Builds Homer's 2003 GX470 Build (6 Viewers)

[HomersCanyonero]

Went looking for trouble and found it.

Not only is my pin/dowel missing and my shifter has never held L on its own, but I touched the plastic bushing that holds the transmission cable in place and it broke in pieces.

I need to order parts, but this video was very helpful



And I started ordering parts on Amazon.

Pin Dowel 304 SS = 3.5mm diameter by 40mm length (0.14” by 1.57”)

And will cut my existing spring to about 10mm for a total combined length of 50 mm or close to 2”. And found spare springs inside two clicker ink pens that I had laying around. These can be cut to the needed size.

 

[HomersCanyonero]

Went looking for trouble and found it.

Not only is my pin/dowel missing and my shifter has never held L on its own, but I touched the plastic bushing that holds the transmission cable in place and it broke in pieces.

I need to order parts, but this video was very helpful



And I started ordering parts on Amazon.

Pin Dowel 304 SS = 3.5mm diameter by 40mm length (0.14” by 1.57”)

And will cut my existing spring to about 10mm for a total combined length of 50 mm or close to 2”. And found spare springs inside two clicker ink pens that I had laying around. These can be cut to the needed size.

View attachment 3287474

View attachment 3287475

View attachment 3287476

The original spring is 6mm outer diameter x 30mm long and wire seems to be about 1mm thick. And i don’t have the stock oem pin to measure it, but I suspect it’s about 5mm outer diameter by 22mm to 24mm long (just a guesstimate).

View attachment 3288306

 

[HomersCanyonero]

The flip side of the shifter box cover….I see grease and some type of track for the pin to move around.

 

[HomersCanyonero]

Video on how I fixed my shifter issues:

(1) Fixed missing pin that prevented my shifter from staying in “L” on its own

(2) Fixed disintegrating black bushing that holds transmission cable in place. If transmission cable falls out, you are stuck unable to change transmission gears.



Update: 4-09-2023 — pin hole has a crack. Added loctite glue for plastics/vinyl to the crack. Let’s see if the glue does the trick. Longer pin and shorter spring should still fox the issue holding L in place.

 

[HomersCanyonero]

Wow. New shifter is $700 new from Lexus and this includes a 30% discount. Plus tax and shipping if applicable!

 

[HomersCanyonero]

Well…I just ordered a HD rear sway bar from Nolethane…I read they are an Australian company with offices in USA.

Nolathane - 24mm HD Rear Sway Bar and End Link Kit - BLACK

Nolathane's sway bars are principally designed to reduce body roll or sway. By reducing body roll, lateral loads are spread more evenly across the tyres thereby increasing cornering grip and improving outright performance. This Nolathane 24mm 3 point adjustable sway bar = more grip = better...

www.nolathane.com

 

[HomersCanyonero]

I’ve been collecting parts.

Parts in hand or on the way ready to be installed:

1. Toyota reman cv axles $352
2. 555 tie rods (full set) $50
3. Nolathane HD rear sway bar $135
4. EimKeith LLS bracket $130
5. Taco Tabs $127
6. Toyota oem brake lines (rigid, flex) for both front and rear wheels $100

It’s gonna be an expensive April

 

[HomersCanyonero]

Parts arrived….Reman Toyota cv axles, Nolathane HD rear sway bar, eimKeith lower link skid, taco tabs

Brake lines and tubes have been installed. Transmission fluid drained and filled.

 

[HomersCanyonero]

Nolathane HD rear sway bar is installed. Cost $134 delivered to my house from Nolathane web site. Also, I used 10% discount for first time buyers.

It seems like the hd rear sway bar improves slightly the handling up front with no front sway bar. Seems like some of the front swaying was reduced.

I have Bilstein 6112s with 700# coils and now a hd rear sway bar. I think this is the best it’s going to get with no front sway bar.

