Builds Iwantoffroad build thread for Takumi Gx 470

[iwantoffroad]

Hey guys, with a growing family I started shopping for Lexus Gx 470. I had five friends helping me search everyday for a Nautical Blue Metaliic 05 + for VVTI. the Nautical blue metalic was only available after 2006 so that narrowed it down even more. So we are looking for a 2006-2009 California registered nautical blue metallic.



Lets meet Takumi
2006 Lexus Gx 470

Dropped off for the alignment!
Probably 120 hours into the Lexus right now.

Engine
Denso radiator
timing belt service
water pump
serpentine belt
serpentine tensioners

Front
Dobinsons upper control arms
Dobinsons springs
Dobinsons matched shocks
3 inch lift
Sand blasted knuckle
Sand blasted lower control arm
Rubber bushings pressed out
Whiteline Poly bushings pressed in
555 Senkie lower control arm ball joint
wheel bearings
wheel hubs
wheel hub seals
cvj high angle cv axles 9808TR
555 senkie inner tie rods
555 Senkie outer tie rods
toyota steering rack boots
Redline 75w90 gear oil


Rear
dobinsons springs
Dobinsons shocks
Eim Keith Panhard relocation bracket welded on.
All the 4 link mounts loosened and torqued at the new ride height

Raceline 930b shift wheels
Bfg ko2 285/70/17 e load tires

Brakes
Bosch rear rotors
Akebono rear pads

Researching a big brake kit for the front. From a newer model Lexus.



After 5 months of searching several website and making lots of phone calls, We found this one in San Diego.
IMG_1333 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

first drive down from San Diego
IMG_1334 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

IMG_1352 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

first mod. my friend Bryan hooked me with a Yakima rocketbox. it had a crack in it and a snapped key in the tumbler.
IMG_1337 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr
fixed the crack
IMG_1451 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

mounted
IMG_1453 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

dirty engine bay
IMG_1454 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

after
IMG_1459 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

removed the running boards
IMG_1476 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

chopped the front corner off to a more manageable size

IMG_1638 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

and scribed a line into it.
IMG_1641 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

sanding up to that scribe line for a perfectly straight edge
IMG_1644 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

done

pending pic

 

[iwantoffroad]

I started collecting parts.
wheel bearings
rear brake rotors and pads whiteline control arm bushings and a 35mm socket
IMG_1668 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

I started with the passenger control arm.
IMG_1669 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

the 2 cam bolts where completely seized so i had to use a small sawzall to extract them.
this took hours of fighting to figure out what the correct tool to use.
IMG_1686 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

then the next fight was to remove the bushings. omg one of the most difficult projects i have taken on. i can build an engine with less effort compared to this.
first approach was the botte jack method and propane torch.
this just started to bend the control arm open.
IMG_1704 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

then i tried this tool and it bent the rod!!!! the biggest problem is there isnt a big enough shoulder on the control arm to support an extraction tool.

IMG_1703 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

some more you tube searching led me to a bearing splitter tool.
harbor freight ftw
IMG_1711 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

that didnt work either it just started to dig into the steel of the arm.
IMG_1714 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr
IMG_1726 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

12 hours later i had 2 bushings out.
i ended up hammering them out with a punch and a sledge hammer.
IMG_1723 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

next up.
pressing out the ball joints. this went much easier as there is plenty of shoulder to support a tool.
IMG_1729 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

all bushings and ball joints pressed out.
IMG_1730 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

new hardware since i cut mine all apart trying to extract these.
IMG_1732 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

sand blasted, painted, ball joint pressed in, bushings pressed in, new hardware.
i felt a huge sigh of relief once i got to this point. then remembered i still have to do the other side !!!!!


IMG_1733 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

i bought a bunch of parts from cruiser outfitters.
IMG_1708 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

IMG_1712 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

IMG_1713 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr


installing the control arm in the rain.
IMG_1735 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

one down one to go.
IMG_1739 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

 

[iwantoffroad]

im jumping around a bit i know.
next up.
passenger spindle.
super dirty.
IMG_1802 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

bearing out
IMG_1804 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

thread length
IMG_1805 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

thread length on doorman hubs
IMG_1807 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

IMG_1808 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

hole depth
IMG_1810 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

ready for the spindle
IMG_1817 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

cleaned sand blasted masked painted
IMG_1818 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

fresh wheel bearing ready to go on.
IMG_1819 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

installed
IMG_1827 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

parts started to arrive
IMG_1886 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

 

[subspd]

Great build thread!

