Recently picked up a well-loved 2000 LX470 to take my family a bit farther afield here in Northwestern Ontario.
It’s been great so far for getting in and out of the backcountry.
The previous owner installed custom rear drawers, a dual-battery setup, and a 2” lift/AHC delete.
I’ve since added an Ironman bumper, winch, and 285/75R17 Toyo Open Countries.
I’ve got two questions for the Mud brain trust:
1. Front torsion bars with Ironman bumper + winch
Pretty sure the torsion bars are stock, but I’m not 100% certain. The truck still has what looks like a normal amount of rake, but I haven’t measured hub-to-fender yet. The front end does feel soft with more brake dive than I expected — though it is an older, heavy truck, so I’m not sure what’s “normal” anymore.
Question:
With the added bumper/winch weight, should I plan to crank the existing bars or just replace them?
And what’s the easiest way to confirm whether my torsion bars are OEM or aftermarket?
2. DRL / high-beam tap for bi-LED retrofit
Up here it’s dark this time of year, so I’m doing a Morimoto M-LED retrofit on a fresh set of headlights.
Canadian-spec LX470s run the DRLs off the high beams at reduced voltage (around 6V), and when the actual high beams kick in they get the full 12V.
The issue:
If I simply grab a high-beam splitter for the trigger, the 6V DRL feed will still fire the bi-LED solenoid. I want to keep DRLs (both for safety and because they’re required here), but I don’t want them triggering the actuator.
Question:
Where exactly is the cleanest place to tap a true 12V-only high-beam signal so the DRLs don’t backfeed into the bi-LED trigger?
Similarly I’m probably going to add some driving lights to the bumper, I’ll want a tap location for the relay so they fire with my high beams. (With an over ride switch in the cab of course)
Appreciate any guidance — trying to get this truck properly dialed to not let me down on some winter adventures.
It’s been great so far for getting in and out of the backcountry.
The previous owner installed custom rear drawers, a dual-battery setup, and a 2” lift/AHC delete.
I’ve since added an Ironman bumper, winch, and 285/75R17 Toyo Open Countries.
I’ve got two questions for the Mud brain trust:
1. Front torsion bars with Ironman bumper + winch
Pretty sure the torsion bars are stock, but I’m not 100% certain. The truck still has what looks like a normal amount of rake, but I haven’t measured hub-to-fender yet. The front end does feel soft with more brake dive than I expected — though it is an older, heavy truck, so I’m not sure what’s “normal” anymore.
Question:
With the added bumper/winch weight, should I plan to crank the existing bars or just replace them?
And what’s the easiest way to confirm whether my torsion bars are OEM or aftermarket?
2. DRL / high-beam tap for bi-LED retrofit
Up here it’s dark this time of year, so I’m doing a Morimoto M-LED retrofit on a fresh set of headlights.
Canadian-spec LX470s run the DRLs off the high beams at reduced voltage (around 6V), and when the actual high beams kick in they get the full 12V.
The issue:
If I simply grab a high-beam splitter for the trigger, the 6V DRL feed will still fire the bi-LED solenoid. I want to keep DRLs (both for safety and because they’re required here), but I don’t want them triggering the actuator.
Question:
Where exactly is the cleanest place to tap a true 12V-only high-beam signal so the DRLs don’t backfeed into the bi-LED trigger?
Similarly I’m probably going to add some driving lights to the bumper, I’ll want a tap location for the relay so they fire with my high beams. (With an over ride switch in the cab of course)
Appreciate any guidance — trying to get this truck properly dialed to not let me down on some winter adventures.