Builds Tex's 2019 GX460 build (1 Viewer)

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...no room in the garage? Pfft, who needs a garage in Cali? I built two of them in the gravel driveway the last few years with Colorado weather! Pain, but doable. :hillbilly:





Again, that's assuming one has the real estate. I live 100' from the blue Pacific. I have no yard, minimal driveway and usually zero street parking since our street is also a beach access. Zero, zippo, nadda, zilch room for a project.
Quick change of gears, is that your red '74+ 2002 BMW?
Brings back memories of my British racing green '74 2002 Bimmer that my wife and I did our honeymoon with.
 
She was a 75, had a 73 Inka and 67 1600 too. Love the 2002s, will own another one day.

TX, if you end up regearing, what ratio are you thinking?
 
We're an All-American, Cheeseburger eating, Ford family!!!

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Ha-ha! I may have a Ford in my driveway next year if those Bronco's turn out to be as good as they look!!
And I DO love cheese burgers!
 
Yea the Bronco could turn out to be a replacement for the GX in a few years, but it's way to early to tell. There will be another Ford Super Duty in the driveway next year for sure. Of the domestics I am definitely a Ford man haha. I love a good burger too, but I eat far more fajitas than I do cheeseburgers.
 
Spotted your tween again 😂 jk! You get that Victory rack yet?! 😂

The GX has gone mainstream folks!!!
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Yea the Bronco could turn out to be a replacement for the GX in a few years, but it's way to early to tell. There will be another Ford Super Duty in the driveway next year for sure. Of the domestics I am definitely a Ford man haha. I love a good burger too, but I eat far more fajitas than I do cheeseburgers.

come back after a solid year of minimal issues and then we can talk Broncos. I like the flash and pizazz but I’d be pretty damn hesitant to jump on it out the gate. I’m a Ford man too if I go domestic; I call it thank you for not taking my money 💰 😂

But seriously in addition to that I think Fords design is top notch. I really like the new Explorer.
 
Yea I wouldn't buy first year of the Bronco and I likely wouldn't buy the second year either. I'd like to see this GX run out of its drivetrain warranty before I start to consider replacing it. Unless I absolutely fall in love with something else or start to have issues with the GX (highly unlikely) it'll be hard to jump ship and start over with something else in the foreseeable future. I should have this thing pretty well built out in the next year so the idea of starting over with something that hasn't proven itself isn't endearing lol. That said, I am a Ford guy and I wouldn't be mad about a Bronco and a Super Duty Tremor sitting in the driveway.
 
Yea the Bronco could turn out to be a replacement for the GX in a few years, but it's way to early to tell. There will be another Ford Super Duty in the driveway next year for sure. Of the domestics I am definitely a Ford man haha. I love a good burger too, but I eat far more fajitas than I do cheeseburgers.
Being a Lexus guy, I though your meal of choice was a Poke Bowl! :p
Aren't fajitas, for the guys who drive Chevy's??
Personally, I like my sushi also, but give me some good 'ol American red meat any day!
(In this climate, I sure hope I don't get slapped down for the comments above... No disrespect intended...)
 
I got 21 years out of a '96 Explorer 5.0L AWD (purchased new) with just one water pump failure and nothing else. One of my nephews is now driving it. That Borg Warner viscous coupling for AWD never gave me an ounce of grief. It was purely mechanical but no low range. I would certainly entertain Ford again if I went that route. That being said...I know many get bored with cars.. I replace them around the 20 year mark but I could be keeping the GX longer.
 
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Note to Woody: we may be turning this into a Bronco forum!!! :rofl:
 
Note to Woody: we may be turning this into a Bronco forum!!! :rofl:

lol why not?! I quite enjoy the fact that although this is a 150 forum you NEVER hear peep from 4Runner owners 😂

im happy to see Ford getting aggressive. If Toyota drops the ball on redesign then Ford benefits. Jeeps never change and it boggles the mind that people buy in to em. Does GM have anything to compete with the 150????? certainly not the Tahoe...

new Defender looks exciting but Land Rover reliability and quality in the past several years is absolute trash.

I keep waiting for the Korean companies to get in on the action but in the world of unibody suvs 🚙 that won’t be anytime soon.

Hondas Passport is sexy but no 😂 and Nissan...well I like the Armada but that company might be out of business in the next couple of years.

Long live Toyota! Sorry if I hijacked your Bronco thread @Tex68w 😐 😂
 
Being a Lexus guy, I though your meal of choice was a Poke Bowl! :p
Aren't fajitas, for the guys who drive Chevy's??
Personally, I like my sushi also, but give me some good 'ol American red meat any day!
(In this climate, I sure hope I don't get slapped down for the comments above... No disrespect intended...)


Haha, I do love me some sushi. Not so much the rolls, I am more of a sashimi and live giant clam kind of guy. I had the pleasure of dining privately with Chef Tojo in Vancouver a few years back in what turned into a strolling 12-course meal. That is still one of, if not the best meal I've ever had. Two people and a ton of sake later and our tab was north of $1500, by far the most expensive meal of my life as well lol.


any updates on the LRA tank install?


Decided to hold off for the 24-gallon tank, no word on when it will arrive.


lol why not?! I quite enjoy the fact that although this is a 150 forum you NEVER hear peep from 4Runner owners 😂

im happy to see Ford getting aggressive. If Toyota drops the ball on redesign then Ford benefits. Jeeps never change and it boggles the mind that people buy in to em. Does GM have anything to compete with the 150????? certainly not the Tahoe...

new Defender looks exciting but Land Rover reliability and quality in the past several years is absolute trash.

I keep waiting for the Korean companies to get in on the action but in the world of unibody suvs 🚙 that won’t be anytime soon.

Hondas Passport is sexy but no 😂 and Nissan...well I like the Armada but that company might be out of business in the next couple of years.

Long live Toyota! Sorry if I hijacked your Bronco thread @Tex68w 😐 😂

Yea I guess the 4Runner guys stay over on their specific forums, I know I did when I was still rocking a 5th Gen. There's 300 times more 4Runner specific traffic over there too.

As a Ford guy myself I too am excited about their recent offerings in the Bronco and Tremor. I've had three Bronco's, four Super Duty's, my first car was a 1995 Ford Explorer, I then had two Mustang SVT Cobra's, an F-150 (for all of three weeks before it was stolen and never seen again), a Roush Stage 3, two Shelby GT500's, and both a first and second Gen Raptor. It's safe to say that I love my Ford's lol and I am only 36 so there's still plenty of time to add more to the list, one of which will likely be a Tremor sometime next year.

I agree that I fear Nissan will go the way of the Dodo here soon unless another manufacturer buys them out. Sad stuff but they wrote their own obituary in many ways. The Koreans will never make a BOF vehicle so I'd forget about them.
 
Haha, I do love me some sushi. Not so much the rolls, I am more of a sashimi and live giant clam kind of guy. I had the pleasure of dining privately with Chef Tojo in Vancouver a few years back in what turned into a strolling 12-course meal. That is still one of, if not the best meal I've ever had. Two people and a ton of sake later and our tab was north of $1500, by far the most expensive meal of my life as well lol.





Decided to hold off for the 24-gallon tank, no word on when it will arrive.




Yea I guess the 4Runner guys stay over on their specific forums, I know I did when I was still rocking a 5th Gen. There's 300 times more 4Runner specific traffic over there too.

As a Ford guy myself I too am excited about their recent offerings in the Bronco and Tremor. I've had three Bronco's, four Super Duty's, my first car was a 1995 Ford Explorer, I then had two Mustang SVT Cobra's, an F-150 (for all of three weeks before it was stolen and never seen again), a Roush Stage 3, two Shelby GT500's, and both a first and second Gen Raptor. It's safe to say that I love my Ford's lol and I am only 36 so there's still plenty of time to add more to the list, one of which will likely be a Tremor sometime next year.

I agree that I fear Nissan will go the way of the Dodo here soon unless another manufacturer buys them out. Sad stuff but they wrote their own obituary in many ways. The Koreans will never make a BOF vehicle so I'd forget about them.
First off, since this is your thread, I hope you don't mind us still going down this rabbit hole.
Second, you've had some bad-arse Fords!! Mine have been a '67 Mustang (first car in High School) and a '94 F350 crewcab that I made into an overlander (dual batteries, 3 air compressors, 15k lb winch, 37" tires, yadda, yadda, yadda...) This was my first overlander and didn't take into consideration size. Loved it but no such thing as a "U" turn. Especially on trails. It was just too darned big for wheeling unless we were in some of California's open deserts.
Third, regarding the Bronco, the only thing that will keep me in my GX will be just how "Overland" the Bronco can be made. Ursa Minor Vehicles (Ursa Minor Vehicles Ford Camper Conversion ) already has a "slot" saved for a Bronco integrated roof tent, note: NOT a roof TOP tent, but a tent integrated within the roof. Very cool!
And finally, Nissan... Ahhhhh, The days when the Pathfinder ACTUALLY had a body on frame and was a real (almost) contender for the 4Runner. Then the XTerra, another good off roader, killed in 2016. Yep your right, they're doing it to themselves! My very first NEW vehicle was a 1979 Datsun pickup and boy was that thing reliable! I beat the heck out of it and it just kept running! What happened???
 
Yea I guess the 4Runner guys stay over on their specific forums, I know I did when I was still rocking a 5th Gen. There's 300 times more 4Runner specific traffic over there too.

As a Ford guy myself I too am excited about their recent offerings in the Bronco and Tremor. I've had three Bronco's, four Super Duty's, my first car was a 1995 Ford Explorer, I then had two Mustang SVT Cobra's, an F-150 (for all of three weeks before it was stolen and never seen again), a Roush Stage 3, two Shelby GT500's, and both a first and second Gen Raptor. It's safe to say that I love my Ford's lol and I am only 36 so there's still plenty of time to add more to the list, one of which will likely be a Tremor sometime next year.

