LX470 to LandCruiser Front/Nose Clip Conversion/Swap (1 Viewer)

[CBeckFJ]

At this point, once I dry fit everything and made sure everything fit to my satisfaction, I installed the LC hood and off to the body shop it went for paint. You don't need to have the fenders painted, but I had the body shop feather in the paint and throw on a couple layers of clear to match up the colors. If you don’t have the body shop paint the fenders, this is where the clear spray comes in, just make sure to mask the fenders off and spray the trimmed areas with clear to prevent it from rusting. Throw on a couple coats and let cure and you should be good.

View attachment 2505834
The LX at the bodyshop for some paint!

Once I got the Cruiser back, it was straight forward from there. It’s basically a plug and play bolt in; headlights installed easy peasy, the filler panel extensions, and hood mounted with ease, using all the factory mounting hardware. Reinstall all insulators, rubber seals, windshield washer plumbing, etc etc. I had all new clips ready to go, as I broke most of the old ones trying to remove the insulator and seals from the LX hood. The safety latch for the Land Cruiser hood installs easy, there is a predrilled hole, that you will need to have purchased one (1) additional 10mm bolt as listed above. No drilling or tapping required, the hole is already there. The safety latch uses one of the 10mm bolts for the hood lock/latch as well. See picture below.

View attachment 2505838
The new LC safety catch will mount using these holes. As stated before, one bolt is shared with the hood latch and the other is a pretapped hole for an additional 10mm.

View attachment 2505836
Dry fit everything one more time before bolting everything down nice and tight. Make sure all clearances with the hood alignment are proper as well..

IMPORTANT: I liked the ‘05 grill design better than the ‘06 and so decided to use it with the ‘06+ headlights. I can attest to the fact that the 03-05 grill is NOT compatible with the 06 headlights. I assume the mounting points on the 03-05 headlights are in slightly different locations than the 06. When fitting the 05 grill to the 06 headlights, the mounting holes did not line up, and there were uneven gaps at the lower corners on either side of the grill. I used zip ties to hold the grill in place, and had to enlarge the hole in the filler panel so the grill could be adjusted. I also had to dremel parts of it away to clear the headlight mounting brackets. And even then, it's not a 100% factory fit. I will be changing out to the ‘06 grill down the line.. Once you have the front facia installed, the LX bumper can be used with the LC front clip. All holes line up and the pop up clips can be reused (provided you didn't break any of the old brittle clips when uninstalling). See pictures below.

View attachment 2505841
Almost done! Still need to install the hood insulator and seals and clips etc. But pretty much 90% done. The body shop stripped my hood shock mounting holes, so I had to retap the holes before installing new cylinders. . I also noticed the adhesive between the hood skeleton and the outside panel had come apart resulting in severe rattling when driving. This was easily remedied with clear silicone, that I reapplied in all the exact same factory locations.

Wiring is pretty simple; although it is important to note that the LX and LC use different headlight and indicator bulbs and sockets. The LX indicators are in the lower bumper while the LC indicators are in the headlight housing. I bought the indicator bulb sockets from my local Toyota dealer and drew leads from the indicator in the bumper up to the corner lamp of the new headlight housing. The indicator bulb in the LC is a double filament bulb, one for parking lamp (which the LX has) and one for the indicator. And YES it does matter which filament is used for the indicator and which for the parking lamp. I had them reversed initially and I had the indicator trigger wire wired to the parking lamp filament, and it was so dim you could not tell it was blinking… reverse them and good to go! This is also where the 3 prong pigtail from Amazon comes in. The LX uses a two prong since only the parking light is in the corner housing. The LC has a 3 prong as it has both an indicator and parking light in the corner housing.

For the headlights, the LX uses an H4 halogen bulb while the LC uses a 9006 bulb; the female plug will not work. For this, I was able to buy a 9006 female pigtail off Amazon and wire the new plug to the existing LX headlight wires. Pretty simple, just one power, one ground. The LX and LC both use the same high beam bulb, so that's just an easy plug and play, and the LX bulb plugs right into the LC 06+ headlamp housing.

Once you’ve got everything wired up and mounted, you’re done!

View attachment 2505843
All done! (Yes I know this is probably the most controversial front facia ever... but LX, LC, basically the same right? )

Hope this helps, I had fun with this little project.

