That’s the plan. Apparently, there is a great little shop in New Orleans near my work I need to check out.
Builds "Rednexus" - 2007 GX470 Build and Fabrication Thread (3 Viewers)
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- #122
Took another gamble and ordered a Borla Touring 5th gen T4R exhaust ($650 on Amazon; same price as an aFe and $150 cheaper than a Magnaflow), based on it supposedly being once of the quietest aftermarket exhausts, some feedback that it should fit a 120-platform vehicle, and it being 304 SS instead of 409 SS like the others. Got it installed last night and it does fit, although 1) a few of the hangers will need to be cut off and re-welded and 2) the tip sticks about 3" past the bumper and will also need to be cut off and shortened. But it sounds really good - nice low rumble, louder than stock but not obnoxious. It has a bit of a 2-2.5K drone at 125 hz that I hope will subside after break in, if not I'll add a quarter-wave resonator in front of the muffler. Tomorrow I'll pull it back off and weld the hangers and tips into the 120-platform locations.
- Thread starter
- #124
Exhaust install is done! I was on the fence this morning (regarding more noise) and took it on a ~35 mile spin. As I suspected, the OEM exhaust was pretty restrictive (especially with my LT headers) and there was a noticeable increase in midrange torque with the Borla on. Not as big as an increase as I got after installing the headers, but it's definitely there. We'll see if the ~2K drone disappears, if not there is room to add a helmholtz resonator in front of the muffler (but not enough room for a quarter wave).
I ended up having to modify every hanger. Flipped the front and rear-most hangers 180 degrees, extended the hanger at the front of the muffler, and shortened the two at the rear of the muffler by half an inch. Then chopped 3" off of the tailpipe, re-welded on the tip, and trimmed the bumper a little bit. The Borla hangers were actually non-magnetic 304 SS, so we'll see how they do long-term with my welds being normal carbon steel. If I add a helmholtz resonator I'll get some actual SS flux core wire and do it right.
Overall, kind of a fun project, but it would have been easier to just buy a 120-platform aFe exhaust.
I ended up having to modify every hanger. Flipped the front and rear-most hangers 180 degrees, extended the hanger at the front of the muffler, and shortened the two at the rear of the muffler by half an inch. Then chopped 3" off of the tailpipe, re-welded on the tip, and trimmed the bumper a little bit. The Borla hangers were actually non-magnetic 304 SS, so we'll see how they do long-term with my welds being normal carbon steel. If I add a helmholtz resonator I'll get some actual SS flux core wire and do it right.
Overall, kind of a fun project, but it would have been easier to just buy a 120-platform aFe exhaust.
- Thread starter
- #125
Knocked out some more of the "to-do" list on the Rednexus this weekend.
First order of business was replacing all 8 fuel injectors with a set of 1% flow-matched, 12-hole injectors from CS Performance. Can't really tell if they made any difference in power, but it seems to run a bit smoother. I reset the ECU and my fuel trims are now spot-on from bank to bank. Bank 2 always used be 2% richer than Bank 1, so this pointed to the old injectors being a bit unbalanced from side-to-side. Definitely a good maintenance item for a higher-mileage GX. This was a 2-hour job, half of which was chasing leaks by removing and re-installing the fuel rail.
Next up was pulling apart the rear door to fix the PO's wiring on the backup camera (which wasn't working), replacing all of the bulbs with LEDs, adding a rear inside door release, and another pouch where the OEM tool kit was located. Plenty of room for cooking/eating stuff now.
Lastly, my drawers were a bit loose due to being held down with cinch straps. I made a bottom platform out of 1" pine boards, bolted it to the OEM anchor locations in the cargo area, and then attached the platform to the drawers with a brad nailer. This provided a perfect spot to store long, flat things, so I used some carpet padding and made cutouts for quite a few emergency tools. This saved even more space on the sides and I was able to remove nearly 100% of my tools/recovery gear from inside the drawers.
First order of business was replacing all 8 fuel injectors with a set of 1% flow-matched, 12-hole injectors from CS Performance. Can't really tell if they made any difference in power, but it seems to run a bit smoother. I reset the ECU and my fuel trims are now spot-on from bank to bank. Bank 2 always used be 2% richer than Bank 1, so this pointed to the old injectors being a bit unbalanced from side-to-side. Definitely a good maintenance item for a higher-mileage GX. This was a 2-hour job, half of which was chasing leaks by removing and re-installing the fuel rail.
Next up was pulling apart the rear door to fix the PO's wiring on the backup camera (which wasn't working), replacing all of the bulbs with LEDs, adding a rear inside door release, and another pouch where the OEM tool kit was located. Plenty of room for cooking/eating stuff now.
Lastly, my drawers were a bit loose due to being held down with cinch straps. I made a bottom platform out of 1" pine boards, bolted it to the OEM anchor locations in the cargo area, and then attached the platform to the drawers with a brad nailer. This provided a perfect spot to store long, flat things, so I used some carpet padding and made cutouts for quite a few emergency tools. This saved even more space on the sides and I was able to remove nearly 100% of my tools/recovery gear from inside the drawers.
- Thread starter
- #127
I think I got the idea from someone else on this forum. The right pouch is full size, for the left pouch I had to cut off around 1/3 of it, and my wife sewed some trim on it to keep it from coming undone.
Right pouch:
Amazon product ASIN B000M14Q4S
Left pouch:
Amazon product ASIN B077ZG9D85
- Thread starter
- #129
This evening (rainy, cabin fever day) I set out to answer the question most of us don't want to ask....how much money have I actually spent on my GX? Turns out the answer was within $300 of my initial, off-the cuff guess. I have a log book of all purchases and saved receipts, but just had not added things up. I did all of the work myself with the exception of alignments/tire installs and repairing the interior leather, so this is parts only. Probably more than is a good idea to ever put into a 16-year old vehicle, but it kind of snowballed and here we are 
Needless to say my build is entering it's final stages. Additional upgrades are probably going to be limited to a replacement dash, 33's when my 32's wear out, and potentially a rear-gear and lockers, which will push it close to the $40K total investment mark. Goes to show you just how expensive this hobby is. Had I paid for labor it would have been an easy $10-15K additional cost, and I probably have a few hundred hours of my own time in the GX.
| Vehicle Purchase | ||
| Item | Description | Cost |
| Lexus GX470 | 2007, 135k miles | $10,700.00 |
| TOTAL | $10,700.00 | |
| Maintenance | ||
| Item | Description | Cost |
| Fluid changes | 7 oil changes, 3 differential and TD fluid changes, 1 transmission fluid flush, power steering fluid flush, filters and misc washers. | $891.94 |
| Engine | PCV valve, 1 downstream O2 sensor, 2 upstream O2 sensors, reman 12-hole, flow-matched fuel injectors, exhaust bolts, springs, flange gaskets | $679.90 |
| Undercoating | Woolwax and fluid film | $99.49 |
| Tires/alignment | 2 alignments, 2 tire rotate/balances | $180.00 |
| Suspension | Front alignment cams, new front LCAs, near rear LCAs and UCAs, new sway bar end links, new sway bar bushings | $589.41 |
| TOTAL | $2,440.74 | |
| Repairs | ||
| Item | Description | Cost |
| Starter replacement | Denso reman starter, crossover pipe gasket, pipe O-rings, replacement heater and radiator hoses, thermostat and gasket, Toyota coolant | $337.72 |
| CV axles/rebooting | Two NAPA/Cardone reman axles, warranty replacements on both, All-Pro high-angle CV boots, three sets of wheel bearing seals | $458.97 |
| Exterior | Replacement wheelwell splash guards, front inner fender liners, DS tail light | $228.98 |
| Engine | New MAF sensor and MAF sensor pigtail | $78.78 |
| Steering | Reman steering rack, high-pressure PS hose, PS reservoir | $518.97 |
| Brakes | Reman front brake calipers, PowerStop SS brake line kit | $283.24 |
| Electrical | Replacement battery | $141.18 |
| Interior | Refresh front and rear leather seats, steering wheel, shift knob | $325.00 |
| TOTAL | $2,372.84 | |
| Upgrades | ||
| Item | Description | Cost |
| Wheels and tires | Falken Wildpeak 265R70/17 tires, Vors VE37 wheels, McGard lug nuts, wheel mounting, new 17" steel spare wheel, new Kenda Klever spare tire and mounting | $1,662.20 |
| Lighting | LED headlights, tail lights, turn signals, brake lights, ditch lights and switchgear, puddle lights, reverse lights, marker lights | $466.70 |
| Armor | ARB skidplates, SRQ Fabrication recovery points, Apex rock sliders | $1,306.49 |
| Interior | WeatherTech floor mats, cargo area sound deadening and outlet, switchgear | $424.50 |
| Engine | DT LT headers, aFe cold air intake, Borla exhaust, 1/4 wave resonator, SAIS bypass kit, O2 sensor spaces, exhaust manifold bolts and gaskets | $2,395.34 |
| Drivetrain | WAT Nomad valve body and lockup kit, Hayden transmission cooler, extended rear differential vent | $2,321.24 |
| Towing | OEM Toyota CLass IV hitch, Redarc elite brake controller and harness | $526.17 |
| Exterior | Plast-dip emblems, black belt molding, spindle-style grille | $357.19 |
| Suspension | Ironman FCP Stage 2 lift kit, DuroBumps F/R bump stops, panhard bar correction kit | $3,065.00 |
| Drawers | SHW drawers, finishing materials, sleeping platform, and carpeting | $1,192.25 |
| Misc. | Onboard air, MaxiTrac awning, rear door table | $504.00 |
| TOTAL | $14,221.08 | |
| GRAND TOTAL | $29,734.66 |
Needless to say my build is entering it's final stages. Additional upgrades are probably going to be limited to a replacement dash, 33's when my 32's wear out, and potentially a rear-gear and lockers, which will push it close to the $40K total investment mark. Goes to show you just how expensive this hobby is. Had I paid for labor it would have been an easy $10-15K additional cost, and I probably have a few hundred hours of my own time in the GX.
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Thankfully mine isn't as high. Probably around $25k all in.This evening (rainy, cabin fever day) I set out to answer the question most of us don't want to ask....how much money have I actually spent on my GX? Turns out the answer was within $300 of my initial, off-the cuff guess. I have a log book of all purchases and saved receipts, but just had not added things up. I did all of the work myself with the exception of alignments/tire installs and repairing the interior leather, so this is parts only. Probably more than is a good idea to ever put into a 16-year old vehicle, but it kind of snowballed and here we are
Vehicle Purchase Item Description Cost Lexus GX470 2007, 135k miles $10,700.00 TOTAL $10,700.00 Maintenance Item Description Cost Fluid changes 7 oil changes, 3 differential and TD fluid changes, 1 transmission fluid flush, power steering fluid flush, filters and misc washers. $891.94 Engine PCV valve, 1 downstream O2 sensor, 2 upstream O2 sensors, reman 12-hole, flow-matched fuel injectors, exhaust bolts, springs, flange gaskets $679.90 Undercoating Woolwax and fluid film $99.49 Tires/alignment 2 alignments, 2 tire rotate/balances $180.00 Suspension Front alignment cams, new front LCAs, near rear LCAs and UCAs, new sway bar end links, new sway bar bushings $589.41 TOTAL $2,440.74 Repairs Item Description Cost Starter replacement Denso reman starter, crossover pipe gasket, pipe O-rings, replacement heater and radiator hoses, thermostat and gasket, Toyota coolant $337.72 CV axles/rebooting Two NAPA/Cardone reman axles, warranty replacements on both, All-Pro high-angle CV boots, three sets of wheel bearing seals $458.97 Exterior Replacement wheelwell splash guards, front inner fender liners, DS tail light $228.98 Engine New MAF sensor and MAF sensor pigtail $78.78 Steering Remain steering rack, high-pressure PS hose, PS reservoir $518.97 Brakes Reman front brake calipers, PowerStop SS brake line kit $283.24 Electrical Replacement battery $141.18 Interior Refresh front and rear leather seats, steering wheel, shift knob $325.00 TOTAL $2,372.84 Upgrades Item Description Cost Wheels and tires Falken Wildpeak 265R70/17 tires, Vors VE37 wheels, McGard lug nuts, wheel mounting, new 17" steel spare wheel, new Kenda Klever spare tire and mounting $1,662.20 Lighting LED headlights, tail lights, turn signals, brake lights, ditch lights and switchgear, puddle lights, reverse lights, marker lights $466.70 Armor ARB skidplates, SRQ Fabrication recovery points, Apex rock sliders $1,306.49 Interior WeatherTech floor mats, cargo area sound deadening and outlet, switchgear $424.50 Engine DT LT headers, aFe cold air intake, Borla exhaust, 1/4 wave resonator, SAIS bypass kit, O2 sensor spaces, exhaust manifold bolts and gaskets $2,395.34 Drivetrain WAT Nomad valve body and lockup kit, Hayden transmission cooler, extended rear differential vent $2,321.24 Towing OEM Toyota CLass IV hitch, Redarc elite brake controller and harness $526.17 Exterior Plast-dip emblems, black belt molding, spindle-style grille $357.19 Suspension Ironman FCP Stage 2 lift kit, DuroBumps F/R bump stops, panhard bar correction kit $3,065.00 Drawers SHW drawers, finishing materials, sleeping platform, and carpeting $1,192.25 Misc. Onboard air, MaxiTrac awning, rear door table $504.00 TOTAL $14,221.08 GRAND TOTAL $29,734.66
Needless to say my build is entering it's final stages. Additional upgrades are probably going to be limited to a replacement dash, 33's when my 32's wear out, and potentially a rear-gear and lockers, which will push it close to the $40K total investment mark. Goes to show you just how expensive this hobby is. Had I paid for labor it would have been an easy $10-15K additional cost, and I probably have a few hundred hours of my own time in the GX.
- Thread starter
- #131
Bigger-ticket and kind of unusual items like engine and transmission upgrades definitely drove up the total build cost.
Yup. For me it was the wheels+tires, metal bumper, radiator replacement and coolant valley plate gasket repair.
Thanks for posting the cost numbers, I appreciate the numbers to help in my own planning!
- Thread starter
- #134
No problem! A build can certainly be done cheaper, but it's also pretty easy to under-estimate just how much things cost.
- Thread starter
- #135
I decide to look at it another way. What if I had purchased a 2023 TRD Pro 4Runner instead, done none of the repairs, and skipped most of the suspension/armor upgrades that the TRD comes with stock. It comes in at $66K, or more than 2X what I have in my 470. The 470 has the benefit of a much more powerful V8 and more towing capacity, the 4Runner has a rear locker and is much newer. I can say I am glad I don't have $66K in my off-roader .
.| Vehicle Purchase | ||
| Item | Description | Cost |
| TRD Pro 4Runner | 2023, Brand New | $57,000.00 |
| TOTAL | $57,000.00 | |
| Maintenance | ||
| Item | Description | Cost |
| Fluid changes | 7 oil changes, 3 differential fluid changes, filters | $350.57 |
| Undercoating | Woolwax and fluid film | $99.49 |
| Tires/alignment | 2 alignments, 2 tire rotate/balances | $180.00 |
| TOTAL | $630.06 | |
| Upgrades | ||
| Item | Description | Cost |
| Wheels and tires | Falken Wildpeak 265R70/17 tires | $750.18 |
| Lighting | Ditch lights and switchgear | $175.00 |
| Armor | SRQ Fabrication recovery points, Apex rock sliders | $834.70 |
| Interior | WeatherTech floor mats | $215.92 |
| Engine | DT headers, aFe cold air intake, Borla exhaust | $1,966.23 |
| Drivetrain | WAT Nomad valve body and lockup kit, Hayden transmission cooler, extended rear differential vent | $2,321.24 |
| Towing | OEM Toyota CLass IV hitch, Redarc elite brake controller and harness | $526.17 |
| Drawers | SHW drawers, finishing materials, sleeping platform, and carpeting | $1,192.25 |
| Misc. | Onboard air, MaxiTrac awning, rear door table | |
| TOTAL | $7,981.69 | |
| GRAND TOTAL | $65,611.75 |
I think I've seen ARB air filter that can be plumbed in (attached to firewall?)...
