LX to LC hood, grill, etc (1 Viewer)

[ylexot]

So I bought my LX a few months ago, and I still haven't quite embraced my inner Lexus. For a while I went back and forth about which was more pretentious: driving a Lexus or taking Lexus badging off to be more proletariat. Eventually I realized I didn't care about that enough to waste much more time on it.

However, there are some practical reasons to prefer the Toyota grill, in particular with bumper grill guards, and bumper mounted lighting. These benefits are enough to make me revisit the question.

How easy and how expensive would it be to swap out the hood, grill, headlight assemblies, valence, hood latch cable, and other random bits? Has anyone done this or been serious enough to research it?

If it makes any difference, I'd be willing to wait until I found a wrecked LC with a good front.

 

[aedgington]

I did a grill swap on my LX from an 02 to an 06. Just the grill was a bit more work than I thought, including trimming some pieces and replacing valences.

I think you're looking at a fair bit of work, and the on major down side that I see is that the LX comes with projector headlights and the LC does not -- swapping them out would be a fair step backward, imo.

Have you considered simply relocating/swapping the lighting bits, and replacing your grill emblem?

 

[OregonLC]

I did a grill swap on my LX from an 02 to an 06. Just the grill was a bit more work than I thought, including trimming some pieces and replacing valences.

I think you're looking at a fair bit of work, and the on major down side that I see is that the LX comes with projector headlights and the LC does not -- swapping them out would be a fair step backward, imo.

Have you considered simply relocating/swapping the lighting bits, and replacing your grill emblem?

HIR bulbs in my LC are brighter than the projectors in the LX.

 

[Number6]

Maybe source a Cygnus grill and badging?

 

[ylexot]

I hadn't seen the Cygnus before. The look of the LX has grown on me. A big T instead of an L looks better to me. Peel off the Lexus stuff on the back and replace with LC badges, and I'll be more at home in my luxo-cruiser. That's a direction I'll probably go once the important stuff is done.

I kind of figured it would be a pita to swap out the whole light and hood assembly, but the stupid hood with integrated grill is cramping my style. Other than on the roof, I don't have any bright ideas on where to put the big lights. Now that I've seen what the big round LEDs can do and also how they look mounted on the bumper I have ordered, I have some lust in my heart.

I was looking at the grill for a couple minutes while my ornery boys were supposed to be taking naps. I didn't get too far in my pondering, but I started to wonder if there could be an elegant solution to remove the grill from the hood and permanently mount it where it belongs. The hood latch for the LX doesn't have to change at all. The hood release would have to be redone. I imagine some tweaking to the hood where it meets the grill would be required as well. This seems like a simpler and more cost effective route though.

 

[Number6]

Be the only one on your block, or in town for that matter, to have one. Knowing how bean counters work, you might only have to change the grill insert on the front. I have to say I prefer the Lexus' blackout treatment though. Maybe someone in the JDM business can help? 2005 Cygnus below. I wonder if that funky fender mount mirror is power operated also? You'd have to mount that on the passenger's side, though. Toyota really digs swans, don't they?

Of course an LX is a Cygnus by any other name...

 

[ylexot]

Yeah. The Cygnus grill is the ticket if I can figure out a good way to work with the LX grill and hood. I'm all pearl white right now, but that's about to change with bumpers and sliders. My long term plans are 3 tone: white, some blue accents, and all metal accessories, including the rims will having matching gunmetal powder coat.

Maybe I'll take off the L, LX470, and Lexus badging off the back altogether and go Euro style. Hmm...

Ok, so the badging problem has been solved. Now to close on the fact that the integrated hood/grill problem is interfering with my desired mods. If I get some time tomorrow, I'm going to run by a body shop to see about reconfiguring my grill/hood to be separate. Anyone in the area have a recommended shop for this kind of customization?

 

[jayLC1]

I looked at quite a few LX470s before I finally found my LC100. In the South, LCs are simply not very common. They are rare nationally, with a few hundred LXs for each LC out there for sale it seems. However, I found the Lexus models to have more torn up leather, since it was softer, on the 10 year old models I was looking for. Also, that AHC at 120,000 was quite scary since it usually goes around that time.

All that analysis was really just my way of getting around the fact I somehow HATED that Lexus grille. I can't exactly explain my reasoning, and i don't want to step too hard in this potentially sacred territory, but we are looking for trucks to lift and run through mud here. All that extra trim, and slanted almost cat-like look on the front didn't do it for me. However, there are a few cool features in there.

I totally understand your buyer's remorse, however, I would simply stash it behind your ear and forget about it unless you find a wrecked LC with a pristine front end. While you are waiting for this rare occurrence, enjoy the view of those multiple full solar eclipses, and unicorns. While you are at it, ask one of those leprechauns to finance the project! Sink your money and time into some nice shocks and other cool stuff for now.

I would see if you could swap that Lexus emblem for a Toyota - just to keep 'em guessing!