WB's LX470 Build (1 Viewer)

[whirlybirdbrewing]

LX stock bumper turn signal to clear lens signal in the LC position notes are as follows:

As mentioned above, I saved the stock wiring harness that has the fog light connectors and turn signal connectors on it. I spliced the fog light wires to the Rigid connectors then used the stock turn signal bulbs as a direct fit to the DEPO corner lamps sold by @ranma21.

Here is the back of the stock corner lamps:

In my hand I'm holding the stock LX turn signal plug assembly (top) and the stock parking light plug assembly (bottom). The bottom is what fits in the small housing in the stock LX corner lamp.

This shows the DEPO clear corner lamp (top) and the stock LX corner lamp (bottom):

Here is the back of the DEPO clear corner lamp:

Much to my surprise, the stock LX turn signal plug assembly (in background, bottom plug) is a direct fit into the DEPO lamp. I bought a couple of OEM parts to make the whole thing work (top plug assembly in the background) but none of it was required. I just twisted in the stock turn signal plug and everything was set. Simple swap of things and now my turn signals are in the corner lamps.

End result:

 

[whirlybirdbrewing]

The rear was a lot quicker. Instructions were straight forward. Same as the front, a step drill bit is a must for drilling out the frame. I may have had to use the standard bit to get the hole on the right side near the exhaust.

Starting here:

Dropping off the rear:

Next was the factory hitch (and the spare) then it was build time. I fit everything up and kept the bolts snug but not tight so I could still make adjustments.

 

[whirlybirdbrewing]

The swing arms went on quickly; you just need to lay each one out and figure out what bolts are for what application. I did have an issue with the gas struts and wasted some time with the futile endeavor of trying to compress them by hand to get them to fit on the balls.

This is what I was working with:

After talking to @benc, he told me to move the ball to the outer hole (right hole in the picture), keep it loose (no nut installed), pop out the lower zerk fitting on the arm, and remove the outer bumper so the swing arm can fully extend. Once I did all this, it was easy to connect the strut to the ball, tighten the ball, then reinstall the rest of the items.

 

[whirlybirdbrewing]

As far as wiring goes, I used a pile of waterproof / heat shrink butt connectors to splice in the hitch harness to the stock wiring bundle. I kept it down line from the stock junction plug so I could always swap it out later.

Reverse lights were spiced into the wires coming off of the hitch wiring bundle. White for ground and the yellow wire for the backup.

 

[whirlybirdbrewing]

Last step was ditching the steps.

Before:

Dropped:

Other side (before I wired in the lights):

As far as I'm concerned, dropping the steps is a must. I'd like to get some sliders just to protect the body but from an aesthetic standpoint, the lines are just wrong if you leave the step on.

 

[whirlybirdbrewing]

Bone stock is still a great truck but I couldn't be happier with how it has changed over the past six months. This is where it started (Aug 2019):

And this is where it sits today (Feb 2020):

The to-do list is pretty much complete!

 

[OEMGUY0720]

Looks good!

 

[whirlybirdbrewing]

Somewhat of a follow-up from the front bumper install but I finally figured out (hopefully) a way to wire a battery cut off switch for the winch. Rather than hard wiring the winch to the battery, I ran it through a 600A cont / 900A 5 min switch (Blue Sea 3000). Normally it's off but if I need it, I can pop the hood, switch it on then use either the wireless or the wired remote.

Took the super long cable that came with the winch, cut it, added 1/2" lugs and heat shrink to the cut portions of the cables with a lug crimper (worked like a champ) so they could attach to the switch, then hung it off of a crude mounting bracket that I attached to the battery strap.

So far, so good!

 

[Sykoslug]

Great write-up and a great looking rig.

I'm about to embark on a similar build of an 03 100 series. It's already had Slee sliders installed, so front and rear bumpers. winch and the light mods are in order. Then a long-range aux tank to fill the space where the spare tired lived. Then maybe a lift...

 

[whirlybirdbrewing]

Snuck away for a fantastic trip up to Laurel Lakes and Coyote Flats over the weekend. I took the standard trail into Laurel after a morning of fishing on the Upper Owens. The flies (and advice) from Mac's in Bishop did the trick! Laurel was a bit rocky at the lake for a non-roof top tent guy but we found a hidden gem a little bit off the trail and set up camp for the evening.

A full moon lit up the night for most of the trip but the stars managed to peek out before things got too bright for pictures.

The next morning we headed back down the trail, into Bishop, and then up the Coyote Flat Trail for more adventure. We ended up near Baker/Hidden in the far SW corner of the flats. Great drive and great spots to camp. A cold one and some tasty food rounded out Friday.

Saturday was spent hiking up to the lake and pulling piles of Goldens and Brookies out of the lakes (and then releasing them).

When it was time to leave, we initially tried to take the trail that runs directly to Big Pine (USFS 32E303). After getting about half way down, a couple dudes on side-by-sides heading up stopped us and let us know we might be in a bit over our head. We opted to heed the warning and turned around. Sounds like it was a wise decision. The added time on the road beat the heck out of getting stuck or rolling down the mountain!

All-in-all a great trip to the Sierras. Can't wait for the next run!

 

[whirlybirdbrewing]

Hello from the road! Fantastic trip up the West Coast. Big Sur, Shasta, Coos Bay, Port Orford, Redwoods, and Kings / Lost Coast.

Lots of cool stuff to go see in this world. See you out there.

 

[Sykoslug]

Do you have suggestions on where to camp along that route? I'm planning a trip from Vegas to Portland in July. Sequoia and redwoods are hot on the list, but not sure of where to camp from Nor Cal North...

 

[whirlybirdbrewing]

@Sykoslug, it depends on how north you're talking and when NorCal starts for you. There are a ton of spots in Shasta and Lassen. I have zero experience near Shasta Lake but looking out my window as I drove by, I felt confident that hitting the trails SW of Lake Siskiyou was the right play. There are spots near Castle/Heart and Gumboot that are pretty well known and can be busy. There are also a bunch of pull-outs in that same area along the South Fork of the Sac. You can get into a bunch of FS roads and other trails in that area depending on how far you want to adventure. I know less about Lassen other than the more I researched it, the more I was unsure about my Shasta vs Lassen decision.

Here's the view from the hike near Castle:

If you're talking NoCal along the coast in between Point Reyes and Kings Range/Lost Coast, there ain't much. There are a handful of State and County Parks (Salt Point, Sonoma Cost, Bodega Dunes) which are more akin to car camping but when I went, a lot of them were closed still due to the 'Rona. It's tough to move between the 1, the 101, and I-5, and to be honest, there is a lot of competition to get spots / reservations because half the people in the Bay Area are trying to get out of town.

I didn't camp too much further north than Humbug Mtn State Park near Coos Bay. Didn't have a Nat'l Forest option based on our itinerary. It was a little too car campy for my liking but it was convenient, on the perfect spot on the drive, easy, and it was great to walk out to the beach from the campsite and watch the sunset with a cocktail.

The 1:38 second walk from our site took us here:

 

[Sykoslug]

The area from coastal Sonoma North to the Oregon border is of interest to me. Like you, I'm concerned about crowds, and availability.

We're going to stay 1-2 nights in Sequoia/Kings, then head to the coast and work North to Portland.

Thanks for the info!

 

[whirlybirdbrewing]

Snowbows!

Heck of a view. The mountains aren't bad either.