What Did You Do With Your 120 Today? (5 Viewers)

[Svensk120]

well I have something to post in this thread finally... upgraded from the stock suspension to the Ironman stage 1 nitro... it was a bitch and a half luckly my buddy is a master tech but the front struts were FROZEN on big time!!

Before: After:

My buddy really liked it because he could slide under it the next weekend to drill out the broken bolts from the factory skids and replace it with one from ASFIR that I got from a fellow member for a killer deal! Yes he is a skinny one!!

My stock front plate was missing when I purchased it... The missing portion of the ASFIR is due to the original owner having to modify it for his KDSS but it does make it much easier to change out the oil filter without having to drop the plate.

 

[amongmany]

Just ordered a replacement amp off ebay for my fried ML. Gambling a little bit to see if a W041 will successfully replace my W141 (I've read elsewhere that it works) since the 041 is $200 cheaper.

Tomorrow it goes in for surgery (lift, f/r UCA's, tired, fluids).

 

[amongmany]

well I have something to post in this thread finally... upgraded from the stock suspension to the Ironman stage 1 nitro... it was a bitch and a half luckly my buddy is a master tech but the front struts were FROZEN on big time!!

Before: After:

View attachment 2462239View attachment 2462241

3" lift? What size tires are those?

 

[Svensk120]

3" lift? What size tires are those?

no its supposed t be a 2 to 2.5" lift per Ironman.

stock tire size.. 265/70R17 on FJ Cruiser Rims I will get some ATs in the spring or summer but these Nitto's have TONS of tread on them and I can't just chuck them when they are in such good shape. When I get new rubber I will go to a slightly bigger size but nothing major.

 

[RockyMountainGX]

Installed new brakes:

Front: OEM GX460 calipers, Centric 120 rotors, and Akebono Performance pads, and stainless steel lines.
Rear: Centric 120 Rotors and Akebono Performance Pads

I kept the rear lines stock for now but will change them to extended rear for the suspension lift once the backordered Toytec 2.5 rear shocks are in.

 

[kody472]

Installed JW Off-road standard length tire carrier.

 

[isthatalexus]

Installed the GXPAM from Expedition Essentials. Top-line: great product and super useful.

Notes:

• very good installation notes, super high-quality product, awesome vendor shipping updates
• the drilling template is not great; you will end up with ovals, and..
• I don't recommend drilling the holes; if I did this again, I would melt holes. The plastic on my '06 GX470 was so brittle, it cracked all over the place.
• the aluminum brackets that mount just below the top of the dash plastic do not fit out-of-the-box. I had to cut the top-most interior corners to get the dash plastic to fit, and I had to remove the plastic mounting clip on the dash plastic to get the plastic back into some kind of original position. I could have notched the aluminum too, but I did not want to compromise the aluminum bracket. A little more design engineering and small tweaks to the GXPAM aluminum brackets could remediate this.
• The vent sections of my dash are essentially trash now, cracked to hell at the top, and will have to be replaced if I ever remove the GXPAM; thankfully, the GXPAM is one of the best driver/forward-cabin mod I've made/seen, so I'll just never remove that
• I'm not getting fast charging (as indicated on phone status) on the USB ports yet. Could be that I'm using the wrong USB cable; investigation pending
• While you have everything apart, run a secondary 12v (cigarette lighter) USB charger cord through the bottom of the ashtray mount and around the driver side of the dash; that gives you an additional power source at the top of the dash at the GXPAM. The GXPAM has five RAM ball mount points (if you use the diamond plate RAM ball). That's five devices and only two USB ports on the GXPAM, so adding a third will come in handy.
• While things were apart, I did the tape-to-aux mod and ran the new 1/8" audio connection to the GXPAM. I've ordered and will install a ground loop noise isolator next, since 1/8" jack audio while USB charging creates incredible interference...I think I was picking up AM radio from South America.
• Product idea: a little clip-on cowling to cover the forward-facing gap which contains the cable salad (see picture). Might not be necessary once the OCD cable optimization process is done
• Likely additional mod: some kind of sun shade over devices. I'm in Arizona, and our special kind of direct sunlight will ab-end devices all day long. I plan on mounting the Garmin In-Reach up there; It's connected to the navigation device via Bluetooth, so I won't need to see the display, which gives nice options for out-of-the-way mounting, but with heavy solar exposure.

I will fire up an install thread and add to the information here when I take it all apart again to install the ground loop noise isolator. (now that I think about it, it is no unlikely that I failed to properly ground the 1/8" mod on the tape deck...SMH)

-ITAL

Heads-up: @eklipsephil

 

[amongmany]

Installed the GXPAM from Expedition Essentials. Top-line: great product and super useful.

Notes:

• very good installation notes, super high-quality product, awesome vendor shipping updates
• the drilling template is not great; you will end up with ovals, and..
• I don't recommend drilling the holes; if I did this again, I would melt holes. The plastic on my '06 GX470 was so brittle, it cracked all over the place.
• the aluminum brackets that mount just below the top of the dash plastic do not fit out-of-the-box. I had to cut the top-most interior corners to get the dash plastic to fit, and I had to remove the plastic mounting clip on the dash plastic to get the plastic back into some kind of original position. I could have notched the aluminum too, but I did not want to compromise the aluminum bracket. A little more design engineering and small tweaks to the GXPAM aluminum brackets could remediate this.
• The vent sections of my dash are essentially trash now, cracked to hell at the top, and will have to be replaced if I ever remove the GXPAM; thankfully, the GXPAM is one of the best driver/forward-cabin mod I've made/seen, so I'll just never remove that
• I'm not getting fast charging (as indicated on phone status) on the USB ports yet. Could be that I'm using the wrong USB cable; investigation pending
• While you have everything apart, run a secondary 12v (cigarette lighter) USB charger cord through the bottom of the ashtray mount and around the driver side of the dash; that gives you an additional power source at the top of the dash at the GXPAM. The GXPAM has five RAM ball mount points (if you use the diamond plate RAM ball). That's five devices and only two USB ports on the GXPAM, so adding a third will come in handy.
• While things were apart, I did the tape-to-aux mod and ran the new 1/8" audio connection to the GXPAM. I've ordered and will install a ground loop noise isolator next, since 1/8" jack audio while USB charging creates incredible interference...I think I was picking up AM radio from South America.
• Product idea: a little clip-on cowling to cover the forward-facing gap which contains the cable salad (see picture). Might not be necessary once the OCD cable optimization process is done
• Likely additional mod: some kind of sun shade over devices. I'm in Arizona, and our special kind of direct sunlight will ab-end devices all day long. I plan on mounting the Garmin In-Reach up there; It's connected to the navigation device via Bluetooth, so I won't need to see the display, which gives nice options for out-of-the-way mounting, but with heavy solar exposure.

I will fire up an install thread and add to the information here when I take it all apart again to install the ground loop noise isolator. (now that I think about it, it is no unlikely that I failed to properly ground the 1/8" mod on the tape deck...SMH)

-ITAL

Heads-up: @eklipsephil


View attachment 2463323

Interesting product — hadn't seen that before. Seems like the fit, especially on the sides, is pretty disappointing. The gaps above the vents would drive me nuts.

 

[isthatalexus]

Interesting product — hadn't seen that before. Seems like the fit, especially on the sides, is pretty disappointing. The gaps above the vents would drive me nuts.

It actually has a nice floating vibe and it's rock solid. I guess it helps that I was not thinking about panel gap; it's definitely its own thing sitting up there.

 

[mtwilly87]

Installed all 6 of the window belt mouldings. Mine were dry rotted and likely letting water into the doors. Went with the black trim from the Prado 120. Ordered them at partsouq.com. Screenshot of part numbers below.

 

[landwagon]

Replaced passenger side lower control arm and lowered it about 3/8 of an inch.

