INKY, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde

[jtmosca]

It is rumored that nestled deep in the by-laws of Mud-forum protocol there is a policy stating that "when a Mud-member acquires a new vehicle he must start a new thread for said vehicle on or before his third project on this vehicle". So as not to anger the Mud-gods (who can be fickled and spiteful) I figured I better get this new thread for my '04 GX470 documented and on the books.

In choosing a name for the new acquisition and for this thread, I was impressed by many of your suggestions in my other build thread. See
FZJ-8-my wallet starting with post #165.

Yet in the end, I choose "INKY, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde" because of the following:

"INKY" - The light blue ghost nemesis in Pacman. Considering that this light blue GX enjoys throwing writing fluid on my face, INKY seemed like a fitting moniker

"Blinky" - This of course refers to myself staggering around with ink in my eye.

"Pinky" - The color of my kids faces while laughing at their Dad.

"Clyde" - The random dude walking by wondering what my problem is...

Anyhow project #1 was the clean up and infamous pen removal.

Project #2 was the Plasti-dip of the decals
FZJ-8-my wallet starting on post #169

On now to project #3...

 

[jtmosca]

Project #3 - Mark Levinson Speaker Rebuild

This GX has the "dreaded" Mark Levinson system. Considering that it is pushing 16 years old now I was not surprised by the fact that some of the speakers were blown. The more I read up on this topic the more ominous things started to look regarding replacement options. Nevertheless, at one point I stumbled across a forum member mentioning how he had "rebuilt" his speakers. A quick Google search later and I discovered a $35 solution:

2003-2009 Lexus GX470 Mark Levinson COMPLETE System Speaker Repair Kit FSK-GX470

The repair kit included new foam for the 3 speakers in the system that typically fail: the two 6x9s in the front doors, and the 6" sub in the PS rear cargo panel. There are some straight forward instructional videos posted by the company that were very helpful.



Admittedly it was pretty tedious to meticulous clean the old foam off the cone and frames, however in the end, I am quite happy with the results. Below are a few helpful links and some pics.

Front door panel removal video:



Rear cargo panel removal instructions in PDF:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/at...4987-gx470-sub-info-gx470-diy-sub-removal.pdf

 

[jtmosca]

Project #3 - Mark Levinson Speaker Rebuild (con't)

I gotta say, the factory system sounds really good now.

Below are more pics of the completed speakers and an incomplete puzzle shoved out of the way:

 

[jtmosca]

Project #4 - Sound System Upgrade = USASpec Bt45-Toy Bluetooth and Hands Free Installation

Another big downside of the GX470s with NAV is the difficulty in upgrading the sound system. However there are a few options out there that will work with the factory OEM interface. GROM Vline 2 looked really promising but after looking at it's price point, some glitchy reviews and the fact that the early NAV screens are somewhat limited I decided to opt for the cheaper / tried-and-true option: USASpec Bt45-Toy.

I just installed it this evening and overall it was pretty easy. This video below pretty much spells out the process:



I spent the most amount of time trying to decide how to route the mic wires. No pics to upload yet, but overall I am pretty happy with the results. Hands free calls and bluetooth music (Spotify) now work flawlessly.

 

[greenscobie86]

Thanks for the speaker rebuild write up. i'll be going with the USASpec Bt45-Toy adapter as well.

 

[jtmosca]

Project #4 - Sound System Upgrade (con’t)

I purchased an additional item from Amazon:

Amazon.com: USB Mount Cable - Rerii 1M 3 Feet USB and 3.5mm Aux Extention Mount, Flush, Dash, Panel Mount Cable for Car, Boat, Motorcycle: Computers & Accessories

Amazon.com: USB Mount Cable - Rerii 1M 3 Feet USB and 3.5mm Aux Extention Mount, Flush, Dash, Panel Mount Cable for Car, Boat, Motorcycle: Computers & Accessories

www.amazon.com

Some pics of the install:

(removal of the cigarette lighter)

(Route wires through the back of the cigarette lighter housing)

(Find a tidy place to put the Bt45. I found a spot behind the lower plastic shroud in the passenger side footwell. I used some Velcro to hold it in place)

(enjoy your new flush mount USB and aux in cable in the spot where your cigarette lighter used to be)

 

[jtmosca]

Project #5 - Air spring replacement.

From everything I had researched ahead of time the early GX’s had three primary points of criticism.

