Builds Not really a build thread 2009 GX470 Sport

[2UZ 120]

I have the califab 3 link, I changed up the lower capture a little, and haven't put the upper in place. The MT or 701 is perfect for a 12", just a little short for 14.

I had the 14's stuffed in there for a bit using just a hoop that connects higher than the califab upper bracket. Their kit is awesome, but to fit without cutting even for a 12" you need to lower the lower mount another inch. After wheeling like that a bit, I decided I didn't want anything hanging any lower than the lower arms. So I just decided to go big and get to cutting.

I'm not tying them together yet, I have left the option to do it later. It's not really necessary for shocks, but would be for Coilovers. I'll post a few update photos tomorrow with the work I got done over the weekend. Shows where I'm going with it a bit better.

I had initially looked at trying to do mine with stock mounting and geometry, that would be next to impossible. Thinking about getting the CaliFab with my Tax return. Glad to hear you like the kit.

It looks like you have changed the shock geometry to a vertical position over the axle, is the oem shock angle not ideal? I wish I knew more about motion ratio.

Love the seam sealer, s*** works good lol.

 

[Adventurelife]

I had initially looked at trying to do mine with stock mounting and geometry, that would be next to impossible. Thinking about getting the CaliFab with my Tax return. Glad to hear you like the kit.

It looks like you have changed the shock geometry to a vertical position over the axle, is the oem shock angle not ideal? I wish I knew more about motion ratio.

Love the seam sealer, s*** works good lol.

Short answer, yes vertical is better(ish)
Long answer. It gets complicated quick, first things first, a shock will perform best if it is tuned for its usage. Motion ratio just refers to how much the shock moves compared to how much the hub moves. In front (IFS) you generally have around a 2:1, while in the rear you have significantly less, the further out board the shock is the lower the motion ratio, although there will always be a bit more motion in the hub due to the leverage of the solid axle.
Motion ratio is only part of the equation though as you get more and more travel, you'll notice most race trucks attempt to get fairly vertical shock position on solid axles (or horizontal with a cantilever), the reason has to do with the angle of the shock to the angle of the travel, you want it to be as close as possible. With a long travel shock in the factory orientation the tuning is much more complicated, because the difference in angle between the travel and the shock changes through the travel range, this means the same about of force on the tire exerts a different amount of force inside the shock depending on where in the travel range it is. Not sure if I'm explaining it well, bit makes a lot of sense when you draw a sketch.

 

[captainva]

Are you going to be at Relic run on April 20-23?

 

[Adventurelife]

Are you going to be at Relic run on April 20-23?

Got a link? I haven't heard about it, but I should be available then.

 

[Adventurelife]

Are you going to be at Relic run on April 20-23?

Nevermind, just found it, I should be able to make it up for at least a day, probably the weekend.

 

[xcmountain]

Nevermind, just found it, I should be able to make it up for at least a day, probably the weekend.

They dont like our kind up there........

 

[captainva]

They dont like our kind up there........

Plenty of newer trucks at the event. Its just mostly easier wheeling that almost any slightly built truck can do. There should be at least 3 GX470 there

 

[kittric]

Nice, I was thinking about a GX470 build and was wondering if you could post some more pictures of the fenders without the plastic. I am surprised more people don't delete that. Is the Metal awkward to fill in or something??

 

[Adventurelife]

Nice, I was thinking about a GX470 build and was wondering if you could post some more pictures of the fenders without the plastic. I am surprised more people don't delete that. Is the Metal awkward to fill in or something??

Yeah, I think the reason a lot of people do the two tone look is because the metal underneath was obviously not designed to be seen. The prado (international market) had an option for no flares, and those didn’t have the weird indent for the flares.
That being said, McQueen has a front ‘glass fender and is coming out with a rear soon.

 

[2UZ 120]

Yeah, I think the reason a lot of people do the two tone look is because the metal underneath was obviously not designed to be seen. The prado (international market) had an option for no flares, and those didn’t have the weird indent for the flares.
That being said, McQueen has a front ‘glass fender and is coming out with a rear soon.

View attachment 3309890

Same with the 4th gen 4Runner. The doors underneath the plastic would be a lot of work to fill in properly. I'm not a fan of most two tone, but yours looks good in the silver and black.

 

[Adventurelife]

Missed the relic ride because I had to drop a new fuel pump in, but she has tackled all the D’s in uwharrie this season.

 

[xcmountain]

View attachment 3310381
Missed the relic ride because I had to drop a new fuel pump in, but she has tackled all the D’s in uwharrie this season.

How is the fuel pump job on these?

 

[Adventurelife]

How is the fuel pump job on these?

Not bad at all, I dropped the tank, which was worth while to get a chance to clean up there, that being said, I may cut any access panel anyway, for a trail fix it would be super easy if you could just do it by flipping the seat forward and lifting a panel.
That being said, they don't go out that often, so *shrug*

If you decide to rebuild the old one, make sure you can find the right kit, or be ready to do some modifications, if you just order the whole assembly it's two wires and you're done.

