Builds eatSleepWoof's '14 LX

[eatSleepWoof]

Yesterday the Tacoma got traded in for this 2014 LX570. It has only ~39,000km, (after the drive home), and is a single-owner car.

The drive home, over numerous high-elevation, snow-covered mountain passes was better than I could have imagined. Despite seriously worn all season tires, the LX didn't hesitate or spin wheels even once. Averaged 14.6L / 100KM, while my Tacoma got between 20-25L / 100KM over the same route and at mostly slower speeds. Amazing!

Today I detailed the exterior... after the dealer "detailed" the exterior. With only minor polishing I removed a ton of scuffs and paint-transfer marks that had been present after four years of serious mall-duty with the previous owner. A layer of wax brought out a gorgeous, deep shine.

Interior also needs a thorough detailing, and that will happen sometime during the week.

I plan to keep this build very, very mild. Weight considerations will be very seriously taken into account, and I will not add anything that is not needed. No more "wants" leading the way.

In the immediate future I need a set of proper winter tires, which will probably go on the OEM 20" wheels, unless I can find a cheap wheel+tire combo in a small wheel size (which I would prefer).

Next up I will be removing the third row seats, and almost certainly building a set of simple drawers, with a plywood dog-crate on top, tucked into the driver-side corner to make the most use of space. There is no way my German Shepherd gets to mess up the interior of this LX!

I'm also about to order some floor liners off AliExpress, and will be doing some research to see if I can get my Baja Designs Squadron Sport lights into the OEM fog light locations.

And now some photos!

 

[MDJ]

Movin' on up!

Looks pretty nice!

 

[HungryMedic]

dig the interior!

 

[kpecks]

Sick ride

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Thought I'd post up some of what I've been busy with... the garage & the workshop below it.

This is how the garage looked right after I moved in (this past October).

The shelving was all half-assed by the previous owners, and the vast majority of the hardware was secured to drywall, not the studs. Half of said hardware was pulling out or already completely torn-out of the wall. At least four different types of screws holding it all together. Horrible mess.

I pulled off all shelving and got to patching all of the holes, scratches and other damage in the drywall.

Each white patch is something that needed to be filled. Every single wall in the garage looked like this. I can't tell you how many times I've cursed the previous owners while working on this.

Eventually everything received a few coats of nice, durable paint. New baseboards were also installed and painted (and eventually caulked). I picked up this wicked workbench from a carpenter in Vancouver for roughly what the materials in it cost. Great score for me.

Started installing french cleats on all walls and making mounts to hang various items on them. Bicycles were first. Cleats are secured to every single stud, using 3" screws.

Made this mount in order to have an attachment point that can be used to raise/lower my folding trailer. Works great. I eventually got rid of that come-a-long in favour of a Warn drill-powered winch.

The trailer is around 350-400lbs, so raising/lowering it by hand is very hard and unsafe. This contraption makes it a much nicer process.

Made a shelf to hold my recycling containers.

Once I hung french cleats on the opposite wall, I put up three cabinets that I had spontaneously picked up for $60/each on Black Friday. And then I took one of the original garage shelves, sanded off the nasty paint job to reveal some nice wood, and turned it into a shelf above the cabinets.

Good place for the OZ Tent and all accessories.

Oh, I also installed blinds on the single garage window to minimize prying eyes. Baseboards were finished/painted/caulked after this photo was taken, and the window frame was also re-painted to match.

Just a few days ago I built this ski rack. A shelf for boots/helmets will follow suit sometime down the line.

This is what the garage looks like as of a few minutes ago:

---

In the downstairs workshop, a room roughly 20x20 feet, I built a workbench that houses my table saw and plunge router.

I then added a dust-deputy dust collection system.

And routed it to collect dust from both underneath the table saw, as well as the saw's rear exhaust port.

There are a whole bunch of other tools/tables in the workshop which are not pictured.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

And finally, on the LX front, I removed the rear seats and vacuumed out all of the crap that had accumulated underneath them from the previous owner. Drawer build to start shortly.

The more I drive this SUV, the more I love it. Just can't get enough of the driving experience. So incredibly smooth, and the power is simply intoxicating. This will be an awesome vehicle for many years to come!

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Spent the last ~9 hours working non-stop on the drawers. Coming together very nicely. I think this will be my best drawer build yet.

Started off with a 1/2", baltic birch "WoofGear" base plate. Then used 3/4" baltic for everything else.

The base plate will eventually be secured to the original mounts for the 3rd row seats (whenever I find some M10 bolts).

This is as far as I've gotten today. Decided to go with asymmetrical drawers this time around. And there will be no sliding hardware - I will use teflon, HDPE, or a similar low-friction material to help the drawer slide. I want maximum drawer room, minimum weight, and minimum cost.

If the 2nd row seats are fully slid back and reclined, they are in slight contact with the rear of the drawers. I moved the seats forward a half inch which gives good clearance to the drawers, and still provides tons of room for the 2nd row seats.

Once the top is on, the overall height will be pretty close to the height of the tailgate.

Speaking of the top: it will be bolted down (easily removable) to the three cross-bars currently in place. These bars will also provide additional support for the tie-down tracks which I will recess into the top.

The driver side will not have a movable wing - I want that section fully rigid, as the dog will eventually get a custom crate in that area, and it will need as much support as possible. On the passenger side I will likely make a removable or hinged wing, as I do want to mount my ARB twin in that area.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Installed a set of Hikari Ultra LED bulbs (HB3 / 9005) into my high beams to replace the Canadian-Tire-special junk that was in there.

Photos taken with daytime light coming through the side garage window, and garage lights on. Very excited to see how these perform in real conditions!

Driver - original, passenger - Hikari:

Note the much tighter beam focus on the Hikari; I believe this will result in light being thrown a lot further. There is also a very clean cut off, and a huge increase in brightness (not really visible in the photo). Vertical light throw/bleed looks to be about the same as with the original bulbs. The colour/temperature is a great match for the low beams (which will be replaced in a week, too).

Only low beams:

Both Hikari high beams:

 

[speyrod]

I like the look and look forward to seeing your drawers complete.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

This evening turned into a long night. It's past 2am, and I've been working on the LX since 7:30pm non-stop.

About half a year ago I bought this Bussmann relay/fuse block for my Tacoma, along with a Pelfreybilt bracket to mount the block and a circuit breaker. Never ended up installing either part, and saved them for the LX. The bracket didn't fit the LX, so I cut off the part of the bracket which was in the way, cleaned it up, drilled a few holes, and confirmed great fitment on the driver's side inner fender, using two existing M8-threaded holes.

I then grabbed my recently acquired label printer and started labeling each wire, so that I never have to play guessing games or even think about it in the future. The labels are printed on (in?) plastic, so there should never be any deterioration.

In order to hook up my radar detector and dash camera, I wanted a switched 12V source under the hood. I did not want to tap the mirror/dome lights (as I had done on all previous vehicles). I wanted a proper, dedicated power source, no modifications (even a tap) to OEM wiring, and a relay to control that power.

I pulled the engine fuse box cover and found a 10a fuse conveniently labeled as "IGN" (Ignition?). Multimeter confirmed it to be just what I needed.

I installed an add-a-circuit/fuse-tap, keeping the original 10a fuse for the original circuit, and using a 5a fuse for my new circuit, which merely triggers a relay on the Bussmann.

With a little wiggling, the original engine covers fit nicely over the Bussman, so you'd never know it was there.

I zap-strapped and tucked away the wiring I didn't need, and ran the sole wire I did need through the grommet, past the trim, up the A-pillar, and behind the roof carpet/liner. Other than a single piece of trim in the foot area, I did not need to take off any trim, and simply tucked the wire behind the trim edges, which went smoothly and easily.

I fed the wire out through the (now removed) dome light/sunglass area, and provided power for both of my accessories. Hint: two female blade connectors can be joined with a mini fuse to create an inline fuse holder... from nothing. I got this idea from the power kit for my radar detector, thought it was clever, and did the same thing for my dash camera power.

Found a single grounded bolt in the same dome light area, hooked up grounds, tucked away all wiring, and closed it up.

I now have power for my radar detector, a powered mini-usb cable for my dash camera, and a (tucked away & hidden) normal USB port (also powered) that I don't need for now.

I used this mount for the radar detector - works well.

A DROK 090024 was used to convert 12v into the 5v that my dash camera needs, via the mini USB and normal USB ports.

I also installed a ProClip USA cellphone mount. I've used their mounts in my last six vehicles, and they've always been phenomenal.

Lastly, I went out for a quick drive to check out the new high beams in action.

Low beams only:

With high beams:

Very happy with the result.

 

[speyrod]

how does that phone clip mount? can you post any additional pics?

 

[eatSleepWoof]

how does that phone clip mount? can you post any additional pics?

The upper and lower parts of the mount, the ones which insert into the vent, are moulded such that they act as a spring. You squeeze them together as you insert the mount, and once you let go, the "spring" holds it in place. Other mounts from ProCip have also clipped on, but not this one, as it looks like there's nothing to clip no to. All mounts from ProClip come with double-sided adhesive which you are instructed to use to further secure the mount, but I've never found the need to use it on any of my vehicles.

