Who does the best installs in the valley?

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H

homey

10 Year
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Threads
9
Messages
44
Location
Mesa Az
I’m wanting to put a bumper and sliders on my 2015 Lexus GX460. The parts I’m looking at getting (cbi) both require cutting the factory bumper and factory side steps, which I don’t want to do myself. They have YouTube videos showing the process but I’m looking for some shop that may be familiar with this type of install (cutting up factory stuff but not making look like it’s homemade) and they may have done it couple times before cutting into mine. Any suggestions?

Pic for reference.

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Can't speak from personal experience, so don't hold me to them.. but I have heard good things about ARK Fabrication in Avondale. They're a shop thats kind of dedicated towards Toyota & Lexus overlanding rigs. My buddy has taken his '15 Tacoma there and got fair prices, quick & solid work, and got to walk around the shop with the manager and look at all of the rigs they were working on at the time.

The only shop I have taken the 80 to was a traditional mechanic because I needed a last minute axle rebuild done ASAP before a trip to Colorado and I was very pleased (ToyoTekAZ) but I don't think he does real "outfitting".
 
Somebodyelse5 said:
Sierra Expeditions would be high on my list. Otherwise SDHQ, although not a toyota specific group, does some seriously high end work on all sorts of rigs.
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Thanks for the recommendation for SDHQ! I’ll check them out.
I’ve done business with Sierra Expeditions before...
 
Avid offroad (Brandon) is a cruiser club favorite. Haven’t been there myself but heard the mentioned quite a few times with nothing but positive reviews.

SDHQ does good work, but highly unlikely they’ll install anything you don’t buy through them. Had a few friends find this out in the past. I also doubt a “small time” shop like CBI would be a vendor for them. They are more Fox and ARB. They do a lot of really hi end “money is no object” type of builds.

Desert Toy Shop is another option, all Toyota. Heard some good, some neutral about them.

I recently had a tree fall on my 200 With some front end damage . Precision Auto Body In Tempe is doing the repair work. Murf at Riverview Toyota recommended them. I ordered a TJM bumper from Slee and having them do the I install. Can’t speak for them yet, but they are in the process of installing now so I’ll know in a couple weeks
 
DPA200 said:
Avid offroad (Brandon) is a cruiser club favorite. Haven’t been there myself but heard the mentioned quite a few times with nothing but positive reviews.

SDHQ does good work, but highly unlikely they’ll install anything you don’t buy through them. Had a few friends find this out in the past. I also doubt a “small time” shop like CBI would be a vendor for them. They are more Fox and ARB. They do a lot of really hi end “money is no object” type of builds.

Desert Toy Shop is another option, all Toyota. Heard some good, some neutral about them.

I recently had a tree fall on my 200 With some front end damage . Precision Auto Body In Tempe is doing the repair work. Murf at Riverview Toyota recommended them. I ordered a TJM bumper from Slee and having them do the I install. Can’t speak for them yet, but they are in the process of installing now so I’ll know in a couple weeks
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I have yet to hear anyone call CBI a small shop... especially considering how they bought out Prinsu a couple of years ago and their affiliations / partnerships with people like Expedition Overland, Max Powell, and all of the other Youtube "celebrities". They're kind of the "go to" for Tacomas & 4Runners, especially if anyone wants aluminum armor.
 
Just Diddly said:
I have yet to hear anyone call CBI a small shop... especially considering how they bought out Prinsu a couple of years ago and their affiliations / partnerships with people like Expedition Overland, Max Powell, and all of the other Youtube "celebrities". They're kind of the "go to" for Tacomas & 4Runners, especially if anyone wants aluminum armor.
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No insult intended towards CBI, that's why "small time" was in quotes ;) . Compared to ARB and Fox though, they could be called small time. I'd personally much rather have a CBI bumper.

My point was nothing more than the impression I've gotten from others experience is that SDHQ is more the place that specializes in $100k+ Hemi SEMA show type of builds. I did have a buddy go there asking about 200 bumpers, and they told him at that point they would only install if you bought from them, and the only vendor they had for that platform was ARB. Another friend had bought fox suspension for his 200 from somewhere else, and even with that they told him they wouldn't just do install. The work they do looks top-notch, i just think there focus is only bigger $$$ builds not which they then can warranty because the parts and install was all from them
 
DPA200 said:
No insult intended towards CBI, that's why "small time" was in quotes ;) . Compared to ARB and Fox though, they could be called small time. I'd personally much rather have a CBI bumper.

My point was nothing more than the impression I've gotten from others experience is that SDHQ is more the place that specializes in $100k+ Hemi SEMA show type of builds. I did have a buddy go there asking about 200 bumpers, and they told him at that point they would only install if you bought from them, and the only vendor they had for that platform was ARB. Another friend had bought fox suspension for his 200 from somewhere else, and even with that they told him they wouldn't just do install. The work they do looks top-notch, i just think there focus is only bigger $$$ builds not which they then can warranty because the parts and install was all from them
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For sure, definitely didn't think you were intending to insult, sorry if my response came off that way! And I can agree with that considering the reach ARB & Fox have... and the fact that I have an ARB bumper, accessories, and Fox shocks on my 80 😂

And that makes sense, I have mixed feelings about those kinds of shops, but power to them for making it work for their wants & wishes. I haven't looked around at too many of the shops that do installs, but thats only because I am more willing to try things on my 80 than I would be on a 200 or the newer 460s.
 
Just an FYI, Sierra Expeditions is out of business.
 
their website says "the store is temporarily closed for maintenance" :hhmm:
 
Rudster said:
The place is empty and I got the 411 on it.
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I wonder how long they've known they were going under for, or if they were another victim of COVID. Over the past two years I have tried to be a customer at least three different times. They frequently never answered the phone and whenever they eventually did, at least two different guys were less than friendly. I was on the phone with them once asking if they had a couple of products in stock, and after I asked about the first one they said "nope, sorry try calling back next week" and hung up. They were always out of stock without having any ETAs. I never dealt with the installation side of their business so all I can talk about is their retail/customer service and despite trying at least three times, they never seemed interested.
 
Rudster said:
The place is empty and I got the 411 on it.
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Wow. The last time I was there , in January , talking to Will , he sounded like business was really good.
 
Yeah i wonder what the scoop was. With COVID has also come the huge boom in all forms of outdoor recreation. I know the guy at Slee said it was the busiest year they have ever had by far
 
yeah, because several of us finally bought a ShortBus that we had been waitlisted on for more than 2 years :lol:
 
So what shops DO install brands they don’t sell, like for instance CBI?
 
I bought stuff from Will in August, if anyone has a number for him please send it to me. I would like to connect to follow up on an old item he was interested in selling.
@Rudster
steve
 
If the cut process for the GX460 running boards is anything like the process for the GX470, I wouldn't pay cash to have someone else do it. I did mine on my GX470 using a utility knife (razor blade) and it went quickly and smooth. So long as you measure and layout your cut line using masking tape in advance it should be fairly easy. Watch the videos on YouTube for reference prior to starting.
 
Hondo said:
If the cut process for the GX460 running boards is anything like the process for the GX470, I wouldn't pay cash to have someone else do it. I did mine on my GX470 using a utility knife (razor blade) and it went quickly and smooth. So long as you measure and layout your cut line using masking tape in advance it should be fairly easy. Watch the videos on YouTube for reference prior to starting.
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That’s exactly what I’m doing the install on. Wanna lend a rookie a hand with an install?
 
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