And I was thinking of a blade disconnect as my on-board air switch. This or similar (not Necessarily mounted to battery terminal).
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- Thread starter
- #137
Blade disconnect would be a nice fail-safe. I have not added in a filter as I just use the compressor when the GX is parked (for airing up), when it's usually not very dusty. For more regular use (like lockers) I'd definitely want a filter.
- Thread starter
- #138
After quite a bit of trial and error, the drone issue seems to be resolved with my GX. I initially tried a quarter-wave resonator, built out of 1.5" 304 SS tubing, but just didn't get much of a difference out of it despite a lot of fiddling with the length (24.5-33") via a slip joint. I think the tubing resonator pipe diameter was too small relative to the 2.5" catback. I also tried a Helmholtz chamber instead (using cheap mild steel), but had similar results. I could only get a slight reduction in sound at 1,500 rpm and below. I should have used 2" or 2.25" tubing for the resonator.
I finally gave up and put a Vibrant Ultra-Quiet resonator in front of the Borla muffler. The highway drone is now mostly gone (around a 7 db reduction) and it's now only slightly louder than stock around town. Still sounds mean at full throttle, and still has quite a bit more power than with the stock exhaust. Overall I like the end product. However, solving the drone issue was a pain - I'd only recommend this mod if you aren't particularly bothered by drone or if you don't mind slicing up your catback to add drone-cancelling devices. I knew this was a risk before buying the exhaust, it was just a bit more difficult to solve than expected. One other silver lining is that I was able to successfully weld the 304 stainless through my HF Titanium 125 with some Amazon SS flux core wire (after reversing the polarity and doing some grinding of the welds).
I finally gave up and put a Vibrant Ultra-Quiet resonator in front of the Borla muffler. The highway drone is now mostly gone (around a 7 db reduction) and it's now only slightly louder than stock around town. Still sounds mean at full throttle, and still has quite a bit more power than with the stock exhaust. Overall I like the end product. However, solving the drone issue was a pain - I'd only recommend this mod if you aren't particularly bothered by drone or if you don't mind slicing up your catback to add drone-cancelling devices. I knew this was a risk before buying the exhaust, it was just a bit more difficult to solve than expected. One other silver lining is that I was able to successfully weld the 304 stainless through my HF Titanium 125 with some Amazon SS flux core wire (after reversing the polarity and doing some grinding of the welds
).
Yeah man!After quite a bit of trial and error, the drone issue seems to be resolved with my GX. I initially tried a quarter-wave resonator, built out of 1.5" 304 SS tubing, but just didn't get much of a difference out of it despite a lot of fiddling with the length (24.5-33") via a slip joint. I think the tubing resonator pipe diameter was too small relative to the 2.5" catback. I also tried a Helmholtz chamber instead (using cheap mild steel), but had similar results. I could only get a slight reduction in sound at 1,500 rpm and below. I should have used 2" or 2.25" tubing for the resonator.
I finally gave up and put a Vibrant Ultra-Quiet resonator in front of the Borla muffler. The highway drone is now mostly gone (around a 7 db reduction) and it's now only slightly louder than stock around town. Still sounds mean at full throttle, and still has quite a bit more power than with the stock exhaust. Overall I like the end product. However, solving the drone issue was a pain - I'd only recommend this mod if you aren't particularly bothered by drone or if you don't mind slicing up your catback to add drone-cancelling devices. I knew this was a risk before buying the exhaust, it was just a bit more difficult to solve than expected. One other silver lining is that I was able to successfully weld the 304 stainless through my HF Titanium 125 with some Amazon SS flux core wire (after reversing the polarity and doing some grinding of the welds
View attachment 3251091
View attachment 3251090
Props for overcomplicated simple things!
T'is a life motto.
- Thread starter
- #140
It's the bad side of being an engineerYeah man!
Props for overcomplicated simple things!
T'is a life motto.
