I've had several DM's over the year or so to post about my build and what I've done with my GX and I've got a little time on my hands so I thought i'd start with the basics and work my way through my mods with a discussion following an outline of what I've done since I picked it up!
Overview: 2004 Lexus GX470 - Meridian Blue Pearl
Purchased in 2020 with 193,922 miles on the clock for $11,300 in Southern California.
Current Mods/Repairs:
OEM Headlight "joey" mod - painted interior housings black
OEM Foglight "joey" mod - painter interior housings black
Cerakote Headlight restoration kit
LED headlight bulbs
LED Interior bulbs
LED turn signals
LED backup lights
Black Vinyl Wrap on all exterior chrome trim, rear hatch, 3rd window
Red Vinyl wrap to cover amber section on rear tail-lights
Removed all badges on rear hatch except for the single Lexus symbol
New Lexus CV Boots and axles
New L+R Lower control arms
Rear Spoiler painted to match with 3rd brake light
JW Offroad rear chase light brackets (no lights yet)
35" Mickey Thompson MTZ p3 M/T tires
1.25" SpiderTraxx spacers all around
Method 314 - 17" x 8.5" -0 offset
Ironman 4x4 Foam Cell Pro Stage 2 Suspension Kit
SPC Adjustable Upper Control Arms
New strut mounts
Black window rubber to remove chrome
GarageAlpha Lexus Grille
Antidote Rooftop Box
Pro-performed body mount chop
Pro-performed pinch weld trim
Removed upper fog light bar
Removed LED pods on front bumper
Front bumper plastic trim
Removal of front wheel well fender liners
New front door speakers
New rear door speakers
New subwoofer
Ohana Rig Supply rear door handle
JW offroad hatch Molle panel
Reviver Electronic License Plate
I had been on the lookout for a decent condition Gx470 for about 6 months when I finally stumbled upon the one I ended up buying yet, it was unfortunately about a 4 hour drive away from me. At the point I decided to go check it out I had test-driven approximately 9/10 different GX's and inquired about significantly more but always ran into some unexpected findings or disappointment that either fell upon its overall purchase price being way too high for its condition, and/or dealers not wanting to perform any repair requests or provide proof of certain repairs over the years. It was incredibly discouraging but I kept up my search.
Then I found this girl. Not love at first sight because I actually overlooked it as the blue was not part of my ideal search package ... boy was I wrong about that.
Initially I was absolutely floored by the condition the dealer had either got the vehicle in or the sheer amount of time spent detailing the entire vehicle. When I bought it, the undercarriage, engine bay and all exterior and interior spaces were so meticulously cleaned and detailed you could literally eat a scrambled egg off the many of the parts. The carpet shampoo'd, the seats as smooth as baby's butt, other than some things only I would notice, this car felt as though it shouldn't have nearly the 200,000 miles it showed. It felt much newer overall.
Notably, there was NO rust, the timing belt had been replaced 30,000 miles prior, but I was crushed to find out that there were no service records on it at all. A/C blew cold, engine sounded smooth, shifting was smooth, tested the low gears and high gears, center locking diff; everything worked and was beyond impressed by the overall condition that the interior reflected back at me. Nothing broken, vents working good, no wear on any of the buttons, minor dash crack right along the brim over the cluster, but mostly unnoticeable.
Cons: the leather on the passenger seat near the left shoulder was very poorly worn, and the arms rests as well... it was odd. But I made note. 17 year old vehicle... so i guess it can't be perfect. Moving on. There were a couple switches hard wired through the dash to control the absolutely disgusting LED bar mounted to the roof, and another switch controlling the abhorrent LED pods mounted to the bumper. And some other minor dents in the rear passenger door, which was a bummer but overall not a buzzkill on the vehicle as a whole. I took it to the mechanic and the guys there basically told me the following; it needed new lower control arm bushings, new cv boots and axles (some aftermarket ones had been put on and failed), and that was about it. They also told me that for being a 17 year old vehicle they were just as amazed at how clean the vehicle actually was.
Anyway, I haggled a little bit and got the vehicle down to the agreed upon price and paid for It. I drove home without it and left it for the following weekend to come and pickup. Which I did without any problem.
