LCTom's 01 LX470 Build

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LCTom

LCTom

10 Year
Joined
Sep 30, 2013
Threads
8
Messages
117
Location
Visalia, CA
First off, I'd like to thank this board for the wealth of information that's here. I purchased my 01 LX470 about 6 weeks ago and have had fun modifying it to make it capable of taking my family to places we normally couldn't get to. I relied heavily on the threads here to help me along.

An interesting side note, I bought the vehicle from a dealer and DMV paperwork left in the car shows that it was previously owned by Warren Beatty and Annette Bening. Were I to give this LX a nickname, which I don't tend to do, it would probably be named "Grifter" after one of Ms. Bening's films as this vehicle knows how to pick my pockets.

So far, I have taken pictures of the build, because I haven't done anything original to it. I added Slee bumpers front and rear and some MT sliders. This addition of weight made the AHC act funny and struggle to stay at a stable height. Since I was on the edge on whether to remove the AHC, I went ahead took it out and replaced it with the 2.5" heavy OME lift from Slee. I also put on some bigger tires. Because this is a daily driver for me, and I didn't feel like changing the gears yet, I stuck with 285/75/16 Toyo AT's which I am very happy with.

I added a FrontRunner Slimline II rack and am pleased with how much it holds. Over Thanksgiving, I loaded it up with my family, a tight fit with my wife and six kids (aged 17 through 5), and food and gear for a few days and headed for the Mojave Road (we did about a third of it). I noticed that that the rear sunk a fair amount under the weight. On the highway, the front end felt very light. Off road, the rear tires would stuff very easily.

Here's some cruddy Iphone pictures of the vehicle loaded down.



And the rear, with no gas in the cans yet.



The AHC sensors are still in place. In the LX by myself, it reads High (I have a .75" rake). With all my family in the vehicle, it reads Neutral. With the family and all the gear it reads Low.

I would like to get better balance front to rear. and avoid the saggy rear. I have a Badlands 12000 winch that I picked up on sale at Harbor Freight. I suspect that might help. I'm sure moving the load around on top would help too, but I think that I need stronger springs and/or shocks at the rear than what came with the heavy kit from Slee. I considered Airlift bags, but I don't want to hinder articulation off road. I'll give Slee a call and see what they recommend, but was wondering if anyone here had any suggestions? Maybe I'm pushing the envelope for what this thing can carry?

(I considered a trailer, but that really isn't an option right now)
 
Nice truck!

I have a similarly equipped 100 and noticed the same sagging when loaded up for camping. I installed air bags, but didn't like the results off road, so just recently put in 30mm spacers to add a bit of lift to the rear. These seem to work well in that they keep the truck more level under load and feel a lot better off road than the airbags.

However, the spacers result in more rake than I'd prefer when not loaded. And, for the record, my version of not loaded means rooftop tent, fridge, tools, and recovery gear still in the truck.

As always, YMMV…but for the price of the spacers, I'd recommend them.
 
For some reason, I hadn't thought of spacers. Seems like the cheapest, simplest place to start. I'll give them a try.
 
Just got off the phone with Slee. I'm now torn between spacers and putting 863's in the rear. Same spring rate, but an inch taller than what I have. More expensive than spacers. Decisions... :hhmm:
 
Always opt for the more expensive option. Otherwise, you'll forever wonder if you left should have done more.
 
After further discussion with Christo and his review of the above photos, we're going to up the ante a bit more and try 864's. I anticipate a STIFF ride by myself, but I have to feel more comfortable about taking my family camping. We'll see how the trade off goes.
 
Tom
Just moved over here and see your build... Very Nice, but now I know why you were worried about being top heavy, that's a lot of stuff on the roof to say the least...

Maybe today a off road trailer is not an option, but don't take it off the table they are super nice and it keeps the loads balanced. Besides you can keep all the camping gear in one spot and there is minimal schlepping of stuff from the garage to the car every time you want to go out. And with that gang your hauling around, I suspect there is some serious stuff to packed!!!

If you need another opinion you might call San Diego trux on mairamar road and ask them about your suspension, they know these units really well and have done a lot of work with them.
 
wow great topic! I have this issue also but I'm not willing to sacrifice the daily drivability over the 3 to 4 trips a year in which I am loaded down like yours. I was trying to use the roof also to spread out the load but then got concerned with the top heavy vehicle stability! Please keep us posted on what the heavier springs and upgrades you do. I am usually limited to 4 people and a dog then all the gear so I have a little better total. How was the roof rack with all the weight?
 
midfat said:
Always opt for the more expensive option. Otherwise, you'll forever wonder if you left should have done more.
Click to expand...

That's funny, but probably true with my mindset. Conventional wisdom is to try the easiest, cheapest fix first. But, I agree that it would nag at me if there was another, potential better solution out there that I hadn't tried.

