The Mother-In-Law... Build thread, Intro, and request for guidance ('03 LX470)

[CPC]

So I need the J2534 cable. Seems like there are lots of options on Amazon. The link you sent previously was a used "like new" unit. Not against that, just wasn't sure if one cable was better than any other. If not, I'll save a couple bucks and get that used one. Some of the other cables advertised mentioned a "key" that you download. Also some have different software versions. Any particular one I need?

 

[ls6]

So I need the J2534 cable. Seems like there are lots of options on Amazon. The link you sent previously was a used "like new" unit. Not against that, just wasn't sure if one cable was better than any other. If not, I'll save a couple bucks and get that used one. Some of the other cables advertised mentioned a "key" that you download. Also some have different software versions. Any particular one I need?

no you just need the basic J2534 cable and the TIS software which is available through various sources.

How-To: TechStream In 5 Minutes

forum.ih8mud.com

This is the method i used./\ It is hit or miss based on the hardware you are using. The software linked in this thread will work, but the machine your using may not want to work. Im running TIS through VB on IOS and it seams like the best option to me. I tired the same setup on 2 windows machines and failed.

 

[LXKevin]

Yes that's the version i have. In a hurry to send a picture and didn't notice that one was used. I actually bought mine from ebay. It was advertised as including a version of Techstream on an included disk. The disk did not work that's how i ended up doing the techstream in five minutes version. I would advise to do the tech. in 5 minutes Virtual box setup on an old laptop to make sure you have one that's compatible before ordering your cable. Some guys get the cable and then find out there puters don't work with Virtual Box. They end up having to buy more expensive hand held type scanners. Some guys want more portability see here TechStream

 

[CPC]

no you just need the basic J2534 cable and the TIS software which is available through various sources.

How-To: TechStream In 5 Minutes

forum.ih8mud.com

This is the method i used./\ It is hit or miss based on the hardware you are using. The software linked in this thread will work, but the machine your using may not want to work. Im running TIS through VB on IOS and it seams like the best option to me. I tired the same setup on 2 windows machines and failed.

I have a Macbook Pro, so that's promising if you got it to work without issues on IOS. I'm not familiar with what you described, but I assume it is a virtual program for running non-IOS software on an Apple device? The PITA is that my Macbook doesn't have USB connections, so I'll have to use a USB cable adapter. I hope that doesn't somehow cause a communication issue.

Yes that's the version i have. In a hurry to send a picture and didn't notice that one was used. I actually bought mine from ebay. It was advertised as including a version of Techstream on an included disk. The disk did not work that's how i ended up doing the techstream in five minutes version. I would advise to do the tech. in 5 minutes Virtual box setup on an old laptop to make sure you have one that's compatible before ordering your cable. Some guys get the cable and then find out there puters don't work with Virtual Box. They end up having to buy more expensive hand held type scanners. Some guys want more portability see here TechStream

The portable scanners are nice, but I like the price of the cable better! I'll pull the trigger on one of these new ones on Amazon so I can return it if it doesn't work for some reason.

 

[firefightermtn]

I'm running 285/75r16 General Grabber ATx's that measure 32.8x11.2.
I have my torsion bars jacked about an inch (I know that doesn't make much of a difference on tire clearance) and I rub a little bit on full crank while pulling into my slightly inclined driveway. I'm sure I could do some trimming, but well, it doesn't bother me much.

#mallcrawl

 

[jon91581]

If you're in my part of town, you're more than welcome to check out my setup. It's nothing fancy, but it'll give you a better idea of what your truck would look like and whether you like it. I'm running a Tough Dog setup w/ Rock Warriors and 285/70/17 Falken Wildpeaks.

 

[CPC]

If you're in my part of town, you're more than welcome to check out my setup. It's nothing fancy, but it'll give you a better idea of what your truck would look like and whether you like it. I'm running a Tough Dog setup w/ Rock Warriors and 285/70/17 Falken Wildpeaks.

View attachment 2501172

That's a great looking set up. What area of town are you in? I'd like to take a look at it sometime. Thanks.

 

[Exiled]

Same offer if you find yourself in Austin, I have two different OME setups in my 100s and you can see the comparison side by side and drive them as well!

 

[CPC]

Same offer if you find yourself in Austin, I have two different OME setups in my 100s and you can see the comparison side by side and drive them as well!

Awesome, thanks for the offer! It turns out Jon is literally less than a mile away from me, so I'm going to swing by his place tomorrow and take a look at it. I was in Austin (Lake Travis technically) a bunch over the summer, but didn't have this truck back then. Otherwise I'd have stopped in to take a look.

 

[CPC]

Three pages into a build thread and I have no building going on, and almost no pictures. My apologies for that. Parts have started to arrive, so at least I can post those up as they come in. I went with the ARB combo bumper since it was a good price, and available now. For the LX470 you have to cut off the two antenna mounts on the upper part of the bullbar so the front grille of the truck clears it when you open the hood. The Land Cruiser hood doesn't attach to the grille, so there is no need to cut those brackets if you have an LC. Many of you already know this, but thought I would throw it in for those who didn't know.

Since I'm going to cut those off the bumper it will either need to be painted or powdercoated again. Since I ordered the OPOR side steps in raw, those will need to get coated as well. I think I'll just blast off the current powdercoat on the front bumper and then powdercoat the front bumper and side steps the same color. Currently I'm leaning towards a grey I've used to match the paint of a newer Ford F450 that has the magnetic paint code. It will be a slightly different shade, but it should harmonize pretty well.

On to the pics. The bumper was wrapped really well, and didn't seem to have any scuffs or scrapes on it when it arrived. These Baja Designs lights look like some quality units. I'm exited to see how they turn out. I still need to figure out a wiring harness for them, so I'm going to look at doing an sPod set up. I actually got a cheapy knock off version off Amazon for a hunting truck I did, and it wasn't too bad. I'm leaning towards an actual sPod though for this one though.

 

[CPC]

Some additional goodies have arrived. I should have the side steps by Monday, and will blast everything Tuesday morning to take to powdercoating. If I get time this weekend I'll put the tires and wheels on and see what clearance issues I might have to address.

 

[CPC]

I also got the stereo redone, and totally blew my budget, but it sounds fantastic. Went with Hertz MPK 163.3 Pro (bass driver, mid driver, tweeter) for the front door, Focal PC100 for the rear door, a JL CS113TG-TW5v2 sub, JL RD500/1 amp, and a Bluetooth BT-45. Really pleased with how quickly the BT connects. Hid the amp in the jack storage area, and the sub runs along the rear driver's side wheel well. With the rear seats down there should still be plenty of space for the dogs in the back.

 

[bozncsurf]

I also got the stereo redone, and totally blew my budget, but it sounds fantastic. Went with Hertz MPK 163.3 Pro (bass driver, mid driver, tweeter) for the front door, Focal PC100 for the rear door, a JL CS113TG-TW5v2 sub, JL RD500/1 amp, and a Bluetooth BT-45. Really pleased with how quickly the BT connects. Hid the amp in the jack storage area, and the sub runs along the rear driver's side wheel well. With the rear seats down there should still be plenty of space for the dogs in the back.

Really nice components- would love to see pics. Wish I was close enough to listen.

Nice job with the Toyo’s btw

 

[CPC]

Really nice components- would love to see pics. Wish I was close enough to listen.

Nice job with the Toyo’s btw

Thanks. Unfortunately there isn't much to show in the way of pics. I'll get a couple of the sub and amp, but the mids/highs are all covered by the doors so there isn't really anything to see. Since the head unit is factory it was actually kind of anticlimactic in terms of looks since you get in and it doesn't look like anything has changed. You definitely notice the change when the music starts playing though. I was kind of concerned with how the overall sound quality would turn out since you are limited to the factory signal processing, but it is actually quite good. I typically add a Mosconi DSP to my stereo builds, but I didn't want to spend the extra money if I didn't have to on this one. I'm totally fine (so far) with how it turned out.

I'm hoping these Toyos are going to fit without major wheelwell modifications...

 

[CPC]

A few pics of the stereo install. Amp hidden in the jack storage area, sub knob in one of the factory knock-out panels on the left of the dash, and sub mounted in the back. Since we went with the 13" sub it didn't fit in front of the jack storage area like I had planned. I think there will still be plenty of room for the dogs with the seats down in the back.

 

[bozncsurf]

A few pics of the stereo install. Amp hidden in the jack storage area, sub knob in one of the factory knock-out panels on the left of the dash, and sub mounted in the back. Since we went with the 13" sub it didn't fit in front of the jack storage area like I had planned. I think there will still be plenty of room for the dogs with the seats down in the back.

View attachment 2508744

View attachment 2508745

View attachment 2508746

Quality ... it comes at a price but I bet it’s worth every penny. Thanks for sharing, I got the itch to replace my whole system. Did they disconnect the rear sub and just tape off the wires or use the existing wires with the new JL or just runs new wires? (If that sentence makes any sense at all)

You’ll be fine with that tire size because the wheels have the perfect offset. And by fine, I mean hammer the pinch weld and massage the liner with heat gun. Its going to have a great stance.

 

[bozncsurf]

Here’s some motivation to get that build going.

These are icon wheels same size and offset as yours - tire size 295/70r17

ARB rear.

 

[CPC]

Quality ... it comes at a price but I bet it’s worth every penny. Thanks for sharing, I got the itch to replace my whole system. Did they disconnect the rear sub and just tape off the wires or use the existing wires with the new JL or just runs new wires? (If that sentence makes any sense at all)

You’ll be fine with that tire size because the wheels have the perfect offset. And by fine, I mean hammer the pinch weld and massage the liner with heat gun. Its going to have a great stance.

I'm not sure where they got the source signal, but it wouldn't surprise me if they used the sub wires coming to the factory sub for the signal into the JL amp. Then they ran new wire to the JL sub from the JL amp.

The system really does sound impressive. I've had the 10" and 12" TW3 as well as W3v2 subs in a few different vehicles, and I have to admit this 13" TW5v2 might sound the best yet. It has very tight, precise bass response, but can still really boom if you want it to. I go back and forth between liking the tight sound of a 10" and the harder hitting boom of a 12", and somehow this 13" seems to accomplish both pretty well.

Another thing I'm impressed with is the sound stage the Mark Levinson signal processing produces. It does a decent job of pushing the sound stage pretty far out in front of you, and the time alignment is really pretty good. I'm sure if there was a true DSP hooked up in the system you could push the sound stage out towards the front of the hood, but for now it at least sounds like it is out a bit past the windshield.

Here’s some motivation to get that build going.

These are icon wheels same size and offset as yours - tire size 295/70r17

ARB rear.

That's a great looking rig. Unfortunately the rear tire carrier is out of stock with no known lead time from ARB, so I'm just going to do two bumper blanks for now and will possibly get the tire carrier later on when it becomes available. Sounds like I need to look up the pinch weld mod, and get out the BFH. We just did a heat gun massage to the new G Wagon to get some additional clearance, so I imagine this will be about the same.

I hope to get the bumpers and side steps to powdercoating this week, and then get everything put on the truck the week after. Fingers crossed everything shows up tomorrow that I'm still waiting on!

 

[bozncsurf]

I'm not sure where they got the source signal, but it wouldn't surprise me if they used the sub wires coming to the factory sub for the signal into the JL amp. Then they ran new wire to the JL sub from the JL amp.

The system really does sound impressive. I've had the 10" and 12" TW3 as well as W3v2 subs in a few different vehicles, and I have to admit this 13" TW5v2 might sound the best yet. It has very tight, precise bass response, but can still really boom if you want it to. I go back and forth between liking the tight sound of a 10" and the harder hitting boom of a 12", and somehow this 13" seems to accomplish both pretty well.

Another thing I'm impressed with is the sound stage the Mark Levinson signal processing produces. It does a decent job of pushing the sound stage pretty far out in front of you, and the time alignment is really pretty good. I'm sure if there was a true DSP hooked up in the system you could push the sound stage out towards the front of the hood, but for now it at least sounds like it is out a bit past the windshield.

That's a great looking rig. Unfortunately the rear tire carrier is out of stock with no known lead time from ARB, so I'm just going to do two bumper blanks for now and will possibly get the tire carrier later on when it becomes available. Sounds like I need to look up the pinch weld mod, and get out the BFH. We just did a heat gun massage to the new G Wagon to get some additional clearance, so I imagine this will be about the same.

I hope to get the bumpers and side steps to powdercoating this week, and then get everything put on the truck the week after. Fingers crossed everything shows up tomorrow that I'm still waiting on!

You got me on Crutchfield looking at options!

Completely understand the 10 vs 12 dilemma. The older I get the more I lean towards the 10.

Tire carriers are overrated and add an extra 2+ steps to every hatch access. Although I will say the ARB has to be the easiest swingout on the market

Post a pic of that G Wagon!

 

[CPC]

You got me on Crutchfield looking at options!

Completely understand the 10 vs 12 dilemma. The older I get the more I lean towards the 10.

Tire carriers are overrated and add an extra 2+ steps to every hatch access. Although I will say the ARB has to be the easiest swingout on the market

Post a pic of that G Wagon!

I'm with you on the getting older and leaning towards the 10"!

I also think not doing the swing out is probably goinig to be a blessing in disguise. Getting the dogs in and out will be much easier without it, and I'm going to mount a flush mount Rigid diffused light in each blank for back up lights, so I think it will still look good and be functional.

Here is a pic of the G that got the heat gun treatment. You used to be able to fit 33s on G without a lift of any kind, and 35s would fit with 50mm-70mm of lift if you had the right offset on the wheels. The new G63 has intercoolers behind the front bumper and the fender liner bumps out a bit accomodate the piping for them. You can massage it back though for a little more tire clearance.