Here are some of the original listing pictures:
See the condition of the leather? The media screens on the back seats - not normal. Neither is the DVD player underneath the driver seat. Haha, anyway.
Right out the gate, I drove into my home town and before even taking it to my house, I took it directly to a local mechanic in my area and flushed the transfer case fluids and transmission fluids, replaced the brake pads and calipers, oil filter and oil change, cabin filter change and began eyeballing cost on new LCA's and CV axles but went hard to work on the cosmetic mods by pocket could handle. I had been following GX's for a while and had been a fan of Logan King's build for a while so I started to pull inspiration from iH8mud.com and Instagram and the like.
After a few days at the mechanic; and finally home!
Next weekend working on the headlights:
Wrapping back hatch
wrapping the chrome on the back and sides
I painted the OEM grille and added LED trailer lights and rewired into the switch that had originally controlled the 2 pods on the front bumper.
(switching to embeds)
Finished Head light mod with grille lights installed:
It was at this point that I knew I needed suspension but was kind of strapped for cash and didn't know what wheel combo to go with or what size tires or even what type of lift to get so I hit the internet pretty hard to look for some inspo.
I was on ih8mud forums when I found a discount code for Ironman suspension AND they were having like 15 or 20% off sale with my additional GX discount I ended up paying about $1,100 to buy a $2,000+ lift. I just pulled the trigger right then and there.
I just so happened to be following vilmontmarket on instagram (look em up) and found a guy in san diego selling a set of method 314s used for $800. I had a friend pick em up and offer him $600 on the spot and couldn't believe it when he accepted. They were hardly used.
Suddenly I realized I needed to start looking for tires so I could get everything put together. Despite everything everyone said, I DM'd Logan King on instagram and started talking to him about his tire size and how the GX ran on 35's and if I needed to regear.
All thanks to him he assuaged my fears and at the same time I found a full set of used KO2's for $200. I know what you're thinking but I this was basically a dry run on 35s to see if I liked it, and if the GX could take it and was no where near permanent.
The Ironman Kit came in and I rushed to get the BMC and pinch welds removed as I sat on wheels and tires in my garage.
Post Lift - BMC Complete, Pinch welds removed:
Lift Kit Installed
Close-up of BMC
Wheels In Box Waiting to be Put On
Next I decided to remove the side steps and cut them to fill the gap between the wheel and the body.
Marking Up Side Step for Cutting of Plastic - btw I think I ended up cutting it higher than what is pictured
This was a little nerve wracking, but I grabbed my grinder wheel and just went for it.
Finished Product of Side Skirt/Side Step
I had kind of done all this in preparation of hopefully being able to accommodate the 35s ... so when the time came, I was about beside myself when I finally was able to get the wheels and tires mounted. The tire shop thought I was f'n crazy to do it but here's how I got it back - used KO2's and all
I quickly planned a trip to the snow and have a full family all with skis, so I needed a fullsize rooftop cargo box and found a decent one for about the 1/3rd the price from a manufacturer doing deliveries up and down socal. I've had it or a year now and the quality has been great. It was on my roof all year round and using it for camping trips and ski trips again this winter.
First camping trip in the setup!
Another Angle
I was pretty happy with it at this point - but still had so much I wanted to do.
It kind of sat like this for a while as I recovered from the amount of money I had put into it on mods and I began to refocus on the CV Axles and LCA's that STILL had not been done after all the suspension work.. I know I know.
After getting the LCA's and CV axles on I traded out the UCA's that came with the Ironman suspension for SPC adjustable upper control arms, and upgraded the sway bar links in the front and rear and got rid of the KO2's and switched to the Mickey Thompsons Mud Terrains, added the SpiderTraxx as well
Then I got the Garage Alpha grille which I absolutely love!
So that's my build so far. I love this vehicle. I have yet to change out the leather seats in the front. I'll probably do it soon. Also thinking about a front bumper and have a few i'm looking at. As of now I don't see the need to re-gear. I barely drive it as it is and I feel it actually drives better than with stock tire sizes. I'll leave it until I absolutely have to. I would love the JW Offroad roof rack with light bar. And rear tire carrier.
In due time!! Thank you and hope to see you all out there.
Follow me on instagram if you care to - @j0nny_gx
Overview: 2004 Lexus GX470 - Meridian Blue Pearl
Purchased in 2020 with 193,922 miles on the clock for $11,300 in Southern California.
Current Mods/Repairs:
OEM Headlight "joey" mod - painted interior housings black
OEM Foglight "joey" mod - painter interior housings black
Cerakote Headlight restoration kit
LED headlight bulbs
LED Interior bulbs
LED turn signals
LED backup lights
Black Vinyl Wrap on all exterior chrome trim, rear hatch, 3rd window
Red Vinyl wrap to cover amber section on rear tail-lights
Removed all badges on rear hatch except for the single Lexus symbol
New Lexus CV Boots and axles
New L+R Lower control arms
Rear Spoiler painted to match with 3rd brake light
JW Offroad rear chase light brackets (no lights yet)
35" Mickey Thompson MTZ p3 M/T tires
1.25" SpiderTraxx spacers all around
Method 314 - 17" x 8.5" -0 offset
Ironman 4x4 Foam Cell Pro Stage 2 Suspension Kit
SPC Adjustable Upper Control Arms
New strut mounts
Black window rubber to remove chrome
GarageAlpha Lexus Grille
Antidote Rooftop Box
Pro-performed body mount chop
Pro-performed pinch weld trim
Removed upper fog light bar
Removed LED pods on front bumper
Front bumper plastic trim
Removal of front wheel well fender liners
New front door speakers
New rear door speakers
New subwoofer
Ohana Rig Supply rear door handle
JW offroad hatch Molle panel
Reviver Electronic License Plate
I had been on the lookout for a decent condition Gx470 for about 6 months when I finally stumbled upon the one I ended up buying yet, it was unfortunately about a 4 hour drive away from me. At the point I decided to go check it out I had test-driven approximately 9/10 different GX's and inquired about significantly more but always ran into some unexpected findings or disappointment that either fell upon its overall purchase price being way too high for its condition, and/or dealers not wanting to perform any repair requests or provide proof of certain repairs over the years. It was incredibly discouraging but I kept up my search.
Then I found this girl. Not love at first sight because I actually overlooked it as the blue was not part of my ideal search package ... boy was I wrong about that.
Initially I was absolutely floored by the condition the dealer had either got the vehicle in or the sheer amount of time spent detailing the entire vehicle. When I bought it, the undercarriage, engine bay and all exterior and interior spaces were so meticulously cleaned and detailed you could literally eat a scrambled egg off the many of the parts. The carpet shampoo'd, the seats as smooth as baby's butt, other than some things only I would notice, this car felt as though it shouldn't have nearly the 200,000 miles it showed. It felt much newer overall.
Notably, there was NO rust, the timing belt had been replaced 30,000 miles prior, but I was crushed to find out that there were no service records on it at all. A/C blew cold, engine sounded smooth, shifting was smooth, tested the low gears and high gears, center locking diff; everything worked and was beyond impressed by the overall condition that the interior reflected back at me. Nothing broken, vents working good, no wear on any of the buttons, minor dash crack right along the brim over the cluster, but mostly unnoticeable.
Cons: the leather on the passenger seat near the left shoulder was very poorly worn, and the arms rests as well... it was odd. But I made note. 17 year old vehicle... so i guess it can't be perfect. Moving on. There were a couple switches hard wired through the dash to control the absolutely disgusting LED bar mounted to the roof, and another switch controlling the abhorrent LED pods mounted to the bumper. And some other minor dents in the rear passenger door, which was a bummer but overall not a buzzkill on the vehicle as a whole. I took it to the mechanic and the guys there basically told me the following; it needed new lower control arm bushings, new cv boots and axles (some aftermarket ones had been put on and failed), and that was about it. They also told me that for being a 17 year old vehicle they were just as amazed at how clean the vehicle actually was.
Anyway, I haggled a little bit and got the vehicle down to the agreed upon price and paid for It. I drove home without it and left it for the following weekend to come and pickup. Which I did without any problem.
Here are some of the original listing pictures:
See the condition of the leather? The media screens on the back seats - not normal. Neither is the DVD player underneath the driver seat. Haha, anyway.
Right out the gate, I drove into my home town and before even taking it to my house, I took it directly to a local mechanic in my area and flushed the transfer case fluids and transmission fluids, replaced the brake pads and calipers, oil filter and oil change, cabin filter change and began eyeballing cost on new LCA's and CV axles but went hard to work on the cosmetic mods by pocket could handle. I had been following GX's for a while and had been a fan of Logan King's build for a while so I started to pull inspiration from iH8mud.com and Instagram and the like.
After a few days at the mechanic; and finally home!
Next weekend working on the headlights:
Wrapping back hatch
wrapping the chrome on the back and sides
I painted the OEM grille and added LED trailer lights and rewired into the switch that had originally controlled the 2 pods on the front bumper.
(switching to embeds)
Finished Head light mod with grille lights installed:
It was at this point that I knew I needed suspension but was kind of strapped for cash and didn't know what wheel combo to go with or what size tires or even what type of lift to get so I hit the internet pretty hard to look for some inspo.
I was on ih8mud forums when I found a discount code for Ironman suspension AND they were having like 15 or 20% off sale with my additional GX discount I ended up paying about $1,100 to buy a $2,000+ lift. I just pulled the trigger right then and there.
I just so happened to be following vilmontmarket on instagram (look em up) and found a guy in san diego selling a set of method 314s used for $800. I had a friend pick em up and offer him $600 on the spot and couldn't believe it when he accepted. They were hardly used.
Suddenly I realized I needed to start looking for tires so I could get everything put together. Despite everything everyone said, I DM'd Logan King on instagram and started talking to him about his tire size and how the GX ran on 35's and if I needed to regear.
All thanks to him he assuaged my fears and at the same time I found a full set of used KO2's for $200. I know what you're thinking but I this was basically a dry run on 35s to see if I liked it, and if the GX could take it and was no where near permanent.
The Ironman Kit came in and I rushed to get the BMC and pinch welds removed as I sat on wheels and tires in my garage.
Post Lift - BMC Complete, Pinch welds removed:
Lift Kit Installed
Close-up of BMC
Wheels In Box Waiting to be Put On
Next I decided to remove the side steps and cut them to fill the gap between the wheel and the body.
Marking Up Side Step for Cutting of Plastic - btw I think I ended up cutting it higher than what is pictured
This was a little nerve wracking, but I grabbed my grinder wheel and just went for it.
Finished Product of Side Skirt/Side Step
I had kind of done all this in preparation of hopefully being able to accommodate the 35s ... so when the time came, I was about beside myself when I finally was able to get the wheels and tires mounted. The tire shop thought I was f'n crazy to do it but here's how I got it back - used KO2's and all
I quickly planned a trip to the snow and have a full family all with skis, so I needed a fullsize rooftop cargo box and found a decent one for about the 1/3rd the price from a manufacturer doing deliveries up and down socal. I've had it or a year now and the quality has been great. It was on my roof all year round and using it for camping trips and ski trips again this winter.
First camping trip in the setup!
Another Angle
I was pretty happy with it at this point - but still had so much I wanted to do.
It kind of sat like this for a while as I recovered from the amount of money I had put into it on mods and I began to refocus on the CV Axles and LCA's that STILL had not been done after all the suspension work.. I know I know.
After getting the LCA's and CV axles on I traded out the UCA's that came with the Ironman suspension for SPC adjustable upper control arms, and upgraded the sway bar links in the front and rear and got rid of the KO2's and switched to the Mickey Thompsons Mud Terrains, added the SpiderTraxx as well
Then I got the Garage Alpha grille which I absolutely love!
So that's my build so far. I love this vehicle. I have yet to change out the leather seats in the front. I'll probably do it soon. Also thinking about a front bumper and have a few i'm looking at. As of now I don't see the need to re-gear. I barely drive it as it is and I feel it actually drives better than with stock tire sizes. I'll leave it until I absolutely have to. I would love the JW Offroad roof rack with light bar. And rear tire carrier.
In due time!! Thank you and hope to see you all out there.
Follow me on instagram if you care to - @j0nny_gx
Last edited:
