Builds LX450 "Rex" Build (1 Viewer)

[NeverFinis]

I will order a replacement part if I think a part might not be carried too much longer by Toyota, especially if mine is kind of sus.

My rear wiper was kind of sus. It was rusted and sanding/painting it didn't really bring it back. New one wasn't too expensive and simple to install. Fronts wipers were fine. New wiper blades all around.

This is the issue with bringing back a vehicle that has been sitting for a long time without regular maintenance...all kinds of parts degrade over time and need to be replaced.

I put my hood back on and checked for clearance using Play Dough.

This was just barely hitting a rib on the hood on its edge. Simple fix will be to move it down.

My upper radiator hose is also hitting the hood.

hmm...this one is a little tougher to solve.

 

[NeverFinis]

Look at what just showed up....new front ABS harness.

Removing the old rusted front ABS harness had its issues.

Much of the bracketry on my original has rusted away.

Installed.

I will rebuild the front knuckles.

Cleaned, painted and installed this heat shield.

Pulled vacuum on the new A/C. It seems to be holding but I will check again later.

 

[NeverFinis]

This will be my complete A/C installation Post. I will link to it from the first post, and update as necessary.

The idea is to use the Toyota A/C Clutch signal to inform the SwapTime Muscle Car Module know to inform the GM ECM (E78a) that A/C has been requested. The GM ECM will then activate the A/C Clutch if all conditions are right. It will also increase the engine's RPM.

I am using @cruisermatt A/C Lines. I opted for the Trinary switch option, which I will be using a Cold Hose 3/8"-24 Male to M10-1.25 Male Conversion Fitting to allow the use of the GM Pressure Sensor.

Finally wired up the A/C request input of the Swaptime's Muscle Car Module to the Toyota A/C Clutch signal. I located the signal at the E7 connector, originally connected to the Toyota ECM near the glove box. You can also find the signal on the passenger fender.

It is a B-W wire, at position 7 on the E7 connector. The same E7 connector has the tachometer, and brake switch (stop), which are also needed for the swap.

Edited to add, I added a relay that also uses B-W to activate the GM Clutch but this time in the Engine bay at the ED1 connector, pin 2. The ED1 connector also has the oil pressure sender wire, and the water thermostat wire. Both important for the swap.

Toyota uses a 10 Amp fuse on their A/C Clutch circuit, while my E78a uses a 15 Amp Fuse, otherwise you might get away with activating the GM A/C Clutch directly with the Toyota A/C Clutch line. I decided to use a relay.

A/C Clutch Relay​

Terminal 86 Toyota A/C Clutch (B-W wire at ED1, pin 2)​	Terminal 85 GM 459 (A/C Compressor Clutch Relay Control)​
Terminal 30 15 Amp Fused Battery​	Terminal 87 GM 59 (A/C Compressor Clutch Control)​

 

[NeverFinis]

I decided to try AliExpress again and decided to pick up a set of LED taillights for cheap ($65).

Someone suggested putting the factory originals away for safekeeping and putting these on instead. Which one would you rather damage off-road?

A few issues.

The passenger socket for the brake light needed massaging to accept the socket.

The brake light socket had a locating pin in the wrong location. One of them should have been higher to make sure the brake LED lit when you hit the brakes, and the running light lit when the lights were turned on.

Above is what it came with, a replacement socket pigtail that I bought. and a 1157 bulb. Look at the locating pins of the left side of each.

I also bought amber led bulbs for the turn signal since the replacement taillight had a clear lens in that location.

 

[06reg4x4]

Those look great. I want the smoked ones for mine. But finally have a good set of lights on it for now.

 

[duece71]

I decided to try AliExpress again and decided to pick up a set of LED taillights for cheap ($65).

View attachment 3652370

Someone suggested putting the factory originals away for safekeeping and putting these on instead. Which one would you rather damage off-road?

A few issues.

The passenger socket for the brake light needed massaging to accept the socket.

The brake light socket had a locating pin in the wrong location. One of them should have been higher to make sure the brake LED lit when you hit the brakes, and the running light lit when the lights were turned on.

View attachment 3652371

Above is what it came with, a replacement socket pigtail that I bought. and a 1157 bulb. Look at the locating pins of the left side of each.

View attachment 3652372

I also bought amber led bulbs for the turn signal since the replacement taillight had a clear lens in that location.

View attachment 3652373

I need to do this as well. Wrap up the originals and put them away in a safe place.

 

[NeverFinis]

New to me Sunroof motor arrived and now installed. Mine, the top one, had a broken limit switch.

While there, this overhead console looked bad...bromine + sunlight + time caused this to yellow. I can't think of anything else that has done this, except for the sunroof plastic trim.

Stripped down. You can see the original color.

Time for a Hydrogen Peroxide bath in sunlight. It is still in the bath and it appears to be working.

