Sorich's Humble Build Thread.... (1 Viewer)

[sorich]

I got my first 100 series (or any worthwhile truck ever, for that matter) at the beginning of this year, and although I have high hopes of building up an awesome rig like a lot of you have on here, I realize that I probably won't be able to get my truck built up as much as I'd like to before it's time to get another vehicle. In the meantime, I decided I would start my own Humble Build Thread, just for fun. The plan for this truck is to turn it into a family adventure vehicle, as my wife, three kids (under 6yo), and I are moving from Illinois to Colorado, and we plan to see a lot of it once we're out there.

I'll try to update this first post as time goes on to give a current status of the build.

For now, some basics... I'll add to it later.

• 1998 Lexus LX 470, no factory rear locker.
• Purchased in San Diego, CA (sight unseen) with 156,000 miles in the beginning of January 2017.
• After failed attempt at shipping it, I bought a couple of plane tickets for my brother-in-law and I to fly out and drive it all the way back home near Chicago, IL. The road trip confirmed that this is a well running machine. Good! It also surfaced some gremlins... Bad!

Issues to start with:

• Mushy brakes... If you double pump them, the pedal is firm and the truck stops quickly, but that first press on the pedal is mushy and the truck is slow to stop. Could need a pedal travel adjustment, or a brake rebuild.
• Left side of truck sits slightly lower than right side of truck... By maybe an inch.
• Motor for telescoping steering wheel is broken. Tilt seems to work fine. I could replace the motor...
• During the 2K+ mile trip home, there were a handful of occasions where the battery light illuminated and the battery voltage gauge indicated that the system was approaching 18 volts (over voltage). When this happened, I kept revs down and turned on headlights and stereo, and it would usually go away after a few minutes.. Not sure if that was a coincidence or not. When I got home, I scrubbed the battery terminals and most of the grounding points for the electrical system and sprayed them all with CorrosionX. Hasn't happened since in a few thousand miles, so I hope that's all it was and not a sign that the alternator is failing.
• The "Bluetooth upgrade" on the factory stereo turned out to just be a REALLY crappy permanently installed Bluetooth module for an FM transmitter. It sucks. I need to decide if I will replace the head unit or if I'll get a GROM bluetooth kit for the factory head unit. In the meantime, I'm using a tape adapter. Hi, 1990's!! I haven't missed you!
• HID (aftermarket) headlights point too high.. They are high enough to blind truckers that are 50-100' ahead of me.
• Suspension feels worn... You feel every bump and there is a lot of sway in cornering.

The good:

• It was pretty well maintained, mostly at Lexus, and has new AC, Timing Belt, brakes, tires, and has just about NO RUST. This is gold from an Illinois perspective.
• It runs quiet and smooth.

What I've done so far:

• Before initial road trip back home: Replaced wipers, some missing brake lights, hood struts, greased doors, replaced the water in wiper reservoir with anti-freeze fluid, check fluid levels.
• Greased/lubed drive line/propeller shafts, and re-torqued flange bolts
• Oil Change (Mobile1 full advanced synthetic) and filter change (OEM from Toyota)
• Transmission Fluid swap (Valvoline synthetic)
• Front and rear differential and transfer case fluid swap (Valvoline synthetic)
• Flush radiator (at my local shop using Toyota fluid)
• Brake flush (at my local shop) to see if it helped mushy brakes... Worth a shot, right? Still mushy...
• AHC Fluid swap (using the PADDO 1-can method)
• Removed trailer hitch (storing for now)
• Removed running boards (storing for now)
• Removed 3rd row seats (storing - I'll definitely use these down the road)
• Replaced the new Michelin LTX AT's that the truck came with, sold them on Craigslist, and bought 5 new BFG KO2's in a size up. Now running 285/75/R16.
• Cabin Air Filter Change (the old ones were pretty clean.... oh well).
• Full AHC Service. Replaced rear springs, cross-leveled, and adjusted torsion bars in front to bring all pressure to spec (now running Front: 6.3mpa, Rear: 6.0mpa). I'm also now seeing 11 ticks on the reservoir H-L.
• Replaced all interior cabin lights with LED's from PFran. (March 2017)

Future plans:

• Full AHC service (replace rear springs, cross-level, and adjust torsion bars in front to bring pressures to spec) Completed March 2017.
• Sliders. Considering Bump It Offroad. Completed July 2017
• Steel rear bumper with spare tire swing out and possibly Jerry cans on a 2nd swing out. Considering Slee, ARB, 4X4 Labs, BIOR, and Dissent. Would love to hear your guys thoughts on these and others...
• Stereo.. either GROM Bluetooth kit or a new head unit. Considering doing a double DIN CarPlay compatible touchscreen model with a backup camera.
• Roof top tent. No idea yet... probably next year. Completed March 2018.
• Front & Rear Lockers... Considering ARB vs. TJM. Open to feedback.

Meanwhile, I'm busy getting my car washed every time I see salt on the ground in an attempt to keep my pretty undercarriage looking that way until I get to Colorado...

Now for some pictures!

Original condition when I picked it up in San Diego:

Mid road trip home (In Colorado):

After removing running boards:

After removing hitch and upgrading tires:

 

[Couvi]

Nice truck. Always liked the green ones. How do the new tires ride on the road compared to the others?

 

[sorich]

Regarding the left side of the truck sitting lower than the right side, and the condition of the AHC in general...

Currently, my AHC pressures are a bit high (took readings with TechStream). I'm running 7.8 in the front, 6.7 in the rear, and 107 at the accumulator. Given that, I see that I'm above the high range in front and right at the high range in back. So, here's my plan:

• Replace rear springs: I've ordered up some OEM AHC rear coil springs from Lexus. I'm fairly certain these are the original springs I'm running and they are certainly worn by now, as I'm at the top of the pressure range even after removing the rear hitch and 3rd row seats with a 1/2 tank of gas.
  
• Cross-level and normalize front pressures: I'm also assuming my torsion bars haven't been tightened ever. I plan to cross level the front torsion bars to get the suspension sitting even, then check pressures and tighten the bars an equal amount to decrease AHC front pressure further while keeping the rear in range.
  
• Assess: My hope after that is that my front and rear pressures are both near the bottom of the pressure range. Next steps would be to tighten the front TB's further, re-index them if needed to get more spring, and/or add 30mm Slee spacers to the rear springs to further decrease pressure. I don't expect I'll need to do that.

Hopefully at that point my suspension will be completely level L-R, and have around 1" of rake, front to back. Down the road I plan to get a steel rear bumper, and at that point would probably add the Slee 30mm coil spring spacers to normalize pressure again.

I expect I'll have to replace the globes sometime soon, but I hope after the above service they will be performing well enough to keep for a while.

 

[sorich]

Nice truck. Always liked the green ones. How do the new tires ride on the road compared to the others?

Thanks!! The tires are great so far. Handling and stoping on dry pavement have been great - No draw backs there. I'm still on my first tank of gas with the new tires, so I can't comment on the MPG hit (yet), but will report back after my first refill.

Regarding noise, they are whisper quiet under 40 mph. After that you begin to hear them slightly, and at 55 or so they are noticeable and a bit louder than the old tires I had on there.

Regarding comfort, they are a bit harsher on the sudden bumps than the old tire for sure. With the adjustable suspension on the LX, I just switch over to one of the comfort modes and that subdues them completely. I hope that my AHC suspension will be performing even better after my work I outlined on it above.

 

[ih8everything]

Nice cruiser. That green was the original color on mine before the previous owner painted it white. Yours looks great and now I'm wishing they'd left mine alone.

Good luck with the mushy brakes. Hopefully a master cylinder rebuild will take care of it as that is pretty easy and cheap. I tried that first to no avail and ended up having to replace the entire master/booster assembly to the tune of about $1800.

 

[sorich]

Nice cruiser. That green was the original color on mine before the previous owner painted it white. Yours looks great and now I'm wishing they'd left mine alone.

Good luck with the mushy brakes. Hopefully a master cylinder rebuild will take care of it as that is pretty easy and cheap. I tried that first to no avail and ended up having to replace the entire master/booster assembly to the tune of about $1800.

Dang! Yeah I've heard that at least one person fixed their "double pump" mushy brakes by just adjusting the pedal travel, so I'll try that first. If no luck then I'll do the master cylinder rebuild.

 

[sorich]

Quick AHC update:

After swapping AHC fluid, my pressures up front have been hovering around 7.8-8.1, and in rear they have been between 6.7-6.9. The left side of the truck has also been sagging by about 1/2 inch.

Over the weekend I spent some time working on my torsion bars up front in preparation for replacing my rear springs next week. After a lot of back and forth, I cross leveled and then adjusted for pressure. I was amazed to find that it took 9 turns on the driver side to cross level and normalize pressure. Now the truck is sitting at 19.25" in front and 20.25" in back, with pressures of 6.7 in front and 6.3 in back (within spec ).

