GX470 Frame Swap Project

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M3GX said:
Not sure but XAT is another option. They posted a while back about releasing header, full exhaust, and a supercharger kit this year
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I heard back from XAT… Here is what they said:

“Hello, this is Lonnie from XAT

Thanks for your order. Unfortunately these have been on backorder since at least Oct 2025, and the rumor is that Doug Thorley is discontinuing these as an option. There are none left nationwide as far as we can tell.

The good news is we are looking to pick up the slack and are working with multiple companies to see what we can do about filling the gap in the market. Although we dont have a time estimate right now on when that might be, we do have a GX470 ourselves that we can use for R&D (same fitment as 4Runner). If you'd like, we can keep you posted as soon as we have news on being able to supply a set of headers for you.

We have over 80 other people right now looking for 2UZ headers as well, so it's only a matter of time before we have them available and ready to ship!

Should you have any other questions, concerns, need some technical advice, or there is anything you've had trouble finding, do not hesitate to contact me, and I will be happy to help
”
 
You can definitely install them with the body on the rig, it just will turn from a few hours to a few days. My install took at least 20 hours. Yours could be easier if all of the bolts are already loose from the frame swap.

Brockett Built also has them but they are $1,600. I think my Doug Thorley LTs were at least $1K shipped in 2021, so if they were still sold I'd expect them to be $1,300+ in 2026 dollars. Classic case of un-balanced supply and demand.
brockettbuilt.com

Brockett Built 4.7L 2UZ-FE Mid-Length Headers For Lexus GX470 & 4th Gen Toyota 4Runner (VVT-i & Non-VVT-i)

Brockett Built 4.7L 2UZ-FE Mid-Length Headers For Lexus GX470 & 4th Gen Toyota 4Runner (VVT-i & Non-VVT-i) The 2UZ Header Game Has Officially Changed **** (4 month Build time)******** Intr...
brockettbuilt.com
 
I've begun the long slow process of paint prep. I'm starting by hitting the large sections with a 4.5" 50 grit sanding wheel on my grinder then will follow up with a 2" 90 degree die grinder to get the smaller pockets. It's slow but satisfying work -especially after a long day at the office.

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Mastercoat has restocked some of their kits earlier in the week so I ordered their chassis paint kit + some thinner to allow me to spray it on with an pneumatic sprayer.

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After many, many hours of grinding. I've finally gotten as much of the old paint off as I can. I've decided to just scuff and paint the non structural cross braces. Its nearly impossible to get a good angle on them with a grinder. Plus looking at the old frame they didn't rust after 20 years so I don't think it will be an issue.

I found that using paint stripper, wrapping the section in plastic for an hour and then grinding with a wire/grinder wheel worked the best. I used Klean-Strip from home depot but would recommend using aircraft grade paint stripper if I ever did this again.

I also purchased a sandblaster off amazon and attempted to do the hard to reach sections with that but it made such a mess that I ended up preferring the 90 degree angle grinder.

If I had an easy way to move it, like a truck and trailer, taking it to be sandblasted would have definitely been worth the money. Grinding is a lot of work. However, the few places that do sandblasting near me only do smaller projects like motorcycle frames and suspension components. Tonight I'll do the first stage of the mastercoat painting process which is "Mastercoat® Metal Prep & Rust Remover". According to the instructions it, "etches the steel and leaves a zinc phosphate coating behind. It also neutralizes the rust, deep within the steel. The zinc phosphatecoating, especially with ordinary paints, will prevent rust from forming under your new paint work." While this frame isn't rusty at all, I'm hoping the etching will take care of anything I missed with the grinder.


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That etching process is similar to what I did to line with the POR kit. It helps to apply the etching and then wrap it with foil or shrink wrap. At least that's what the instructions mentioned. But only called for leaving it on for 20 minutes or so
 
Just finished frame swapping my 470 few months ago and wish I'd done headers or replaced the manifolds while the body was off. Starting ticking couple weeks ago 😞. My method was similar to yours. Cherry picker, vevor pipe stands and 2x4s. Ended up painting the frame with Rust-Oleum pro grade under coating.

