Jack's " I have no idea how to forum" thread about a turbo '96 LX450

[toyotaaddict83]

1996 Lexus LX450

Factory Lockers

Bought it with ~130K on the clock

Obviously, a few things have changed and then changed once again between that first picture in 2015 and this most recent one, in 2020. Keep scrolling to see just how out of hand this gets and how things come to where they are. I have updated this first post, as well it was Cr@p. But the rest I will leave, it will give everyone something to laugh at. I will try to go into greater technical detail and still keep it entertaining but until then, cheers and happy Land Cruising!

 

[toyotaaddict83]

First few days with the sound system.......

When I first got the truck there were three switches and a small auxiliary light that where scattered around the drivers side that I did not do anything. So after two years of ownership, I finally became curious enough to search for an answer. I started with the little light, that was located to the left of my steering wheel and traced the wire down below the wheel to an unused terminal on the other end. I removed the plug and went to show my brother (joe) what i had found. After a several minutes of laughter and confusion, we plunged deep into what soon became a terrifying abyss of wires and connectors that were definitely not factory that spread throughout the entirety of the truck.

Turns out that this Lexus had been previously equipped with an aftermarket security system as well as an extensive sound system. You have to love the doing of a PO. Several hours and a lot more laughter and confusion later, the truck is much closer to factory than is has been in years. Ill let the pictures tell the story.....

We were fortunate enough that once we were finished the no codes or issues have risen with the removal of this witchcraft. Now we have to rig up me new speakers and head unit, which will probably be easier said than done. That seems to be a common trend so far....

 

[musthave]

Congrats! Looks like you are on your way to having the vehicle you want! Hopefully the wallet can hold out longer than your ideas

 

[toyotaaddict83]

Time to repair the rear locker.....

Thanks to @clownmidget 's thread from back in the day, I was able to get a good understanding of what to expect and look for when doing this job. Other than breaking a few rusty bolts, nothing too catastrophic occurred. The inside of the actuator was gnarly, as sort of expected for being a Midwest vehicle (salt and rust sucks). Any way I have been slowly tinkering with the parts and playing dentist with the worm drive teeth, but I was curious if anyone knew of a supplier for the two op-rings and/or bolts that are on the unit. As hard as it may be to believe, I highly doubt Fleet Farm or Home Depot will have the bolts and I have not been able to find anything online for the O-rings.

Also, I know everyone only views build threads for the pictures, but I figured a smelly and rusty locker would be a less than interesting picture, So instead I'll wait till I get some of my fun parts to take pictures.

Otherwise, we are still struggling with connecting the speakers, because of that stupid system that was in place before....

It's difficult not being able to drive your cruiser whenever you want to. Right now I am stuck with sitting inside and making noises......
I can't imagine what the head gasket job is going to feel like.

 

[Brentbba]

For Toyota OEM parts their are a couple of superb parts managers working at Yota dealers that are parts catalog gurus. First and foremost is Cruiserdan at American Toyota in NM. He is far and away the best. Beno is the other. Worked for Dan and is now in GA somewhere. Both offer a wealth of knowledge, patience and a nice Mud discount on parts too. If the part is still available, they'll know it, source it and sell it to you at a good price. There are others here on the board as well, but these are the two I go to.

Have fun with your build!

 

[LCyal8r]

I'm terrified of messing with my radio on my lx. It had a DVD player and a drop down screen and I know its gonna be all ganked.

 

[paytontokemp]

Wow just tore right into it! Good luck

 

[toyotaaddict83]

@Brentbba Thanks for the advice, I don't know why I didn't think of that.
@LCyal8r What's with the LXs and having the dumb "street" mods....
@paytontokemp No kidding! If I recall I believe I have had night mares like this in the past....

 

[ranma21]

Great project you have there, take your time and enjoy, keep us posted of your progress. =)

 

[Stylo07]

Also, I know everyone only views build threads for the pictures, but I figured a smelly and rusty locker would be a less than interesting picture, So instead I'll wait till I get some of my fun parts to take pictures.

Quite the contrary! I think most of us would like to see what a just-cracked-open locker on a Midwest 80 looks like. Yes, there are other threads with pics, but the more the better, IMHO.