 

[Rednexus]

How does the rear HD bar with no front bar compare to stock bars at both ends, in terms of handling? Seems to be a cheap mod, based on the benefits of running no front bar I like this idea for dedicated off-road trips (pulling the front bar entirely).

 

[HomersCanyonero]

How does the rear HD bar with no front bar compare to stock bars at both ends, in terms of handling? Seems to be a cheap mod, based on the benefits of running no front bar I like this idea for dedicated off-road trips (pulling the front bar entirely).

I still feel some wobbleness or swaying up front without the front sway bar, but it feels controlled with my current setup.

When I first removed the front sway bar and I took my first offroad trip, I had to get used to the difference when changing lanes in the highway going 70 mph (I had to be careful because it feels boaty) or cornering too fast on pavement (leaned more than normal).

Now with the HD rear sway bar, I drove around my neighborhood turning my steering wheel side to side and it felt a little more controlled than with just the stock oem rear sway bar.

In my case, I feel that the digressive valving Bilstein 6112s with HD 700# coils and now the Nolathane HD rear sway bar give me the best stability but still not as stable as having both sway bars on.

I’ll report back after my next trip. All these mods just to have more tire traction on the trails on rocks and rutted roads.

 

[HomersCanyonero]

Sway Bar Camps (Non-KDSS)	Pros	Cons	Possible Worthwhile Enhancements
Camp One	Factory - Keep Both Sway Bars	Stock stability. Great for daily drivers, mall crawlers, and fire roads.	Limited articulation if you happen to hit rocky rutted trails.
Camp Two	Balanced - Front Removed (Keep Rear Sway Bar On)	It's counter-intuitive, but removing the front sway bar gives you the best balanced articulation in front (38%) and rear (62%).	You still get the boaty feeling up front on sharp curves.	1) stiffer rear sway bar to improve articulation in front, 2) stiffer coilovers to improve front stability, and 3) rear long travel to improve rear articulation.
Camp Three	Crazy Horse - Rear Removed (Keep Front Sway Bar On)	If you upgrade to rear long travel components (coils, shocks, bump stops, center brake lines), this gives you crazy long articulation in the rear. Some say the extra rear articulation helps your wheels stay planted (more traction) which is needed when carrying a lot of weight up a rocky climb.	You get very little articulation in the front because the missing rear sway bar can't transfer articulation to the front. So, 77% of the articulation is in the rear.	Stiffer rear coils to reduce possible swaying in the rear.
Camp Four	Catamaran - Front and Rear Removed	Cheapest option in the short term because it doesn’t cost money to remove them.	For some, this feels like you are going to roll over and die on sharp turns.	Stiffer shocks and coils all around to help reduce boatiness.
Camp Five	Stage 51 - Advanced Variants	This is for the crew that runs RCLT, Antirock Sway, etc. and has more advanced suspension components.	Probably a little more pricey. Suspension stages keep evolving out of this world (Area 51).

On Mon, May 1, 2023 at 4:14 PM M Ham <mannyham@gmail.com> wrote:

Sway Bar Mode	Pros	Cons
1	Camp Stability - Keep Both Sway Bars	Stock stability. Great for daily drivers, mall cralwlers, and fire roads.	Limited articulation if you happen to hit rocky rutted terrain.
2	Camp Balanced - Remove Front Sway Bar Only	If you upgrade to a heavy duty rear sway bar and have stiffer coilovers up front, this option gives you the best balanced articulation for front and rear. The stiffer the rear sway bar, the better the front balance.	Front swaying (boaty feeling on sharp turns) is there, but it's not terribly bad.
3	Camp Crazy Rear - Remove Rear Sway Bar	If you upgrade to rear long travel components (coils, shocks, bumpstops, center brake lines), this gives you crazy long articulation in the rear. Some say the extra rear articulation helps your wheels stay planted (more traction) which is needed when lugging a lot of weight up a rocky climb.	Rear swaying at high speeds may happen if you are overloaded and run soft rear coils. Remember that the rear and front are not independent of each other. Flexing the rear impacts the front via the sway bar and vice-versa.
4	Camp Catamaran - Remove Both Sway Bars	Cheapest option in the short term. You can mitigate some of the swaying with stiffer shocks and HD coils.	For some, this feels like you are going to roll over and die on sharp turns.
5	Camp Stage 51 - Advanced Variants	This is for the crew that runs RCLT, Antirock Sway, etc. and have more adavanced sway variants.	Probably a little more pricey. This stage is out of this world (Area 51).

