Builds The Fresh-Air-Ah GX 460 Build Thread (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Jun 7, 2021
Threads
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Location
los Angeles
Hey Folks

This is the start to what will eventually become GX 460 Build Thread, but before I get into the technical details and build photos, I'll capture a few thoughts here (mostly for my own sake as one day I'll look back on this forum)...

I started "overloading" about 2-years back, almost without intention. I needed a truck to haul my mountain bike and purchased a 2019 Chevy Colorado ZR2. Being someone that loved camping, those trips with the truck and mountain bike soon turned into longer and longer trips, with overnights, newly scouted routes, etc. It wasn't long before I was eyeing aftermarket accessories to take the truck to more remote places, simply to get out of the hustle and bustle of daily life. A year or so later the truck had a roof top tent, on-board air, lights, fuel, etc. Yet, with all of those accessories, I was always longing for something - I had always felt like I was on the "wrong" platform. See, I never really intended to do the car - travel - camp thing with the Chevy, but it just so happened that the ZR2 could do most of those things, and it did them all pretty well. But I was always eyeing the Toyota & Lexus stuff not only for their world-class reliability and build quality but their large aftermarket support. Anytime I wanted to do something to the Chevy, there was one or two companies that offered a solution. Now, being a mechanical engineer by trade, I can figure most things out, but am mostly limited in what I can do in my small (SoCal) workspace.

So, fast forward about a year to a recent trip to the Sierra's with some college friends. Enter the 2007 Lexus GX 470. I had always known about the Lexus lineup and their capabilities, but until this recent trip, I wasn't sure what that really meant. Well in my mind, this is what I saw in my buddy's truck: an older vehicle that I could feel confident in understanding, I wouldn't need to worry about modifying a brand new vehicle, the Lexus had. better ground clearance and angles, and the Lexus was about half the cost (fully built) of my 2019 pickup, and it would likely outlast it with just some simple maintenance.

After driving the GX 470 through parts of Sequia and the surrounding wilderness areas and after many conversations relating the GX 460 to the GX 470 to Land Cruisers to 4Runners, I was nearly convinced on trading the truck in for a GX 460. And with the used car market offering just a few grand less than what I paid for MSRP on my truck, it was a simple decision.

Enter the 2013 GX 460.

I found my GX in Knight's Armor Pearl in New Mexico from an online cragislist ad. The ad linked me to a dealer site, where I saw the truck had 123k on the odometer, the vehicle was owned by a single individual Texas, and it had maintenance records every 5k through the Lexus Dealership. I was a bit nervous to buy the car sight-unseen, but I couldn't afford any more vacation time to get myself out to New Mexico for an on-site look. I asked the dealer to send some underbody photos, which I shopped around with friends and colleagues. The general consensus was it was worth the risk, so there I was - the cash left my bank account and I was left with an estimated delivery date, for what I would hope be my next, Overland Rig - the "Fresh Air Ah" Build.

- Ferreira

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Vehicle Arrival
A bit of background: shipping on this vehicle wasn't the most straight forward thing. For whatever reason, the seller was going through an auction site to find the vehicle transporter. Given the rise of gas prices and everything else that's going on with the world, it was really hard to find someone to ship the vehicle the ~800 miles from New Mexico to LA. I was a few clicks away from flying to NM to drive the vehicle back, but Luis, the driver of a 9-car hauler, bid on the job a few hours before I was going to revert to my backup plan.

On June 24th, Luis delivered the GX. Given the tight road network in SoCal, he couldn't pull his transporter anywhere in the neighborhood, so he had to park in the center lane on a pretty busy street in the city. Kudos to this guy, as he offloaded 2 other vehicles (in the midst of a 5 lane roadway) to get the GX off the transport rig. Meanwhile, I'm standing there taking photos and hoping that my car would be decent (as mentioned in post #1, I bought the car sight-unseen).

From a distance the GX looked dirty, dusty, and paint faded, and most notable to me were the headlight housings, which clearly suffered a ton of UV damage. However, after the truck was off-loaded, I realized that the majority of these things were due to transportation, meaning that they could easily be cured with minor effort. In fact, while doing the post-transportation inspection, I couldn't find much wrong with the vehicle. Interior was very clean, exterior was a bit dirty, but no major damage.

So, at this point, it looks like the vehicle is about what I wanted - mechanically nothing appears out of place and it's generally very clean (both interior and exterior). Next up is a wash, fixing the UV damaged headlights, and WHOLE new slew of parts to transform this thing into a (more) capable overland vehicle.

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It Sure Does Clean Up Nice
Soon after receiving the truck, I took it to a coin operated wash place. It wasn't until now that I really gained an appreciation for the condition of the vehicle - the exterior only had a few minor scratches (mostly door dings) and the interior only had a few areas of discoloration on the (nearly white) headliner. In fact, while going through the vehicle, I found the owners manual, window sticker, various maintenance records (which were consistent with what I found online), and a certificate of delivery. It was apparent that the prior owner really did care for this vehicle (so much so that they signed up for some sort of premier maintenance package that gave them additional service at the Lexus Dealer). Whoever you were, thanks.

So now that the GX is clean, and I understand the baseline condition of the vehicle, it's time to start the (California registration process) and the long list of mods!

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This Thing Needs a Phone Mount

First order of business was installing a cell phone mount. Coming from Apple Car Play in my 2019 ZR2, I quickly learned that the 'ole phone on the lap isn't going to cut it. Thanks to this forum and ClubLexus, I decided I wanted to implement a Ram Mount system. A good buddy of mine is a film guy out here in LA (often shooting car shows, etc.) and he also pointed me in the direction of the Ram Mount system, giving praise to how solid they were.

In any case, I bought this stuff to make it happen:
  1. Ram Mounts X-Grip Universal Phone Holder with Ball (Regular Size)
  2. Ram Mounts Composite Double Socket Arm
  3. Ram Mounts Twist Lock Composite Suction Cup Base with Ball
I knew that I wanted the phone on the left side, and I didn't really want to drill into the dash for something that was irreversible, so that's what led me to the suction cup mount. I figured that I could order some Ram Mounts parts and then figure out how to tweak the system as needed (especially because of Amazon's return policy).

What really helped was the fact that the Twist Lock Composition Suction Cup Base came in two parts - the suction cup part of it and the Diamond Ball Base (the part with the Ram ball). Both of these items mounted together with some RAM provided fasteners screws. But I left the items separate as I tested various configurations on the vehicle. After mocking some things up in the car, it was apparent that I could get away without the suction cup mount, and instead bolt the Diamond Ball Base to a piece of (very easily) removable trim on the driver's side. Essentially the trim piece is an air vent cover that easily snaps into place, right near the door and the steering wheel. A few plastic clips, and the trim is out.

I basically centered up the Diamond Ball Base on the top surface of the trim piece and drilled two holes. I was careful not to drill all the way through the plastic, as there is an air duct (black) that I didn't want to compromise. There were two "rib" like features, and I drilled through both (see pictures).

Next, I installed some Gorilla sticky tape (from Home Depot) on the back side of the Diamond Ball Base. I needed two side by side pieces of 1" to cover the entire width of the mount, but I was careful to ensure that the split line between the two pieces was not directly centered on the Diamond Ball Base. I didn't want the RAM mount fasteners to push the tape down and cause the mount to not sit flat, etc.

After securing the Diamond Ball Base to the trim pice with the double sided tape, I installed 2x #10-24 x 3/4"fasteners. At first, I wanted to use lock-nuts on the back side of the trim piece, but I didn't have enough height to do so. So, I ended up using a standard hex nut with a dab of blue loctite since this was generally shorter. I think that this plus the gorilla tape should be pretty solid.

I reassembled everything, attached the composite socket arm, the X-Grip phone holder, and mounted up my cellphone. Everything seems to work perfect - there is just enough room between the A pillar and the phone mount to tighten and loosen the joints on the RAM components.

Lessons Learned / Should Have Done:
  • Apply the sticky tape to the Diamond Ball Base and secure the mount to the trim panel before you drill holes - ie. drill through the whole stack at once. I had a heck of a time trying to match the holes in the trim piece with the holes in the mount, while also trying to create holes in the sticky tape. Basically, the tape just sheared and twisted when I tried to transfer the hole locations.
  • I spent $19 on the Suction Cup mount, just to use the Diamond Balll Base portion of it. I bet you could save yourself some money and just buy the Diamond Ball Base.
  • Make sure you align the mount to the trim piece correctly - there is just enough room to get a hex nut in between the plastic ribs on the underside of the trim piece on each side. However, if you slide the Diamond Ball Base on the trim piece to far in one direction or the other, you won't be able to install the nut (see photos for more info).
Next up is routing a cell phone cable through the trim for a clean yet functional look.

