Came back home with LX450

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I

ikecruiser

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Jul 20, 2009
Threads
15
Messages
50
Location
OC, California
At last, I got a very stocked lx450 with 140K mileage (surely with Lockers).

I have considered couple of already built 80s and even the built 100s, the final destination is the stocked one. Think that it is destined.

Everything is in a good condition just except
- fuel gauge : even the tank is full, the gauge indicates the bottom quarter position.
- D lamp is not on during driving
- Broken driver seat side sun-visor
- Driver side door opens with a squeak sometimes
- Some worn-n-slight-torn leathers

Overall, it was not good enough as it was advertised but was not worse than I've expected. Anyway it stays at my driveway and under my control now.
"The die is cast".

The driving feeling is not much different from LC200 (surprised!). The braking seems to be softer than LC200's (due to the Lexus setup??) and the small toe-tip press puts more gas than my expectation.

The drawbacks based on the first 30mins drive are
- don't have backup camera
- don't have navi
- small side-mirrors
- cup holders :(

I like the tighter turning curve and the roaring engine sound.

OK.

The next step is:
- change all fluids & hoses ( hmm where? )
- basic mechanic checks

And after baselining
- suspension & tire change : thinking about 2.5" or 4"
- front & rear bumper replacement
- slider
- skid plates

* do I have to order all stuff & bring them to the shop? Or do some of them myself

Future considerations are
- re-gear
- roof-rack & DIY drawers
- leather replacement or 3rd party seat cover
- blah blah...

Thanks you guys and especially Sophie, my wife, who urged me to buy whatever till this weekend or threatened she would close her purse.
LX450.webp
 
Excellent choice! But I'm a little biased :flipoff2:. Just to give an idea of what yours can look like with a 3.5" lift and 35's.
DSCN4529.webp
 
clean Lexus

Congrats man! Looks clean. I am not sure if I believe that the LX450 feels similar to a 200 series LC, however if your statement is an indication of how pleased you are then I am glad for you. :cheers:
 
Is that the one that was on Craigslist in OC? I was looking at that one. Very nice.
 
Congrats, looks good. Call Cdan, read some baselining treads and get your hands dirty.
 
Thanks.
Yeah, it was on the Craiglist yesterday and a little bit lucky.

I'm gathering baseline-related information and found that the first necessary things are tools.
Do you have any idea about tool-list? :)
 
Congratulations on your purchase! I saw it on CL the night it was posted, but was out of town on a ski trip so I didn't even bother calling the seller. I figured it would be sold before I returned.

Anyway, I also have a 2008 LC and also an '81 FJ40. I am in OC and if you feel like showing off your new prize I would love to stop by sometime.

John
 
Congrats!!!

Start reading big time all the FAQs. Skid plate, front and rear bumpers and even sliders are pretty simple to install yourself and there are plenty of us around to help! Super great threads the mods have compiled there so you can get an idea of what most of the mods you are considering will look like.

Since you seem willing and capable of doing some/all of the work get yourself a copy of the FSM. Basic metric tools and a good torque wrench if you're OCD like some of us are :D
 
Remove those running bords stat before the :princess: gets used to them.

Also I would make a skid plate my first aftermarket purchase after baselining.
As for tools get yourself some heave duty jackstands and jack, a nice set of metric sockets both regular and deep. That will at least get you started with running board removal, oil & diff changes and skid plate install.

By the way WELC:flipoff2:ME
 
Another thought - make all those sockets 6 point - they can be harder to find in some of the larger sizes, but well worth it. Do NOT get the 12 point sockets. They strip bolt heads way to easily!
 
The first tools have to be Floor Jack, two 6-ton Jack stand, and a ratchet & 6-point various sockets. OK.

What kind of torque wrench is good? I've found some elec-torque wrenches and they look simple to use.

This weekend will be a red-neck day, I bet!
 
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IMHO can't ever go wrong with Craftman or Gearwrench (both Sears). Stay far away from Harbor Freight. FIL bought me my first torque wrench from there and it fell apart - literally about a year or so later! 1/2 or 3/8 drive. I've got a nice Gearwrench 3/8 drive that's 'delicate' enough for small torque settings and 'beefy' enough to handle high torque values too. Ran somewhere around $100 plus/minus.
 
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!

...and maybe lose all the plastic crap and get the sides lined. One of my favorite mods.




Oh yeah...congrats!
 
I saved the original CL add if you want it for posterity. PM me your email and I'll sent it to you.
 
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