Builds DRANGED's GX470 build/ownership thread (1 Viewer)

[DRANGED]

Its it very noisy?

No, surprisingly not.

That was my Chief concern, esp with the longer deck. The GX is so quiet, esp on long road trips, I was super nervous about it being noisy but I'm quite satisfied. With glass closed and cover in place, @ highway speeds it sounds like it's windy out (although it was on my highway drive back after install). With cover open, platforms act to shade a bit, and @ 45+ it just sounds like its a little windy out, with glass tilted, it's no different really if even a little less noisy, and with glass slid open it's less noisy than no rack and open glass esp at highway speeds...

We're headed north for a week so I'll report back after this trip.

 

[DRANGED]

Looks like the GX470 backbone from Rhino-Rack is starting to trickle in for US availability!!

Rhino Rack RTPB2 Backbone for Lexus GX470

The Rhino-Rack Backbone is a mounting system for your Lexus GX470. Connecting to your vehicle's roof via 3 bases on each side, it allows for a Rhino-Rack Pioneer System to be fitted on top.

roadwarriorracks.com

 

[DRANGED]

I just bought one today and it was $534, which is the same list price as the GX460 one.

I googled and saw an Aussie Prado120 for $506, so maybe it went up ..

Anyhoo, the Rhino-Rack backbone for GX470 is available here in The States, elsewhere soon to be sure!

 

[DRANGED]

Here are some clearance photos from the roof to main crossbars of RR Pioneer Platform tray, which mount the platform to the backbone.

REAR: about 1.75"

CENTER: about 1.25"

FRONT: about 1.75" too, here glass is also tilted open and clears crossbar bu about 0.5"

And as seen from driver side backbone rail

 

[ADVFamilyHauler]

If I am looking at that correctly does the backbone rail end up at the middle of the sunroof?

 

[DRANGED]

Yu

If I am looking at that correctly does the backbone rail end up at the middle of the sunroof?

Yup....
It's like 8" fore (of the front pair of holes) and 8" aft (of the rear set) of the factory mounting holes. Pull the covers off your factory rack and see where the holes are...

 

[kumatae]

I'm a new owner of a used 2005 and will be using your build as my blueprint! Really liking everything you are doing to your ride. Been spending last two weeks doing preventative maintenance and doing the spacer lift scheduled for end of the month.

Question about your Rhino Rack set up. Are you planning to do a roof top tent? My friend told me that the platform base runs vertical and most roof top tent mounts are for horizontal beams and so there will need to be modifications to the platform base or different mount.

Will be following along!

 

[kumatae]

Oh and by the way, I totally feel your pain about going back to find the lovie for your kid. My daughter has one that she's extremely attach to and we've made countless trips back home to get it, over night ship it once and a 6 hour roundtrip. She would be devastated if her bunny was lost. It was actually my wife's present when she was a baby and was never used but my daughter just fell in love with it. So we can't even get a spare if we wanted to and my daughter will know cause she loves the smell of her bunny! Haha.

 

[joabmc]

Very cool! Just ordered the 60” setup... although my mounting hardware appears to be a little different. Maybe due to the shorter length but mine should extend from the rear to the edge of the sunroof. I specifically ordered the “backbone” system but the rail nomenclature is different. I wish I had stumbled across this thread before as it was sort of a stab in the dark.

 

[DRANGED]

I'm a new owner of a used 2005 and will be using your build as my blueprint! Really liking everything you are doing to your ride. Been spending last two weeks doing preventative maintenance and doing the spacer lift scheduled for end of the month.

Question about your Rhino Rack set up. Are you planning to do a roof top tent? My friend told me that the platform base runs vertical and most roof top tent mounts are for horizontal beams and so there will need to be modifications to the platform base or different mount.

Will be following along!

No RTT for me.
We do base camps with daily runs.in the rig, RTTs aren't the best for those trips plus i plan to use that platform for rigging stuff (fuel, firepan, propane, firewood...hard/bulky/flammable/stinky, etc.)

Thanks for the comments. I'm deffinitely going mellow but functional with the "build/mods" and trying to document the trips....

 

[DRANGED]

Very cool! Just ordered the 60” setup... although my mounting hardware appears to be a little different. Maybe due to the shorter length but mine should extend from the rear to the edge of the sunroof. I specifically ordered the “backbone” system but the rail nomenclature is different. I wish I had stumbled across this thread before as it was sort of a stab in the dark.

The backbone for GX470 exists!
Any chance of securing it, or would it be way more hassle than just mounting what you've ordered?
But it would be longer than a 60" platform, so maybe tower legs or the clamps.to stock side rails would be better for that setup.

 

[DRANGED]

 

[DRANGED]

incidental discovery RE: the Scepter 5L fuel jerry, with the folding 2-burner Parter stove...

 

[DRANGED]

Scepter 10L MFC (available Stateside HERE on Mud)

 

[DRANGED]

 

[DRANGED]

Flanges, straps, wrenches, various colors of MFC and MWC available through our cruiser friend HERE on Mud, Thanks again Petr!!!

 

[GXO]

Keeping a stove that close to gas must be dangerous

Cool solution!

 

[DRANGED]

Is it me or are more and more products AND services just getting lamer and lamer? I know planned obsolescence has wrecked durability and longevity let alone serviceability in products in the capitalist model.of.maximizinf profit amsld.mjnimizknf cost, but remember when you used to frequent a business because they did good work and we're reputed for said?

I'm mid-40s so middle.-aged, but just, and I'm finding myself more and more grumpy about these things. I moaned oreviously about an oil change service @.a Lexus dealership because, despite a couple decades of reinforced lameness of dealerships, I hoped/thought Lexus would be different. Anyhoo, I was disappointed.

My latest disappointment comes from a Les Schwab tire shop in southern Oregon. I've likeed/trusted and respected them for 18 years or.more and hopefully this one experience won't fully sour that entirely.
I was visiting my parents (and therefore was ill equipped to do a tire rotation myself) last month and was due for my 5-tire rotation. I was able to do my oil before the big trip but figured I'd have the shop do.tires.
Anyhoo.
I gave them a picture of my preferred 5-tire rotation pattern and asked that everything be aired to 35 psi, the spare too.

I didn't check the pressure for a couple days until.i'd started my 1,000 mile return trip (they aired everything to 40.or40+; lame) and I didn't check the spare because i trusted a tire shop to know how to mount a spare (they'd said "it's a little tight getting the spare back up there." I'd said, "yeah, especially when those tires were new!")
Turns out (1,500+ miles later) they botched stowing the spare! The damn thing could probanly fall out (a friend's 4R spare fell out on a trail in Moab, he never saw it again)!!

What the eff, people! Does anyone care about the quality of their work, or following up on employees in the service sector? It's a sad and real trend in reduced quality.

It's probably confounded by my middling age and preferences in doing things right....and my curse of orientation to details.


Okay, I'm done...
Here the shoddy work I noticed this afternoon.

 

[DRANGED]

Keeping a stove that close to gas must be dangerous

Cool solution!

Lol, just dry packing here, and yeah.

 

[DRANGED]

Finally got aroumd to changing my KDSS FSB bushings because of clunks. So now, I've done rear KDSS, front outer and front KDSS. I should probably look at control arm bushings soon too.

And boy is that stock skid plate a nasty grass catcher/collector (invasive species spreader)!!!