Thanks, in advance, for any pics you post. And good luck with your build.


Sent from my phone whilst on the toilet.

 

[toyotaaddict83]

Great project you have there, take your time and enjoy, keep us posted of your progress. =)

Thanks. I am definitely very excited to see the results.

Quite the contrary! I think most of us would like to see what a just-cracked-open locker on a Midwest 80 looks like. Yes, there are other threads with pics, but the more the better, IMHO.

Thanks, in advance, for any pics you post. And good luck with your build.


Sent from my phone whilst on the toilet.

Now I wished I had taken some pictures.....

 

[toyotaaddict83]

As per the request of @Stylo07 ... Here are a few pictures of a rear differential locker off of an 80 series from the midwest.... The debris that is on the table is what was inside of the larger housing section. It was mostly sand and salt. On top of all of that, it had a very unique smell as well. Sure has been an interesting project so far. After a couple days of soaking in parts cleaner and a bit of TLC from the die grinder, we just need to rebuild and fill those gaps.....

 

[2fpower]

no wonder all that sand and gunk got in there. MIND THE GAP!

Congrats on what appears to be a sharp looking LX. Good luck with your build.

I sense that the force is strong with this one......

 

[toyotaaddict83]

Update: Finishing the speaker system.

Head Deck: Pioneer DEH-X6700BS
Speakers: Pioneer TS-A1675R
Sound Quality: EXCELLENT

My brother and I have come to a mutual agreement that we hate wiring!!! We originally had the intent to reconnect to the OEM system, but that was quickly forgotten due to the chaos that resulted from the PO and his doings. So we were forced to re-wire speaker wire to all four doors, but we did manage to tap into the OEM wiring that ran through the door jams. After working out a few gremlins, the new system sounds amazing, even seems better than it did at Best Buy. It may have been a nightmare at first, but d@mn was it worth it! All I need is some OEM speaker covers, any available?

Picture time

 

[Stuckinthe80s]

Good job man! I'm slowly tackling this same endeavor. You've given me mucho motivation!

 

[toyotaaddict83]

Time for the meat and potatoes of the dinner or build or whatever....

After a bit of rearranging of vehicles, we removed the hood and began with the deconstruction for the head gasket replacement. Overall everything was very cooperative, even the exhaust studs. I think it had to do with marinading them with liquid wrench for a few days prior to getting after them with the sockets/wrenches. If the liquid wrench can continue to make everything this cooperative, I am going to either ask for a sponsorship or get the biggest sticker (+53 Horsepower) for the back window of my truck, because that stuff is awesome.

However, the highlight of it so far has to be that beautiful exhaust. It is nothing but rust. It is so soft that we could pound out the O2 sensors with a hammer. There were two sections that were quite dented in where it reaches over the frame. Not to mention the pen sized holes in the downpipe....

Anyway that is all off and will be taken to the scrap yard soon enough... but anyway here are everyones favorite part, the pictures.

 

[toyotaaddict83]

Good job man! I'm slowly tackling this same endeavor. You've given me mucho motivation!

H3ll yea!!! It is so worth it in the end! Good Luck! Let me know if you have any hiccups, we might have seen something similar.

 

[toyotaaddict83]

Parts, Parts Everywhere!!!!!

We are officially knuckles deep into the head gasket replacement and we have only broken one bolt.... Everything has gone to plan and we have not endured anything toooo nightmare-ish yet. The head gasket turned out to be not in as bad of shape as I had thought. Oh well, I guess. It will be nice to have the piece of mind that it will not fail on me know. I cannot thank my friends, cousin and brother enough for their help, for I surely would be struggling greatly or would have screwed something up by now. The next step is to remove the injectors and everything attached to the head and bring that bad boy in to be decked and hot tanked and then add the new valve seals.

Here are the pictures....

 

[zak8842]

How do you like your new head unit? I'm looking at that exact one for my newly acquired lx.

 

[toyotaaddict83]

@zak8842 I have honestly not been able to use it yet... After we finished the speakers, we immediately tore into the head gasket job. I do however really like how it looks and the features it has (bluetooth connectivity, USB, aux as a microphone that allows for phone calls.) I can tell you that the whole system is really really awesome and sounds great.