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You all are making me want to frame-off mine as to get a squeaky-clean undercarriage! Seriously, awesome-looking work. This is not something I plan to do anytime soon (if ever), but what is the level-of-effort to get the body off? Is it doable in a day?
 
zmnypit said:
Just finished frame swapping my 470 few months ago and wish I'd done headers or replaced the manifolds while the body was off. Starting ticking couple weeks ago 😞. My method was similar to yours. Cherry picker, vevor pipe stands and 2x4s. Ended up painting the frame with Rust-Oleum pro grade under coating.

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This is super encouraging! Thanks, I was planning to try mounting the engine and trans before putting the body on. I Wasn't sure I could get enough clearance when I took it off but I think this confirms its possible. Doing so will definitely save me a bunch of time on reassembly!

About the headers, I've ordered some manifold gaskets but don't know if maybe the headers should be machined? What is the standard fix? I've yet to check for any cracks.

Since I really hate the idea of buying Brockett Built headers (not a fan of the 4-1 collector plus 1600 is too much), i'm considering custom fabricating my own.. Has anyone done this recently? I think its my only option at this point.
 
Rednexus said:
You all are making me want to frame-off mine as to get a squeaky-clean undercarriage! Seriously, awesome-looking work. This is not something I plan to do anytime soon (if ever), but what is the level-of-effort to get the body off? Is it doable in a day?
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Its really not that bad. Probably a full Saturday if you leave the engine and trans attached to the frame.
 
andyGX470 said:
Since I really hate the idea of buying Brockett Built headers (not a fan of the 4-1 collector plus 1600 is too much), i'm considering custom fabricating my own.. Has anyone done this recently? I think its my only option at this point.
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My opinion is that DIY'ing headers would be doable, albeit time consuming, if you have a good fabrication setup (220V MIG or TIG welder set up for welding stainless, flat welding table, and a metal saw that can cut precisely) and can either find the aftermarket UZ flanges or draw them up in CAD and have them cut out. But I don't think anyone on here has DIY'd a set before, and SS tubing/mandrel bends/etc are not cheap (I bet you'd be somewhere near the $1K mark in materials alone). I'd add it all up and see how cost effective it would be.

You could also pull of the manifolds now and pre-emptively weld them where they are cracked to kick the can down the road, in case there is a better pre-built option in the future.
 
I just ran out and checked and sure enough they are cracked. I'm so glad I checked. I wonder if I could just take these to a welder and have him run a bead inside and out for now. I don't think i'll have time to fab headers between now and July (scheduled road trip).

See pictures below:
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Mine were cracked in the same place. I had the god-awful 2UZ startup tick noise. Such a bad manifold design. I would have no qualms personally welding a bead in there as a temporary repair to get a few more years out of them.
 
First coat of primer on! All the tedious prep work is paying off.

I was worried about thinning out the original mastercoat rust sealer primer but using a scale and just mixing in 10% of the thinner they sell by weight wasn’t bad at all. The paint gun I’m using is 1.8mm and it seems to come out no problem. I’m still adjusting my settings to get the perfect spray pattern but for my first time painting anything I think its coming out great!

I’ll be doing the second primer coat tomorrow morning followed by the matt black top coat tomorrow night. Thats the plan anyway.

 
Update:
I was able to weld my exhaust manifolds. Hopefully this gives me a little bit more time to wait for GX470 headers to be developed / more widely available.
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Saturday, I was able to finish getting all the suspension components swapped over to the new chassis. I've added some blue paint to a few of the suspension components as well to provide some contrast. I decided to refrain from painting the rear axle, given the timeline i'm working toward. I have enough paint and supplies to complete it but will probably do it later in the year.

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Looks great!
 
On Sunday, the engine build up was completed and we got everything mounted onto the frame.

The following components were replaced:
  • Front main seal
  • Oil pump
  • Water pump kit
  • Power steering pump
  • AC condensor
 
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