The 2005 LX470 mounts the reverse lights in two enclosures immediately flanking the license plate. I'm expecting a custom BIOR rear bumper and tire carrier soon, and wanted to relocate my reverse lights to the outboard combi-lamp enclosure so that the tire would not block the (already weak) reverse lights. The 2005 LX470 has blank compartments in the combi-lamp enclosure in the tail gate that look like reverse lights, but these compartments do not contain a slot to accept the lamp receptacle.
I started to research options for swapping the combi-lamp enclosure to one from another 100-series model, but with the variations between years and between LC and LX models, I concluded that there wasn't anything that would be a full match to the corner lamp enclosures.
Instead, I looked at modifying the existing blank enclosures in the stock 2005 LX470 rear combi-lamps. This is what I did:
1. Remove the reverse lamp enclosures flanking the license plate. This is done through the tailgate, and requires removing one (1) 10 mm nut per enclosure. Disconnect the bulb receptacle.
2. Fit a 1 1/4" hole saw (with the drill bit removed) over the circular slot that receives the bulb receptacle. It fits perfectly. Carefully cut the receiving slot out with the hole saw. Remove the plastic cuttings as you go so fewer bit fall into the enclosure. Retrieve the slot from the hole saw--do not let it fall into the enclosure.
3. Clean up the edges of the receiver slot you just cut out using a razor blade and sand paper.
4. Use a 1 1/8" hole saw to cut a hole in the blank compartment in the combi-light enclosure. Use the central bit in this case. The 1 1/8" outside diameter will almost perfectly match the inside diameter of the 1 1/4" hole saw (and the cut dimensions of the receiving slot you just cut out). There is a suspiciously useful semicircular indentation in the steel tailgate body right where you want to cut this hole. The hole saw will snuggle right in there. Take extra care to clean out the plastic cuttings as you go so fewer fall into the enclosure. Don't let the the cut-out fall into the enclosure.
5. Plastic cuttings will fall into the enclosure. Blow them out. Use compressed air or huff and puff. It wasn't a big deal.
6. Drink a beer. You just cut a bunch of holes in your tail lamp enclosures.
7. Use some quick-set epoxy to attach the receiving slot you cut from the factory reverse light enclosure into the new hole you just drilled. Don't use so much that it drips into the enclosure. Take care to align the slot as shown in the photo, or check how the bulb receptacle will mount. Once it is set, fillet the circular seam with additional epoxy.
Continued in the next post...
I started to research options for swapping the combi-lamp enclosure to one from another 100-series model, but with the variations between years and between LC and LX models, I concluded that there wasn't anything that would be a full match to the corner lamp enclosures.
Instead, I looked at modifying the existing blank enclosures in the stock 2005 LX470 rear combi-lamps. This is what I did:
1. Remove the reverse lamp enclosures flanking the license plate. This is done through the tailgate, and requires removing one (1) 10 mm nut per enclosure. Disconnect the bulb receptacle.
2. Fit a 1 1/4" hole saw (with the drill bit removed) over the circular slot that receives the bulb receptacle. It fits perfectly. Carefully cut the receiving slot out with the hole saw. Remove the plastic cuttings as you go so fewer bit fall into the enclosure. Retrieve the slot from the hole saw--do not let it fall into the enclosure.
3. Clean up the edges of the receiver slot you just cut out using a razor blade and sand paper.
4. Use a 1 1/8" hole saw to cut a hole in the blank compartment in the combi-light enclosure. Use the central bit in this case. The 1 1/8" outside diameter will almost perfectly match the inside diameter of the 1 1/4" hole saw (and the cut dimensions of the receiving slot you just cut out). There is a suspiciously useful semicircular indentation in the steel tailgate body right where you want to cut this hole. The hole saw will snuggle right in there. Take extra care to clean out the plastic cuttings as you go so fewer fall into the enclosure. Don't let the the cut-out fall into the enclosure.
5. Plastic cuttings will fall into the enclosure. Blow them out. Use compressed air or huff and puff. It wasn't a big deal.
6. Drink a beer. You just cut a bunch of holes in your tail lamp enclosures.
7. Use some quick-set epoxy to attach the receiving slot you cut from the factory reverse light enclosure into the new hole you just drilled. Don't use so much that it drips into the enclosure. Take care to align the slot as shown in the photo, or check how the bulb receptacle will mount. Once it is set, fillet the circular seam with additional epoxy.
Continued in the next post...
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