want on a swing out.

Another question, has anyone mounted a Maggiolina to the factory side bars? I know they're supposed to mount on the cross bars, but I don't want to buy an aftermarket rack, and the Yakima etc. Bars seem to add 2 to 3 inches to the height. Ideally I'd flush mount it to the roof, but that doesn't seem like an option. I wasn't going to go RTT, but I found a Maggiolina Extreme in Medium for 1800 locally, seems too good to pass up.
I'll still build a sleeping platform on the inside for stealth camping, or super cold (it will have a heater) then can have the RTT for boondocking, when I want more room to spread out, or if I have a guest traveling with me. Also if I find one works better than the other I can always sell the tent, or change interior layout before the trip. What do people with Maggiolinas do with their shoes when they get in the tent? On my old fold out tent I just left them under the foldout before I climbed the ladder..
Thoughts?

That's all for now folks!

 

[yukon]

An update:

Majority of the build is done, and I did a shakedown run. LOVE the tough dog suspension, coupled with the LTX tires I'm leaving on until I ruin them I really couldn't ask for a better ride. It handles the weight really well too. Moab was a bit wet to fuss with the adjustment in the rear, but I turned it once, and it did something, so that's neat.

Love the Dobinsons rear, really glad I went that way.

The RTT can't stay on the factory rack, I'm really disappointed, but it shook around and didn't sit flat, and I doubt I could jump it without the whole kit coming undone. How are people mounting these?
I see Rhino Rack makes a 3 bar bolt on system that replaces your factory rails, I'm very interested in that, anyone have any experience?

Here are a few pics because everyone loves those!

 

[Ayune]

An update:

Majority of the build is done, and I did a shakedown run. LOVE the tough dog suspension, coupled with the LTX tires I'm leaving on until I ruin them I really couldn't ask for a better ride. It handles the weight really well too. Moab was a bit wet to fuss with the adjustment in the rear, but I turned it once, and it did something, so that's neat.

Love the Dobinsons rear, really glad I went that way.

The RTT can't stay on the factory rack, I'm really disappointed, but it shook around and didn't sit flat, and I doubt I could jump it without the whole kit coming undone. How are people mounting these?
I see Rhino Rack makes a 3 bar bolt on system that replaces your factory rails, I'm very interested in that, anyone have any experience?

Here are a few pics because everyone loves those!

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I had the Rhino Rack 3-bar system and it’s solid with one caveat: The front bar must mount farther rearward than the OEM front bar. There is a 4th set of mounting points just behind the sunroof opening that you’ll have to expose by pulling up the roof trim, which is purely cosmetic anyways. Rhino Rack’s reasoning is the front-most mounting points are “weaker” since they’re adjacent to the sunroof opening. The mounting bolt patterns are different so you can’t simply move their bar to the forward position.

All in all the fore-aft spread of the rack will be shorter than the OEM rack, but you’ll have three bars, yay. I ended up springing for a Gamiviti and it’s awesome. The Rhino Rack will set you back around $600 ( or maybe $300??). Look in your couch cushions and save up for the Gamiviti you’ll end up with eventually.

 

[yukon]

I had the Rhino Rack 3-bar system and it’s solid with one caveat: The front bar must mount farther rearward than the OEM front bar. There is a 4th set of mounting points just behind the sunroof opening that you’ll have to expose by pulling up the roof trim, which is purely cosmetic anyways. Rhino Rack’s reasoning is the front-most mounting points are “weaker” since they’re adjacent to the sunroof opening. The mounting bolt patterns are different so you can’t simply move their bar to the forward position.

All in all the fore-aft spread of the rack will be shorter than the OEM rack, but you’ll have three bars, yay. I ended up springing for a Gamiviti and it’s awesome. The Rhino Rack will set you back around $600 ( or maybe $300??). Look in your couch cushions and save up for the Gamiviti you’ll end up with eventually.

