Builds His and Her GX 460 Builds

[TX GX460]

Looks good r2m. I considered that location but didn't like the visibility or mounting to the trim. Personal preference. But you make a good point about being able to select by feel.

One more thing Baertrax took care of for me was the body mount. They did a good job trimming the width for clearance and reinforcing without modifying the length.

 

[Moose545]

Good to know on that PCK, and very nice rig by the way. I think having that kit would've made my life much easier getting my rear suspension back together after installing the lift, that was a battle!

Good info on the bumper comparisons as well. Why not use the SwitchPro for all your connections? Is the second set of switches running off the fuse block, then only those three on the SwitchPro then? Great info thanks so much man!

 

[TX GX460]

Good to know on that PCK, and very nice rig by the way. I think having that kit would've made my life much easier getting my rear suspension back together after installing the lift, that was a battle!

Good info on the bumper comparisons as well. Why not use the SwitchPro for all your connections? Is the second set of switches running off the fuse block, then only those three on the SwitchPro then? Great info thanks so much man!

Thanks Moose. I only use the SwitchPro for items that need switching. Those items running off of the fuse block are constant power (non-switched) items such as CB that have their own switches. If I decide to switch gears and add lockers, I will use three of the remaining locations for compressor and locker switches. I currently have the compressor switched from the engine bay because I only use it for airing up and I have to attach the hose anyway so it is more convenient in that location. I don't have any plans for the last two blanks yet, but I'm glad to gave the available space.

One thing to note about the SwitchPro and the LP9s. The SwitchPro has a lot of cool programming features like the ability to program strobes in case of emergency. But the LP9 has it's own internal power control module that regulates its output. So the strobe function does not work with the LP9s. They will do a longer blink on and off, but not strobe.

 

[Moose545]

Good info man thank you. Still trying to get my electronics 101 down lol, did low voltage wiring a while but just overly cautious to do things right and safe as to not create gremlins

 

[BMRisko]

In regards to the LED indicators on the ARB, do you recall what resistors you used? There seem to be a lot of 50w 6ohm ones on Amazon. Not sure if that is the style you used...?

 

[TX GX460]

In regards to the LED indicators on the ARB, do you recall what resistors you used? There seem to be a lot of 50w 6ohm ones on Amazon. Not sure if that is the style you used...?

I'm sorry but I don't remember. I thought I had a photo of them on my phone but no such luck.

 

[TX GX460]

Forum member kva just installed a Kaymar rear bumper on his GX 460, and was kind enough to put together a PDF set of installation instructions utilizing my thread and some of his own comments. The link is here in case anyone wants to see it: Log into Facebook | Facebook (Title is "Kaymar 2014+ GX460 Install.pdf")

Thanks Keith!

 

[kva]

It was mostly all you! I just put it all in order and commented where I needed more context/insight. Thanks to you mostly! Cheers!

Here is the PDF - no need to go to Facebook.

 

[TX GX460]

I just finished making the cargo box for my wife's LC 200. I will begin a build page for her rig soon in the 200 series forum, and when I do I will create a link here and in my signature block. But in the meantime I wanted to post at least a few photos.

The goals of this box were to have a fridge, as much drawer space for storage as possible, and still have room for my two dogs for long trips. Nothing commercially available fit those requirements, so I had to design and build it myself. The end result has two drawers tha pull out. One of those drawers also contains a Dometic drawer fridge. So we can either just pull out the fridge drawer, or we can pull out the entire drawer that contains the fridge. The other side is a normal (but deep) drawer for storage. Behind the seats is a lockable storage area that also contains the Blue Sea electrical panel fed off of the house/second battery and mounting for a 300W inverter that is accessible behind the second row armrest. The wings are on piano hinges so that the narrow side storage areas are accessible. I have mounted LED lights in both drawers that turn on automatically when the drawers open.

 

[TX GX460]

A few shots of the forward compartment behind the second row while it was still a work in progress. The two keyed compartments open individually when the second row seats are laid down, and then the entire panel can also drop down for greater access (but the second row seats have to be tilted forward).

 

[kva]

Wow! Great job!

 

[r2m]

I just finished making the cargo box for my wife's LC 200. I will begin a build page for her rig soon in the 200 series forum, and when I do I will create a link here and in my signature block. But in the meantime I wanted to post at least a few photos.

The goals of this box were to have a fridge, as much drawer space for storage as possible, and still have room for my two dogs for long trips. Nothing commercially available fit those requirements, so I had to design and build it myself. The end result has two drawers tha pull out. One of those drawers also contains a Dometic drawer fridge. So we can either just pull out the fridge drawer, or we can pull out the entire drawer that contains the fridge. The other side is a normal (but deep) drawer for storage. Behind the seats is a lockable storage area that also contains the Blue Sea electrical panel fed off of the house/second battery and mounting for a 300W inverter that is accessible behind the second row armrest. The wings are on piano hinges so that the narrow side storage areas are accessible. I have mounted LED lights in both drawers that turn on automatically when the drawers open.

