New (to me) 100 series
- Thread starter Altaf
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- Thread starter
- #22
I would have chosen 285 IF the Silent Armors were available in a P rated tire but Goodyear only offers it in a LT rating. You can also go 275/70 if you want more lift without a larger footprint. I like the looks and offroad performance of meatier tires personally.
- Thread starter
- #23
Lloyd Rubbertite Floor Mats
I ordered a full set of Lloyd Rubbertite mats for $160. I know WeatherTech DigitalFit liners are the most popular around here but I thought I'd try the Lloyd's out since they looked interesting to me.
The mat color I ordered is IVORY (not tan) and is the closest match to the LX interior. Also the cargo mats were ordered without 3rd row seats option as I've removed the seats. One other thing when ordering is that they ask you if you have Navigation... not sure why that matters for floor mats but I chose 'Yes'.
The first thing you need to do after they arrive is air them out for a week as they have a very strong odor! The mats feel durable and have a good weight to them. I don't expect them to shift around but I'll report back if they do. Both front mats do have the cutout for the factory floor clips and they align up perfectly. I'd rate the carpet coverage for the front rows as 'Good', 2nd rows are 'Very Good' and rear cargo as 'Excellent'.
I ordered a full set of Lloyd Rubbertite mats for $160. I know WeatherTech DigitalFit liners are the most popular around here but I thought I'd try the Lloyd's out since they looked interesting to me.
The mat color I ordered is IVORY (not tan) and is the closest match to the LX interior. Also the cargo mats were ordered without 3rd row seats option as I've removed the seats. One other thing when ordering is that they ask you if you have Navigation... not sure why that matters for floor mats but I chose 'Yes'.
The first thing you need to do after they arrive is air them out for a week as they have a very strong odor! The mats feel durable and have a good weight to them. I don't expect them to shift around but I'll report back if they do. Both front mats do have the cutout for the factory floor clips and they align up perfectly. I'd rate the carpet coverage for the front rows as 'Good', 2nd rows are 'Very Good' and rear cargo as 'Excellent'.
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I like that third row mat! BTW, I love my Viair compressor. I ended up going with the 400P and it has been awesome to have on the trail and in the garage. It looks like you are having a good time pulling together your "recovery" bag. Love it!
Wow , it looks like you putting together a great set of tools. Plus its so clean on the inside.... I guess I need to wash mine or something.... The mats look good.
- Thread starter
- #26
Glad to hear the positive feedback on the Viair brand. This is the first compressor I've spent more than $15.
As much as I enjoy going off road, I'm a
when it comes to keeping the Cruiser clean. I've even thought about having the entire truck clear bra'd! 
But it was just a thought...
I like where you're going with this build!
Where did you buy your Lloyd mats?
Where did you buy your Lloyd mats?
- Thread starter
- #28
Thanks! You can buy these all-weather mats at Autoanything.com and use promo code WELCOME15 for 15% off.
Altaf:
Looking real good! You also owe it to yourself to take a run down to Iron Pig Offroad (IPOR) in Fredericksburg one weekday (if you haven't been there already). They have all kinds of cool cruiser stuff for sale in the front, and always have great trucks in the back to give you ideas.
Regards,
Looking real good! You also owe it to yourself to take a run down to Iron Pig Offroad (IPOR) in Fredericksburg one weekday (if you haven't been there already). They have all kinds of cool cruiser stuff for sale in the front, and always have great trucks in the back to give you ideas.
Regards,
- Thread starter
- #30
Thanks Louis, my build will be very mild compared to what's in your sig!
It's been a while since I went down to IPOR. It's great to have a Cruiser specialist around, and if I need something complicated done I would certainly consider them. You know how traffic is around here, it's tough to make it down that way, particularly during the weekday.
- Thread starter
- #31
Got around to installing MetalTech AHC compatible sliders a few weeks ago. Each slider is 70 lbs. The sliders came nicely powder coated in black 20% gloss (Cardinal paint code BK08). Because of past experience with rust developing on my 80 series sliders around the welds, I decided to add a few coats of black rattle can spray paint as PM. I found that Krylon Black Satin is an excellent match to the Metal Tech powdercoat.
Having two people is definitely a plus when installing sliders. It went pretty smooth but there are a couple of things to note:
1. Start the installation from the front of the Cruiser. On the inboard side of the frame there is a groove which you'll want the front slider bracket to fit into. The groove is on both the driver and passenger side's of the frame.