Gary, I grew up in San Diego and used to drive Miramar Road on a regular basis. I am always looking for an excuse to head down, so if I can't figure out the suspension, it's a lot closer than heading over to visit Slee in Colorado.

r3run33, the rack didn't even flinch with all the weight up there. I too am a little hesitant to mess with the current Slee heavy set up, because it rides great and works as advertised, I just overload it on these family trips. My oldest heads off to college next year so we're trying to cram in as much as we can in the meantime. So, I'm willing to take a hit on a harsh ride during my daily drives in the mean time.

I'd really love to install a large fresh water tank where the factory spare normally sits. The weight would help reduce some of the stinkbug that's bound to happen with the 864's. Until then, I'll probably just keep my water containers full in the back. I'll post pics when I put the coils in and see what difference it makes.
 
A lot of heavy Touring 100's in Australia are set-up with airbags and most owners seem happy. These are not the "helper" airbags that reside within the rear coils but rather ones that completely replace the coil spring. Of course, there is a compromise in off-road capability but most mod decisions are compromises, right?

Looks like this (Dinibili's 100):

attachment.php
 
Those bags are an interesting option. Dinibili seems to swear by them, but I think he uses his in conjunction with AHC. I'll see if I can dial it in with coils before I venture into bag territory.
 
LCTom said:
Just got off the phone with Slee. I'm now torn between spacers and putting 863's in the rear. Same spring rate, but an inch taller than what I have. More expensive than spacers. Decisions... :hhmm:
Click to expand...

While I cant see how much cargo you have inside, I can share my experiences for comparison.

With my drawers, fridge, front runner, and RTT, I'm at about 600 lbs. With 865's, I had a full inch of sag. With 866's, it sagged about 5/8".

Do the same - empty your gear, take a measurement, load it up, and do it again. Back into how much you want to "gain" and go with either 15mm or 30mm spacers. Fine tune by getting your T-bars where you want/need them.

Airbags arent something that I want to be messing with in the middle of no where.

15mm spacers are a good compromise, and on the winter to do list for me personally, as the cheap and easy option.
 
After listening to all this, my 100 rides like a 4 wheel drive Cadillac, no shake shimmies, bumps clunks, I'll have to think long an hard before I mess with it.. Guess ill let the JK do its thing and the LC do what it does best...
Tom, come down to sd and ill take you over the sd trux and ill buy dinner.

Gary
 
OK, finally installed the 864's this weekend. They are pretty stiff, but after some experimenting with some weight in the back, I'm really thinking that this was the correct route for my situation.

Using a total of approximately 810 pounds, divided between 2 full jerry cans of fuel and 1 jerry can of water in the Slee jerry can holder, 2 x 6 gallon water cans in the back and a whole bunch of Olympic weights stacked behind the second row bench...

With the Slee Heavies (SOF2RH springs) and a 3/4 inch rake the weight would compress the rear about 1 3/4 - 2 inches and raise the front 1/4 - 1/2 inch. That explains why the front felt light on my Mojave Road trip.

With the 864's and a 2 inch rake, the weight would compress the rear about 1 inch and raise the front about an inch, ending up with a level vehicle.

All measurements were taken with a restless 14 year old boy holding one end, so not exact by any means.

As it sits empty



With 810 pounds in the rear



Again, with my family and gear, I think is the way to go. I don't mind the stinkbug appearance too much when empty and can deal with the stiff drive. I actually expected worse. I do think it's funny how the extra clearance is making my tires look smaller, but I think I can cope with that too.
 
I have really grown to love the raked look on these 100 series.

Brett - weld those puppies on, should be good to go!
 
Bretthn said:
Your truck looks great! I will be buying sliders for my LX in the upcoming year but worry that the LX versions with only 2 frame mounting points may not be strong enough. Have you put yours to use yet? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Brett. I actually read your build thread as part of the decision making process of buying my LX.

I can't speak to the strength of the AHC compatible sliders. Because I took out my AHC, there isn't any interference with the standard three point mounts on the MT and Slee sliders, so that's (MT) what I put in. For my purposes, I suspect the two point mount would have been fine, but I don't have any real input for you. Hopefully, someone around here does.
 
Bretthn said:
Your truck looks great! I will be buying sliders for my LX in the upcoming year but worry that the LX versions with only 2 frame mounting points may not be strong enough. Have you put yours to use yet? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
I have bent the outriggers on my Slee LX Stepsliders… but it took quite an effort to do it.

Not all 2-outrigger sliders are equal though. Slee uses open, C-channel for the outriggers and one U-bolt per outrigger. I can't get the U-bolt tight enough to keep the sliders from slipping on the frame. The backing plate flexes first. I wouldn't recommend welding the slider to the frame either because access to one of the bolts to remove the fender is blocked by the slider. Might not be for a differently designed slider though.

I like Jon Wildsmith's design…

IMG_0682.webp
 
Auxiliary tank arrived this week (thanks SWCruiser). Once I finish painting the house and the inevitable honey-do's, I'll start figuring out how to install it.
 
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