 

[Toyoland66]

This is the thing I get the most questions about, so I hope it helps make sense of it.


The FJ case I used is from an automatic transmission FJ. Things start to get a bit confusing with the VF boxes as they are so similar, the automatic transmission FJ came with a lever operated part time 4wd transfer case, while the manual transmission FJ came with a full time 4wd that is somewhat similar to the GX box.

There are several crawl boxes on the market, I went with the NWF (Northwest Fabrication) Eco Crawler. But there is the Marlin TacoBox, the lefty, the atlas, and probably many more.

My reasoning.
The GX is limited on space in the tunnel, I knew I wanted a part time system, and I like the reliability of lever operated systems. I would have loved to go with an Atlas 4 speed, but well that would be overkill for this build and my pockets aren't that deep.

The FJ case was the easy answer at that point for the main transfer case, also it is an inch shorter than the GX box, which is super helpful for packaging, and without needing an actuator (lever operated) it comes out to be 5 inches shorter near the gas tank.

Marlin is well known and well respected, I'm not throwing any shade at them, but NWF had 4 major benefits for me. 1 Marlin was not building complete units at the time, 2 the Eco Crawler is 1 inch shorter (easier packaging), 3 NWF has a super clean shifter set up, 4 I got in on the presale while they were still in development.

Unlike the Marlin TacoBox the NWF Eco Crawler only has one gear option, it uses a set of donor gears from another VF transfer case for the gears. so you get 2.57 in your main case, and another 2.57 in your crawl box. Marlin uses a different gear setup that allows you to run 2.57 in your main case and up to 4.7 in your crawl box. For my build, I'm going slow enough with a total of 106:1, but having over 200:1 might make sense for others.

So I bought two FJ cases, got a deal at a local junk yard at $150 each, chain tension was good on both. The first one was stripped for its gears, which were used to build the eco crawler
View attachment 3225249

Then the Main box was gutted, inspected and the output shaft was swapped for the one used by the eco crawler, at this point you also take out the pin that links 4wd to low range so they are independently controlled.
View attachment 3225252

Then finally the two are bolted together in to this massive box.

View attachment 3225248

Then swapped with the one in the GX.

I was afraid the electronics would be complicated, but the electronics are WAY easier to trick than I expected, I can happily talk anyone through it, I've coached a few people who just did the FJ swap.

The GX uses a front mounted shifter, and the FJ and the eco crawler both use a top mounted shifter. This is the FAR MORE tricky problem to solve if you want it to look good. NWF came up with a set of shifters that work amazing. Guys have been cutting holes in their cup holders and through the tunnel on Toyotas for years, but their kit uses a stout shifter linkage to make everything line up damn close to the stock location. I still need to get around to making some shifter knobs for them, but from left to right they go, H-L / H-L / 2wd-4wd.

View attachment 3225256

Are your triple shifters in the front shift (stock/ transmission) location or the top shift (front crawl box) location? from your photos
I’m guessing it’s mounted to the crawl box. Do you know which of their lever option you’re using (offset, centered, universal)? And did you have to drop the transmission to install it?

 

[Adventurelife]

Are your triple shifters in the front shift (stock/ transmission) location or the top shift (front crawl box) location? from your photos
I’m guessing it’s mounted to the crawl box. Do you know which of their lever option you’re using (offset, centered, universal)? And did you have to drop the transmission to install it?

You do not need to drop the transmission, you can pull the transfer case out the bottom.

For the levers, I just cut 3 straight pieces of 1/2 steel rod. I have been too lazy to make knobs for them yet.

I have them mounted in the front shift location, which is why I can essentially use the stock shifter location, I had to open it up a bit due to the width. You can see in this pic from when I was doing the install how it lines up.

 

[Adventurelife]

That last pic was before the case was in, this is after, you can see how much I had to open the tunnel to fit the full shifter.
You can also see a sliver of the block off plate I had to make for the top of the crawl box.

 

[Toyoland66]

I found out that redline goods can make custom boots if you provide a drawing. The knobs in their photo are from AA (they’re atlas knobs)

Design Custom Shift Boots Online | RedlineGoods

Custom shift boot specialists, established in the USA in 1999. Unlimited customization options with 50+ leather colors and special features. Made to order. Free Shipping.

www.redlinegoods.com

 

[Adventurelife]

I found out that redline goods can make custom boots if you provide a drawing. The knobs in their photo are from AA (they’re atlas knobs)

Design Custom Shift Boots Online | RedlineGoods

Custom shift boot specialists, established in the USA in 1999. Unlimited customization options with 50+ leather colors and special features. Made to order. Free Shipping.

www.redlinegoods.com

awesome

 

[Adventurelife]

I wasn't sure how I would handle these until I saw what Nate from Dirt Lifestyle did on his LX450, using a stud welder to make some small filler plates, tack them in place, then finish weld, prep and paint, absolutely worked wonders.

Next to ditch the 2 tone look when I get some proper fenders and start making her look slightly respectable again.

 

[Adventurelife]

Finally put in some proper rear bumps. Much more plush.