Builds DRANGED's GX470 build/ownership thread (5 Viewers)
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- #504
- Caveat: typical DIY disclaimer -
I'm not an automotive professional or electrician, just a decently competent DIYer. This is what I did to power my LED raptor lights. Of the many ways to power lights, this is the way I chose; Proceed with your mod as you see fit with caution, similarly or differently based on your information-gathering and investigations.
I think these raptor lights draw like 3 amps, so I chose an add-a-circuit to tap into the ignition circuit of the fuse panel. These devices retain the proper fuse to the original circuit (here 10amp) and I placed a 5 amp fuse to the added circuit (or did I use a 3 amp? I'm not an automotive professional or electrician, just a decently competent DIYer. This is what I did to power my LED raptor lights. Of the many ways to power lights, this is the way I chose; Proceed with your mod as you see fit with caution, similarly or differently based on your information-gathering and investigations.
) The lights power on and off with ignition. I used a small fish tape to thread the wiring under the hood sound deadening insulation. Some care is taken as the tape is slender and will want to feed between the hood's sheet metal and the gaps in the support ribs, this makes it frustratingly impossible to pull the tape back through the small openings with the wiring, as such I pulled a couple clips and temporarily pried away the insulation to ensure the tape went between the insulation and the hood, not between the sheet metal and the bracing support structures of the hood.
I followed the path I used previously to add an under hood light, driver corner up to center of hood, grille-side. I used adhesive zip-zie anchors to tidy up the wiring of the 3 lights' harnesses/wires then pulled the open pos+neg ends back under the insulation.
I zip tied (with the adhesive holder) @ the hinge side and fed the wiring through a snipped nipple in a firewall grommet. The wiring shares the port with my UHF-VHF antenna wire.
There are good grounding places/bolts you could ground under the hood, like the bolts which anchor the engine covers (that's my neg ground switch for my LED Hawkeye underhood light). Mine's currently grounded @ the firewall in the cabin (subject to change through time).
The wires are fed thought the firewall grommet and powered by an add-a-circuit tapping power @ the ignition fuse in the fuse box. (Top left-most and 10 amp, in my '07).
Per add-a-circuit instructions for which fuse location is extant circuit and which is new circuit, it's fused appropriately with 10 amp for former and 5 amp for latter.
Rad! 
That grill looks good even on a beat up gx470!
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- #507
You beat me to the punch...lipstick on a pig always works!
- Thread starter
- #510
I didn't, I refitted them tighter (forward) and trimmed a bit off and some heat gun massaging (passenger side for fitment around windshield fluid resi)
Driver side mods
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- Thread starter
- #512
RE: stock GX 470 rims, their hub-centering bore is tapered, as such the flanges in BORA wheel spacers might not actually capture deep enough to seat the wheel perfectly centering the rim down on the knuckle.
This may explain why I had to jimmy the wheel about to get the nuts to seat centered in the nut slots, as the rims aren't nut-centric but hub-centric and the BORA spacer may not have a tall enough wheel column flange to capture perfectly on the hub.
This may explain why I had to jimmy the wheel about to get the nuts to seat centered in the nut slots, as the rims aren't nut-centric but hub-centric and the BORA spacer may not have a tall enough wheel column flange to capture perfectly on the hub.
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- Thread starter
- #513
Finally got around to swapping my KDSS RSB bushings again (during tire rotation tonight.
I shred these things! Makes me wonder if I'm installing wrong or something...
I haven't cracked the KDSS valves before, so maybe that's part of it, but they always line up and go back together fine...
I forget... I think this is the 3rd time these have been changed my 6 years of ownership (1st time was within months of taking ownership...had dealer do those), and I've done fronts AND outboard LCA mount bushings in front too...
(revisited history: fall of 2016 @ dealer, self in Sept 2019, and again in Nov 2021)
I guess KDSS bushings are a wear item ... when you use the system
Ram bracket and SB contact patch...
I shred these things! Makes me wonder if I'm installing wrong or something...
I haven't cracked the KDSS valves before, so maybe that's part of it, but they always line up and go back together fine...
I forget... I think this is the 3rd time these have been changed my 6 years of ownership (1st time was within months of taking ownership...had dealer do those), and I've done fronts AND outboard LCA mount bushings in front too...
(revisited history: fall of 2016 @ dealer, self in Sept 2019, and again in Nov 2021)
I guess KDSS bushings are a wear item ... when you use the system
Ram bracket and SB contact patch...
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- Thread starter
- #516
YES!You get my respect for actually doing it. One could say that solid axle guys are just lazy.
Let's go ride Fins and Things soon!
I've still never done Hell's though.
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- Thread starter
- #518
I'm @ 60,000 miles on these BFGs, partly owing to the regular 5-tire rotation Q 5K miles.
6/32" tread remaining... Hmm, that may be a bit skimpy for upcoming winter. . . I should jump on a tire sale now, while they're hot!!
Man...you babied those tires and they lasted a long time. Good job.I'm @ 60,000 miles on these BFGs, partly owing to the regular 5-tire rotation Q 5K miles.
6/32" tread remaining... Hmm, that may be a bit skimpy for upcoming winter. . . I should jump on a tire sale now, while they're hot!!
