Builds R²M 2013 GX 460 Overland Build (4 Viewers)

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

22Eyunu35VO said:
Expensive as all heck but dual Lithium Ion batteries could be an option for space issues

Lightweight Lithium Automotive Batteries | EarthX, Inc.


I use these in my quad.
Click to expand...
I just looked at their website. $900.00 for a 1600 cranking amp battery, yikes! But if it can last several times longer than my Odyssey batteries which cost just under $300.00 each, it might justify it. Although my Odyssey's last me about 8 years now, that means I would need that lithium battery to last over 24 years to be worth while. Heck, I'll be up there in years next year. Not sure if I'll be wheel'n or even alive by time I'm in my seventies or eighty's!
Also, the company noted there are not a lot of amp hours so these would not be good for "house" battery (which has my lights, winch, radio, etc.) in a dual battery setup. I would only consider this for my "starter" battery.
 
Last edited:
What size tires are you running? Any rubbing issues? What mods were needed to fit the tires, BMC, etc..?
Thanks
 
Nicemarmot said:
Sorry if I missed it in here somewhere, but what brand/model wheels and sliders are you running?
Click to expand...
I just updated the build on my GX at the beginning of this post. It lists everything I've done to my GX as of to date. If you go to the forth post on the first page of this thread, you'll see a list of everything I've done.
But just for a quick shortcut, the sliders are from MetalTech: OPOR 2010-Current GX460 Sliders Powder Coated, Part #: OPOR-GX460-21100
 
Hey thanks for the post and looks amazing! I am down the road in San Diego - just getting started on my 2016 new-to-me GX and I have been looking through here to get ideas and inspiration. Your build looks great and I am sure you'll have tons of good times out in the desert and up in the mountains. One question - was some of the existing trim from the running boards or something cut and installed above the sliders on your GX? I have some sliders (not OPOR, but similar from Rocky Road) coming in a few weeks and on other build threads it looks like a bit of the frame is visible after removal of the factory running boards. I am curious how you got that finished look as it appears there is some body work covering the frame just above the sliders. Thanks in advance for any info you can share.
 
Superfly Snook,
Regarding how the sliders were done, here are some photos of my sliders. YotaMasters cut the existing step and then used a heavy duty plastic U-Channel push-on trim. I think it would be like one of these products in McMaster-Carr: McMaster-Carr
1908185

1908186

YotaMasters used that trim on most everything else such as my rear bumpers when they had to cut off the lower part of the bumper and leave the section that is just below the rear tail lights.
1908190

1908191

And even on the front bumper:
1908192
 
This post is about the 3000 watt (yes three thousand watt, max 6000 watt) inverter I added. The purpose of this inverter is that when I go camping I like to cut and split my own fire wood from felled trees in the area (Note: except not on California state land, that's a no-no... Only BLM land can I do that here.) I used to carry a chain saw all the time along with my axes (NO I'm not some crazy murderer!!) but there would be times I may not camp for a year of more. Needless to say what old gas does to an engine. I also was tired of the smell in my rig, spills, not always starting right away, especially at high altitudes and all the other issues with gas powered tools. So I decided to go electric. No gas and instant on every time! Just pull the trigger! Just needs a little bar lube. Also I never cut wood further than 100 feet from my rig so a 100 foot extension cord is all I need.
This is the inverter, cable and circuit breaker:
Here's the chain saw:
This is the extension cord (it needed to be heavy gauge for that distance and amperage of saw):
I didn't know where I wanted to mount the inverter. I didn't want to loose the ability to used my third row seats so there wasn't a lot of options for that brick! I decided to used hook and loop (Velcro) and did a couple of experiments to test the holding strength. Here it is Velcroed to the back of the passenger side third seat. The photos show the seat in the up and the down position.
Back to the Velcro, trust me, the Velcro "hook" tape that I attached to the entire length of the mounting flange on the inverter (both sides) attached SO STRONG to the factory carpet that I CANNOT pull it up. The "tensile" strength to pull the inverter vertically up WILL tear the carpet up from the base. I tried and it was beginning to pull from the base. The "shear" strength is equally as strong. It CANNOT be budged in any X or Y position! In order for me to move the inverter I have to take a putty knife and slide it between the Velcro hook (on the inverter) and the carpet to release it.
This works great for me in that I can move and situate as needed for space in the rear!
Just an FYI, I ran this off my "House" battery. I have dual batteries.

