Builds wiseinvestor's budget build of "Big Slick" (1 Viewer)

[wiseinvestor]

This is going to be less of a build thread and more of a write up of my journey to get my 200 where I want it on a budget. In general, I am not sure if there is a vehicle that is more fun to explore it's out of the box potential and begin customizing with personal preferences for intended uses and with individual budgets in mind.

I have learned so much from the many amazing contributors on this forum. From top shelf new builds like "+1" to amazing individuals sharing their journey like "Thee200," and so many others. So if any of you regulars have one too many cocktails and trip n fall into my lonely little page of notes... allow me to say Thank you!

I purchased this 2013 LC 200 in May of 2019. I immediately ordered the"Subaru Forester 14-18, WRX 15-19 Front License Plate Bracket Holder with HW" off ebay and put on my first front plate.

I wasn't sure how I felt about naming my vehicle, but most of you dorks do it and I like to blend. In poker one of the strongest, most versatile hands is Ace King (AK), which is nicknamed “Big Slick.” It seemed appropriate, so I order some stickers in bronze and put that issue behind me.

My next priority was to find some dirt.

 

[wiseinvestor]

I wanted to get off road in stock configuration as soon as possible and try out all the bells and whistles. With KO2s, sliders, and BP-51 all calling my name, I really wanted to find out where I stood as it sat (within reason.) By the way, it came with Michelin defender LTX and I found them to be a fantastic road tire on the 200.

After I threw in a new set of Weather Tech mats, I needed to do some emergency prep.
I ordered a fire extinguisher bracket from an Australian company called KAP Industries. The bracket installed easily to the stock seat bolts. It was a bit of trouble finding an extinguisher in stock at the big box stores that would fit the bracket, and the clasp that holds the extinguisher is a bit flimsy and sometimes comes undone. Also, the location obviously restricts the ability to move the seat forward past a certain point. It's not perfect.

I fitted the vehicle with a trauma kit with Tourniquet, QuickClot Gauze, Xeroform Dressing, Cohesive Bandages, Israeli Bandages, Gloves, Shears, Gauze rolls, and tape, and a family first aid kit with your standard stuff. I got headrest bags on amazon to hold it all. Red = Trauma on drivers side for quick access and standard first aid in green on the passenger headrest.

I put a NOCO GB70 battery booster in the glove box, and a tool bag with a tire repair kit in the back.

I had nothing when it came to recovery gear, so I ordered some front tow mounts from @TRAIL TAILOR, a d-ring shackle with hitch receiver, a snatch strap, a tree saver/bridle and some extra shackles.

I decided on the Smittybilt 2781 5.65 CFM Universal Air Compressor based on a combination of reviews and price. It has worked well for me. It does get pretty hot.
I bought some Coyote Automatic Tire Deflators to make life easier. Got some stares from the neighbors as I learned how to air-up, air-down in my driveway.

I was as ready as I could be to get to the end of the pavement.

 

[CharlieS]

I think the best money you could spend on making a 200 more capable where the road ends is better tires. It is otherwise pretty capable in stock form.

 

[scooterp7]

I flipped the fire extinguisher clamp around on my mount. Mine had come undone because of my feet hitting it. It is as easy to undo with my hand as before and I have not had it come unclamped since. The other option is the aluminum one hand racing mount that is around $100.00. Nice rig

 

[wiseinvestor]

I think the best money you could spend on making a 200 more capable where the road ends is better tires. It is otherwise pretty capable in stock form.

I agree 100%.

I flipped the fire extinguisher clamp around on my mount. Mine had come undone because of my feet hitting it. It is as easy to undo with my hand as before and I have not had it come unclamped since. The other option is the aluminum one hand racing mount that is around $100.00. Nice rig

I see what you are saying. With mine, if I did that it would further limit how far forward the seat could be and still be able to unbuckle the clasp. However, it is worth me giving some it some additional thought.

 

[wiseinvestor]

I had some internal debate as to the best way to mount a safety flag. I finally settled on a Firestick 6ft with a Tusk Quick Release flag holder mounted to a cb antenna hood mount. I met up with my brother in his 4Runner and off we went.

Overall, I was happy with the ability of the vehicle's crawl control and Multi-Terrain system even on road tires. I was amazed at the articulation of the stock kinetic dynamic suspension as well. I got into some areas of the park that I didn't belong in and slowly backed away. More than anything I realized just how much fun 4L can be.

 

[wiseinvestor]

A few more shots off the shake down trip.
The hill in the background of this first shot was pretty steep. It took me a while to get the confidence to try going up it. Truck handled it with no issue.

Took the scenic road back to camp.

I waked away from the trip knowing I'm getting AT tires asap, and sliders are definitely on the wish list.

 

[wiseinvestor]

Small additions to the truck included a ram mount for my phone. I first went with the Ram Mount Twist Lock Suction cup mount but switched to the Flex Adhesive Base with 1 inch ball, a short double socket arm and the x-grip. I have been pleased with the sight lines and sturdiness of this setup. I didn't want to block an air vent or any of the control panel. I also like the ability to change to horizontal. Only downside imho is that it requires 2 hands to insert and remove the phone.

I put in the Landcruiser Attic from Blue Ridge Overland.

I found some cheap seat pockets on amazon and stuck them in with some 3M Dual Lock Reclosable Fastener (I use this stuff all the time.)

 

[wiseinvestor]

I purchased a visor cover from Special Operations Equipment . I wish I would have bought black but this was what they had in stock. I think it is made to fit domestic pickup truck visors because it is a bit big on my visor. But I always need extra storage and this was the trick.

I picked up a fatty pocket organizer from Maxpedition and stuffed it with things I like to keep close by.

And a Maxpedition Monkey Combat Admin Pouch lives in the driver's door pocket with bear spray, extra mags and seldom used cards I might need.

 

[wiseinvestor]

Tires turned out to be a bigger analysis than I anticipated. I have probably owned 15 different vehicles in my life and never bought a tire size away from the manufacturer's recommendation. There was a lot to learn and I got lost in it.

So like many newbs before me the mental gymnastics went kind of like this:

What is the largest tire I can buy and avoid any rubbing without having to modify my truck?
Yes I consider cutting out fender liners a modification.
I know it's not pronounced KZero2... I was kidding
Am I keeping the stock 18 inch rims? God I hope not.
Yes 17s could be better in certain situations.
Let me go to the driveway and count how many lugs I have.
Rock Warriors sure are popular.
Jesus rims are expensive! Maybe a used tundra rim and do the powder coat trick?
Everybody gets KO2s, I should be different. Ridge Grappler look tough.
Yes I care how much weight I am adding.
So taller and skinnier or shorter and wider. I wish I could have both. hmm
Of course I know there are different load ratings... I'm not a moron
That picture on the interwebs looks good, I wonder what he's got.
You really can't get a C load KO2 in R18?
Wtf.. My speedometer won't be right any more?
It doesn't say your sale ended yesterday!?
I didn't think about if the spare will fit.
Yes DT is fine. What does DT mean again?
There is a CTIP guru? Well I hope for all the idiots like me he lives forever!


This is a bit of exaggeration, but it did take me longer than I care to admit to come to the simple conclusion that for an 18 inch rim I just needed to choose between 275/70 (Taller) or a 285/65 (wider) and either would work without drama in both Nitto or KO2.

I chose taller and have not regretted it.
BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 LT275/70R18E DT at 41psi with blackwalls out and spare tucked nicely.

 

[wiseinvestor]

Bronze Wheels. The first time I saw the picture of the heritage edition from the Chicago auto show, I knew I wanted bronze wheels.
Again this build is on a budget, and with new wheels costing $500-$600 per or $2500-$3000 for a set of five... I needed to find a less expensive solution.

As I did my research three realizations set in.
1. Poorly chosen aftermarket wheels can ruin the look of a vehicle. I needed to get this right. I didn't want to save 50% over new wheels but it look janky.
2. There are about a thousand different shades of Bronze from brown to copper to yellowish gold. It is a tough color to capture in a photograph. Pictures of the same wheel would look completely different depending on lighting and the camera used.
3. The center cap was going to be the trickiest part of this project.

I decided to go with an oem look and began searching for Tundra Toyota #75157 wheels on craigslist. I was planning to turn them into TRD Pro Wheels with a heritage twist. After about a month, I found a great deal on a set of wheels on craigslist about 150 miles from me.
I negotiated the price down to $350 for the set and drove to get them.

I scoured the internet looking for pictures of bronze powder-coated wheels.

