Builds Mudhorn’s build thread - ‘16 GX460 premium (1 Viewer)

[Haigami]

Hello there. Wanted to start a build thread for my 2016 GX460 to document my progress with the rig as well as share ideas. This is my first venture into off-roading and overlanding. Building this so I can take the family on some adventures. By all means I’m no pro when it comes to fab or installs however I do try to complete as much as I can on my own to get to know the GX. I’ve had the GX since January this year and so far I love it. I’ll post each item I’ve installed and give a little more info if I feel it may help someone out through their own mod
Hope you all enjoy.

More pics on instagram @mudhorn_nw_pra.gx

Pics for attention and how it sits right now
Mods so far:
Ironman foamcell pro lift -performance load
Ironman UCA’s
SCS Ray 10 17x8.5 -10
Tires - falken Wildpeaks E 285/70/17
BMC
Ironman premium bull bar
Rugged Ridge XHD swingout tire carrier (for Jeep JK)
Nash fab Co ladder

 

[Haigami]

My GX came with Fsport wheels but I knew exactly what I wanted. I’ve always wanted SCS Ray 10’s no matter which rig I ended up going with. Originally I wanted a Tacoma but then again, we already have a pick up. Getting groceries suck with two kids in a pick up.
I ordered my SCS Ray 10’s in what was Matte grey on their website. I was expecting it to be darker of a grey however they showed up light grey. At first I was super disappointed but they’ve grown on me. I like the almost factory color scheme. Got tires for the wheels from America’s tire and was set up with Falken Wildpeaks AT3 E rated. 285/70/17. Loaded them all in the back of the GX to size them up. Couldn’t drive away with them installed because o would need a body mount chop.

 

[Haigami]

I decided to go with Ironman for my lift kit. I liked that they were beefier than others and for a good price range too. Went with the foam cell pros front and rear.
For this install I needed to do an air bag delete but didn’t want to pay almost $200 for the kit. So I found out that I could use a Jeep upper isolators and the rage one metal tech air bag delete which just had the lower puck isolators. This saved me a few bucks.

Moog K160061
Metal tech air bag delete

I installed the lift once I got it in and built up enough courage to try it on my own. Hardest part was fighting with the sway bar in the front when trying to get it back in. I did try to go through the install like in the Ironman YouTube video without undoing the LCA but ultimately it was way easier to get the new coil overs in from the UCAs.
I did disengage KDSS the way they described in the instructions. No errors with it.
Rears were super easy with just lifting the rig on jack stands and using the jack to lift the opposite side.

 

[Haigami]

I totally forgot about my ladder. I added the ladder while I was waiting for the weather to get better to do my lift. Found James Nash on Facebook through the GXOR group. He has made a ladder for the 470 so I reached out. He needed someone to lend him a GX so he could size it up and create one for the 460. I was supper happy to be able to do that as it’s my contribution to the GX community lol. He designed two ladders. A side ladder and a rear ladder that folds down to allow the rear window to still be used. I went with the rear for now. May end up going with the side ladder if I ever end up with jerry cans in the rear or something.
I added in a pic of the side for those who may want it. I highly recommend Nashfac Co. he’s a cool dude and does great work.

 

[Haigami]

I couldn’t drive it much with just the lift. Tires were rubbing the body mount. I didn’t do a alignment right after the lift because I new I would be in my body’s shop to do the UCAs and BMC anyways. So I just waited till my Ironman UCSs showed up. They were on back order.
Installed Ironman UCAs and did a body mount chop with plates by Metal Tech. My buddy does amazing work and helped me out. Shop is Mach1 Motorsports in Oregon. I highly recommend you see him if your in the area.

 

[Haigami]

Alright next up was the Ironman bumper install. I want planning on getting a full armored front bumper so soon but came across a great deal.
First off the instructions are pretty much useless for the Lexus GX because they’re for a Prado. That being said it’s pretty straight forward though.
Things that I had to figure out while doing the installs that I didn’t find in researching/peeping for it were; I needed to loosen or remove the lower radiator bolts in order tog at the brackets in place. This gave me wiggle room to get them in properly. I also had to run to Ace hardware to get a rubber hose as well. This was to wrap around the power steering lines are they run the pinch weld and new bracket (it’s a tight fit). Also the brackets for the parking sensors poke the sensor out past the bumper so I found on mud that some foam tape can fill in the gap nicely. That worked well.
it was just me doing this because of covid so couldn’t have a buddy come over to help. I had a mini fold out table that I was able to get just the right height to hold the metal bumper on to test fit and measure the gaps for the oem bumper cover.
No winch yet, it’s on the list though. I still need to do final touches on the bumper like cut just a little bit more off to allow for a gap and flex. Also have some rubber bumper trim to install but that’s about it.

 

[Haigami]

Tire Carrier - ok I thinks this is what people want to see lol. I saw an original post by Scott H. on GXOR Facebook group where he used a Jeep Jk tire carrier for his 470. It was a great idea and I was in the same boat where I didn’t want to pay $600 + for a spare tire solution. So his post is what inspired me to try it on the 460. I wanted something that looks pretty factory and didn’t need an extra step to open the rear door. Wife would of been pissed. Plus I’m still on the fence about a rear bumper. I’d like to just trim it at some point and have someone weld me a tube mini bumper for the 460.
Any ways here’s the mod and steps below

 

[Haigami]

The swing out is a for a Jeep JK and made by rugged ridge. Here’s the eBay posting I purchased it from:
Rugged Ridge 11546.25 XHD tire carrier genII swing

Rugged Ridge 11546.25 XHD Tire Carrier Gen II Swing and Lock For 07-18 Jeep JK | eBay

XHD Tire Carrier, Gen II, Swing and Lock For 07-18 Jeep Wrangler JK. Fits 07-18 Jeep Wrangler. WARNING : This product can expose you to chemicals including Styrene, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer.

www.ebay.com

Got some scrap pieces of steel from the local steel yard. Spent about $25 in steel because they sell those scraps by the lb.

First up was just taking the rear bumper cover off and getting to the bumper core to see where I could mount the spindle bracket. Took a long piece of 1/4 or 3/16 steel that would extend the bracket and give support under the spindle. There’s not enough cross member to solely support the bracket.

 

[Haigami]

I used a threaded drill bit I got from Home Depot to drill into the crossmember to secure the steel from the top down that I had supporting the bracket. It’s a M10 fit but I may hunt down a larger bit for M12 to allow for a larger bolt. Also if anyone knows of bolts and strengths please let me know which bolts I should be siding for maximum strength. TIA.

Threaded M10 drill bit:

Milwaukee SHOCKWAVE Metric Steel Drill Tap Set (5-Piece)-48-89-4875 - The Home Depot

The MILWAUKEE® SHOCKWAVE™ 5 Piece Metric Impact Drill Tap Set taps and drills at the same time. The bits feature 24 threads per inch and are intended for use in up to 1/4" metal and have laser etched

www.homedepot.com

 

[Haigami]

I just laid down a few bolts to hold it together to fit the bumper cover back on to see where I had to cut to make room for the spindle under the bumper cover. Also, I had to cut away a corner of the bracket because it pokes out too far to accommodate for the curvature of the rear bumper cover. I also took off a corner of the support piece under the spindle because the parking sensor had too much downward pressure on it from the bracket when mounted. In the picture I cut about where the red line was on the bracket itself and even more on the support steel I added to allow for more clearance for the parking sensor. So you’ll only use the hole one the right.

 

[Haigami]

For the bracket that goes on the tail gate to catch the swingout, I had to remove the lower chrome trim since even though I had the spindle out and away from the tail gate as much as I could. It was still extremely close to the rear door. I personally like how tucked in and close it is but on the 460 the door and license plate trim curves in downward and gets in the way. I’ll hack it up and will add the chrome back to the left side where I can. In the mean time I’ll cut and make a custom plastic piece to cover the hole left by removing the chrome.
I was done drilling a hole into the tailgate there because I wasn’t on the skin of the door where I could see it if I changed my mind and abandoned this project. The license plate trim and plate covered that area. I found a bushing that would fit a M12 bolt that was 2 inches long to cover the gap between the inside of the door and the bracket to make it sit flush. Used large washers on the inside to spread out the pressure on the door. It’s not supporting the full weight of the tire downward as the spindle and elbow of the arm is supporting the weight so I think I’m good with just the oversized washers. When the swing out is closed, I had the bracket a little too high so it would cause the bracket to aim down and in a little bit since it wasn’t flush with the door so I added in thick rubber horse made piece to add protection and fill in the space to not allow any movement. This really strengthened the bracket. Pretty much zero wiggle.

 

[Haigami]

Recommendation, the bracket that goes on the rear door; I’d have it low enough to match where the rod end will go to be level. I didn’t want to drill more holes to relocate. Plus when my door is open the rod end supports a little bit of the arm and tire weight. Not enough for me to be concerned about though. Also one of my rod end should have two lock jam nuts however one cross threaded so I couldn’t get it on there so I’m just rocking one jam nut. Luckily the rod doesn’t need to extend out too far so I just have it all the way to one side and the other jam nut holds it in place.

 

[Haigami]

Here are some pics of it open with a tire.

 

[Haigami]

All in all I’m really happy with the way this turned out. I just got extra gorilla tire nuts to mount the spare. Keep in mind if you use the carrier plate that comes with the Jeep kit, the treads are for a Jeep so 12x.5 and not 12x1.5 like our GX. I have a carrier plate from cbi that eventually I’ll cut up to try to bolt to the carrier to allow for all three studs but for now just the two are working out good enough.
Next up is extending the wires to relocate my back up camera.

 

[Gx460sd]

I like the use of the cavity left behind by the right reflector for the spindle. It's like it was meant to be there

 

[Haigami]

I like the use of the cavity left behind by the right reflector for the spindle. It's like it was meant to be there

Yeah it’s almost like it should be. That light is pretty much a waste of space since it only houses a reverse light. I wish there was no light there like the Prado but what you going to do. Lol. I’m going to cut down the light on o fit back into the hole to cover it up for now.

 

[ppc]

@Haigami, would it be possible to post a short video of showing the door/tire carrier opening and extending? TIA

 

[Tex68w]

I've been following along on IG as well. Your build is coming together nicely.

 

[Haigami]

I've been following along on IG as well. Your build is coming together nicely.

Thank you. I’m sure am happy with it. When the rig was stock and I was trying to envision it, wasn’t quite too sure how it would turn out. But I’m loving it now.

 

[Haigami]

@Haigami, would it be possible to post a short video of showing the door/tire carrier opening and extending? TIA

Let me see how to get it on here. Looks like I have to host it somewhere else. Will let ya know.