 

[helikiwi]

I love a clean build.

 

[Jstawgn]

I am going to attack my LCA and your experience scared me a bit. Your under carriage looks really clean. It surprised me you have to cut the bolt off.

Really nice build thread . Thank you very much for documenting this. It definitely would help a lot of people trying to do the same thing.

 

[ArBrnSnpr]

Looking great!

I love seeing attention to detail and proper parts being used.

It gives me faith in buying used vehicles.

 

[iwantoffroad]

I am going to attack my LCA and your experience scared me a bit. Your under carriage looks really clean. It surprised me you have to cut the bolt off.

Really nice build thread . Thank you very much for documenting this. It definitely would help a lot of people trying to do the same thing.

I had a full machine shop at my disposal. And all weekend long to get it done. And an extra car to run errands or get parts. That is really important so you don’t feel rushed.
If this is your only car i recommend renting a car.
It seriously took around 12 hours to complete one side.
Cordless sawzall from Milwaukee with a short stubby blade was the only tool for this job.
Also call your local dealer and at least check if the part numbers are in stock.

 

[drowzyGX]

I had a full machine shop at my disposal. And all weekend long to get it done. And an extra car to run errands or get parts. That is really important so you don’t feel rushed.
If this is your only car i recommend renting a car.
It seriously took around 12 hours to complete one side.
Cordless sawzall from Milwaukee with a short stubby blade was the only tool for this job.
Also call your local dealer and at least check if the part numbers are in stock.

I need to replace the bushings in mine (or get new LCAs), and from my limited research, this seems to be the case for a lot of folks. This was the main video I watched, and he even had to cut his out cause the bottle jack method wasn’t working. Basically I haven’t found a story of someone who had an easy time replacing the bushings.

what did you use for cleaning the engine bay? Mine isn’t super dirty, but it’s not nearly as pristine as yours.

 

[iwantoffroad]

I need to replace the bushings in mine (or get new LCAs), and from my limited research, this seems to be the case for a lot of folks. This was the main video I watched, and he even had to cut his out cause the bottle jack method wasn’t working. Basically I haven’t found a story of someone who had an easy time replacing the bushings.

what did you use for cleaning the engine bay? Mine isn’t super dirty, but it’s not nearly as pristine as yours.

I come from the world of race cars and sports cars so I wanted a polyurethane bushing for the control arm. If you are okay with fresh rubber I would just eat the cost and get Toyota control arms. Not the total chaos or the aftermarket ones.
Such a pain the ass.

I used simple green for the first coat
And this for the second coat

Silk Shine Protectant Vinyl, Rubber, and Plastic | Chemical Guys

Silk Shine is a versatile water-based dressing that restores a like-new look with a satin shine finish to interior and exterior vinyl, rubber, and plastic, without adding any extra greasy wet shine.

www.chemicalguys.com

 

[z00t3ch]

I just extracted a stuck bushing from the left rear of an '06 Pilot. Just drill holes thru the rubber all the way around until you can tear the middle out, then use a die grinder or Dremel with a tungsten-carbide bit to eat thru the race until a sharp chisel can pop it free. I'd much sooner replace the entire spindle than waste time with a press or extraction tool.

 

[drowzyGX]

Yeah it seems like you pay with a lot of labor to replace the bushings versus paying $$$ for a new pair of oem lcas.

iwantoffroad, thanks for the link! Gonna snag that and simple green, clean the engine bay this week while the weather is nice.

 

[Timonek]

im in ! thats twin of my gx ! i know exactly what You ar going thru Sir. I cross my fingers ! If You arte planning bbk get 460s rotors and calipers

 

[iwantoffroad]

more parts arriving
eim keith pan hard relocation bracket

Search: 6 results found for "PCK"

Good stuff for your Toyota. The original PCK® (Panhard Correction Kit) for 3rd, 4th, and 5th Gen 4Runners.

eimkeith.com

IMG_1884 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

IMG_1887 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

IMG_1888 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

spring conversion kit from dobinsons. and upper coil bump stops
IMG_1889 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

Bfg ko2 285/70/17 e load

IMG_1896 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

i had the lexus taken apart so i had to take my other car to pick up tires. I could pick up one in the passenger seat and one in the trunk.