What a difference! The ride is much smoother now and just feels overall more stable and composed.

I'll be putting in the new springs next week, so we'll see if I end up having to back off on the torsion bars to keep pressures in range.

 

[geanes]

What did that rig cost you if you don't mind my asking? Just curious what a 98 with 156k is going for these days.

 

[sorich]

$8,800. Not sure that was the best price but it felt like it was! Here in Illinois it would have been rusting through and $2k more!

 

[geanes]

$8,800. Not sure that was the best price but it felt like it was! Here in Illinois it would have been rusting through and $2k more!

Thanks. I'm looking at 11-1.5 for same year/same mileage, but has plenty of upgrades. Fingers crossed the Lexus CPO inspection comes back with no major fixes needed. 150k makes me nervous no matter how well regarded a vehicle is.

 

[starclassic]

She's a beaut!. Congrats on the purchase. Looking forward to watching (and helping?) this build thread unfold!

 

[sorich]

She's a beaut!. Congrats on the purchase. Looking forward to watching (and helping?) this build thread unfold!

Absolutely!

MPG Update... In my commute recently I've been getting about 12-13 mpg (no highway). After replacing the tires I've had one refill at 12.2 and another at 12.6 mpg.

 

[bamabrock]

The best advice I can give you is to never calculate the mileage. Ignorance is bliss and that's coming from an accountant!

 

[DJCloz]

$8,800. Not sure that was the best price but it felt like it was! Here in Illinois it would have been rusting through and $2k more!

that's a fair price for a clean truck.

 

[Leandro]

The best advice I can give you is to never calculate the mileage. Ignorance is bliss and that's coming from an accountant!

Agree...

 

[sorich]

The best advice I can give you is to never calculate the mileage. Ignorance is bliss and that's coming from an accountant!

Haha you're probably right.... however, I know that question gets asked around here a lot "How much is my gas mileage going to drop after getting 33" tires?" Etc...

My number 1 interest in mpg now that I own the truck is as an indicator for it not running at its best. If I'm always averaging 12 mpg and don't change anything and see that I now get 10 mpg, it's a good sign that I should check the plugs, coils, air filter, etc. For me it's just part of knowing the truck, and not as much about efficiency. If it was, I'd be driving a Subaru instead!

 

[sorich]

AHC Update:

After replacing the rear springs this weekend (Thanks for the help, @starclassic!), and giving the torsion bars one crank on each side, my pressures have dropped considerably.

Pressures prior to refer spring replacement:
Front: 6.7-6.8 mpa
Rear: 6.3-6.4 mpa

After OEM Lexus rear spring replacement plus 1 turn on torsion bars:
Front: 6.3-6.4 mpa (slightly low, as spec calls for 6.4 min)
Rear: 6.0-6.1 mpa (right on the money!)

After driving on it for one day, I feel that the ride has been greatly improved. Much smoother and even more confident in cornering. I'll see if my perspective changes after driving in different road conditions and update here if necessary. I'm considering backing off the torsion bars by 1/4 turn or so to bring it right at 6.4 mpa in front, but if the ride doesn't feel like its suffering (underdamped), then I may just leave it as-is.

EDIT: I should also mention.. Prior to this, my H-L check in the reservoir was at 8-9, and now I'm seeing 11 consistently. This is really encouraging, as I've heard that once you hit 7 or below, it's an indication that your globes (air shocks) are shot. Hopefully that means I can keep this system running until I add a ton of weight. Then I can decide if I should keep the AHC or change out to OME/King/Icon, etc.

Also, my heights from center of hub to fender are now 19.25 in front and 20.25 in back, leveled perfectly left to right.

 

[sorich]

Interior Cabin LED's

Also, I replaced all the internal cabin lights with LEDs as well as the reverse lights in back with a set of 5W Cree LED's all from PFran. They are the warmer ones (3500K) so have more of an OEM look rather than the cool blue 6000K option listed on his site. Email him if you're interested in the warmer set, as they are not listed.

 

[ConcreteCruiser]

Congrats on the new rig. It looks like it's in great condition. I had my first 80 a couple years before any real mods. It's just as much about the journey as it is the destination. You picked out a name yet?

 

[sorich]

Congrats on the new rig. It looks like it's in great condition. I had my first 80 a couple years before any real mods. It's just as much about the journey as it is the destination. You picked out a name yet?

Thanks!! Name? Hmmmmm... I'll have to get thinking about that!