New To Me 2006 LC100

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

S

ShirazAddict

10 Year
Joined
Apr 30, 2012
Threads
15
Messages
101
Location
Pasadena, CA
Just picked this up last week from a LC enthusiast (3 Cruisers) in Salt Lake & drove it home (Pasadena). $24k for 95k miles & all dealer service records (meticulous). Absolutely love it. I previously owned a 82 FJ40 when I was working as a construction diver down in Houston in the early '90s, but this is an entirely different beast altogether. Previous owner had the ARB put on after an unfortunate deer collision, and the body shop did a great job matching the paint to trim (and he did the wheels as well). This is going to be a family expedition type vehicle in addition to an almost-daily driver. Previous vehicle to this was a 2009 Mercedes GL320, and to be honest I thought I would be stepping down in ride quality & fit (getting rid of the MBZ b/c depreciation moving forward is about $1k/month, its been in the shop 5x in the last month with suspension & electrical issues, and I'm not about to drop $5k on an extended warranty....and I can sell it for almost 2x what I paid for the '06 LC), but not the case. Coming back from SLC put the ride setting on Comfort & it was awesome. I make the LA-SLC-LA trip often, and the MBZ ride is harsh compared to the LC (and the MBZ has the air suspension). The only thing that sucks vs the MBZ is the gas mileage---averaged 13.8 coming back from SLC, averaging 80 mph (lead foot, I know).

Upcoming mods, all thanks to Mud forum (where I'm spending way too much time learning): interior LEDs ordered. Rear hatch LEDs ordered. Front ARB recovery tabs received. White Knuckle full DOM sliders in hand & getting powder coated next week (along with the stock 18" wheels (which were painted to match bumper by body shop); going a dark graphite to keep the colors in the gray family. Working on rear bumper & rack options as have some ideas/needs that are going to require some custom work as with family of 4 + 2x130lb dogs, all gear needs to go on outside. Headrest DVDs for the kids, and Sirrus integrated into the factory system next on the list.
002.jpg


001.jpg

Thanks to everyone on the forum for sharing of knowledge to this point--hope I can contribute as well.
 
Awesome looking truck. My 100 looks kind of dumpy after looking at these pics.......Good luck with your build.
 
Yeah don't want my 99 to see yours. Might hurt it's feelings.
 
Congrats. That is a great deal on top!!
 
The bumper is right up against the quarter panel......should there be a gap there, and if so, how much? Willit rust without the gap?
 
ShirazAddict said:
The bumper is right up against the quarter panel......should there be a gap there, and if so, how much? Willit rust without the gap?
Click to expand...

Truck looks great! IIRC, ARB calls for a minimum of 1/2 inch between bumper and fender. I have just a tad more to be safe. The gap is meant to protect your fender. The bumper will flex and move slightly and without that gap, something has to give.
 
paflytyer said:
Truck looks great! IIRC, ARB calls for a minimum of 1/2 inch between bumper and fender. I have just a tad more to be safe. The gap is meant to protect your fender. The bumper will flex and move slightly and without that gap, something has to give.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. Ill get adjusted.
 
ShirazAddict said:
Thanks for the info. Ill get adjusted.
Click to expand...

I would do it sooner than later. There is a large amount of flex between the sheet metal and the bumper even when hitting a pothole. It would be a shame to knock those pretty fenders out of alignment just because you waited on adjusting a few bumper bolts.

What are your next mods going to be?
 
pfran42 said:
I would do it sooner than later. There is a large amount of flex between the sheet metal and the bumper even when hitting a pothole. It would be a shame to knock those pretty fenders out of alignment just because you waited on adjusting a few bumper bolts.

What are your next mods going to be?
Click to expand...