IMG_1898 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

IMG_1899 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr


got started rebuilding the driver side control
IMG_1899 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

more broken bolts soo many seized bolts
IMG_1918 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

IMG_1919 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

put your purse down and hit it with a bigger hammer!!!!!!!
IMG_1923 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

the battle was won
IMG_1925 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

pressing out the ball joint
IMG_1927 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

sand blasted control arm
IMG_1929 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

comparing the old upper control arms with the dobinsons

IMG_1930 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

compressing the springs.
IMG_1930 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

little video clip removing the strut nut
IMG_1944 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

old vs new
IMG_1945 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

old vs new
IMG_1948 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

3inch lift
IMG_1949 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

 

[iwantoffroad]

pressing in ball joints in the dobinsons control arms
IMG_1951 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr


impressed with the machining on the dobinsons cap
IMG_1973 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr


ball joint installed and cap installed
IMG_1975 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

if you remove the power steering reservoir you can extract the long upper control arm bolt. you dont have to bend sheet metal like the tacoma

driver side you can remove the battery to get the bolt out.
IMG_1961 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

part number for a new nut for the upper control arm
IMG_1962 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

all of the parts above the strut were super rusty there are tiny allen heads bolts to remove these parts.

out comes the sawzall again.
IMG_1964 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

if i didnt have this tool. i could not have done this job
IMG_1965 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

with the top cut off my next challenge was this back nut.
in this picture im using two wrenches for leverage. still no luck

IMG_1966 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

it ended up stripping the splines out of the top hat.

i had to compress the spring. release the strut, and then i could
get to the top hat.
another battle won.
IMG_1972 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr


more new hardware for the driver side
IMG_1974 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr



i made a big mistake in clocking the front struts!
i took the passenger assembly apart 4 times until i got it right.

please pay attention if you are going to do this your self.
i tried to re use my old top hats.
and reassemble them on the new parts.

i had several problems.

first was the clocking of the strut assembly, spring, top hat and all of those parts fitting into the 3 holes in the frame at the top
and the lower shock mount in the lower control arm.

second problem was the clocking of all of this in relation to the sway bar.

my other problem was my spring compressor barely fit in between the coils. i had to hammer it in and hammer it out each time i used the tool.

first attempt i tried to just eyeball the alignment. went to install it and it was a few degrees away from fitting. with the spring rate in these springs i could not rotate the strut assemble enough to get it fit in the lower control arm clevis.

second attempt
i tried using a plate of aluminum to push on 2 studs. and the yellow part of the shock resting on the work bench.
IMG_1960 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

that didn't work
third attempt
so i used two 2x4's one aligned the studs on and the other end of the shock.
IMG_1991 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

IMG_1992 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

then i noticed it was still not right
it was to close to the sway bar.
IMG_1994 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

then i found a picture of the factory service manual
it shows the pigtail facing the firewall
crap! take it out again and re clock the top hat

IMG_1969 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

4th attempt
took it all apart rotated the strut around so its away from the sway bar put it back in.
IMG_2359 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

 

[iwantoffroad]

driver side control arm all prepped and ready to be installed
IMG_1978 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

new wheel and tire package weighs in at 84 lbs a corner
bfg ko2 285/70/17 e load
raceline 930B shift wheels 17x8.5 et +18
IMG_1997 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

made a hook tool out of a coat hanger to pull the rear airbag clips
IMG_1998 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

you have a tiny amount of room to fit a tool between the frame and body. the clip we are trying to remove is in the center of this picture. a 90 degree tab
the tab has a hole in it.
IMG_1999 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

hook tool inserted
IMG_2001 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

success
IMG_2004 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

new components for the rear coil conversion ready to go
IMG_2005 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr
off to more seized and rusty hardware
IMG_2026 2 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr


short video clip compressing the rear shock by hand
IMG_2029 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr


old vs new
IMG_2031 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

new upper bump stop
rear coils
and lower bolt on spring perch
this bolts onto the rear axle

dobinsons coil conversion parts
dobinsons spring
toyota factory bump stop
IMG_2033 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr


trick i saw some where online
factory bottle jack to flex the axle to remove the air spring and install the new springs
IMG_2036 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr
flexed out
IMG_2037 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

eim keith panhard relocation bracket

Search: 6 results found for "PCK"