I agree that I fear Nissan will go the way of the Dodo here soon unless another manufacturer buys them out. Sad stuff but they wrote their own obituary in many ways. The Koreans will never make a BOF vehicle so I'd forget about them.


True, when I drove the 4R I was always on T4R. I see the 3rd Gen still get action and it's harder for me to be interested cause it's such a dated platform. Solid but dated.

Wow man that is quite the collection of Fords there! Sorry to hear about the F150. I know little about the Tremor but it seems like it's packing some kahunas.

Nissan can still be saved but it needs a full 180. That Frontier hasn't changed since 2005, go figure. Ghosn changed things and they railroaded that guy. Their lineup simply isn't appealing. I like the Infiniti line and hope they succeed but with the current climate of competition and the fact that leadership can't get its ish together, maybe it's time they go. Pathfinder could have been great had they not given up on it like they did. Xterra was awesome at introduction but that too fizzled. Anyway, let's get back to our regularly scheduled program of your build :D :D :D I'll get off my soap box now
 
I like the Infiniti line and hope they succeed but with the current climate of competition and the fact that leadership can't get its ish together, maybe it's time they go.

I still have my '07 G35x (V36-VQ35HR) I bought new back in 2007. This seemed like the tail end of Infiniti's golden era... just changed the plugs in it. At one time it was said 90% a 3 series with only 10% of the maintenance. These models are actually a good used car value for the performance they offer. We'll see at year 20 if I get rid of it.
 
they are beautifully crafted cars And you can get some damn good deals on them used like you mentioned. I hope they can get past this current fiasco. I love Toyota but competition is good for all of us. If Nissan can get out of its way and retune I think they’d be phenomenal. No UAW to deal with either?!

toyota is smart; big investments in Mazda and Fuji Heavy which owns Subaru means they can borrow the good stuff while helping out the little guys. see the new Venza for example.
 
Not much in the way of off-road action of late but the GX has definitely been stacking on the highway and everyday use miles in the recent weeks. She also went in for her 20K service a few weeks back as well.


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Look'n good!
My wife and I about to head out on another road trip, but not as far a Maine. We're calling this run our dead president's hunt.
E.g. Mount Rushmore and then Yellowstone. :)
We just did a 1400 mile door to door from LA to my parents house. We camped out in Nevada and Wyoming with a RTT both ways. There was no good roof rack option for the 2018 GX460, apart from Prinsu, who shipped me the wrong one (mislabeled GX470 rack), and time was tight. So I took some measurements and sketched out what I needed, then figured out what aluminum bar stock was available, went down to Gardena and brought it home. Good excuse to fire up the TIG welder; it is only a little Dynasty 100 from about 20 years ago but with a tank of helium you can do a lot of damage on solid aluminum.

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Anyway the welds aren't all pretty, as you might expect from a 50yo dad who normally works in a hospital and has two sons 8 and 10 asking "when are we leaving" constantly for about a day and a half while I am on the hood figuring out how to weld the front basket over my head upside down WAAAY out of position and not set the windshield wipers on fire. But the older son was actually very useful in pointing out when the moving blanket I used to protect the car started on fire, which was a more often than I expected... Anyway, in case you feel inspired, here is what you can accomplish with a lot of "don't take no for an answer", a skill saw, a drill press, and about $60 in rack feet from Colorado (Gamiviti - you saved my ass on this build, literally dumping the stuff in the mail and emailing me again to tell me you were headed to the post office and to PayPal NOW IF YOU WANT IT OUT TODAY). Major props to that guy, whoever he is.


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I decided to put the front basket on because we are four people and a 100lb komondor in back, with a Thule box on the hitch and a 100qt coleman strapped to the hitch in front of the Thule with all our food in it. FYI be sure to put a disposable aluminum serving pan under the plastic cooler, because the exhaust at 80mph will heat the swing arm up enough to melt the cooler plastic to the steel otherwise. Sorry but no photos of that; you can use your imagination. It did survive in its semi gelatinous state through 117 degree heat all the way across CA, NV, AZ, UT, WY and into SD...and back without melting all the way through the insulation. And it kept the food ice cold for 2800 miles, on the dot.

But I digress. The little feet have slots and are adjustable, so I just figured out my bolt spacing and countersunk some holes into the tops of the bar stock to recess the heads of the bolts holding the rack to the rack feet. Plan at this point was to slam the RTT right down on the aluminum bars and just tap some machine screws right into the bars, through the bottom of the RTT. As it happened, I didn't have time to remove the aluminum extrusions from the bottom of the RTT, so I just used the cool slidey grabber thingys that iKamper includes in their kit to stick the tent to the rack. It worked great and looked fine, but the purist in me will probably slam it down onto the rack the next time I do it. Disadvantage is harder to remove the tent afterward.

Anyway, some detail shots of the rack:

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hit the attachment limit...

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