Here's how I ran that 1/0 AWG wire from the rear:
I ran the 1/0 AWG from the rear forward. From the rear open cargo area with the rear seats down, I started the wire through the cubby where the factory bottle jack is kept (left rear). I then fed it under the rear seats and out through a port under the rear of the vehicle that has a rubber plug that is about 2" diameter. There's a picture below in this post.
After pulling all the wire through that port, I snaked it up and over to my left rock slider. I fed it over the top of the (perpendicular to the slider) mounts that the slider attaches to the frame. This will keep it from ever sagging or ever being pinched in a off roading event. I then pulled up through the left side the engine bay, as close to the ARB compressor as possible to avoid any exhaust heat on the wires. And from there to the batteries!

Third row seat up:
1908211

Third row seat down:
1908212

This is where I came in with the juice:
1908215

Below shows the port under the rear seats that I fed the 1/0 AWG wire through. I cut the rubber plug for the wire, placed the plug back in and then silicone all around it so if I should be in deep water, I'm not drawing water in. The view is looking forward. Thw red and black wires on the left are what I'm referring to.
20190421_131741.jpg
 
Last edited:
r2m said:
This post is about the 3000 watt (yes three thousand watt, max 6000 watt) inverter I added. The purpose of this inverter is that when I go camping I like to cut and split my own fire wood from felled trees in the area (Note: except not on California state land, that's a no-no... Only BLM land can I do that here.) I used to carry a chain saw all the time along with my axes (NO I'm not some crazy murderer!!) but there would be times I may not camp for a year of more. Needless to say what old gas does to an engine. I also was tired of the smell in my rig, spills, not always starting right away, especially at high altitudes and all the other issues with gas powered tools. So I decided to go electric. No gas and instant on every time! Just pull the trigger! Just needs a little bar lube. Also I never cut wood further than 100 feet from my rig so a 100 foot extension cord is all I need.
This is the inverter, cable and circuit breaker:
Here's the chain saw:
This is the extension cord (it needed to be heavy gauge for that distance and amperage of saw):
I didn't know where I wanted to mount the inverter. I didn't want to loose the ability to used my third row seats so there wasn't a lot of options for that brick! I decided to used hook and loop (Velcro) and did a couple of experiments to test the holding strength. Here it is Velcroed to the back of the passenger side third seat. The photos show the seat in the up and the down position.
Back to the Velcro, trust me, the Velcro "hook" tape that I attached to the entire length of the mounting flange on the inverter (both sides) attached SO STRONG to the factory carpet that I CANNOT pull it up. The "tensile" strength to pull the inverter vertically up WILL tear the carpet up from the base. I tried and it was beginning to pull from the base. The "shear" strength is equally as strong. It CANNOT be budged in any X or Y position! In order for me to move the inverter I have to take a putty knife and slide it between the Velcro hook (on the inverter) and the carpet to release it.
This works great for me in that I can move and situate as needed for space in the rear!
Just an FYI, I ran this off my "House" battery. I have dual batteries.
Third row seat up:
View attachment 1908211
Third row seat down:
View attachment 1908212
This is where I came in with the juice:
View attachment 1908215
Click to expand...


Now THAT is an inverter. However don’t think you will get the 3000w RSM out of it though. I have the same brand but 1000 RSM and 2000 peak, even with that I doubt I will get to 1000w and pop my 100amp fuse if the draw is a little higher than that.

At 3000 watts and 12V you need 250 amp so......you probably need much bigger cable, fuse and battery(s). how big is your cable and fuse? For 6000w peak you should theoretically be running 500 amp fuse at 12v.
 