How'd you swap the Lexs emblem over? Thats the one thing I have left to do

 

[Justanothermember]

How'd you swap the Lexs emblem over? Thats the one thing I have left to do

Ah, I wish I would have taken more photos so I could have included that part in the write up too, but I was on a roll and forgot! . After taking some measurements, I realized, the LX badge was significantly larger than the Toyota "T" badge, so it could not be used. I found that a 98-03 GS300/400/430 grill badge is pretty close to the same dimensions and is an extruded "L" type badge like the LX badge (not a flat badge glued to the grill). I then took a Dremel to the Toyota grill no going back now.. pried the chrome "T" badge off leaving the skeleton behind. I used the dremel to basically cut all the "T skeleton away, leaving a large "O" shaped opening in the grill - test fitting the GS "L" badge as I went. Its not an exact fit, so you will have to keep trimming away with the Dremel slowly, careful to leave just enough lip and not to cut too much away or there will be no surface left to adhere too. I beat up the grill pretty bad, scraping off the "T" badge and the new "L" badge was not large enough to cover the scrapes unfortunately, so it was off the hardware store to find a spray paint color close enough to the OEM finish. I took the grill with me to my local Home Depot to compare the grill color to the spray paints, and picked up 2-3 different shades of gray, and tested the colors on some plastic board I had laying around. I could not get a 100% match to OEM finish or color, buuuuut even up close, I don't think you can tell the difference; unless you had another grill sitting right next to it. After paint, I then glued the "L"badge in using clear epoxy around the edges; wiped up the excess around the edges, and you're golden! The whole process took me a few days working on it a few hours a night. Pretty simple mod, but came out nice!

 

[Eighteen11R]

Have you seen any noticeable improvement with your LC OEM headlights over the LX projectors?

 

[CBeckFJ]

Have you seen any noticeable improvement with your LC OEM headlights over the LX projectors?

I noticed huge improvement with my LC headlights over my LX. That was actually the main reason I swapped the front end. My LX lights were fogged and chipped, so the glass of the LC was a perfect fit. Plus more options for LED bulbs, etc

 

[Justanothermember]

Have you seen any noticeable improvement with your LC OEM headlights over the LX projectors?

My plan was to retrofit the headlamps with Morimoto Projectors, which I still have yet to do... so for the time being I used the el cheapo bulbs from autozone, which are extremely dim since they were only supposed to be temporary... going on 7 months now. So I currently cannot attest to any improvement. Actually the current bulbs are much worse than the H4 bulbs that were in my LX lamps. I credit this mostly to the cheapy bulbs im currently using though..

 

[MaineiacMoose]

Any guess if a lc filler bar would work with lx headlights?

 

[Justanothermember]

Any guess if a lc filler bar would work with lx headlights?

Well in comparing the two, there are differences between the LC and LX filler panel (as pictured in the 1st or 2nd post). The 06+ LC filler panel does NOT have the brackets that the LX headlamp bezels would usually screw to.. I suppose you could fab something up and weld something on if you do not have access to an LX filler panel; although I would suggest just trying to track one down as it would probably save you a lot of time and headache. I bought a brand new OEM Genuine Toyota part online for $75, so cost wise it's not too bad; I elected to go with new cause yes, trying to locate a used one was time consuming and probably would not have saved me much in the end.

 

[MaineiacMoose]

Well in comparing the two, there are differences between the LC and LX filler panel (as pictured in the 1st or 2nd post). The 06+ LC filler panel does NOT have the brackets that the LX headlamp bezels would usually screw to.. I suppose you could fab something up and weld something on if you do not have access to an LX filler panel; although I would suggest just trying to track one down as it would probably save you a lot of time and headache. I bought a brand new OEM Genuine Toyota part online for $75, so cost wise it's not too bad; I elected to go with new cause yes, trying to locate a used one was time consuming and probably would not have saved me much in the end.

You wouldn't happen to have the LX filler panel would you? . If you don't mind what did you call the part when you were searching for it online? I can't seem to find it anywhere.

Thanks
Maineiac

 

[Justanothermember]

You wouldn't happen to have the LX filler panel would you? . If you don't mind what did you call the part when you were searching for it online? I can't seem to find it anywhere.

Thanks
Maineiac

Still have it, but want to keep it together as an LX nose clip for someone else . I just havent gotten around to posting it yet... need to do that.. And Toyota calls it the "Filler Panel" I searched for wrecked Land Cruisers in my area hoping to find one with a front end intact no go.. So I went ahead and bought everything brand new. Only used parts I sourced were the hood and the grill as those parts are pretty expensive new from Toyota. I am not 100% sure if the 98-05 LX filler panels are the same as the 06-07? I would think they're all the same since the LX didnt change much except for the grill design. BUT if that is the case then you would be able to pull that panel off any LX with an intact front clip.

 

[Justanothermember]

You wouldn't happen to have the LX filler panel would you? . If you don't mind what did you call the part when you were searching for it online? I can't seem to find it anywhere.