2. I had to remove the metal AHC actuator covers on the rear for the sliders to fit. The sliders cannot mount high enough on the frame with these covers still installed. Remove the two bolts on each cover and it comes right off. The covers cannot be used with MT sliders.
3. Before completely tightening down the bolts, check the alignment of the slider. As the bolts are tightened, the slider moves up closer to the body. On the LX470 there is a tab for the front mud guard/side steps that would get crushed if I had full tightened the bolts as shown in this pic.
4. Some people cut this tab but I decided to try and save it in case I wanted to revert back to stock for some crazy reason. There is enough wiggle room to push the slider towards the back of the Cruiser while still keeping the bracket in the frame groove I mentioned in step 1. Here is the result:
On my LX I found the sliders sit right up against the body on the front end and have about 1" gap from the body on the rear. Enjoy the pics.
Looking from front to back
Looking from back to front
Having two people is definitely a plus when installing sliders. It went pretty smooth but there are a couple of things to note:
1. Start the installation from the front of the Cruiser. On the inboard side of the frame there is a groove which you'll want the front slider bracket to fit into. The groove is on both the driver and passenger side's of the frame.
2. I had to remove the metal AHC actuator covers on the rear for the sliders to fit. The sliders cannot mount high enough on the frame with these covers still installed. Remove the two bolts on each cover and it comes right off. The covers cannot be used with MT sliders.
3. Before completely tightening down the bolts, check the alignment of the slider. As the bolts are tightened, the slider moves up closer to the body. On the LX470 there is a tab for the front mud guard/side steps that would get crushed if I had full tightened the bolts as shown in this pic.
4. Some people cut this tab but I decided to try and save it in case I wanted to revert back to stock for some crazy reason. There is enough wiggle room to push the slider towards the back of the Cruiser while still keeping the bracket in the frame groove I mentioned in step 1. Here is the result:
On my LX I found the sliders sit right up against the body on the front end and have about 1" gap from the body on the rear. Enjoy the pics.
Looking from front to back
Looking from back to front
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I'd lock that baby in high all the time 
Great looking LX!
Great looking LX!
looks very sharp...
- Thread starter
- #34
Bump It Offroad rear bumper
The 2003-2005 LX 470 and 2003-2004 Land Cruiser have integrated hitches in the bumper. Most aftermarket bolt-on bumpers don’t support the integrated hitch installations. I reached out to Mike at Bumpit Offroad and, after sending him measurements of the integrated hitch, he said he could craft a customized bumper which supports the hitch!
This was my first bumper and I was unsure how it installed. Mike explained the bumper bolts into existing frame holes that are used to attach a lower traditional tow hitch. When i checked my LX470 for these frame holes, here’s what I saw (excuse the mud):
The two arrows in the middle of the photo are pointing to the existing frame holes. Notice how the holes aren’t centered with the threaded openings below it. Usually this is caused by corrosion inside of the frame that is pushing the plate with the threads off-center. This would be a show stopper as the wings that are used to attach the bumper to these holes needs perfect alignment.
Thankfully Mike shipped me a pair of these wings so I could test fit them before placing the order. And lucky for me, the alignment of the threaded holes were perfect, so I just dremeled the outside metal to enlarge the opening. Good-to-go!
Here is the end result:
Bump It Offroad rear bumper
-Complete bolt on, no cutting or trimming
-Dual swing-out ready
-Supports OEM integrated bumper hitch
The 2003-2005 LX 470 and 2003-2004 Land Cruiser have integrated hitches in the bumper. Most aftermarket bolt-on bumpers don’t support the integrated hitch installations. I reached out to Mike at Bumpit Offroad and, after sending him measurements of the integrated hitch, he said he could craft a customized bumper which supports the hitch!
This was my first bumper and I was unsure how it installed. Mike explained the bumper bolts into existing frame holes that are used to attach a lower traditional tow hitch. When i checked my LX470 for these frame holes, here’s what I saw (excuse the mud):
The two arrows in the middle of the photo are pointing to the existing frame holes. Notice how the holes aren’t centered with the threaded openings below it. Usually this is caused by corrosion inside of the frame that is pushing the plate with the threads off-center. This would be a show stopper as the wings that are used to attach the bumper to these holes needs perfect alignment.
Thankfully Mike shipped me a pair of these wings so I could test fit them before placing the order. And lucky for me, the alignment of the threaded holes were perfect, so I just dremeled the outside metal to enlarge the opening. Good-to-go!
Here is the end result:
Bump It Offroad rear bumper
-Complete bolt on, no cutting or trimming
-Dual swing-out ready
-Supports OEM integrated bumper hitch
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- Thread starter
- #35
AHC with non-AHC rear springs and body armor
I’m a big fan of the AHC suspension that comes stock on the LX. It’s been working great even after installing on MetalTech sliders. However, after adding the Bump It Offroad rear bumper, the AHC didn’t work so well. The Cruiser could barely stay in the AHC “Normal” height position, often dropping down to “Low” mode. It’s only after I removed the 3rd row seats and spare tire could the AHC stay in Normal height. And forget about even trying to go into High mode, it wasn’t happening.
Here are the AHC ratings from Lexus:
Not ready to give up on the AHC, I decided to give it some better reinforcement - enter Toyota Land Cruiser non-AHC rear springs. Toyota part# 48231-6A690 (driver-side), # 48231-6A680 (passenger).
The 100 series non-AHC springs are designed to carry a much heavier load since there is no AHC to supplement it. So my non-scientific hypothesis was that the higher spring rating would be enough to support the additional weight of the rear bumper with AHC.
After installation, the hypothesis proved to be true. In fact, it can support significantly more weight than just the bumper. There is a trade-off with the ride quality though.
After installing the rear springs, the LX had a much bouncier ride. The springs did settle after a couple of weeks and even more so in the last 8 months. But the ride has definitely lost some of its butter smooth Lexus qualities.
It’s a stiff, firm ride out back, but the more weight you throw in the back, the more it rides like a Lexus. Just this past week I had over 900lbs of passengers, including 400lbs specifically in the 3rd row. I tested the AHC and was able to get into High mode! The overall drive was very compliant and never felt overloaded.
The photos from my post above with the Bump It Offroad bumper are with the non-AHC springs installed. And finally, I was able to test out this entire setup in Moab.
Where the rubber meets the off-road!
I’m a big fan of the AHC suspension that comes stock on the LX. It’s been working great even after installing on MetalTech sliders. However, after adding the Bump It Offroad rear bumper, the AHC didn’t work so well. The Cruiser could barely stay in the AHC “Normal” height position, often dropping down to “Low” mode. It’s only after I removed the 3rd row seats and spare tire could the AHC stay in Normal height. And forget about even trying to go into High mode, it wasn’t happening.
Here are the AHC ratings from Lexus:
"Height cannot be raised if the load exceeds the following limits:
Up to 4 occupants plus 661 lbs in NORMAL mode (1261 lbs)
Up to 4 occupants plus 375 lbs in the HIGH mode (975 lbs)
If the above load capacity is exceeded, the desired vehicle height may not be obtained even if the height select switch is pushed. (If the vehicle height cannot be raised in the normal mode and the height control indicator indicates “LO”, this is because the vehicle is loaded too heavily."
Up to 4 occupants plus 661 lbs in NORMAL mode (1261 lbs)
Up to 4 occupants plus 375 lbs in the HIGH mode (975 lbs)
If the above load capacity is exceeded, the desired vehicle height may not be obtained even if the height select switch is pushed. (If the vehicle height cannot be raised in the normal mode and the height control indicator indicates “LO”, this is because the vehicle is loaded too heavily."
Not ready to give up on the AHC, I decided to give it some better reinforcement - enter Toyota Land Cruiser non-AHC rear springs. Toyota part# 48231-6A690 (driver-side), # 48231-6A680 (passenger).
The 100 series non-AHC springs are designed to carry a much heavier load since there is no AHC to supplement it. So my non-scientific hypothesis was that the higher spring rating would be enough to support the additional weight of the rear bumper with AHC.
After installation, the hypothesis proved to be true. In fact, it can support significantly more weight than just the bumper. There is a trade-off with the ride quality though. After installing the rear springs, the LX had a much bouncier ride. The springs did settle after a couple of weeks and even more so in the last 8 months. But the ride has definitely lost some of its butter smooth Lexus qualities.
It’s a stiff, firm ride out back, but the more weight you throw in the back, the more it rides like a Lexus. Just this past week I had over 900lbs of passengers, including 400lbs specifically in the 3rd row. I tested the AHC and was able to get into High mode! The overall drive was very compliant and never felt overloaded. The photos from my post above with the Bump It Offroad bumper are with the non-AHC springs installed. And finally, I was able to test out this entire setup in Moab.
Where the rubber meets the off-road!
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Nice video, I'm guessing you were in high setting there?
- Thread starter
- #39
I measured the AHC pressure before and after installing the bumper and springs. The pressures were within spec prior to the bumper/springs and I recall they were within spec afterwards. It's been 8 months now so I'll check the pressures again and post up the results here.