Good stuff for your Toyota. The original PCK® (Panhard Correction Kit) for 3rd, 4th, and 5th Gen 4Runners.

eimkeith.com

IMG_2038 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

the fitment was really good
IMG_2039 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

i taught myself how to weld. started practicing in 2018. now im comfortable enough to weld on my vehicle. Im proud of that accomplishment.
IMG_2046 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

i bought some welding magnets a few months ago.
IMG_2052 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

IMG_2056 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

another trick i saw somewhere online
i used a ratchet strap to move the axle inline to get the panhard bar to aligned with hole.( hadnt installed the bracket yet in this picture)
IMG_2043 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

frame on jack stands
rear axle at full droop
pan hard bar bracket welded on
look at how parallel the panhard is mounted in the upper hole location
IMG_2058 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

 

[iwantoffroad]

at static ride height
IMG_2067 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

first time down on all 4 tires
IMG_2061 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

 

[lndshark]

Show of hands: who else here has used a granite surface plate to mark and score their running boards for trimming:








Nice precision job there!

 

[iwantoffroad]

next mistake i made.
i stripped the thread on the passenger sway bar end link.

i thought i could at least test drive with the passenger side disconnected.
boy was i wrong and an expensive mistake.
the bar itself ripped the cv boot on the axle

IMG_2311 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

i ordered new inner high angle cv boots from dobinsons and factory inner boots from toyota
IMG_2312 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

IMG_2316 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

part number.
inner cv boots
IMG_2314 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr


coming from race cars this is the good stuff for cv
redline cv2 grease

IMG_2320 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

did the inner boot stretch mod. you cut a ring out of your old boots and install that before the snap ring
now the boot does not ride so closely between the ridges

IMG_2321 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

here was my problem.
my passenger axle was an aftermarket one.
notice the round shape of the joint
the toyota boot has a special unique shape
IMG_2324 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

this is the special shape on the driver side inner cv joint
IMG_2325 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

my friend bryan and I were fighting trying to stretch the toyota boot over the round axle.
no luck.
fail
IMG_2329 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

one trick is you can bolt a wheel bearing in a vice and then insert the splines of the cv and you can work on it much easier
a picture of me before knowing the boot wouldnt fit
IMG_2350 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

got the driver side axle rebuilt and will be using this as a spare
(this is picture is before rebuilding it)
IMG_2370 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

super messy job
IMG_2371 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

i tried to order a spare round shape cv boot with no luck.
so i did the next logical approach.
order badass axles
i ordered some CVJ 9808 TR axles with the upgraded high angle silicone inner boots and the oem toyota outer boots

they arrived quickly
they are located in denver colorado
Open M-F 9-5pm:
4101 Brighton Blvd.
Denver, CO
80216
Phones M-F 9-5pm:
Toll Free: 1-800-292-2953(AXLE)
Local: 303-297-2448
FAX: 303-297-0650

another parts run in the bmw e30
IMG_2460 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

9808 TR - CVJ Axles

LIFTED- MODERATE ANGLES BEST ✶✶✶✶✶ 9808 TR $308.00 each +$125.00 core deposit each Toyota Steel OEM Toyota Plastic Outer CV Boot Higher Angle Red Silicone Inner Boot Closest to OEM Toyota for lifted applications Same Right and Left; One (1) single axle

www.cvjreman.com

IMG_2462 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr
IMG_2461 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

this was expensive because i could not return the passenger axle as a core and i wanted to rebuild the factory toyota axle and keep that one as a spare
but **** it. now the front end is very strong
IMG_2463 by ALEXANDER RENGIFO, on Flickr

 

[ArBrnSnpr]

I installed that panhard correction bracket a few months back.

I was amazed at how much of a difference that little thing made!

I highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't have one and is lifted.

Build is looking clean! Nice work