New front and rear driveshafts arrived. Here is the old front vs the new front drive shaft. Besides being 1.5" longer than stock, it is also thinner, which should help with any potential LS swap cleanance issues.

New gas tank lid because my gas tank lid hinge wasn't hinging.

 

[NeverFinis]

Pulled the overhead console out of the hydrogen peroxide sun bath. Before vs After.

New rear driveshaft installed with new Toyota bolts/washers/nuts.

New extended length front driveshaft installed with new Toyota bolts/washers/nuts. 33" vs 31.5" Stock.

Speaking of Toyota bolts, in many cases, their washers are substantial compared to regular washers. I will buy the specific Toyota bolt if it is available just due to the washers.
New Toyota bolts for the "front engine under cover." Check those thicc washers out.

 

[duece71]

Pulled the overhead console out of the hydrogen peroxide sun bath. Before vs After.

View attachment 3654231View attachment 3654232

New rear driveshaft installed with new Toyota bolts/washers/nuts.
View attachment 3654233

New extended length front driveshaft installed with new Toyota bolts/washers/nuts.
View attachment 3654234

Speaking of Toyota bolts, in many cases, their washers are substantial compared to regular washers. I will buy the specific Toyota bolt if it is available just due to the washers.
New Toyota bolts for the "front engine under cover." Check those thicc washers out.
View attachment 3654235

I need to get some new bolts and washers for the front under engine cover as well, mine look nasty but they still screw in true. I like the Hydrogen Peroxide bath idea, my overhead console doesn’t look too bad but why not give it a refresh?

 

[NeverFinis]

Out with the old

In with the new.

The old wiper motor was really noisy but worked, for now. However, PartSouq emailed me late last week that they just got one in stock.

Working on the A/C. Using a 3/8"-24 Male to M10-1.25 Male adapter to fit a newer style GM AC Pressure Sensor, which is used by the GM ECM.

The new adapter fitting has a Schrader type of valve, which means you should be able to replace the sensor without needing to evacuate the refrigerant. Nice!

Comparison of a trinary switch (top) to a 5V GM Pressure Sensor switch (bottom). The latter is used by the GM ECM.

Installed.

 

[NeverFinis]

I gotta clean up my wiring as I finalize the LS Swap part of my mechanical restoration...

A little better.

The open space above is where the Radius Airbox will mount.

Once I finished cleaning up the wiring, the engine wouldn't run. I could hear that the fuel pump wasn't being activated.

I traced it to an intermittent fuel pump 40 Amp relay, which is new.

Power is drawn from Toyota ignition with Key On, and triggered by the GM ECM. I could get the fuel pump to run if I wired the relay trigger directly to the battery, but it was still intermittent if I moved any of its wiring. It is rated for 40 Amps, which is part of the problem. It takes more power to trigger than a smaller 30 Amp relay. Even a 30 Amp Relay is overkill. Toyota uses a 15 Amp fuse for the fuel pump.

Here is the fix. A smaller 30 Amp relay with Deutsch connectors. Not shown, an inline 15 Amp fuse.

To Do:

Install Radius 4" Snorkel before Engine tuning.​

Tune the Engine​

Fix the brakes, a common problem with FZJ80/LX450s with ABS/LSPV​

Axle Maintenance (grease, bearings, new birfields).
Toyota AC isn't sending out an A/C Clutch trigger signal.
Some of the HVAC Blend doors don't seem to be working fully (floor/defrost).​

​

The latter two will require pulling the dash again.

 

[NeverFinis]

Brakes... I have replaced most of the brake lines, and the ABS wiring.

Procedure: Bleed...activate ABS...bleed...activate ABS...repeat forever...

Futile...

The FSM shows a procedure to activate and test the ABS actuator, but the FSM never shows how to actually bleed the ABS actuator. Maybe it is in the FSM somewhere, but I couldn't find it.

If you look closely at the FSM, the actuator checker has an "AIR BLEED" setting. Maybe this setting just runs the actuator motor and not any of the three solenoids? Maybe it runs all three at the same time with the actuator motor? No clue but I tried every combination.

What is currently working, as some have mentioned, is just driving fast and attempting to lock the brakes up on a slippery surface. I found out today that my gravel driveway has too much grip for weak brakes.

I ended up backing down a small grassy hill in my backyard, flooring it to drive back up, and slamming on the brakes when cresting the hill, getting slightly airborne... This did activate the ABS and did improve the brakes. The 6.0L V8 has a scary amount of power, compared to the anemic 1FZ-FE.

I will continue this new improved cycle tomorrow: Bleed, Dukes of Hazzard jump, Bleed, Dukes of Hazzard jump, repeat.

 

[NeverFinis]

The brakes are getting better but far from perfect. I have moved on and will circle back to brakes again eventually. Who knows, I might just dump the ABS/LSPV like everyone else.

Template for a 4" Radius Fabrication snorkel.

Lots and lots of trimming...fitting...trimming...fitting...