Drivers side tomorrow.

 

[jdevtac]

Added a new MesoCustoms 2nd gen Tacoma dome light using a dome housing part# from a 2nd gen Tacoma (the one I bought was off eBay ~$20 from a Corolla but it’s same part # as Taco). And painted it khaki to match.

Also added a Tuffy FJ cruiser console a week or so ago but hadn’t posted here yet:

 

[yeos]

Added a new MesoCustoms 2nd gen Tacoma dome light using a dome housing part# from a 2nd gen Tacoma (the one I bought was off eBay ~$20 from a Corolla but it’s same part # as Taco). And painted it khaki to match.

View attachment 2465066

Also added a Tuffy FJ cruiser console a week or so ago but hadn’t posted here yet:

View attachment 2465070

View attachment 2465071

View attachment 2465072

More details on the console install and that steering wheel? Looks great!

 

[Casezilla]

Also added a Tuffy FJ cruiser console a week or so ago but hadn’t posted here yet:

View attachment 2465070

Which shift knobs are those? Looking good!

 

[jdevtac]

More details on the console install and that steering wheel? Looks great!

console install required removal of the pocket/door assembly in that spot. So your left with a square opening and empty hole. Had to redrill 3 new holes in bottom of console, 2 were for M6 bolts to the factory console mounting points that I added washers and longer bolts to to bring higher, and then the 3rd hole was for a M8 security bolt through the body that I added a diy spacer for to take up the empty space between bottom of the console and the floor. Not technically necessary I guess but I found the 2 m6’s alone were not enough for a stable install. All in all it’s a custom install and doesn’t just bolt in, but it fits that space like it was made for it.

The steering wheel was an eBay special, one of the prado120 piano black wheels, made by “MIT”. I haven’t seen them listed in a while or in the same style.

 

[Bubbles]

Installed all 6 of the window belt mouldings. Mine were dry rotted and likely letting water into the doors. Went with the black trim from the Prado 120. Ordered them at partsouq.com. Screenshot of part numbers below.


View attachment 2464731

Just ordered those myself, thanks mate.

 

[yeos]

console install required removal of the pocket/door assembly in that spot. So your left with a square opening and empty hole. Had to redrill 3 new holes in bottom of console, 2 were for M6 bolts to the factory console mounting points that I added washers and longer bolts to to bring higher, and then the 3rd hole was for a M8 security bolt through the body that I added a diy spacer for to take up the empty space between bottom of the console and the floor. Not technically necessary I guess but I found the 2 m6’s alone were not enough for a stable install. All in all it’s a custom install and doesn’t just bolt in, but it fits that space like it was made for it.

The steering wheel was an eBay special, one of the prado120 piano black wheels, made by “MIT”. I haven’t seen them listed in a while or in the same style.

I thought the black wheel might look weird with the brown airbag and trim, but it looks good!

 

[jdevtac]

I thought the black wheel might look weird with the brown airbag and trim, but it looks good!

Yes, same. It goes perfect with the gloss black vinyl wrapped wood trim pieces. At this point I’ve got a nice two-tone khaki/black theme going.

 

[Junior357]

I replaced my one dim and one dead headlights with a set of LED bulbs. B2 Next Gen from BPS...very bright, which makes me very happy.

 

[white_lx]

Annual chore of Fluid Film application. Depending on the amount of winter driving, I will re-spray bare spots on a dry day in Feb/Mar. Unfortunately the PO never really paid attention to rust - but he was sold an electronic rust inhibitor by the dealer !

Recently also: re-booted drive shafts, new front wheel bearings and all associated seals. The rotor dust shields looked terrible, so I replaced those. New pins for the front rotors. Cleaned up all brakes and new brake pads for the rear (Akebono, first time not OEM). Also got new snow tires: Blizzak DM-V2.

This is a 2008 GX470 with 215k km / 134k miles. This is our 'winter SUV'. Trying to keep the LX parked inside again till next year.