DomRep 2001 LX470 Build

[Gman509]

Don't post much. Been lurking on here for a number of years. Used to have '98 LC which I took to Central Africa. Great vehicle. Took it all over. Loved it, but sold it when I was departing and kicked myself ever since.

Now in the Dominican Republic. Bought a '01 LX470 before coming here. After 3 years here I’m getting ready to ship it back to the U.S. We’ve had quite a blast here with it, getting out and about to different places with the family - unfortunately work is sometimes too intense, so never as much as we wanted to.

However, while I had wanted to do quite a bit of work on it while here I kept procrastinating due to work and travel. Finally, about two months ago I found a fabricator that was somewhat capable and decided to have a front and rear bumper built – along with some sliders. It was a bit of a frustrating process - while his fabrication skills are decent, his communication was poor - he underestimated (purposefully IMO) on the time to complete and continued to make design changes from what we had agreed to without consultation.

Finally got her back this weekend (about 3 weeks late) and wanted to post some pics up. All frustrations all aside - quite happy with how it turned out and ready to get her back to the U.S. and continue to work on her as the opportunity arises.

 

[Gman509]

Before adding on the body armor I bought some King Springs off Ebay to help handle the added weight.

 

[Gman509]

Pics from the build:

 

[Gman509]

Parts after fabrication:

 

[Gman509]

Powdercoating:

 

[Gman509]

Post Install:

 

[TXSunDevil]

Looks great. Must be tough to leave a paradise like that.

 

[Gman509]

Looks great. Must be tough to leave a paradise like that.

Not at all. I'm sure I'll miss certain aspects. Beaches are certainly nice, but there is a lot of daily friction that gets to you in Santo Domingo - crime, excessive trash, traffic, selfish & entitled attitudes, etc... People are always looking to prey upon you if possible.

I've been abroad for 7 years and looking forward to living back in the US for a while. Going to San Diego and will be interested to hook up with any community members in that area.

 

[Gman509]

After a bath and a polish. Lights all connected.

Had to take rear swing arms off as I am preparing to ship her back this week.

View attachment 1464034

View attachment 1464036

 

[Gman509]

Now for the problems with the work done:

After I got the car home, found two loose bolts on the front bumper. Neither will tighten.

 

[Gman509]

As the former owner of a Landcruiser, another item I forgot to take into consideration was that the placement of my turn signals was on the lower bumper. I've tried searching, but may not just be typing the write keywords and did not see this mentioned in the FAQ, but can I simply switch out the LX corner parking lights with a LC turn signal?

 

[Gman509]

Update: Just shipped off the LX back to the U.S. Of course, per Murphy's law, two days before shipping I kept hearing a minor rough noise at lower speeds coming from directly under the driver's seat. At first it sounded as if the seat was creaking a bit, but there was a bit of a vibration to it as well. After scratching my head trying to determine the source I realized that the driver's side slider front bracket was just a tad loose and that the noise was most likely vibration of it moving. Now something to get fixed immediately upon arrival in the U.S. as I have about a 6k mile road trip planned with the family through the month of July throughout the U.S. as we drive from the east coast to the northern mid-west and then to San Diego.

Still need to figure out a fix for the blinkers.

Also just purchased a set of 5x Stealth Custom Series F5s in Matte Gunmetal. Can't wait to put these on when we arrive in San Diego.

 

[duvinclunk]

It's a good looking front bumper. Wished someone would make one in similar fashion in stateside.

 

[1sar39]

Nice LX! Looking great! Here's an idea for blinkers if you dont mind hacking a couple more holes in your bumper. I just stuck on amber lens tape and hooked them up to the existing turn signal wires. Been about 3 years and no issues.

 

[Gman509]

Nice LX! Looking great! Here's an idea for blinkers if you dont mind hacking a couple more holes in your bumper. I just stuck on amber lens tape and hooked them up to the existing turn signal wires. Been about 3 years and no issues.

View attachment 1783554

Back at you - Nice looking LX yourself! Ended up fixing my turn signals via the side marker lights and the recommendations on MUD.

As for similar bumpers in the US - check out Dissent OffRoad - It has been/was pointed out by numerous folks on MUD that the guy that did my bumper in the DR utilized alot of similar features. After looking side-by-side I can't say I disagree.