Blizzard White LX470 Slow Build (6 Viewers)

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This showed up in the mail yesterday along with speakers for my stepson’s 4Runner. Got a chance today to work on this inside as we’re having abnormally cold weather in STL.
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Got the wood trim bezel & vent pieces pulled to remove the navigation unit to install the Bluetooth.
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Got the nav pulled to make the connection in the back. The top (or left) plug on the back of the radio head gets unplugged for the BT harness.
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BT harness installed. I’m pointing out where the factory 12 pin plug connects.
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This is where I stashed the BT unit. To the left of the left side vent I found space to put it. The unit comes with more than ample wire to reach farther if you want a different location. It’s the barely visible part that says “For Factory Use Only” on it. The location also has a nice flat area that I will use some 3M hook & loop tape to mount it to. Right now, it’s just hanging around in the small void space. I was able to tuck all of the extra wire down below the vent.
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Here’s the first test run, no wait, that’s after it was all buttoned back up. I used the default CD emulation mode. I am ver happy with the operation so far. I typically use Pandora for music. If I leave the stereo set to this, and the Pandora app open in the background on my iPhone 6S it connects right up and starts playing where I left off. I chose to use the native phone BT for the LX which still works also. Steering wheel controls work fine.
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The USA SPEC BT45-TOY unit comes with a USB (charge only) and 3.5 mm aux port also. Once I figure out where I’ll put the port for those I’ll add the wires for that. It doesn’t come with wiring for those, which was fine with me as my primary concern was for the BT. Finally, I’m not stuck with regular radio! Great product so far!
 
Debating where to put the dual USB / Aux port (that I haven’t sourced yet). I’m not wanting to cut a hole in the wood trim if I don’t have to. I may replace one of the factory 12 volt plugs for it.

I am open to suggestions on where to install if anyone has any they’ve done, please share!
 
So this box showed up back on April 22nd! Finally finished the install yesterday (been a tad busy...).
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This got done right away, of course.
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Getting everything organized. Really like the quality of the materials, the light weight, and accurate cuts & measurements. Using this kit saved me a tremendous amount of time and is better than what I would have come up with.
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I started assembling right away. I knew I’d be staining / painting them, but wanted to get a sense of how it all fit together first. I quickly realized that I needed to get to work on finishes first. One thing I would learn as I went, was to perhaps avoid getting too much paint in the dado cuts as they’re pretty precise and could make assembly more difficult.
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Pretty simple instructions here. Although I was a bit nervous about drilling into the front of one of the drawers.
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The top is the color that I chose to match where the drawers would be painted. I found a pretty good match. I used MinWax Gunstock for the stain which is pretty close to the color of the wood trim in the LX.
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The bottom frame assembled. I ended up painting everywhere you can’t see with Kilz White just to prevent wood damage from moisture contact at any time.
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The Shark Bite “dry-fitted” then removed for finishing.
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Everything out after staining. I only stain outside due to the horrible odor created. Each piece ultimately received 1 coat of Prestain Wood Conditioner, 2 coats of MinWax Gunstock & 3 coats of MinWax water-based polyurethane in gloss which is super-low VOC.
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PPG Glidden Oswego Tea was the good match for the trim above.
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Here’s a drawer interior with the paint. I touched up the edges later to get rid of the white where the drawer bottom slides into the dado. That will improve the appearance and improve resistance to spills and such.
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Here’s a drawer pretty much completed and ready for install. I got lucky and mine came out very square. I did have to love tap the sides in a bit to make sure the dados were set in all the way and the drawers would slide properly. I used a heavier hammer and a soft long block of pine.
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Oops, I forgot to paint the hole!
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Assembly nearing completion. I have a very small and efficient shop and no garage, so the patio it is, lol! I notice now that I didn’t match the edges with regard to finishes. The wings are painted, while the middle is stained. Oh well, I’m going to put a chrome edge on it anyway.
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I found these U Bolts a bit challenging to install, but after a little fiddling around & some colorful language, got them on.

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Done. Still have to put the trim across the bottom, hinge the wings, and put a chrome strip across the front, but I am stoked about the drawers! If anyone has any questions about the install please post them up! Great price and a great product! I gotta double check the drawer weight limit.
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Nice truck!! Could you please post some more pics of the front mudflaps? I would likely need these if I pulled my running boards off. Thanks
 
Will do when I get home later. They finish it nicely, and since I don’t anticipate more than moderate off-roading shouldn’t be an issue.
 
Lemme know if these do it for you!

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Installed my Scangauge held over from the passed-down 4Runner. Thanks to @REZARF for the mounting idea off his thread.

I may try to move it elsewhere though as it gets pretty hot in the sun. We’ll see... Did get the AT temp to show on it also. Amazing how cool the AT runs on this car.

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Got the edge protection strip tacked in with a little glue to see if I like it. It’s aluminum L channel from HD. The one by me has a very good selection of aluminum and steel stock for projects. Also got the trim painted and stained for the bottom, but no time to install today. Hinges coming up.

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qP1Lta

Swapped out the heater T’s about a month ago now. Never posted cause I’ve been busy. This how they were after 110k miles. I’ll swap them at every 100k Service from now on. Easy job though. I was a bit concerned about the missing chunk from one that was missing from the hot side. No issues after a long trip to LA and back with a lot of off-road.
 
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Photo not posting from Flickr. I’ll have to figure that out...

Figured it out ;)
 
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July 4th- added an extension with cutout to my drawers on a temporary basis for our upcoming TAT trip.

I’ll use it as a template for a future design that may be hinged to the drawers. It worked out fairly well.
 
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She’s not pleased that her seat in the back is apparently missing.
 
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June 22nd- Picked this up for our TAT trip and just to have. I also plan to go with a group 31 battery and the Micro-Start in the future as opposed to a dual battery setup. Already jumped the LX once and my wife’s Tucson on the same charge. Seems to still have a lot left.
 
I threw this together on July 7 just before our trip. Some U channel aluminum, sheet metal screws, and REI poles.

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It worked great at Lake Powell where we camped. That was until the storm blew in and tried to rip it off the Cruiser. The guy next to us had a 360 awning he was using which I helped him fold up as the wind started. It still broke parts on his that were made of plastic. Not sure what brand it was.

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Moved this to a new location as I wasn’t happy with it above the dash. It only lasted a day in this spot. It’s now atop the steering wheel. I do miss a flat dashboard.

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This is just before I dropped a screw down the air vent :bang:. I’ll try to find it when I replace the cabin filter. So far no ill effects. Oh, I was securing the USA spec BT45 with Scotch Heavy Duty Fastener strips.
 

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