Thanks
Maineiac

I guess Lexus calls it an "Upper Reinforcement Bar" but here you go:

Lexus LX 98-02 Upper Reinforcement Bar PN: 52029-60010

52029-60010 - Upper Reinforced - 1998-2002 Lexus LX470 | DiscMonster

Upper Reinforced - 5202960010. Genuine Lexus® Parts & Accessories. Manufacturer Warranty. From the Dealership to your Door. Experts standing by.

www.discountpartsmonster.com

Lexus LX 03-07 Upper Reinforcement Bar PN: 53906-60061

53903-60061 - Upper Reinforced - 2003-2007 Lexus LX470 | MyLexusParts

2003-2007 Lexus LX470 - Upper Reinforced - 5390360061. Genuine Lexus® Parts & Accessories. Manufacturer Warranty. From the Dealership to your Door.

www.mylparts.com

I guess Lexus parts cost a little bit more than Toyota parts , but hope this helps!

 

[OEMGUY0720]

This is growing on me now. Had to really stare at that front end, visually stimulating if I may say. Nonetheless, awesome job mate. I’m willing to pay to see the faces of the guys at the dealership when you bring it in (for jokes only) for a warranty claim.

 

[CBeckFJ]

This is growing on me now. Had to really stare at that front end, visually stimulating if I may say. Nonetheless, awesome job mate. I’m willing to pay to see the faces of the guys at the dealership when you bring it in (for jokes only) for a warranty claim.

I brought mine in for recall and the guy at the desk was like " we only do work on Lexus products" and I proceded to tell him that it was actually a Lexus with a Toyota front end. He just stared at me in shock

 

[MaineiacMoose]

I guess Lexus calls it an "Upper Reinforcement Bar" but here you go:

Lexus LX 98-02 Upper Reinforcement Bar PN: 52029-60010

52029-60010 - Upper Reinforced - 1998-2002 Lexus LX470 | DiscMonster

Upper Reinforced - 5202960010. Genuine Lexus® Parts & Accessories. Manufacturer Warranty. From the Dealership to your Door. Experts standing by.

www.discountpartsmonster.com

Lexus LX 03-07 Upper Reinforcement Bar PN: 53906-60061

53903-60061 - Upper Reinforced - 2003-2007 Lexus LX470 | MyLexusParts

2003-2007 Lexus LX470 - Upper Reinforced - 5390360061. Genuine Lexus® Parts & Accessories. Manufacturer Warranty. From the Dealership to your Door.

www.mylparts.com

I guess Lexus parts cost a little bit more than Toyota parts , but hope this helps!

Thank you so much.

 

[chogunn]

hmm... this LX -> LC conversion but sub in the 7" round headlight buckets and new grill from landcruisergrilles ... lets see how close car-part thinks a black LC hood is to everett..
Thanks for posting!

 

[TxNative00]

hmm... this LX -> LC conversion but sub in the 7" round headlight buckets and new grill from landcruisergrilles ... lets see how close car-part thinks a black LC hood is to everett..
Thanks for posting!

I'm actually considering doing this to my 04 LX470. I think the 7" light profile has so many great options. I'm tired of my lights and I drive constantly in the mountains at night. Having better lights would be amazing.

 

[Berkut10r]

@Mdej3 are you up for this?

 

[mazdababy]

Just performed the swap myself using this and wanted to say thank you for such an excellent and well written guide!
One note - I used a 2006-2007 grill on my LX, and noticed the top center mounting point for the grill does not exist on the LX. I have ordered them but have not installed them yet, but AFAIK, these two parts are needed to utilize that mounting point;

Lock Support 53209-60091
High Mount Grill Grommet 90189-04014

 

[Justanothermember]

Nice!! Thanks for the part numbers, and info! I will need these when i swap my 05 grill for the correct 06-07 grill. Glad my write helped you out, looks awesome!

 

[Berkut10r]

Just performed the swap myself using this and wanted to say thank you for such an excellent and well written guide!
One note - I used a 2006-2007 grill on my LX, and noticed the top center mounting point for the grill does not exist on the LX. I have ordered them but have not installed them yet, but AFAIK, these two parts are needed to utilize that mounting point;

Lock Support 53209-60091
High Mount Grill Grommet 90189-04014


View attachment 3103245

Oh i see. Well i will tell you what, Sir. You post another picture of this project of yours and i will report you for posting porn . #blueinthefacewithenvy

 

[NE Snowman]

This is awesome, the quads are growing on me the more I see them but damn the LC front looks mint on the LX imo.