 

[sshevela]

@HomersCanyonero great info in your post. Do you remember what discount code you used? I signed up for an account with Nolathane. Didnt get an email or discount on while in checkout. Would like to order the same bar

Nolathane HD rear sway bar is installed. Cost $134 delivered to my house from Nolathane web site. Also, I used 10% discount for first time buyers.

It seems like the hd rear sway bar improves slightly the handling up front with no front sway bar. Seems like some of the front swaying was reduced.

I have Bilstein 6112s with 700# coils and now a hd rear sway bar. I think this is the best it’s going to get with no front sway bar.

 

[HomersCanyonero]

@HomersCanyonero great info in your post. Do you remember what discount code you used? I signed up for an account with Nolathane. Didnt get an email or discount on while in checkout. Would like to order the same bar

@HomersCanyonero great info in your post. Do you remember what discount code you used? I signed up for an account with Nolathane. Didnt get an email or discount on while in checkout. Would like to order the same bar

i found my order. Take a look at the photo which has the code

 

[HomersCanyonero]

And I cleaned up the table after I got some good feedback on GXOR

 

[HomersCanyonero]

View attachment 3313022

For those of you looking at heavy duty rear sway bars…these are the ones I researched, but eventually bought from www.Nolathane.com where it was cheaper and offered a 10% first time buyer discount.

• ADDCO 2301 $199 Addco 2301 Addco Performance Anti-Sway Bar Kits | Summit Racing - https://www.summitracing.com/parts/aco-k2-301-0u
• SuperPro RC0026RZ-24 $311 Rear 24mm Heavy Duty 3 Position Blade Adjustable Rear 4x4 Sway Bar Kit
• Nolathane REV011-0090B $151 Nolathane REV011.0090B - https://www.summitracing.com/parts/NLT-REV011-0090B

 

[sshevela]

@HomersCanyonero which setup did you end up running with? Rear only sway bar? I ordered the Nolathane rear sway. Curious if I should leave the front sway and just un-bolt when getting ready to hit trails.

 

[sshevela]

Parts arrived….Reman Toyota cv axles, Nolathane HD rear sway bar, eimKeith lower link skid, taco tabs

Brake lines and tubes have been installed. Transmission fluid drained and filled.





View attachment 3308580

Which axles did you go with? CVJ? If so, are the lift axles needed for our moderately lifted gxs?

 

[HomersCanyonero]

Which axles did you go with? CVJ? If so, are the lift axles needed for our moderately lifted gxs?

My front lift is only 2.25” so I don’t need high angle cv boots.

I went with stock oem Toyota remanufactured cv axles.

I also have the controversial diff drop that drops my cv axles a minimal amount, but I got that too.

 

[HomersCanyonero]

@HomersCanyonero which setup did you end up running with? Rear only sway bar? I ordered the Nolathane rear sway. Curious if I should leave the front sway and just un-bolt when getting ready to hit trails.

I removed the front sway and added the HD Nolathane rear sway bar.

My setup feels under control on pavement with the stiffer rear sway and the heavy front coils 700 lbf/in.

Removing the front sway bar at the trails, storing it, and reinstalling after the trails seems like a pain.

And I’m not sure how you can disconnect it and secure it without removing it. The issue is you can destroy your cv boots and axles and tie rods if the front sway bar free falls and hits those areas.