1. Mark Levinson Sound System
2. Inability to upgrade the Nav models with modern conveniences like Bluetooth
3. Inevitable Air Spring replacement

Having addressed the first two items to my satisfaction it was time to take a swing at the third.

Every morning it was obvious that the rear was squatting and while it seemed to do fine throughout the day and was holding ok even while parked for a few hours it was clear that the air springs were on their last leg. It seems that many GX owners use this opportunity to do the coil conversion and I certainly understand their reasons for doing so. Nonetheless, I wanted to keep the air spring system, primarily due to the fact that I would be towing a small camper with it on occasion and I kinda like the original design/feature in the first place. So I opted for the Arnott replacement bags @ $130ea. I had swapped out some Arnott bags on an BMW X5 a few years ago and they seemed decent enough. They appear to be better quality then the super cheap bags, but not as ridiculously expensive as OEM.

Now there are a number of write-ups on Mud and elsewhere explaining what an irritating job this is. Let me set the record straight to all those nay-sayers out there... You are all absolutely right! The swap-out is very simple in concept but a major PITA to do. There were many hours spent with my arms and hands contorted into ungodly positions as you blindly try to get the airlines to detach without breaking them. Using the suggestions from previous posts I was able to fashion my own version of the proprietary Toyota SST (specialty service tool) using an old bic pen I found. It seems to have approximately the same specs as the recommended 1/4 sprinkler tubing referenced in other posts. In the end I was successful but it was a long hard-fought battle. I don’t have much to add above and beyond what others have already documented. I will reiterate that it is important to have the “STT” oriented in the right position. The somewhat-hidden, second set of clips holding the airline to the bag are in the 12 and 6 o’clock positions. Below are a few pics of my glorious afternoon...

It always fun jacking up a vehicle on a sloped driveway ...

Below are the old bags. Upon removal I could clearly see the dry rot on the section of the bag that typically had to flex/fold and was simultaneously exposed to the road elements. FYI - The new Arnott bags do not come with an accordian-like outer shell and the previous outer shells did not fit overtop of the Arnott bags if you try to re-use them like I initially did.

Below is what’s left of the homemade “SST” tool. On the other side is a wide slit I cut into the pen allow it to expand or contract around the true/actual diameter of the air line. I also beveled the tip of the pen some. I think much of my problem at first was that I didn’t understand the correct orientation and second once it was completely inserted around the airline I don’t think I was pulling hard enough on the line. Even with the tool correctly in place, it still required some decent force to remove it. Anyway, I hope this is helpful to someone if they tackle this project.

 

[Pick]

good work!! I just finished the air bags on my wife's 1st gen Sequoia... Same thing, dry rot on the flex/fold areas. I used the aftermarket Amazon ones ($145 vs OEM @ $400+ ea.) and have been pretty happy. I had to go back and adjust the Neutral Height sensor but so far so good. It has looked a little low a couple times and on start-up, I've heard the pump kick on so I may have a small air line leak from one of the points I disconnected it - but again, very pleased with the aftermarket bags and the whole swap experience... Couple of pics

 

[jtmosca]

Project #6 - Refinish headlights

The 16 yr old headlights were definitely showing their age. Therefore I decided to try refinishing them with a headlight restoration kit. Napa recommended the 3m option. Below are some pics of my adventures:

Pretty happy with the results!

 

[jtmosca]

Project #7

So the GX's wheels were looking pretty rough so I decided to replace them with another compatible set of Toyota / Lexus rims. I finally settled on 4Runner (SR5?) wheels. The swap out was pretty straight forward but I also wanted to convert the Toyota badge over to a Lexus emblem. I found some inspiration at the following thread:

Lexus emblems on tundra wheel caps

The other day I did a small craft project on a set of Tundra take off wheels I picked up for my winter set of tires on an LX. I didn’t mind the Toyota emblems on it, however, I wanted to see if it was at all possible to replace them with the Lexus ones (if you are detail oriented like me). I...

forum.ih8mud.com

I bought a cheap set of Lexus center caps to use as donors. Amazon product ASIN B09NXWJBLT
Below was my process to move the emblems over...

The extraction of the new emblems was easy, they are held on with small tabs.

I decided to try to mimic the exact same slots on the Toyota center cap. The Lexus emblem theoretically would cover the four slots used by the Toyota emblem. To do this I used a push pin to mark the positioning of the slots in the new Lexus center cap on the SR5 Toyota center cap.

Next I drilled and cut out my new slots on the SR5 center caps.