Wire/cable: 1/0 AWG + Circuit breaker: 300 amp = able to section up some big arse logs!
With all due respect, the above post has links to everything I've purchased so one can see exactly what I did.
 

r2m said:
Wire/cable: 1/0 AWG + Circuit breaker: 300 amp = able to section up some big arse logs!
With all due respect, the above post has links to everything I've purchased so one can see exactly what I did.
Click to expand...


Doh didn’t read all of it, looks like the chainsaw will draw 150amp max so you should be fine with the setup.
 
Awesome build... Appreciate if you could take photos of the suspension setup. Do you have any check engine light or suspension warning lights appear on the instrument cluster?
 
I'll see if I can get some photos today.

Just to qualify, my GX is a Premium edition and I did have the rear height adjustment.
The only flashing light I have is the AFS for the headlights. Crawling underneath, when YotaMasters installed the suspension, they disconnected the linkage to the AFS (right rear axle). With the added height the stock linkage wasn't long enough. I believe I just need to get a small turnbuckle, fabricate is a wee bit and that should fix it. But that is the only issue.

And to tell you the trough, after some 5,000 miles, the AFS flashing light has never bothered me (even at night), so I'm not really in a rush to fix it.
 
Thanks Richard for the info on the trim. I'll try and do something similar when I install my sliders that just arrived on a truck today. --Jim
 
r2m said:
And to tell you the trough, after some 5,000 miles, the AFS flashing light has never bothered me (even at night),
Click to expand...

Have you tried disabling AFS in the center screen menu to get rid of the flashing light?

AFS.png
 
KJ6IRM said:
Have you tried disabling AFS in the center screen menu to get rid of the flashing light?

View attachment 1912912
Click to expand...
That was one one of the first things I tried. It's not responsive from the steering wheel/binnacle/dash. No matter what I try, it won't change. I believe I'll have to fix it from the right rear axle. Not a problem, just need the time to do it. Hoping I don't have to purchase a new AFS sensor. That'll be over $300 clams.
 
NJacob said:
Awesome build... Appreciate if you could take photos of the suspension setup. Do you have any check engine light or suspension warning lights appear on the instrument cluster?
Click to expand...
Got around to taking a few pictures of my suspension for you. I hope this helps.
The first photos are front suspension.
1913597


1913598


1913599


This last one is the rear.
1913601


If you go to my shopping list you can see the part numbers from MetalTech.
 
Thanks so much. Any reason why you went with 700 pound springs in the front?
 
NJacob said:
Thanks so much. Any reason why you went with 700 pound springs in the front?
Click to expand...
Steel bumper, winch, dual batteries, compressor and I'm a big guy!
Also, after discussing what my build plan was for this rig, Chris at MetalTech suggested them.
 
To quote a famous sage, "More power! R-R-r!" (Tim Allen)
I just added a power port panel to the back of my rig to go along with my 3k watt inverter.
Wiring it, I tapped into the two 1 AWG wires that go to my inverter, since they both come off my second "house" battery.
I have that wired to a 300 amp circuit breaker switch. I leave the switch always turned off unless I need the inverter or power panel. Just to make sure I don't get/have any power leaking going on anywhere.

For reference, the photos are of the drivers side, rear. The access panel for the jack.
1941405

1941406

1941407

The photo below shows the two high speed USB ports and 12 VDC socket. I like having the on/off switch and voltage meter.
1941412
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

EverD
Builds - 2023 GX460 Overland build aka "MALCRLR" - Phase 1
2
Replies
24
Views
3K
dalocksta
D
yosshaa
gx 460 market coming down
2
Replies
37
Views
4K
yetiwf
yetiwf
sugarsam
New to me 2011 GX460...*Singh Overland Build*
Replies
19
Views
1K
sugarsam
sugarsam
M
Starting build 18 GX advice
Replies
12
Views
725
tech703
T

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 5 (members: 0, guests: 5)

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom