Thoughts on my 2000 LX470 AHC removal... (1 Viewer)

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My Lx is a 2000 with 170k miles. The ahc was operating fine but I'm planning a build for either Cruise Moab or 100s in the hills next year. I will be adding sliders, front bumper, rear bumper with swing out, roof rack, and a drawer system by next spring so I decided I wanted to step away from the ahc.
I decided on ome torsion bars, 860 rear springs, and iron man shocks. I had a set 860s I took out of my 80 just sitting around taking up space so I decided to use them for now. I know I will need to upgrade when I add the bumper and drawers. I got a smoking deal on a set of iron man gas shocks and decided to use them , I may upgrade those to pros at some point in the future.
I did all of the removal and install myself on my gravel driveway. I can honestly say it was one of the toughest and most frustrating things that I have ever done. It took 2 solid days. Like others have said a 12mm flex ratcheting wrench is a must. I believe it would be impossible without that. For my shocks I used GearWrench 891226 25 Piece 1/2-Inch Drive (30mm) Pass Thru Ratchet Set with Locking Flex-Head - Sockets - Amazon.com and it made the removal of the 22mm shock nuts a breeze. It's a really nice set. I found it made a lot of things easier and I can see it being used a ton in the future. I did struggle with the 2 nuts holding the ahc lines to the passenger rear shock though. I couldn't seem to get in the correct position for those. That was an exercise in pure frustration and patience. Removing all of the ahc lines was not too bad, just messy. While I was at it I replaced all of my sway bar bushings front and rear. I also replaced the front diff vertical bushing and mounting arm.
When I finally go it all back together the last bolt ruined my day. The drivers side torsion bar adjusting bolt somehow seized up in the anchor arm when I was starting to set my ride height. I tried everything to break it loose and it wasn't happening. I finally ended up grinding off the head of the bolt and then used a sawsall to cut the anchor in half to remove it. That was wild stuff to do on my back in the driveway. 2 days later the local dealer had a new bolt and anchor for me and I made sure I used a liberal amount of anti-seize this go round. No problems after that.
I am blown away by the feeling of solidness the truck has now. It's not as plush as it was but it is much more planted. The steering feels better, it corners better, even seems to brake better. Almost a feeling of invincibility:).
It was tough but so well worth it.

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Gorgeous rig man and really love those wheels. I have the same thoughts as you about replacing my 80 with a 100. Two questions if I may:

1) Do you happen to know if removing AHC from 2006 LX 470 is the same as your model or would it be more painful? Would it be better to get a LC w/o AHC to avoid AHC delete all together?
2) Do you find the black color high maintenance when off-roading (pin-stripping and all)? Would you have choosen a lighter color if you had to do it all over again?
 
Did you end up pulling the computers to eliminate any dash lights? If so, which ones? I'm having a hell of a time finding the thread with all the pics and descriptions of relays and whatnot to pull.

Thanks.
 
so......i'll be the first to ask, what's the plan for the AHC parts :)

I tried to sell them for the cheap here on mud (like $400 for everything IIRC) but didn’t get any takers:frown: so I ended up putting everything on eBay and getting around $1500 when it was all said and done:)
 
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Did you end up pulling the computers to eliminate any dash lights? If so, which ones? I'm having a hell of a time finding the thread with all the pics and descriptions of relays and whatnot to pull.

Thanks.
Yeah, I pulled the fuses, relay, and unplugged the ahc cpu and didn’t get any lights.
 
Been off of mud for awhile because real life got in the way. I’ve done a lot since the AHC has come off. Heres my most recent (crappy) pic:

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