The mount is a bit closer to the steering wheel than I'd prefer, but there aren't many other mounting options. Once the vehicle is started and the steering wheel moves out to the normal (driving) position, it's quite a bit better. Nonetheless, I've still clipped the phone a few times with my fingers (installed this mount a few weeks ago).

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Made decent headway on the drawers this past weekend.

Decided to forego mounting to original seat hardware, and instead use turnbuckles. Two are secured to the original rear tie-down spots, and the other two are secured to tie-downs which I had added on to the front bolt that's used for third-row seat attachment.

Made a single-piece top and realized there was no way to get it inside. Ended up splitting it into two parts. Once I receive my tie-down tracks and route openings for them, I will carpet the top pieces.

Stained the frame with Minwax's Dark Walnut.

Then added two coats of Minwax clear gloss Polyurethane, and started bolting down strips of HDPE. Couldn't mount any more as I ran out of 1/2" screws at this point.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

So I received the floor liners I had ordered from AliExpress, and they turned out to be complete garbage. Horrible materials, worse fit, covering two of the air vents, etc. Trying to get the seller to take them back.

Instead I got a set of front Husky liners which are amazing. The rear Husky liner is still in the mail.

I also received and installed the new Philips (D4S X-tremeVision Gen2 42402XV2C1) bulbs. Very nice improvement over the OEM bulbs. New Philips on the right, OEM on the left. These got a very thorough test over this weekend, including driving in all kinds of night time conditions, and I'm quite happy with how they perform.

Back to the storage system. I finished and mounted the front top panel:

Then I decided there was a little too much play in the corners and that they needed some support, so I made four support brackets and mounted two in the very front (right behind the rear seats), and two in the middle of the drawers, where each bracket will support both of the top panels.

Since I ran out of Minwax's "Dark Walnut" stain and couldn't (quickly) find any more, I picked up Varathane's "Dark Walnut." On the can's photo it looks identical to Minwax, but in reality it's a huge difference. Completely different colour, as if they poured in a different stain into the Dark Walnut can. On the upside, this colour will be a good option for the dog's upcoming crate, as it's a fairly reasonable match to my interior.

Then the rear top piece went in. I'm not 100% happy with the aluminum angle on the front - I messed up a few things there - so I'll likely re-do that piece or remove it altogether.

The top ended up being roughly an inch taller than the folded rear seats.

The OEM power inverter on the driver's side is completely unobstructed and is still easily accessible - that'll come in handy!

 

[eatSleepWoof]

In a spur of the moment I decided to check what it would take to mount my Baja Designs Squadron Sport fog lights on the LX. As it turned out, it was a 99% fit right out of the box (using the Tacoma fit kit).

 

[gentimmy]

My man...

further delaying a bumper purchase for me thank you

 

[LXinOBX]

Fantastic! Nice truck, excellent wood work! I had no idea the "brown" leather was available other than the latest gen LX. Have it on my SC and love it.

Also, I guess you guys up north can now run radar detectors?

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Also, I guess you guys up north can now run radar detectors?

Radar detectors in British Columbia have always been legal. Laws in other Canadian provinces vary.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Made the small drawer and carpeted it inside. I originally planned to cover the top edges with aluminum c-channel, but after trying it, realized it was damn near impossible to get the channel to sit nicely with the carpet tucked in under it, so I gave up on that idea and just the left the cut carpet edge as-is.

Test fit:

When extended, the drawer tilted down and rested on the tailgate.

To minimize the tilting, I made "spacers" with HDPE on the bottom of them. It's a very tight fit, with merely 2mm of room between the bottom fo the spacer and the top of the drawer side. With this setup the drawer can be extended 95% and not be in contact with the tailgate. Of course, that changes when the drawer is loaded.

Threw on some tie-down rings and Front Runner Stratchits for day to day use.

The "small" drawer fits a pretty large amount of stuff. Recovery basic gear, tools, tons of ratcheting tie downs, water, paper towels, and there's lots of room to spare. The large drawer will be simply cavernous, but next up is building the new dog crate - that's higher priority.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Also installed the driving/combo lens covers in the BD Squadron lights. With these covers there's considerably less light being thrown up vertically, and much more of it is focused on the road in front. Although it also seems that the fog lights throw light a bit further to the exterior ends of the car (note that they're not lined up with the low beams). I don't think this was the case with the wide cornering lenses, or maybe I just didn't notice. Don't think it's much of an issue.

I also tweaked the height alignment during install to point the driver's side down a bit further than the passenger side, to further minimize risk of blinding oncoming traffic.