GX Budget Build? (11 Viewers)

[Kboyd]

Hey guys,

By way of intro I’m coming here currently owning a ‘78 FJ40, ‘90 FJ62 and my wife drives a 200 series. I’m brand new to GX but not Land Cruisers. I’m buying my son a high mileage GX. I’ve loved these trucks after seeing some of the builds and the safety/rock solid reliability. I’d like to make some updates to stock but the budget is pretty tight. Some of the builds on this site are amazing but also $$$$! If this has been asked before just point me in the direction so I don’t waste anyone’s time. A few questions:

• Wheel/tires - are there any takeoffs or other less expensive options folks have used? I’m more than willing to scour FB or Craigslist for deals just not sure what vehicles match GX specs
• Lift - of course I’d prefer full lift kit but are there spacer or other option if not used heavily off road? The 200 series has OEM spacers that could be used up front for slight lift.
• Bumper - this may be something I’ve got to suck up and pay retail. Open to any ideas.
• Running boards - I’m not a fan but don’t think sliders are in budget. Is there a way to remove that doesn’t look like something is missing?

Thank! I’m sure I’ll have more questions once I acquire the truck.

Kevin

 

[r2m]

For a affordable, note I'm still not calling it cheap, capable off road build, here are my suggestions:

1. Get rid of the factory 18" or larger wheels, whatever it has. Go with some cheap 17" steelies. They are becoming very popular, are very cheap and extremely trail worthy!
2. I really suggest a proper suspension lift. A proper suspension lift will give you more wheel travel along with the added ground clearance. But if push comes to shove, you can always do spacers for your springs and a little longer travel shocks. Not ideal, but it'll gain you a little ground clearance.
3. Forget the steel bumpers for now and use that money for the above aforementioned proper suspension kit. Trim up the front and rear bumpers and you'll gain a lot of approach and departure angle degrees! There are quite a few posts on here about doing that.
4. Yes, CUT the running boards! You don't have to go expensive on sliders. You can get some to weld up yourself, paint yourself, or if you're handy, they are very simple to fabricate and build yourself.
5. You didn't mention this, but I try to hammer this into everyone who may be new to off roading. Get under carriage protection! SKID PLATES! One of the most overlooked off road mods and yet the one that can save you thousands of dollars in repairs if you hit your trans, oil pan or fuel tank.

 

[Roody]

I'm sure there will be countless opinions but I'll chime in with some alternative options:

Wheel/tires - Take-off 4Runner or Tacoma wheels. Just be weary that some OEM Pro wheels aren't wide enough for anything beyond a 285. You should be able to find OEM 4Runner SR5, TRD Off-Road, or Trail wheels for <$500 a set. As for tires, you could find some OEM Jeep JL Wrangler take-offs... the KO2s they have on there are 285/70/17, which would work with some lift and the right offset wheel.

Lift - will second what @r2m said-- even a Bilstein 5100 lift (as opposed to something pricier) will go a long way.

Bumper - If you want a winch then you'll want to go with a steel/heavy duty bumper, otherwise you can get a lot of clearance by doing a bumper cut. You could also look around to see if anyone is selling an aftermarket bumper, or if a shop local to you could fab something up.

Running boards - Nothing will replace sliders. Pull off the running boards though and you'll gain an enormous amount of rocker clearance. You can also hunt for Prado rocker panels which will retain an OEM look but give you less bodywork. There are also off-the-shelf or standardized sliders that are welded on which could help, or you can look into take-off 4Runner rock rails or sliders (just make sure you look for options from a T4R with KDSS).


Ultimately the GX's limitations are mainly in clearance, so you're limited to chopping up the stock bodywork or going aftermarket, and raising the suspension is helpful but perhaps less so than addressing the approach/departure angles for most trails the vehicle will see.