Ironically I was just looking at a post from 2017 where you were talking about your Rhino. I have a question, how much higher are the Rhino crossbars compared to the tops of the factory rails/cross bars? That's kind of a turn off about the spread, but it shouldn't be a huge issue I wouldn't think?

I like the Gamiviti, but it seems odd to buy an expensive and heavy flat rack then cover the whole thing in an RTT when you could spend quite a bit less on bars that serve the same purpose

 

[2020 Rocks]

The RTT can't stay on the factory rack, I'm really disappointed, but it shook around and didn't sit flat, and I doubt I could jump it without the whole kit coming undone. How are people mounting these?
I see Rhino Rack makes a 3 bar bolt on system that replaces your factory rails, I'm very interested in that, anyone have any experience?

80/20 with Stock Roof Rack

Something I have been playing with for a bit. Different sizes. Different spacing. Mounts up pretty solid.

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[BullElk]

It’s exciting just to hear that someone else is going on a world trip like this. Good for you.

 

[Ayune]

Ironically I was just looking at a post from 2017 where you were talking about your Rhino. I have a question, how much higher are the Rhino crossbars compared to the tops of the factory rails/cross bars? That's kind of a turn off about the spread, but it shouldn't be a huge issue I wouldn't think?

I like the Gamiviti, but it seems odd to buy an expensive and heavy flat rack then cover the whole thing in an RTT when you could spend quite a bit less on bars that serve the same purpose

I'm not sure of actual height, but you can see some closeup pics of the mounted Rhino rails here: Rhino Rack Vortex - Yakima mount trick

 

[geanes]

I like the Gamiviti, but it seems odd to buy an expensive and heavy flat rack then cover the whole thing in an RTT when you could spend quite a bit less on bars that serve the same purpose

Because if you go with the 8 mount version of the Gamiviti, you'll have about the strongest and most secure rack one could ask for. Get the integrated lightbar and kill 2 birds with one stone. Get the quick release awning mounts and you have a super secure way to add a 2500 awning for additional coverage. Also, the Gamiviti has numerous points around it's perimeter to mount lights to...so that's nice.

 

[yukon]

80/20 with Stock Roof Rack

Something I have been playing with for a bit. Different sizes. Different spacing. Mounts up pretty solid.

forum.ih8mud.com

This. I ordered some Gamiviti mounts, and some 8020. I'll let everyone know what I end up with.

 

[divemedic]

What’s your aid kit looking like for this trip? Give me a shout if you’d like a consult.

strong progress on the truck.

 

[yukon]

After figuring out that there wasn't a great way to mount the Maggiolina to the stock roof rack I started looking for other methods.
First I was sold on Rhino Rack,but after close inspection there seemed to be a weak point where the towers attached to the feet.
Putting the crossbars on the stock rails would make the whole thing too high.
I then started looking at mounting 8020 aluminum to Gamiviti feet. I liked this idea a lot so I ordered all the stuff.
After ordering I began to worry that 1.5 inches on top of the Gamiviti feet would again be too high, plus it would introduce many possible fail points (which is better than one weak point, but still).
Then I got to thinking why not just mount the tent directly to the feet? It's foam sandwiched fiberglass, should be strong?

I called Autohome. They said "it's been done, maybe, but you didn't hear it from us".

Reassuring. Worst comes to worst my tent doesn't have a warranty anyways, and I've worked with fiberglass extensively, a couple holes are nothing some West System and filler won't fix.

Feet got here, 8020 got here, removed tent, installed feet, replaced tent (that thing is GD heavy).
It lines up! Only one bolt through the front,but that's fine. Drill baby drill! The right side went great. Left side was a bit weird, but worked. It started getting dark and cold so I started rushing.

Turned out great! I was able to torque the bolts down to something respectable, deforming the inner glass about 1/8th to a short 1/4 inch. The tent is now 100% part of the car, no movement whatsoever. Plus there are zero possible fail points except the tent itself, or the nut inserts on the roof. Sweet.