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That's a fine looking steed you have there pilgrim!
Welcome to the forum and looking forward to more posts of your build!
:cheers:
 
Welcome to the club! We just got a 2013 in Starfire Pearl with about the same mileage. I'm looking forward to your build!
 
Roof Rack Installation

Before purchasing my GX, I knew that I was going to need a roof rack to carry my RTT and other accessories. On my 2019 Chevy ZR2, I ran a Front Runner Slimline rack over the bed, which was a fantastic platform. At first, I was again considering the Front Runner option for the GX, but I ended up going a different route, mainly for two reasons. First, I didn't like how high the Front Runner Rack sat above the roof line. The Front Runner rack is intentionally high so that their $400 table can slide in and out. While this is a cool feature, I already have a table setup, and didn't want to increase the rack height for a feature that I knew I wasn't going to use. The second reason was that I had read some reviews about people having issues with their sunroof and shark fin antenna.

Long story short, I went with Rhino Rack's Pioneer Platform with the Backbone Mounting system (RRAJB0748). Although you can run a smaller platform with some modifications, I went with the 84" x 49" platform, as this would allow me to install my roof top tent + accessories.

First, I assembled the Pioneer Platform, which was done easiest with it placed on the ground. Although Rhino Rack included a little torque tool for a majority of the fasteners, I also applied a dab of blue Loctite on all of my fasteners (which was perhaps overkill). The installation is simplified because the most recent version of the Pioneer Platform has a laser marked measuring scale on each side of the platform (running along the vehicle length) to ensure that your cross bar positioning is correct (these cross bars are the pieces that interface to the Backbone system). The only thing that I ran into when positioning the cross bars (using the scales) was the fact that it took me a bit to figure out what I should set the cross bar position to. Basically, the manual is written for a slew of vehicles and you're supposed to use your phone to scan a QR code, which takes you to a website where you enter your vehicle information at which point the site provides the measurements for each of the five cross bars, relative to the laser marked scale. The issue was that the GX wasn't listed in their data base. Although the Prado 150 was listed, I called Rhino Rack's customer service to confirm the measurements. They were fantastic and confirmed that the measurements for the cross bars were identical to the Prado 150. If you're looking for those measurements, they're -64.3 for A, -15.6 for B, +4.7 for C, +48.4 for D, and +73.5 for E (Cross Bar A is towards the front). The positions look kind of odd on the platform (since they're not equally spaced), but they're intentional to clear the shark-fin antenna and sunroof. Google JC-00407 for more info on the install instructions.

Next step was installing the Backbone system onto the vehicle. Rhino Rack includes these little sticky rubber pads that are placed around each of the 6x fastener locations to keep water out of the bolted joint. They're SUPER sticky, so make sure you get the position right the first time. Next was bolting on the Backbone rails - note that the front of the rail is the side with the Rhino Rack logo. Although this should have been a simple bolt-on operation, I ran into some issues with tool access, resultant from fastener lengths and the clearance hole positions in the Backbone system. Basically, my solution was to install the fasteners into the rail, place the rail on the car, and then tighten all of the fasteners. If you place the rail onto the car, and then try and insert the fasteners, it's VERY hard to get the fasteners in, because the length of the fastener causes interference against the Backbone rail. I ended up applying some silicon into the threaded holes in the roof, then tightening the fasteners to ensure that water wouldn't seep into the headliner. Torqueing the fasteners was challenging, as tool access is limited. I even went out to Sears to buy a 4" long 6mm bit socket. Unfortunately, it was still difficult to torque the fasteners, as the shank of the tool would rub against the edge of on the rail. I ended up using a ball end Allen key with a pair of vise grips to torque the fasteners. This worked well.
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Since I was working alone, it was a PIA to get the Platform onto the roof. I stacked a set of wheels next to the car (parts for a future project ), put a blanket on the car, and taped all areas of the rack with painter’s tape for ultimate protection. With the Platform rested against the car (on some foam mats), I stood on the stack of wheels and lifted the Platform right onto the Backbone rails. After the prior bolt tightening fiasco, access to the fasteners between the Backbone rails and the Platform was much improved, which I appreciated. I hand tightened all fasteners, and then used a dead blow mallet to position the platform in the right position (left to right and front to back). Measuring between the Platform and the Backbone Rail on all 4x sides, I was within 1mm left to right and 0.5 mm front to back, so I clamped the Platform to the Backbone rails with 2x C-Clamps to ensure the rack didn’t move. Then, one fastener at a time, I applied some Loctite to fasteners and torqued to final. Again, if you move one fastener at a time, you’ll ensure the rack position is maintained.

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All in all, I'm happy with the install. The platform is rock solid, and it's very well built. I can operate the sunroof in all configurations, and there is no impact to radio reception (at least that I can tell). If you're considering the Rhino Rack option, just go for it. It's worth it.


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Roof Rack Installation

Before purchasing my GX, I knew that I was going to need a roof rack to carry my RTT and other accessories. On my 2019 Chevy ZR2, I ran a Front Runner Slimline rack over the bed, which was a fantastic platform. At first, I was again considering the Front Runner option for the GX, but I ended up going a different route, mainly for two reasons. First, I didn't like how high the Front Runner Rack sat above the roof line. The Front Runner rack is intentionally high so that their $400 table can slide in and out. While this is a cool feature, I already have a table setup, and didn't want to increase the rack height for a feature that I knew I wasn't going to use. The second reason was that I had read some reviews about people having issues with their sunroof and shark fin antenna.

Long story short, I went with Rhino Rack's Pioneer Platform with the Backbone Mounting system (RRAJB0748). Although you can run a smaller platform with some modifications, I went with the 84" x 49" platform, as this would allow me to install my roof top tent + accessories.

First, I assembled the Pioneer Platform, which was done easiest with it placed on the ground. Although Rhino Rack included a little torque tool for a majority of the fasteners, I also applied a dab of blue Loctite on all of my fasteners (which was perhaps overkill). The installation is simplified because the most recent version of the Pioneer Platform has a laser marked measuring scale on each side of the platform (running along the vehicle length) to ensure that your cross bar positioning is correct (these cross bars are the pieces that interface to the Backbone system). The only thing that I ran into when positioning the cross bars (using the scales) was the fact that it took me a bit to figure out what I should set the cross bar position to. Basically, the manual is written for a slew of vehicles and you're supposed to use your phone to scan a QR code, which takes you to a website where you enter your vehicle information at which point the site provides the measurements for each of the five cross bars, relative to the laser marked scale. The issue was that the GX wasn't listed in their data base. Although the Prado 150 was listed, I called Rhino Rack's customer service to confirm the measurements. They were fantastic and confirmed that the measurements for the cross bars were identical to the Prado 150. If you're looking for those measurements, they're -64.3 for A, -15.6 for B, +4.7 for C, +48.4 for D, and +73.5 for E (Cross Bar A is towards the front). The positions look kind of odd on the platform (since they're not equally spaced), but they're intentional to clear the shark-fin antenna and sunroof. Google JC-00407 for more info on the install instructions.

Next step was installing the Backbone system onto the vehicle. Rhino Rack includes these little sticky rubber pads that are placed around each of the 6x fastener locations to keep water out of the bolted joint. They're SUPER sticky, so make sure you get the position right the first time. Next was bolting on the Backbone rails - note that the front of the rail is the side with the Rhino Rack logo. Although this should have been a simple bolt-on operation, I ran into some issues with tool access, resultant from fastener lengths and the clearance hole positions in the Backbone system. Basically, my solution was to install the fasteners into the rail, place the rail on the car, and then tighten all of the fasteners. If you place the rail onto the car, and then try and insert the fasteners, it's VERY hard to get the fasteners in, because the length of the fastener causes interference against the Backbone rail. I ended up applying some silicon into the threaded holes in the roof, then tightening the fasteners to ensure that water wouldn't seep into the headliner. Torqueing the fasteners was challenging, as tool access is limited. I even went out to Sears to buy a 4" long 6mm bit socket. Unfortunately, it was still difficult to torque the fasteners, as the shank of the tool would rub against the edge of on the rail. I ended up using a ball end Allen key with a pair of vise grips to torque the fasteners. This worked well.

Since I was working alone, it was a PIA to get the Platform onto the roof. I stacked a set of wheels next to the car (parts for a future project ), put a blanket on the car, and taped all areas of the rack with painter’s tape for ultimate protection. With the Platform rested against the car (on some foam mats), I stood on the stack of wheels and lifted the Platform right onto the Backbone rails. After the prior bolt tightening fiasco, access to the fasteners between the Backbone rails and the Platform was much improved, which I appreciated. I hand tightened all fasteners, and then used a dead blow mallet to position the platform in the right position (left to right and front to back). Measuring between the Platform and the Backbone Rail on all 4x sides, I was within 1mm left to right and 0.5 mm front to back, so I clamped the Platform to the Backbone rails with 2x C-Clamps to ensure the rack didn’t move. Then, one fastener at a time, I applied some Loctite to fasteners and torqued to final. Again, if you move one fastener at a time, you’ll ensure the rack position is maintained.

All in all, I'm happy with the install. The platform is rock solid, and it's very well built. I can operate the sunroof in all configurations, and there is no impact to radio reception (at least that I can tell). If you're considering the Rhino Rack option, just go for it. It's worth it.

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A Maxtrax Mount

Now that the Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform is installed, it’s time to put it to use. First up is a mount for my MaxTrax recovery boards


While there were a few different mounts on the market (including the Rhino Rack option), I opted to for the variant from Kaon, which utilizes the standard Maxtrax mounting pins and holds the recovery boards flush with the rack top. I had read good things about Kaon, their product is versatile since the boards can be mounted parallel or perpendicular to the Rhino Rack cross bars, and it was one of the cheapest options. I ordered from Kaon on eBay (username kaon4x4), meaning that the parts were shipping right from Australia. To my surprise, the parts arrived about a month before I expected (ordered June 22 & arrived on July 03). Just make note of which variant you’re purchasing, as they sell the mounts with and without the Maxtrax pin set.

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With the mounts off the vehicle, I installed the Maxtrax mounting pins, which were leftover from my previous vehicle. This was simple and took just a few minutes.

Next was positioning the mounts + installed mounting pins onto the Pioneer Platform. On the Pioneer Platform, there are 6x slats running parallel to the vehicle – 4x are full width while the 2x outer ones are a bit narrower. Basically, you should install the Kaon Mounts onto slat #2 and slat #5 if counting #1-#6 (outside left to outside right). Kaon includes some laser marked labels for “RHINO RACK” to ensure this is done properly. It’s pretty simple.

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To properly adjust the mounts front to back (along the length of the vehicle), I determined that a Sharpie marker resting between the mounting pin fastener and the Rhino Rack Load Bar (component that interfaces the Platform slats to the Backbone rails) was the perfect size to generate an equal space on either side. I applied blue Loctite to the 2x fasteners on the Kaon mount and torqued the driver’s side.

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I then installed my Maxtrax onto the mounting pins and locked them into place. This was done with the Kaon Mount free to float on the passenger side, as the fasteners were not yet tight. I played around with the side-to-side position of the passenger side mount until I could easily install and remove the Maxtrax from the mounting pins. If the mounting pins are too close, the boards bind against the pins making installation difficult. Once I liked the position, I again applied Blue Loctite, and torqued the 2x fasteners on the passenger side Kaon Mount.

All in all it was a very easy installation, which took about 30 minutes from setup to cleanup. I would highly recommend the mounts to anyone with a similar use case.
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More Power to the Phone Mount

A small but useful modification was routing my iPhone charge cable through the interior trim panels, such that I had a semi-permanent power source nearby my previously installed RAM mount. Overall this was a pretty simple installation, but I'll go ahead and preview the basic steps:

Step 1: Pull the interior trim panels off of the center console. The padded cushions to the left and the right of the console are held in with a number of plastic clips, and they pull right out. I used an interior trim panel tool which made this a breeze. From there, you can unthread the shift knob (if it's tight like mine was, wrap a cloth around it with and turn it with a set of non-marring pliers). Once the shift knob is removed, you can pull straight up on the center console plastic (the piece with the shift indictor). Be careful here because there are switches connected underneath, and you don't want to strain the wires.
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Step 2: Drill a hole in the center console near the USB outlet. I determined this was the best spot, because there was nothing on the backside of this location. I installed a 1/2" x 1/4" rubber grommet, which fit nicely around the iPhone cable.

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Step 3: Feed the cable through the center console by passing the iPhone side into the grommet first (grommet is sized to accept iPhone side not the USB side). From there, it was a series of zip-ties and coat hanger operations to pull the cable under the dash and secure it as I made my up the left hand side of the car. I zip tied the cord to other harnesses and leadwires, being careful to keep it away from the A/C / heating system, steering rack, and airbags. I stuffed the excess cable under the dash, and secured it to another harness tie down location.
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Overall, this install was well worth the time! Having power right by the phone mount is great. However, one downside is that I can no longer close the little slide-cover on the center console, unless I unplug the USB cable. Regardless, this solution has allowed me to include a "fast charge" phone charger in the vehicle, which is huge when you're out on the trail.

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Roof Top Tent
Next up is the installation of my Thule Tepui Roof Top Tent (Ruggedized Kukenam 3) to the Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t as simple as buying some ready-made mounting brackets and bolting things together. From my prior post on the roof top tent, you’ll notice that the slats on the Rhino Rack platform run parallel to the length of the vehicle. Similarly, if you want the Tepui RTT to fold out to either the driver side or passenger side, the tent also needs to be positioned with it’s factory support rails running parallel to the length of the vehicle. Unfortunately, the center to center distance between the slats on the Rhino Rack and the rails on the RTT was different, meaning that some sort of custom solution was needed. Some folks solve this by drilling their Rhino Rack to provide new mounting locations for the RTT hardware. However, after (recently) spending $1K+ on the rack system, drilling the rack wasn’t something I was interested in.

Instead, I removed the 2x factory support rails of the RTT (the ones that run parallel with the vehicle), and instead I fabricated my own support rails, which would run perpendicular to the length of the vehicle, and provide thru-holes where I could run a bolt through to interface with a channel nut in the slot of each the 6x slats on the Rhino Rack platform.

I started off with 1” x 1.5” x 0.125” wall 6061-T6 aluminum extrusion from OnlineMetals.com. For a small surcharge, I had them cut to a 45.15” length. Since the vendor guaranteed a +0.125” // - 0.00 inch cut length, I slightly undersized the length of the cross bars so that their maximum length would not exceed the width of the tent (i.e. I wanted to keep the bars inboard of the RTT edges).

Next up, I measured the center to center distances between the slats (channels) on the Rhino Rack Platform (measurements below).

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Since I had 6x slats across the width of the vehicle, I drilled 6x 10mm holes through the full thickness of each aluminum extrusions, at a spacing that matched the center to center distances of the slats on the Rhino Rack. I used a friend’s Bridgeport to make sure that these holes were correctly centered and perpendicular to the faying surfaces of the aluminum extrusions. If you don't know someone with a mill, you should....if you can't, a hand drill will do, just take your time to make sure everything is perpendicular, otherwise you'll have alignment issues.

To make this thing bomb proof, I wanted to ensure that the preload on the fasteners, used to secure the aluminum extrusions to the tent and to the rack wouldn’t buckle or collapse the 0.125" thin wall section of the aluminum extrusion. To do this, I bought aluminum standoff spacers from McMaster, which were 0.75” tall x 0.75” OD x 0.375” ID. Using calipers, I measured the inside height of the aluminum extrusion (nominally 0.75”, but as measured slightly less), and I turned down the standoffs so that they easily slid into the extrusions. I used a lathe at my buddy’s shop, but you could accomplish the same thing with some sandpaper or a file.

Next, the 6x standoff spacers were slid into the aluminum extrusions. The key here is to align the thru-hole on each of the standoff spacers with each thru-hole that was drilled in the aluminum extrusion. This takes a bit of patience (and a coat hanger), but is ultimately doable. I used a dab of super glue to between the standoff spacer and the aluminum extrusion to keep the items in place while handling. Ultimately, bolts will restrain the position of the standoff spacers, so the glue is only there to prevent motion during handling.

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Next, I positioned the 2x aluminum extrusions on the base of the RTT. I clamped each of the them in their desired location (equally spaced along the width of the tent). With the aluminum extrusions in place on the RTT, I used a center punch to mark the orientation of each extrusion, so that I knew how it had to be installed after paint. (I did this incase there were any differences between the 2x aluminum extrusions). My method was to create one “dot” on the driver side of the front aluminum extrusion and two “dots” on the driver side of the rear aluminum extrusion. This then corresponded to labels “D1” and “D2” on the RTT, respectively.

With the labels all squared away, I match-drilled the 12x 10mm holes (6x per aluminum extrusion) through the base of the RTT. I did this with the tent open on the ground, drilling from the inside of the tent, out. I was very careful to vacuum all debris, as the holes generated a ton of metal shavings.