Having it done tomorrow at the local ARB shop.
Next mods:
1. Powdercoat wheels & WK sliders graphite.
2. New tires (hmm, maybe start a new thread ;) . MAYBE install the Slee electrical thingy that tricks the AHC into staying on high, though not really needed for my purposes.
3. Your LEDs installed (when they arrive), though am reconsidering the main dome light as my kids tend to fall asleep in the car after big weekends/summer days & it may be too much light for them?
4. Rear hatch LED lights
5. Add Sirrus + Ipod capabilities.
6. Replace JBL door speakers (or look at simply adding more power as there is significant distortion right now at medium loud--if I do this I'll run speaker wires so that I can run two small bookshelf speakers for camping (and then likely add a second battery as well...).
7. DVD headrests & wireless headphones for kids (possibly have this arranged via local MUD member).

& the 4 custom mods that I'm currently working on:
1. I'm having a front fork bike mount & wheel carrier fabricated using the 3rd row seat bracket that attaches to the floor, with the intent being that for everyday use I can put my bike (60cm) inside vs using my Thule roof rack and/or Sportswerks rear hitch rack. I've had one bike destroyed by a valet driving into a parking garage, and had a friend have $14k worth of bikes walk off from his roof rack (FYI--the Thule cylinder locks are defeated in about 10 seconds with a screwdriver, a hammer & a pair of vise grips). My Sportswerks rear hitch carrier is awesome, but it is heavy, and isn't really practical for day-to-day, especially with the LC folding hatch. Also, here in LA I really, really don't want my bikes getting rear ended. The interior, removeable bike mount makes sense as it keeps bike + wheel safe & secure with plenty of room for gear (3rd row seats already removed).
2. Aero cross bars integrated into factory roof rails: I have a set of 60" Thule Aeroblades & spent alot of time getting all of my other Thule attachments to work with them so don't want to chuck them all & start over with a clamshell system that will work with factory cross bars. Also, the 60" is the perfect size for family vacations/light OR expeditions---they will hold a Thule 2100XT cargo box & either two bikes OR 2-3 surfboards OR 3-4 sets of skiis + 2 snowboards. The factory crossbars can't do that. I could have a custom rack fabricated that would be 60" tall & would hold all of that stuff, but it would be overkill for daily use + there is the entire MPG debate----coming from diesel I'd rather keep my MPGs as high as possible within my driving style. So, what I'm having done is getting 4 sets of stainless steel brackets fabricated that will lock into the factory roof rails (ala factory cross beams) & will lock in the Thule Aeroblades. I'm getting 4 sets b/c while the Thule reps have quietly told me that the Blades failure is between 600-800 lbs apiece, there usability is actually in the 200-400 range without fatigue/much risk. 90% of the time they won't be on there, but for HD runs/long trips/etc I want to be able to put 3-4 up there to hold/distribute the weight (also having a 30" wide basket fabricated so if need be I can throw additional gear up there for camping). FWIW also having the Aeroblades powder coated graphite to match wheels/sliders.
3. Rear bumper: I'm going to have Mike at Bump It create a rear bumper for me. Removeable arms (for 90% D2D use). Integrated hitch & lights. The ability to custom "accessorize" the arms are what is important to me---I want the ability to have a jerry can carrier, but for 90% of our trips that would be useless to me....however the ability to vertically carry 4-8 pairs of skis/poles in the same spot would be very valuable to me. The ability to carry a spare isn't really important to me.....the ability to carry my bikes behind the vehicle, but raised up out of the way of possibly being rear-ended is (so thinking a swing-arm that could carry a spare, but also has a 2" hitch receiver built into one end so can mount my Sportwerks rack up high--just above the bumper (and be able to carry it if towing a boat/trailer). I want the bumper to be wide enough to effectively use it as a step when loading/unloading the roof (ala Kaymar or ARB with their diamondplate top). So a bit of creativity & further thought needed on how to best implement/design before actual fabrication can begin.
4. Long term: relocate spare tire to either inside or rear bumper so that can create a storage space or long-range fuel tank in its place. Lowest on priority list & more of a "can it be done efficiently" vs a real plan at this point.

Would welcome feedback/ideas/criticism on any of the above. Probably need to start a build thread....
 
I want to see the rear bumper y'all come up with especially with the hitch and integrated lights.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom