Builds "Rednexus" - 2007 GX470 Build and Fabrication Thread (9 Viewers)

[Rednexus]

Quick shot of the blacked-out lights and red D-rings (red spray paint and clearcoat on some HF Badland rights).

I'll snap a few more in other conditions with less glare. They are dark! Totally transformed the look of the GX. Actually a pretty easy job with a heat gun. Total cost was $55 for oven cleaner, prep spray, adhesion promoter, satin black paint, and a roll of new butyl tape (which I just used a few inches of).

 

[TLar25]

Quick shot of the blacked-out lights and red D-rings (red spray paint and clearcoat on some HF Badland rights).

I'll snap a few more in other conditions with less glare. They are dark! Totally transformed the look of the GX. Actually a pretty easy job with a heat gun. Total cost was $55 for oven cleaner, prep spray, adhesion promoter, satin black paint, and a roll of new butyl tape (which I just used a few inches of).
View attachment 2814026

Looks awesome! I need to do this to mine, getting really tired of the nasty green tint from the chrome

 

[CGIB]

Quick shot of the blacked-out lights and red D-rings (red spray paint and clearcoat on some HF Badland rights).

I'll snap a few more in other conditions with less glare. They are dark! Totally transformed the look of the GX. Actually a pretty easy job with a heat gun. Total cost was $55 for oven cleaner, prep spray, adhesion promoter, satin black paint, and a roll of new butyl tape (which I just used a few inches of).
View attachment 2814026

Looks really good! I actually thought of the red d ring idea today, cool to see it done!

Also I need to look into this headlight mod. Never done anything like that but it looks really good.

 

[Rednexus]

Looks really good! I actually thought of the red d ring idea today, cool to see it done!

Also I need to look into this headlight mod. Never done anything like that but it looks really good.

Thanks! I could not believe how easy it was. I did have the GX parked for a week though to let the paint off gas before reassembly, since the lenses are sealed.

FYI the D rings are hanging from a pair of SRQ Fabrication recovery points. Otherwise there really isn't any place to mount them.

 

[CGIB]

Thanks! I could not believe how easy it was. I did have the GX parked for a week though to let the paint off gas before reassembly, since the lenses are sealed.

FYI the D rings are hanging from a pair of SRQ Fabrication recovery points. Otherwise there really isn't any place to mount them.

I am hopefully getting some Bison Gear recovery points soon so I should be able to do the same thing with those.

 

[Rednexus]

Completed the Hayden 678 transmission cooler install today. I built the bracket of out scrap pieces of 1" and 2" steel flat stock and welded it together with my cheapie Harbor Freight flux core welder. It uses all three OEM mounting points, including the rubber isolators. However, the cooler ended up sticking out pretty far, so I had to bend the horn brackets and push them out farther from the core support using some M8x1.25 studs, in addition to extending the horn wiring harness about 2" (with some heat shrink butt connectors). Overall, it was a pretty easy job. Took it for a test drive and the trans stayed in the 150-160F range when it usually would be around 170-180F. So it should help with eventual towing when we get a pop-up camper and provide a margin of safety next time I bury the GX in snow/mud and need to spin the wheels to get it out.

And another shot of the freshened-up front end. I pulled all the chrome off the headlights and didn't leave the rings. Not sure if I would have liked it more with the rings around the projector bulbs, but overall I'm really liking the change.

 

[Rednexus]

Today I used the GX to explore around ~40 miles of Ozark gravel, rocks, mudholes, and logging roads. One road I found on a combination of Google Earth, old USGS maps, and onX hunt looked good, but turned into a series of what felt like 50+ mudholes along a ridgetop. I must get very little traffic, other than a few side-by-sides and Jeeps. Being that I was solo (other than with my son in the back) and in a pretty remote area, I got out and probed most of the mudholes with a stick. They generally had a firm bottom, although a couple required a bit of throttle and ATRAC usage to fully pull through. The Willdpeaks at 18 psi did great in these conditions, but there was definitely some pucker factor going on. My next upgrade will probably be a winch (rather than lockers), as it would give quite a bit more comfort when solo wheeling like this.

After mudhole ridge I dropped off on a even less-used logging road. It looked like all of one fullsize rig had been through it this fall and no side-by-sides. This sucker got narrower and narrower and the GX picked up a lot of pinstripes today. At two locations I had to stop and clear brush with a folding saw and camp axe, in order to avoid excessive body damage. There were also pretty rough detours over a few fallen trees where I really drug the skids. This road would have been fun in a older XJ or true beater, but was just too narrow for the GX.

This was the first real wheeling I'd done since installing the lift. It made a big difference. The extra articulation and ground clearance was huge in going through mudholes (where I might have gotten hung up before) and dealing with washed-out sections.

After the nasty stuff, we took slightly more tame county roads (still lots of smaller mudholes and creek crossings, but the roads are wider due to some maintenance and heavy side-by-side use) and had lunch on a gravel bar. The GX is trashed right now with mud, and I'll clean it off tomorrow. Despite some more trail pinstripes, it still felt good to use the GX for it's intended purpose.

 

[Rednexus]

And she's all clean! It was a total mess, but I generally got all of the mud off. Also gave it a pre-winter coat of wax, which, when applied with a buffer, made the tree pinstripes much less visible. Next summer she'll get an actual cut and polish. At this point I've been down most of the tight local trails I'd been wanting to explore and will generally avoid them in the future.

 

[m1lktrcGX]

Quick shot of the blacked-out lights and red D-rings (red spray paint and clearcoat on some HF Badland rights).

I'll snap a few more in other conditions with less glare. They are dark! Totally transformed the look of the GX. Actually a pretty easy job with a heat gun. Total cost was $55 for oven cleaner, prep spray, adhesion promoter, satin black paint, and a roll of new butyl tape (which I just used a few inches of).
View attachment 2814026

Looks fantastic. What kind of butyl tape? Too many options on Amazon.

 

[Rednexus]

Looks fantastic. What kind of butyl tape? Too many options on Amazon.

I got the good stuff:
Amazon product ASIN B01N5PM29J
Each light just required a few inches of it where the existing butyl was kind of thin after pulling the lens. The lights are still leak-free. I left them off gas for a week after painting before sealing them up.

 

[m1lktrcGX]

I got the good stuff:
Amazon product ASIN B01N5PM29J
Each light just required a few inches of it where the existing butyl was kind of thin after pulling the lens. The lights are still leak-free. I left them off gas for a week after painting before sealing them up.

Thanks a lot. I see that one now.

 

[Rednexus]

Today included finishing the install of a Redarc Tow-Pro Elite brake controller. I used a Tekonsha harness between the OEM Lexus plug and the Redarc (which still required splicing, but at least the colors were the same and the OEM harness is intact) and mounted the controller to a metal plate/shield under the steering column. I put the actual controller dial on the enter console below the DAC button, as I figured this would be the easiest place to access the dial while driving (as the Redarc allows brakes on the trailer only to be applied by pushing the dial). The height control/suspension buttons are also reserved for future F and R e-locker buttons.

Overall this was a pretty easy install and turned out well. Now we just need to get a camper and make use of it!

 

[kody472]

Today included finishing the install of a Redarc Tow-Pro Elite brake controller. I used a Tekonsha harness between the OEM Lexus plug and the Redarc (which still required splicing, but at least the colors were the same and the OEM harness is intact) and mounted the controller to a metal plate/shield under the steering column. I put the actual controller dial on the enter console below the DAC button, as I figured this would be the easiest place to access the dial while driving (as the Redarc allows brakes on the trailer only to be applied by pushing the dial). The height control/suspension buttons are also reserved for future F and R e-locker buttons.

Overall this was a pretty easy install and turned out well. Now we just need to get a camper and make use of it!
View attachment 2868529
View attachment 2868528
View attachment 2868530

Really nice setup. Just keep in mind that you may have to access the controller to unplug and plug back in if you haven't used it in a while. Had to do that with mine twice.

 

[Rednexus]

Really nice setup. Just keep in mind that you may have to access the controller to unplug and plug back in if you haven't used it in a while. Had to do that with mine twice.

Thanks for the heads up. Is that to recalibrate the accelerometer sensors? If so I might try disconnecting the battery on mine. Not sure if I can get to the plug without removing the dash trim or not...

 

[kody472]

Thanks for the heads up. Is that to recalibrate the accelerometer sensors? If so I might try disconnecting the battery on mine. Not sure if I can get to the plug without removing the dash trim or not...

Exactly. They’ll need it from time to time. Disconnecting the battery should do the same.

 

[Rednexus]

I spent the first Saturday in quite some time in the shop today, knocking out the steering rack replacement. It was a wet, 33 degrees, and sleeting out, so overall not a bad day to be getting greasy under the GX. The bushings in the old rack were totally shot (seemed to have happened last time I went off-road), leading to the rack moving around quite a bit and making a lot of noise in the process.

Overall the steering rack replacement was not that bad. I used a Cardone reman rack from Rock Auto (~$250) and the quality was very good. It was completely cleaned/coated and had brand new inner tie rod ends.

Pulling the old rack took around 2.5 hours. This included jacking up the GX, and removing the skid plates, sway bar, inner fender splash guards, front differential mount bolts, oil filter, and the inner tie rods ends. The steering shaft was definitely stuck on the rack. I used an air hammer and was able to work it off over around 10 minutes. What really helped was putting the air hammer in the gap on the steering shaft (where it slips over the connector on the rack). This really opened up the splined connection and allowed me to get it off. However, the high pressure line connection to the rack was pretty rusty, and the flare nut was practically welded to the line. The rest of the line looked questionable, so I just cut if off. Once the rack was unbolted I also loosened several wire loom brackets and was able to wrestle the rack out within a few minutes.

After a trip to O'Reillys to get a new high pressure line ($143 - I ordered it at 10 AM and it was at the store by 1 PM) and a few other things, I had the new rack in. As with the old rack, I removed the inner tie rod ends to make the install easier. I also spent some time getting the rack as perfectly centered as possible before re-connecting the steering shaft. I attempted to also get the steering wheel perfect, but must have been 1 tooth off as I broke the clockspring when I tested it later . My airbag light is on and the steering wheel audio buttons are not working - but I found a used OEM one for $30 on eBay and already ordered it.

After bolting everything else up (sans skidplates), I gave the GX a quick redneck toe-in alignment:

After re-filling and bleeding the power steering fluid, the Lexus drives great! The steering is very tight now! It had more slop in the old rack than I thought it did. Also, the hard steering issues (which many attribute to the U-joint in the steering shaft) are totally gone. It is getting an actual alignment on Monday.

Overall this is not a bad job. If everything is in order I think it could be a pretty easy 4-6 hour DIY. It took me around 8 hours but I spent some extra time dealing with the new PS line (parts store run). Also, my battery crapped out after maybe 2.5 hours with the key on ACC - and had also gone dead after a couple of hours listening music while camping late last year. So I also spent around 1-2 hours trying to jump the GX (not really possible in a 1- car garage), trying to swap the battery with our Subaru (terminals are on the wrong side....), and finally running out to just get a new battery.

 

[Rednexus]

Took care of a few lingering items from last weekend today.

The first order of business was installing a power steering filter, as I had noticed some metal flakes in my power steering fluid from last weekend (within the drain pan when I poured it out). Not sure if it was from the old rack or my pump, but at this point I'd prefer to have my old pump and new rack last as long as possible. I used a Magnefine filter and mounted next to the PS reservoir, on the low-pressure line, and wrapped the line around the reservoir. In the future I'll swap out the filter every time I flush the PS fluid (probably ever 30k or so).

I mounted the filter on a simple C-bracket I made from some 1" steel flat stock. I painted it flat black, bolted it to the PS reservoir foot, and secured the filter with a hose clamp and piece of rubber.

Next off was swapping out the clock spring from destroying one last weekend. I purchased a used OEM spring for $30 on eBay. The install was really easy, it's probably a ~20 minute job once you figure a few things out. Now my airbag light is off and my steering wheel buttons work again!

And last was a zero point calibration (ZPC). My VSC had been acting weird since lifting the GX (it would kick in randomly around corners), and my VSC OFF lights had been intermittently on since getting an alignment on Monday. I used a few pieces of wire and twisted them together during the ZPC. It seemed to drive fine around the neighborhood; hopefully it stays that way.

 

[Rednexus]

Just got back from our first real camper trip with the GX. We towed our TrailManor ~260 miles each way to the Buffalo National River in Arkansas. The camping weather was not the best (poured one day and chilly the rest) but it was good to leave the state. The GX did a great job with the ~3500# loaded camper and our family of 4. Plenty of power and stability, although the gas mileage was in the 11-12 range. I still want to do a 4.30 regear and upgrade the transmission valve body to further improve towing performance.

 

[dagibby]

Finally finished the DIY rear table today, and broke it in by roasting ~2/3 lb of Sumatra beans (90% of the use of my Coleman stove, the rest is actual camping). Overall it turned out great and I'm very happy with it. It's super-sturdy and I'd be comfortable putting 40 lbs on it or so. The chains rattle quite a bit, so they get pulled off after use and dropped in the canvas pouch.

The bottom of it will be our family vacation map, though just limited to trips in the GX (we've been to quite a few more states, prior to purchasing the Rednexus). I like stickers, but not necessarily plastering the outside of a vehicle with them, so having something more secluded (and not painted) is ideal. We have a camping trip to Arkansas planned later this month and will get to add another state and use the table more.
View attachment 2801570
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Source for the pouches on the right side?

 

[Rednexus]

Source for the pouches on the right side?

Available on Amazon:
Amazon product ASIN B000M14Q4S
I attached it to the door panel with M8x1.25 nuts and bolts (I think 4-5 on the top and 2-3 on the bottom). It's held up pretty well so far.