I need to clean it up a bit still, cutting the too long bolts, and installing a bit more hardware, but this will work very well. It seems to sit a bit higher than when on the factory bars, but it's actually quieter, and a whole lot stronger. Autohome recommended I install crossbars just under the tent to distribute the load, but I don't think that will be needed, plus the clearance will be an issue. Maybe in the future, would probably be a good way to mount an awning.

 

[yukon]

What’s your aid kit looking like for this trip? Give me a shout if you’d like a consult.

strong progress on the truck.

I missed this post somehow. I was just thinking about this today actually, and I would LOVE a consult. Ill shoot you a PM once I get some thoughts together, thanks!

 

[NoALnewb]

Fun following along. Curious to know what your trip itinerary will look like.

Also, I'm just amazed at all the guys on this forum who are willing to tackle all of mechanical issues/upgrades themselves. I'm pretty intimidated at doing my own work, but it's fun to see threads like this and realize the amount of money you must save by doing it all yourself.

 

[yukon]

Fun following along. Curious to know what your trip itinerary will look like.

Also, I'm just amazed at all the guys on this forum who are willing to tackle all of mechanical issues/upgrades themselves. I'm pretty intimidated at doing my own work, but it's fun to see threads like this and realize the amount of money you must save by doing it all yourself.

Me too! I've been neglecting that part of the planning, but now that the truck is done I'm beginning to pay more attention to that. With an October start time I have plenty of time, right?


Learning to do major mechanical work is intimidating, but with resources like this forum it isn't too bad. All the work I've done in this thread has been accomplished with right about $700 worth of tools, it doesn't take a full shop to get started! 80% of this has been done with a 200 piece Craftsman mechanics tool set, another 10% with $100 set of wratcheting wrenches, and if you want to get real fancy, $150 worth of floor jack and jack stands.
My advice? Just go do it! Start small, be carful, and have a backup way to get to work just in case it all goes pear shaped.

 

[geanes]

After figuring out that there wasn't a great way to mount the Maggiolina to the stock roof rack I started looking for other methods.
First I was sold on Rhino Rack,but after close inspection there seemed to be a weak point where the towers attached to the feet.
Putting the crossbars on the stock rails would make the whole thing too high.
I then started looking at mounting 8020 aluminum to Gamiviti feet. I liked this idea a lot so I ordered all the stuff.
After ordering I began to worry that 1.5 inches on top of the Gamiviti feet would again be too high, plus it would introduce many possible fail points (which is better than one weak point, but still).
Then I got to thinking why not just mount the tent directly to the feet? It's foam sandwiched fiberglass, should be strong?

I called Autohome. They said "it's been done, maybe, but you didn't hear it from us".

Reassuring. Worst comes to worst my tent doesn't have a warranty anyways, and I've worked with fiberglass extensively, a couple holes are nothing some West System and filler won't fix.

Feet got here, 8020 got here, removed tent, installed feet, replaced tent (that thing is GD heavy).
It lines up! Only one bolt through the front,but that's fine. Drill baby drill! The right side went great. Left side was a bit weird, but worked. It started getting dark and cold so I started rushing.

Turned out great! I was able to torque the bolts down to something respectable, deforming the inner glass about 1/8th to a short 1/4 inch. The tent is now 100% part of the car, no movement whatsoever. Plus there are zero possible fail points except the tent itself, or the nut inserts on the roof. Sweet.

I need to clean it up a bit still, cutting the too long bolts, and installing a bit more hardware, but this will work very well. It seems to sit a bit higher than when on the factory bars, but it's actually quieter, and a whole lot stronger. Autohome recommended I install crossbars just under the tent to distribute the load, but I don't think that will be needed, plus the clearance will be an issue. Maybe in the future, would probably be a good way to mount an awning.


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Nice setup. I'd consider getting another set of the Gamiviti towers and utilizing the remaining tower mount position just aft of the frontmost towers. That would give you 8 total mounting points and distribute the dynamic load better. Other than that, excellent job.