LX470 body swap to LC drivetrain

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Jordan345

Jordan345

10 Year
Joined
Nov 11, 2011
Threads
22
Messages
390
Location
Kamloops
I am in the midst of working out some options to get my cruiser back into where I want the body to be. I have a terrific lc100 (2001) - see signature for build specs.. I also have a lx470 (1998) that I bought as a spare. the lx has 300K miles, but runs really well. beautiful inside and out.. the lc has been my wheeling beast for the past few years and it has every body panel beat to hell. mechanically the LC is champ.. I've spent a lot of time and money ensuring it never lets me down and gets treated with all the right care.

my options were to do the body work and pull panels/doors off the lx and throw them on the lc. lots of shop time to do the welding, brazing, cutting, body work, painting etc (talking rear quarter panels mainly).. doors are straight forward and front fenders not a big deal.. also the lx has never been wheeled and is meticulous inside.. carpets stunning, sets excellent and nice wood appoint stuff that lexus is known for.. AND NO NAV:)..

This was my plan until today.. I had been chatting with a local cruiser guru here and he simply suggested a body swap from the lx to the lc. he figures a weekend of work and that's it..

I got to thinking from a cost perspective this is by FAR superior to body work and maintains he integrity of the sheet metal. on the other hand, there are differences between a 98 and 2001 that concern me from an electronics standpoint. i.e.
  • VSC (Vehicle Skid Control) added
  • A-TRAC (Active Traction Control) added
  • EBD (Electronic Brake Force Distribution) added

I haven't looked into compare the fuse boxes, but it looks like I will have to swap over the brake booster with master cylinder with VSC, add the ABS computer with skid control, and CPU- engine computer..

Has anyone ever done this? Are there any other things that need to be swapped over?? would the ECU be included?
 
Jordan345 said:
...he figures a weekend of work and that's it..
Click to expand...

I think that is underestimated, unless you have ten guys pulling and reinstalling.
 
That may be and I tend to agree with you, but coming from a mechanic who exclusively works on landcruisers and has done swaps on 40's, 60's, many70's a few 80's, he seems to think it could be done over a couple full days. I wouldn't doubt it would take at least 3 days if not 4.. regardless, the cost aspect is a factor 10 cheaper than the body work.. I'm not too concerned over an extra day or two of shop time.
 
Just sell them both and buy the one you want... Franken-cruiser sounds like a nightmare
 
^ Sounds like a good idea. I'm sure it's perfectly doable on the same/similar year and same model, but I bet it would be a disaster trying to match up harnesses and ECU's where the features are different on a LC v. a LX.

If your LX is nice, why not swap your aftermarket parts to it and drive it? Sell your beat up cruiser and move on.
 
^THIS sounds like a smarter, simpler option to me. Your LC doesn't even look all that beat up from your trail pics - why not just leave it alone and keep wheeling it like it obviously wants to be? I was thinking it was really bad like from a couple flops/rollover.
 
I'm sure it's possible, but that does sound intense... maybe less so if both had VSC/ATRAC. Anyway, I'm with @highonpottery, just exocage it and keep on trucking. When it's REALLY done, then just swap the build over to the LX and go hard again.

Let's see some pics of how beat it is. Are you embarrassed to drive it? Or what's the problem?
 
To be honest, yes i am a little embarrassed to drive it to work.. I am an executive in the mining industry and it isn't really that fitting of the role :).. nonetheless, the lx is fine, although it has 300,000 miles on it. although it runs fine for now, a swap of drivetrain parts to the lx is way more time intensive.. dual batts, wiring, on board air, on board hot water, lockers, remote resi's, skid plates, sliders, custom frame mods, upper and lower custom uca's, aftermarket discs, custom panhard mounts, snorkel, body lift, diff drop, all new and freshed drivetrain parts, timing belt, rad etc etc etc etc.. mechanically it has been really really well looked after - my intention is long term, and if i compare to the lx, it has only seen half its service life (at a minimum) with about 140K miles. I am good friends with Wayne Smith (cruiser guru on mud, lives close to me here) and he does quite a bit of work on restoring/building quality cruisers - never seen him touch 80's or 100's really, but tons of 70's, 40', 60's etc.. the advice i get is wheel the snot out of it and don't worry, but i would like to maintain a nice looking cruiser and tone down the hard wheeling to maintain the body..

and did i mention the lx doesn't have the nav?? :)..i hate the nav on the lc..

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Yikes, that c-pillar and quarter panel. I'd see about getting that fixed (if it can be done without cutting it out) just so you don't have water intrusion, and keep driving it. Doesn't look that bad. Why not drive the nice looking LX to work?
 
You are too logical. I do drive the Lexus to work. And sometimes the tundra. I got a quote on the c pillar and quarter panel - they recommend cutting out and replacing panel. 800 bucks for panel and 1000 labour and paint. 1800 for one frigging part of many panels. The Lexus swap was 2 days, but to be safe 3. Day rate of mechanic is 250. So 750 for the lx and 750 for the lc. 1500 total and all new sheet metal, no compromising by reprinting or body work and upgraded interior.

This is the way I am seeing it. Oh, and btw, the truck is dirty so you can't see the lumps across each side and heavy scratching.
 
I think it's a good idea as long as you swap in the right parts. I have an 01lx and a 99 lc and I was really surprised when I bought the lc how many wiring harnesses there were for components that weren't even an option back then (e.g. ahc).
 
$250 day rate for a mechanic to do a body swap??? s*** that's $30/hr that's 1/3-1/4 what most place would charge. That makes it a little more interesting but I would just leave the LC the way it is and drive the LX when you want a nice car. You can wheel the LC and have a much fun as you want.
 
Dang, that thing looks great to me, one of the best used 100's I've seen. If you got hit, I'd be embarrassed, but you worked hard for those badges! After your post about prices, that body swap is sounding pretty good...

Edit: part out the LX after and make some money back?
 
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