Nice touch adding the auto-on lighting for the drawers considering how deep they are! I may incorporate that into my design. Thanks!
So I guess your Dometic fridge is pretty small? What size do you have?
Personally, I have 2 fridges, a large 85 QT Whynter for the long camping trips and a small Alpicool 20 QT (love this one!) for day trips and road trips when we just want to keep our snacks and drinks cold without taking up a bunch of space. The Alipcool fits nicely in the middle of the 2n row seat and plugs into my power panel in the rear of my rig. Since my rear power panel runs off my second battery which is a constant "on", I can (and have) leave it running all night long, never any battery issues.
One last comment, did you consider using any other material for your build? Something lighter? I know laminated wood is soooo easy to work with but personally I hate the weight that most drawer systems finish out at! Especially when adding a large fridge and all the other camping gear!
My plan is to use an aluminum pallet for the base. Not sure if I'll buy from these guys but just for an idea: Aluminum Pallet 48x42x6 6000 Lbs Capacity But they're good for up to 6,000 lbs!
Either leave the middle seat down or cut the length of the pallet to fit just behind the 2nd row seats. With width of the pallets already fits. Since the height between where the fork lift tangs go is usually between 4" to 6" high, for me that's plenty high enough for drawers. The pallet will be secured to the floor of my rig and my large fridge can then be strapped down to the pallet. I'll have a couple of "go" tubs with the remainder of our camping/bug-out gear that I can easily strap to the pallet and we're good to go in a moments notice. The pallet will be a semi-permanent fixture in case I need to remove it for whatever reason, like needing the 3rd row seats.

 

[TX GX460]

r2m, the Dometic is a 30L model, so more than large enough for several days of cold necessities plus a few rotating water bottles. Since it is a 200 series, there is also a refrigerated section in the center console up front to supplement space (but that turns off when the car does). Below is a photo to give you an idea of the size of the fridge drawer space.

I did not consider anything other than wood for this build - I am not set up for any significant metal work in my garage, and this job had a lot of complex cuts and geometry due to the fact that the wheel wells encroach into the drawer space, requiring cut-outs. The photos below should give you an idea of what I did to maximize drawer volume and width.

It is heavy at about 130-140 lbs, including fridge, but given that I removed about 80 lbs of seats out of the back the net weight gain isn't too bad. Your idea for the Aluminum pallet sounds intriguing and I am looking forward to seeing how it works out.

 

[Tnguyen187]

Hey Jared, it’s Tommy with the MT bumper. As a refrigeration tech, that condensing unit caught my eye! Let me know if you need any help!

 

[TX GX460]

Hey Jared, it’s Tommy with the MT bumper. As a refrigeration tech, that condensing unit caught my eye! Let me know if you need any help!

Thanks for the offer Tommy! Everything is working great but I will let you know if I have any problems in the future.

FYI i still have your metal hold-down straps for the jerry cans, so remember to drop by the next time you are my way.

 

[SWECER]

Hi @TX GX460
A huge and sincere thx for writing this up - the whole thread. I know many have already mentioned it, but still... wow!!

I live in Sweden and have a 2016 Toyota LC 150, which is pretty similar as you know. Your thread has helped me big time in planning and avoiding issues. I planned to get a Kaymar rear bumper, but then fell in love with the rough look of the MetalTech one. Tried order, but no success (and not even a reply from them...) Now, after reading through your material here I see I am still better off with a Kaymar as I am and engineer (Civil one that is) and I am pretty picky with design and quality/fit finish Kaymar ordered now! (I will add photos to my profile here as well) I am truly greatful for the install instructions that will be of great help to me.

2:nd is your write up on things for fitting those wheels. I have ordered exactly the same size and I have a 2" Ironman liftkit, with extra load capacity on the springs. Front bumper will be my (currently in the box...) AFN front bumper.
I have read a lot about what size of wheels (who hasn't?) that can fit on the car with 2" lift. Seems you have maxed out on this size, and only had some small mods done to avoid rubbing?

I could easily write a story here, connecting to all the great stuff you've done - but will not kill your thread... :-D I just have a small question and that is if you wouldn't mind listing (in short) what parts you have ordered extra, bought or custom made, to get the wheels and suspension work well? I just have my 2" Ironman liftkit so far and would love to hear what else to order before issues arise...

Again - thx!!

 

[TX GX460]

@SWECER, thank you for the kind words. I am glad that you have benefitted from my build thread. I am looking forward to seeing pics of yours once it is done, especially with that AFN front bumper (I'm a little jealous - that's a very clean looking bumper).

For the suspension, I just purchased the shocks, springs and upper control arms. If you are doing a 2" or 2.5" lift (I would not go higher than that without a differential drop kit), the aftermarket UCAs are an important component to change the suspension geometry enough for good on-road stability by adding positive caster (pushing the wheels forward). You will want to try for 4 degrees or more of caster if possible. There are several good options out there, including Total Chaos, Icon, SPC, Dobinsons, and more. Look for anything for the Prado 150, Lexus GX 460, or 5th Gen 4Runner; they all have the same suspension components and geometry. I use TC because of the strength of the Uniball design, but in a cold region like yours you may benefit from the sealed ball joint design of the Dobinsons or SPC type, which are still plenty strong. The uniball of the TC upper is open to the elements and is probably more likely to squeak in cold weather than ball joints.

I did have some very minimal rubbing on my body mounts before chopping them. I first tried hammering them back, which helped, but in the end cutting them back was the only way to get full clearance. I also trimmed the plastic fender liner in both front (to match the ARB bumper) and back.

Best of luck on your build and make sure to post pics. Let me know if you have any additional questions; I'm always happy to help in any way I can.

 

[SWECER]

Thx!! That is a big help for my needs
Just hit the button and ordered the same PCk as you mentioned here. Good to get that right.
They were in stock.

About the UCA’s, I will try to find some like you suggested. Prefere quality items and will look out for some that will fit this environment with winter, and salt
Sorry for my added questions, but do I need to change Lower Control Arms as well? Are there ”kits” that take care of it all?

Your rig looks fantastic!!

This is my current status

 

[TX GX460]

You don't need LCAs if you are doing a 2-2.5" lift. The only reason to replace functioning lower control arms is if you are switching to a long travel setup with longer axles. Otherwise they serve little to no purpose.

 

[TX GX460]

And great looking rig! I love the color.