Inspiration:

I found a custom shop in California who had pictures of bronze wheels on their website that I really liked. So I reached out to them in the hopes that they would share the powder coating codes they use to create the look. To my surprise they did. Prismatic Powders, Bronze Chrome PMB-4124 covered with Casper Clear PPS-4005.

Not a perfect match, but good enough for me. I ordered 3lbs of each color from prismatic at a cost of $100.51.

 

[wiseinvestor]

Bronze Wheels - Poor man's heritage knock offs.
I called local wheel repair shops about getting my wheels powder-coated but the price quotes were coming in around $150 a wheel. No thanks.
Remember, I already have the powder.
I found that I could save money if I broke the sandblasting and powder-coating jobs up.
I took my tundra wheels and my tow mounts to a shop that charged me $100 to sandblast them.
I found a custom coating shop that applied the 2 stage powder for $70 a wheel and didn't charge me for the tow hooks/ shackle. $350.

I was nervous but pleased when I saw the finished product. I will say that the wheels photograph a bit differently than they appear in person. I would say the true color looks more like the shackle in this picture than the wheels. A bit more chocolate and less gold if that makes sense.

Now to solve the center cap dilemma.

 

[wiseinvestor]

I drove over to the local dealership to see what was going on with the Heritage center caps. They are very different from the TRD center caps we use when making the trd pro wheels out of tundra rims. I don't know how to articulate this... Everything outside of the black ring is wheel.

The cap is an insert made up of three parts. The black ring, the bronze ring, and the toyota plate. So I ordered one and took it apart.

The black part went into the trashcan. My plan was to use the bronze ring and the toyota plate from these caps to make a center cap that looked as close to oem as possible.

 

[Eric Sarjeant]

I purchased a visor cover from Special Operations Equipment . I wish I would have bought black but this was what they had in stock. I think it is made to fit domestic pickup truck visors because it is a bit big on my visor. But I always need extra storage and this was the trick.
View attachment 2317965

I picked up a fatty pocket organizer from Maxpedition and stuffed it with things I like to keep close by.
View attachment 2317974

And a Maxpedition Monkey Combat Admin Pouch lives in the driver's door pocket with bear spray, extra mags and seldom used cards I might need.
View attachment 2317987

I Love this write up!!! Also love the Ed Martin card in the admin pouch!

 

[wiseinvestor]

I Love this write up!!! Also love the Ed Martin card in the admin pouch!

@Eric

I Love this write up!!! Also love the Ed Martin card in the admin pouch!

Thanks Eric! I imagine there will be plenty of Ed Martin appearances in this thread as time goes on. The pic of the KO2s was from your shop. I really feel lucky to have a resource such as yourself so close by, and it has been great getting to know you over the last year.

 

[Eric Sarjeant]

@Eric

Thanks Eric! I imagine there will be plenty of Ed Martin appearances in this thread as time goes on. The pic of the KO2s was from your shop. I really feel lucky to have a resource such as yourself so close by, and it has been great getting to know you over the last year.

The pleasure is mine brother. Thanks for letting me give random advice.

 

[wiseinvestor]

I ordered TRD center caps and began the modification.
I pried off the trd plate and used a dremel to cut out the centers of the TRD caps.

 

[wiseinvestor]

Time for paint. I looked into having these hand painted or sprayed at paint shop. However, I found both options to be cost prohibitive.
I sampled a few different colors from Rust-oleum's line of metallic paint and settled on Flat Chestnut.

I took the bronze ring and the black Toyota plate from the heritage caps and used 2 part epoxy to finish the job.

Center Caps Complete

 

[wiseinvestor]

Overall I was happy with the way they turned out. In my opinion, they are different without looking janky, and I got my bronze wheels on a budget. I love them.
I ordered some black lug nuts off ebay and had my local dealership (@Eric Sarjeant at Ed Martin) install the new tires and wheels.

Every photograph looks slightly different due to lighting... but you get the idea.

 

[wiseinvestor]

And because the last picture is a spoiler on a concurrent project, I will go ahead a mention it real quick.
I was not a fan of the chrome door molding on the 200.

I took it to clear bra and they painted the molding in the factory color.
Here is what it looks like under the door molding in case anyone wants to know.

After I got it back...

At this point I have fixed my 3 top visual objections to my 200.
The front plate holes, the wheels, and the door molding.
If I didn't do anything else to it from here on out I would be super happy with it as it sits. But we know that's not going to happen.