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After match drilling was complete, I prepped each of the aluminum extrusions with 80 grit sand paper and isopropyl alcohol. I painted each one with Rustoleam Truck Bed Liner and applied 3-4 coats over the course of a few days. With paint dry, I capped each end of the cross bar with a rubber cap from CA Plugs to prevent water from sitting inside each of the Aluminum extrusions. Note that I had to drill / make a hole in the 4x caps to accommodate the outermost fasteners.

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I then assembled the mounting hardware, by dropping 12x rubber-bonded metal washers onto each of the 12x fasteners (again 6x fasteners per aluminum extrusion). With the tent still open on the ground, I installed the rubber washer and fastener into the match-drilled holes in the tent. With the fasteners sticking out the bottom of the tent, I inserted the fasteners into the thru-holes on the (now painted) aluminum extrusions. I used masking tape to hold these in place.

Right before installing the tent on the roof, I installed 2x channel nuts into each slat of the Rhino Rack Platform (12x channel nuts total). With a group of friends, I lifted the tent onto the car (again with the aluminum extrusions attached). I tried to align the 12x fasteners with the 12x channel nuts, but that was very hard to do since the channel nuts were free to move in their slots on the Rhino Rack.

I then removed a number of the fasteners, and using a coat hanger, slowly pushed the channel nut until it aligned with the thru-hole in the RTT and the aluminum extrusion. This was a two person operation: I was up in the RTT (open / deployed) with my GF pushing the channel nuts until I saw the hole in the thru-hole align with the thru-hole in the RTT / Aluminum extrusion. I used a flash light to evaluate this, but once aligned, I “pinned” the channel nut in position with an allen key, which I later swapped to a the rubber washer and fastener.

Once all hardware was installed and aligned, I one by one removed each bolt, applied blue Loctite, reinstalled, and torqued to final.

Obviously this is a long post, but hopefully this helps someone tackle a similar problem to what I had. Overall, this thing is rock solid – it’s much more robust than the initial mounting solution. Additionally, it sits much lower (by intent) than the original solution. All in all, a fun DIY solution!

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Headlight Restoration:

Been a minute since I’ve posted, but I’ve been busy with the car…time to catch up on the build.

Next project was taking care of my headlights – when I purchased the car they were incredibly foggy, and some of the worst I had seen in a long time. At first, I was planning to wet-sand and clear-coat, but after doing some research, paint (even a thin layer) can alter the optical properties of the light and cause unwanted distortion. I didn’t know this, but this guy on Youtube has a nice little demo.

With that, I opted for this 3M headlight restoration kit on Amazon, which yielded phenomenal results. Like anything else, the key was in the prep work and taping. As you can see by the photos, there was a pretty big difference before and after.

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After restored, I wanted to protect the lights from needing another day at the spa. I initially tried vinyl wrapping the lights myself, but I ended up scrapping that, as I couldn’t get it to a point that I was happy with. If you have a solid strategy and lots of patience, maybe you’d fare better. Anyway, when tinting the windows on the vehicle, I had the shop apply a clear film (Llumar Valor Headlights PPF) to the headlights. They did an outstanding job…If you’re in the Los Angeles area, get yourself over to G5 Tint Shop.

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Suspension Install

Next project is the suspension upgrade, to support larger tires. After talking with Kyle at Treaty Oak Offroad (great guy), I went with Dobinson’s IMS Strut in the front and their MRA shock in the rear. Specific configuration below:
  • IOMS59-50700: IMS Front Struts
  • SC59-001: Strut Top Plates
  • C59-302: Front coil spring
  • MRA59-A701: 3-Way adjustable rear shock
  • C59-327: Rear Coil Spring
  • Treaty Oak Offroad KDSS Spacers
  • 25480 SPC Upper Control Arms
After digging into the different configurations (Monotube, IMS, MRA, etc,) I stumbled on this YouTube video, where the guy makes a really great point regarding weight distribution. When loading up for a trip, most of the variable weight is in the rear of the vehicle - i.e. the weight at the front of the vehicle is pretty static. As a result of that, he made an interesting point and recommended a non-adjustable strut in the front and an adjustable shock in the rear (i.e. a Monotube or IMS in the front and an MRA or MRR in the rear). This means that you can adjust the high speed compression, low speed compression, and rebound on the rear shock to account for varying loads. I liked this idea, as I could run a different setup for around town (empty) vs. on-the road (full).

In addition to the Dobinson’s components, I also installed the Treaty Oak KDSS Spacers and SPC Upper Control Arms.

In terms of the installation, I rented shop space with a lift. This made everything so much easier, although I had to bring all of my own tools, which meant that planning ahead was critical. If you’re in the Los Angeles area, feel free to DM me for the contact information, as the rental worked out really well, and the shop owner is an incredible resource. I also brought two friends to give me a hand. After doing this job, I can’t imagine the added difficulty of doing this in a driveway with jack stands (since KDSS makes things difficult) and without those additional hands.

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In terms of duration, the job took our crew of three about 12 hours, because a nut stripped on the very last torque (literally the last torque of the day). It was approaching hour 8, and the nut associated with the lower strut bolt on the front right of the vehicle stripped it’s threads. It took a few hours to drill the nut, split it, find the right fastening hardware to replace, and get everything buttoned up. We probably would have saved about 4 hours if we didn’t run into this.
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Looking back, what really helped me out, was that I outlined the necessary steps prior to conducting them – that way when we were in the shop, we could run like a pit-crew (which was needed, sine we were working to a timeline). It worked well. My suspension installation instructions and the as-run notes (which were derived from these instructions found on MUD), are attached as PDF. Hopefully this can assist you if you're up against a similar project.

The final configuration gave ~2 inches of lift in the front and in the rear (I kept factory rake). DM me if you have any additional questions – I learned a lot along the way and had a fun time with this project.

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Attachments

  • Fresh_Air_Ah Suspension Install Instructions.pdf
    18.4 MB · Views: 96
Wheels and Tires

Now that suspension is done, next project is wheels and tires.

For wheels, I went with the TRD Pro SEMA wheels (17x7 with a +4mm offset). Believe it or not, I picked up five of these on Amazon for a few hundred less than what people were selling them for on OfferUp and Craigslist.

For tires, I went with the 33.0” X 10.0” Kenda Klever Rugged Terrain. I’ve had K02s and other popular variants in the past, but liked the idea of the Rugged Terrain cross between Mud Terrain and All Terrain. Plus, when I was buying, these tires were also about $80 to $100 cheaper than most of the “popular” off road variants (per wheel).

I had Discount Tire install new TPMS sensors in each of the 5X wheels, in addition to mounting and balancing each one. After a few trips back and forth to the tire shop, it turns out that the Discount Tire TPMS sensors cannot be picked up by the Lexus ECU. I therefore had the OEM sensors swapped from the factory wheels into the TRD wheels. It seems like other folks haven't had issues, but after numerous trips back and forth, I figured the OEM sensors may solve the problem.
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Nothing more to say from here other than I have just a *slight* bit of rub against the inner fender liner on the front wheels when I’m at full lock, going up a hill. I notice this most when I’m flipping a U-turn on an uphill or downhill street or going into and out of parking lots, crossing over an apron. I’ll eventually get around to massaging the fender liners, but for now, it seems like self-fixing problem. It’s evident that a BMC is not needed with the “pizza cutters.” I did however remove the running boards / side steps to help reduce some of the rub (plus sliders going on soon).
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Will report back once I get a few more miles under my belt with the new wheel & tire combo. And oh yea, my TPMS light is still on...Apparently, Lexus needs to do the configuration for the factory sensors. Oh well. :rolleyes:
 
Tilt-o-Meter

Next up is a quick modification that’s easy yet functional – an inclinometer to measure the roll of the vehicle.

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After a bit of searching, I stumbled on a company called Rieker Industries, which makes mechanical (bubble-style) inclinometers. This company is the real deal, as they’ve been making inclinometers for U.S. Government aircraft and watercraft since 1917.

I went with their 2058E model, which goes from 0 to 45 degrees. What I liked about this unit is that the scale uses 2.5 degree increments from 0 to 10 degrees and then 5 degree increments from 10 degrees to 45 degrees.

For the installation, I measured the overall width of the inclinometer and marked the center with a sharp scribe. I then applied double sided tape to the back side of the inclinometer, and positioned it on the sliding cover portion of the infotainment system.

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Upon installation, I strategically aligned the inclinometer centerline with the center of the “X” in the LEXUS logo, which corresponded to center. I aligned the bottom of the LEXUS logo text with the top of the inclinometer, and voila – now I can see that I pull nearly 20 degrees of roll on highway entrance ramps…

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Nice job on the RAM x-grip install. Looks clean—which is what I like.
 

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