After cutting, I see this. Mice bedding...this is how they get in, via the water run off for the cowl, which is a straight path into the HVAC fresh air intake.

The inner fender had to be trimmed as well. Windlace makes my s***ty cuts look better.

I still have to make the connection from the snorkel to the Radius Fabrication LS air box.

 

[NeverFinis]

Finished up the air intake today. I had to do additional cutting to make room for the 4" elbow.

Air Intake

 

[NeverFinis]

Added an Equip Expeditions pocketed dash cover. My dash is original and in great shape. I hope to keep it that way.

Added Butyl and Foam sound deadeners to the back. Foam not shown, but was added on top of the Butyl.

Added butyl and foam to both quarter panels.

Final piece of carpet added but it was not for long...more later

Just learned about Pre-Bulb Nut Inserts (left). They have several other names like Plus Nut, Cross Nut, Multi-Grip Rivet-Nut. They have much more pullout strength compared to rivnuts (right). Both M6 shown.

Holding strength is important for mounting a heavy drawer system. You don't want them flying forward in an accident.

Plus Nut Installed.

Installation of the drawers

The carpet(and its insulation) had to come out because the drawers were sitting way too high. It isn't as if you will see the carpet anyway...

Drawers bolted down.

Drawers installed (hopefully for the final time).

Close up of the bottom of the drawers at the tailgate. I added open cell foam to the bottom lip of the drawer frame to close the gap.

I have not installed any vehicle interior trim yet. Trim will be done once everything else is done, like custom wiring.

 

[NeverFinis]

You plan on doing one project and ending up doing another..more mouse damage on the harness. This is inside the driver's rear quarter panel. I think this is the 4th or 5th time I have found insulation chewed away. I think the insulation isn't soy-based, so I am not sure why the damage.

Fix it now, or fix it later when you start having intermittent problems...

Marine-grade heat shrink tubing added. Marine-grade Tubing = Heat Shrink Tubing + Adhesive.

I have gotten very good at taking apart Toyota connectors.

Added Tesa tape to protect that section of the harness.

 

[stuntheavy]

How did your trans shifter mods work out? Are you happy with them?

 

[AussieHJCruza]

New to me Sunroof motor arrived and now installed. Mine, the top one, had a broken limit switch.
View attachment 3653646

While there, this overhead console looked bad...bromine + sunlight + time caused this to yellow. I can't think of anything else that has done this, except for the sunroof plastic trim.
View attachment 3653651

Stripped down. You can see the original color.
View attachment 3653652

Time for a Hydrogen Peroxide bath in sunlight. It is still in the bath and it appears to be working.
View attachment 3653653

New front and rear driveshafts arrived. Here is the old front vs the new front drive shaft. Besides being 1.5" longer than stock, it is also thinner, which should help with any potential LS swap cleanance issues.
View attachment 3653654

New gas tank lid because my gas tank lid hinge wasn't hinging.
View attachment 3653655

Question on the Hydrogen Peroxide bath, out of interest how long was it in there for and what concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide did you use please?

 

[NeverFinis]

How did your trans shifter mods work out? Are you happy with them?

It is workable, but I think there is too much slop in the cable. To get to Drive, I shift past Drive, and back to Drive. The transmission drive detent does line up with gear lever drive detent, but I have to push a bit pass Drive to get it over one detent to the other, if that makes sense...

The 3D mount I am using isn't the last version I made with the adjustable slots, which I could use to remove some of the cable slop.

Also, the transmission side of the cable seems way overly complicated and I have been thinking if GM designed a way to adjust the cable.

Question on the Hydrogen Peroxide bath, out of interest how long was it in there for and what concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide did you use please?

I used the off the shelf 3% version that sells for $1US and I exchanged the bath a couple of times since the peroxide is consumed. AFAIR, since it is sunlight activated, I did it over 2 days watching for change in color. It is a slow process.

 

[NeverFinis]

TMR recently had a sale and I took advantage and picked up a set of their alignment plates.

The axle had 1" toe-in. Truck had a new relay rod installed, but I didn't think I was that far off!

Toe-in is now 1/8" and it is good enough to get it to alignment shop if I wanted it more accurate.

I also centered the axle using the TMR plates (vs the frame rails), which required the axle to move 1/2" to the US driver's side. I will have to recheck oil pan clearance at some point.

I am back on brakes. I wanted to recheck brake master cylinder to brake booster clearance since I installed a new booster. @landtank has a tool to help. Originally, I used a micrometer since I didn't have the tool at the time.

You set it on the brake master cylinder, with the gasket installed.

Flip it around and check clearance on the booster.

The original gap, as set by my micrometer, was ten thousandths. Toyota FSM calls for 0 clearance.

Ten thousandths shouldn't be an issue but I did adjust it to close the gap.

When I was using the micrometer, I used a paint marker to check for contact to the brake master cylinder, which is why you see paint above.