Vman's majestic wheelin' and build thread™

[vman07]

well I claimed this would be a build AND wheelin' thread, so up next are some of the adventures we've taken the LX on so far...

Our first real off road trip was with family to the Carrizo Plain. I'm not big on flowers but it was a sight to see many square miles of land covered with brightly colored flowers...We took Hurricane Rd. on the east side of the plain, it was a a solid challenge for the LX with some steep off camber climbs and plenty of solitude...

flowers anyone?

The time spent with family was priceless, I highly recommend Carrizo in the springtime...

 

[vman07]

...

 

[daPitbull]

Hey Vince, glad you found your way into an LC!

 

[vman07]

Hey Vince, glad you found your way into an LC!

Thanks bro! how are the kiddos ? we got baby number 2 coming next spring....

 

[viducce]

Great thread, this cruiser has certainly fallen into the right hands....

 

[REZARF]

Great thread, I'm curious to your thoughts on the Goodyear MTRs vs the KO2s? I'm gonna buy a set of one or the other when my current set wears out. Interested in your first hand experience.

 

[vman07]

Great thread, I'm curious to your thoughts on the Goodyear MTRs vs the KO2s? I'm gonna buy a set of one or the other when my current set wears out. Interested in your first hand experience.

MTRs are in a different class than KO2s. MTRs are way more aggressive, heavy, and off road oriented compared to KO2s , they are more comparable to BFG KM2s.

Unless the vehicle is seeing serious and frequent off roading, I wouldn't put MTRs on it.

I love the MTRs on my 4 runner and I'll probably be taking out a personal loan to get my next set...

 

[MattyO]

Ok. With the plasti dip, how did you do the emblems on the vehicle?

 

[REZARF]

MTRs are in a different class than KO2s. MTRs are way more aggressive, heavy, and off road oriented compared to KO2s , they are more comparable to BFG KM2s.

Unless the vehicle is seeing serious and frequent off roading, I wouldn't put MTRs on it.

I love the MTRs on my 4 runner and I'll probably be taking out a personal loan to get my next set...

Thanks I have had the old MTR's on my 40 and trailer and LOVE them, thanks for your thoughts.

 

[vman07]

Ok. With the plasti dip, how did you do the emblems on the vehicle?

For the rear emblems I taped off the area around them, then hit the emblems with 5 coats of plasti; color is Anthracite Grey. You're supposed to wait 30 minutes between each layer. Then I added a couple layers of a plasti dip product called a Glossifier, which adds a little sheen to the 5 coats of grey. Then you simply peel off the excess plasti around the emblems.

For the front, I removed the grill, did a little taping around the Lexus emblem and basically sprayed the entire grill, same procedure as above.

If I ever needed to I could pull the plasti off and it's back to chrome...

 

[MattyO]

Ok, thanks for the info. I have never used plasti dip, so I was unsure about the overspray on the rear

 

[vman07]

I did my alternator this afternoon. I had the usual signs, whine from the bearings, lower and lower volts, then finally the battery and maintenance light on the dash. Overall it was a two hour job, I didn't remove any radiator hoses or drain anything, just moved the power steering pulley and finessed the alt. out the bottom. Now I'm getting 13.5 - 14.2 volts with the new alt...

 

[vman07]

I had been looking to run a rear 12v socket for the fridge. @C6H12O6 made a file for a 3D printed 12v socket holder that slides into the rear ash tray. I simply sent his file to a 3D printer and they made the piece for me, total cost for the socket holder was about 10 dollars. Install was easy, a few hours to run wires, crimp connections, heat shrink etc. I'm stoked as the rear power plug is my first circuit that's running off my dual battery.

wires were under the carpet towards the passenger side, then up towards the engine with a hole drilled through the firewall...

the poor aux. fuse block was getting lonely, I need to start adding circuits

I cracked the rear ash-tray housing as I was cutting the hole for the wires so I may get a new part, or not. The whole plug is very tight and solid as is...

 

[vman07]

My dad, brother, sister, and aunt and I spent three nights in Death Valley. The trip was a Christmas present from my wife who is six months pregnant with our second. I think she knows that all free time in our lives is about to become as scarce as a snowman in Hawaii, so she gave me a hall pass to the desert. Our route was: Ridgecrest > Slate Range > Mengel Pass > Butte Valley > Racetrack > Lippincott > Saline Valley Hot Springs. We put about 150 miles of dirt under our tires and had a wonderful time...

coming down from Butte Valley

found a secluded site up in the hills near the racetrack

dragged some chairs and beers up to the top of a small hill with 360* views

 

[vman07]

No tow Service!

the old Bat sign in the Saline Valley keeps getting weirder

Our spot near the hot springs. Throngs of hippies kept us out of the springs...no big loss


Coming down Mengel...

 

[Mike6158]

Love Death Valley. We didn't do Mengel Pass but we got close. I was there for 2 weeks and we hit a lot of places. Lippincott, Steele Pass, Upper and Lower Hot Springs (upper didn't have anyone there), Saline Valley, Geologist Cabin, and a "little hill" overlooking Eureka Dunes (hiked a bit to get there) Opted not to put pics on your thread...

 

[rroverbkk]

Love it.

I feel like I have no real skills when I see these types of threads of guys making things for their rigs!!!!

07 LX is one of the greatest IMO.

 

[vman07]

Love Death Valley. We didn't do Mengel Pass but we got close. I was there for 2 weeks and we hit a lot of places. Lippincott, Steele Pass, Upper and Lower Hot Springs (upper didn't have anyone there), Saline Valley, Geologist Cabin, and a "little hill" overlooking Eureka Dunes (hiked a bit to get there) Opted not to put pics on your thread...

Lets see pics! Interested in little hill by Eureka, thats one of our favorite spots...

 

[vman07]

Here is my edited video of our winter DV family trip. Highlights include Mengel Pass, Butte Valley, the Racetrack, Lippincott, and the Saline Valley, plus my sister's engagement on the racetrack...

 

[geanes]

Very nice video journal there! Now I NEED to add Death Valley to my overlanding bucket list. Looks amazing!