Ramathorn15's LX470 build

[Ramathorn15]

Just got back from our first trip in the LX which happened to be Moab. We didn't participated in Cruisemoab because it was the GF's bday trip. We still had a blast camping, hiking, and doing some mild wheeling.

All in all, the LX shined. We slept inside with 2 large dogs and it wasn't bad at all. The only annoying thing was the first night, it kept self locking no matter what I did then when I went to get out to pee in the middle of the night, the alarm went off and probably woke up the entire campground.

 

[redman333]

What do you mean self locking? I know mine if you unloc the doors and then don't open any door it will lock back. I guess it thinks you unlocked the doors on accident if you don't open a door.

 

[Ramathorn15]

What do you mean self locking? I know mine if you unloc the doors and then don't open any door it will lock back. I guess it thinks you unlocked the doors on accident if you don't open a door.

I guess that's what it was. I thought if the key was inside the vehicle, it wouldn't lock itself back up. I was wrong haha.

 

[Clunky]

In that last pic with the dog it looks like you have some type of netting on the window. What product is that? Link to find it?

 

[nnnnnate]

Great looking rig, I'd love to trade you pass front quarter panels though.

I'll need to do the diff breathers too and appreciate you posting that info up. Our rigs are basically in the same build position so what are you planning to do next? After getting back from CM I've started to look at roof racks, RTTs, and bumpers while knowing full well none of them are in the budget which is disappointing.

 

[Ramathorn15]

In that last pic with the dog it looks like you have some type of netting on the window. What product is that? Link to find it?

Those are a @LandCruiserPhil product you can find on his website Land Cruiser Products - LCP

They're awesome, fit really well, and Phil had them to me in about 2 days.

 

[Ramathorn15]

Great looking rig, I'd love to trade you pass front quarter panels though.

I'll need to do the diff breathers too and appreciate you posting that info up. Our rigs are basically in the same build position so what are you planning to do next? After getting back from CM I've started to look at roof racks, RTTs, and bumpers while knowing full well none of them are in the budget which is disappointing.

Thanks! I just ordered an ARB front bumper. I need to figure out an easy blinds solution. The initial plan was to clip sheets to a string strung though all the grab handles, but that proved to be way too difficult with dogs inside. Eventually, we will probably get a RTT or maybe even a trailer with a tent so we can free up some room.

I also need to rethink my sleeping platform extension. It works really well as a sleeping platform, but is super hard to take out because of its size. You have to remove everything from the top of the drawers to slide it out of the back since it wont fit out of the side doors. It doubles as a table so taking it out and putting it back in needs to be easy.

I'm going to build an attic/dog cage for the back too. Figuring out where to put things when you climb in (phones, shoes, keys) was a pain.

What happened to your pass front quarter panel?

 

[nnnnnate]

I have a standard size garage with a staircase to enter the house. To get both our cars in I have to park right next to the stairwell on the passenger side. About 2 weeks after getting the LX I must have gotten a little too close and kissed the stairs. I checked only one place for the repair and it was about $850 but its been bugging me more and more so I may look around some more to see how competitive the quote was. I just saw how similar our rigs looked though in your wheeling pic and thought maybe I could have stolen your panel last week while we were both in Moab...

 

[Ramathorn15]

I have a standard size garage with a staircase to enter the house. To get both our cars in I have to park right next to the stairwell on the passenger side. About 2 weeks after getting the LX I must have gotten a little too close and kissed the stairs. I checked only one place for the repair and it was about $850 but its been bugging me more and more so I may look around some more to see how competitive the quote was. I just saw how similar our rigs looked though in your wheeling pic and thought maybe I could have stolen your panel last week while we were both in Moab...

Hahaha I wouldn't have been too happy to see my panel gone!

Is it something that could be covered up with a snorkel? I'm considering putting a snorkel on mine since I have the breathers now. I'll be the first to admit that its more of a cosmetic mod than a functional one though.

 

[nnnnnate]

The damage is further forward than what could/would be covered up by a snorkel. I'll see if I can find a pic.

Edit: Its kind of hard to see but you can see the damage if you look at the wheel well bulge. Its really not horrible but still I'd prefer if it was gone. The funny thing was another guy on the Swell Run at CM from Colorado had a dent in the same place but his was from a hi-lift in the garage.

 

[Ramathorn15]

ahh yeah, I can see it.

Seems like its big enough that you could maybe push it out from the other side. Probably wouldn't look perfect, but maybe a little bit better.

 

[DirtDawg]

@nnnnnate go to a local dent shop and see if they can pop it out/massage it back into place. My sister sideswiped me in my driveway and they were able to fix my big dent. It doesn't look perfect, but better.

@Ramathorn15 good to see the sleeping platform worked well! I'm still putting thought into storage for the sleeping platform, it'd be a lot easier without the metal frame lol.

 

[Ramathorn15]

@nnnnnate go to a local dent shop and see if they can pop it out/massage it back into place. My sister sideswiped me in my driveway and they were able to fix my big dent. It doesn't look perfect, but better.

@Ramathorn15 good to see the sleeping platform worked well! I'm still putting thought into storage for the sleeping platform, it'd be a lot easier without the metal frame lol.

I agree, but I'm not sure if it would be strong enough without it. Maybe if I used 3/4" ply instead of 1/2"

 

[socalmtbiker]

I agree, but I'm not sure if it would be strong enough without it. Maybe if I used 3/4" ply instead of 1/2"

Great looking rig.

 

[Sal Paradise]

 

[Ramathorn15]

With some inspiration and help from @Odyseuss, I managed to add some LED's to the rear hatch. They are tied into the rear dome light and automatically come on/off with hatch.

 

[ChuckB]

If you get your hands on or borrow someone's Techstream I believe you can change how all the doors lock and the adjust the time delay on the autolock. If I get some free time I can look for you. Don't hold your breath though, my mother-in-laws arrives in 15 mins... gotta head to the airport!

 

[Ramathorn15]

Thanks! I've actually played with that a bit. The unexpected, but welcomed feature is that the rear dome does not come on when you unlock the doors. It only comes on when you open the rear hatch, or put the switch to "on". I like that since I don't want the LED's illuminating each time I unlock the doors, but instead only when I have the hatch open.

A couple snags I had, which I want to share in case anyone else wants to do this are:

1) The LED connectors that you buy on amazon are not very good quality. I kept having flickering because they weren't making a solid connection with the strip. I ended up soldering my wires directly to the strip which worked way better. I used a waterproof connector I bought off of Amazon so the strip is removable/replaceable relatively easily.

2) Its hard to stick the LED's to the plastic and if you stick it to the window, it might pull your tint film (if you have it) when you to remove it. I ended up using 3m double sided molding tape in order to get it to stick the plastic trim. Its still not super stuck, but I think its enough to hold.

3) To get the lights to work with the rear dome light, you must run both + and - wires from the dome light housing. If you only run a + and ground somewhere on the chassis, the light will stay on when you drive. To get it to turn on and off with the door, you must use the ground from the dome.

 

[Ramathorn15]

Got some awning lights hooked up. They are on a touch dimmer switch just inside the hatch. I'm really liking these LED strips.

Highest dimmer setting:

Lowest dimmer setting:

 

[redman333]

Do you have any detailed pics of the lights during the daylight. I can't tell how they are mounted. Also what kind of lights did you use for the awning. I like that a lot.