Zarasa's Budget Build (1 Viewer)

[Zarasa]

Thanks to all who have helped so far. I'm hoping to get this done by the end of the year using holiday sales and black friday specials to my advantage.

Background:

2006 GX with nearly 300K miles. Owned since new. Meticulously maintained, but cosmetically a little rough because the last 25K miles were spent towing for a construction company (big mistake). No accidents. Solid drivetrain. Bad rear axle/bearings from the construction company experience.

Goal:

Cost-effectively build a nice rig for my son to drive to high school for the next 1.5 years. The truck needs to be safe on the road, capable of light-duty off-roading, and of course look great.

Summary:

1 - Pulled left and right rear axle assemblies from a GX with 120K miles on it to swap into my truck.

2 - Rear airbags were swapped for MetalTech kit at around 200K miles.

3 - I have the Eibach 3" Pro Truck lift kit on order. Also some cheap UCA's from China which hopefully work out.

4 - Planning to do the axles, lift, UCA's and rebuild the suspension and fix the e-brake at the same time with the help of a good friend who has a private shop with a hydraulic lift.

5 - I'm on the hunt for a DIY weld-it-yourself high-clearance front bumper kit. Open to any suggestions...looking at MOVE and Yota Mafia kits so far.

I will post pictures and other details as the work begins over the next 10 days or so.

 

[Zarasa]

6 - After I complete the suspension work and the front bumper I will put on some reasonably priced 17 x 8.5 wheels I found on sale at America's Tire. I could really use some input on the best tire size for my build. The wheels are available in 0 offset or -18 offset. The rep helping me at AT says he has a friend with a GX with a 2.5" lift who went with -18 offset wheels to push the wheels out and has 285/70R17 tires with no rubbing.

Any thoughts from the technical brain trust here? 285/70R17 translates to 32.7" tires commonly referred to as 33" tires right? Can I go bigger? Should I go bigger or smaller?

Again my setup will be a 3" lift and a replacement front bumper. I can make other reasonable modifications needed to accommodate other tire sizes.

Thanks for everyone's input!

 

[HomersCanyonero]

6 - After I complete the suspension work and the front bumper I will put on some reasonably priced 17 x 8.5 wheels I found on sale at America's Tire. I could really use some input on the best tire size for my build. The wheels are available in 0 offset or -18 offset. The rep helping me at AT says he has a friend with a GX with a 2.5" lift who went with -18 offset wheels to push the wheels out and has 285/70R17 tires with no rubbing.

Any thoughts from the technical brain trust here? 285/70R17 translates to 32.7" tires commonly referred to as 33" tires right? Can I go bigger? Should I go bigger or smaller?

Again my setup will be a 3" lift and a replacement front bumper. I can make other reasonable modifications needed to accommodate other tire sizes.

Thanks for everyone's input!

Good luck with the cheap UCAs. Report back on how they work out.

I was running 17x9 -12 rims on Nitto Ridge Grappler 285/70R17s. I have Total Chaos UCAs and was running a 3.7* caster. I still rubbed despite trimming the wheel well liner…but the rubbing was on the frame itself or the sway bar itself; only on full turns on the driver side only. No rubbing offroad. No BMC.

After a few years running like this…I then removed the front sway bar and all my rubbing went away. Hmmm. I have zero rubbing even on full turns now.

Last month I installed the AlphaEquipt Foxtrot 17x7.5 zero offset rims and kept the Nitto tires the same. Zero rubbing.

I changed rims because my next new set of tires is going to be either a 255/80R17 (33.1” by 10”) or 34x10.5 (33.5” by 10.6”) or a 285/75R17 (33.9” by 11.2”). Worst case on the 34s is that I have to do BMC.

So, wheel offset is not the only factor that causes rubbing…wheel width, front sway bar, tire size (height and width), and caster all impact rubbing.

I would say based on my personal experience that 3.7* caster, around +5 to -12 offset, 7.5 to 8.5 rim width, and max tire around 33” by 11”…these combos will be in the minimal rubbing range

 

[dovetails]

Keeping up with this!

 

[Zarasa]

Sometimes China delivers 80% of the value for as little as 10% of the price. I just need alignment and reasonable durability for light duty off-roading. I’m willing to TOFT to find out if these cheap UCA’s from China are good enough. Here’s a picture of one:

 

[dovetails]

Sometimes China delivers 80% of the value for as little as 10% of the price. I just need alignment and reasonable durability for light duty off-roading. I’m willing to TOFT to find out if these cheap UCA’s from China are good enough. Here’s a picture of one:

View attachment 3488439

Looks great; got a link for them? If they hold up, I'm willing to try them as well.

 

[Zarasa]

Looks great; got a link for them? If they hold up, I'm willing to try them as well.

They do look great, but now I’m beginning to worry about safety. I found a great deal on 315/70R17 tires. I’m wondering if these large tires and the aggressive offset of the wheels is going to create additional stress on the front suspension. I’m putting several thousand dollars into tires, wheels, and a lift. It may not make sense to skimp and save ~$400 on UCA’s. Anyway here’s a link to the ones I bought on Amazon for $100/pair:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0BZRPYCJN?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_image

 

[Zarasa]

Good luck with the cheap UCAs. Report back on how they work out.

I was running 17x9 -12 rims on Nitto Ridge Grappler 285/70R17s. I have Total Chaos UCAs and was running a 3.7* caster. I still rubbed despite trimming the wheel well liner…but the rubbing was on the frame itself or the sway bar itself; only on full turns on the driver side only. No rubbing offroad. No BMC.

After a few years running like this…I then removed the front sway bar and all my rubbing went away. Hmmm. I have zero rubbing even on full turns now.

Last month I installed the AlphaEquipt Foxtrot 17x7.5 zero offset rims and kept the Nitto tires the same. Zero rubbing.

I changed rims because my next new set of tires is going to be either a 255/80R17 (33.1” by 10”) or 34x10.5 (33.5” by 10.6”) or a 285/75R17 (33.9” by 11.2”). Worst case on the 34s is that I have to do BMC.

So, wheel offset is not the only factor that causes rubbing…wheel width, front sway bar, tire size (height and width), and caster all impact rubbing.

I would say based on my personal experience that 3.7* caster, around +5 to -12 offset, 7.5 to 8.5 rim width, and max tire around 33” by 11”…these combos will be in the minimal rubbing range

@HomersCanyonero I read this again as I’m now shopping for tires. Thanks for the input. I think with a 3” lift and 0 offset 285/70R17’s will work well.

I can get a set of Goodyear 315/70R17’s at a great price so now I’m considering those. In the 37 page tire and wheel thread I see a lot of guys running that tire size. Just need to make sure I’m able to make the appropriate modifications to make it work.

 

[Zarasa]

I quick update and a few questions. The budget build has begun!! BAMF high clearance front bumper is installed (see picture), running boards deleted and roof rack deleted.

This weekend the following is going to happen:

1 - Eibach 2.8" lift kit. Already assembled the front shocks which I would like to never do again.

2 - new $80 UCA's

3 - new front rotors/pads

4 - various bits: Moog LCA ball joints, Freedom Offroad diff drop & extended sway bar links which I suspect I may not have actually needed

5 - DX4 wheels (TRD look alikes at 50% less) + Goodyear Wrangler 285/70R17

This truck's mission is to safely transport my teenager to high school daily while looking great and performing well offroad. Obviously a budget build like this isn't going to do any serious offroading. If we get into it, then I'll keep going and invest more into the suspension primarily.

Question: Rock Sliders??? I've researched all the usual suspects and no one has anything in stock. Originally I decided to forgo the expense of sliders and the entire rear bumper, swing out, spare etc set up to avoid spending $$$ and looking (even more) like a poser. Now I realize that I'm not a youngster anymore and I kinda need the step to pull myself up and in off the ground.

Everyone I've contacted has 3 to 5 week lead times which is fine except that I'd like to wrap this up and move on to other projects without waiting for the sliders.

Is there anyone out there in NorCal who would have GX470 sliders in stock ready for pickup? This is a budget build. They don't need to be badass. In fact a cheap set of returned or used "scratch and dent" sliders would be perfect. Appreciate any help. Thanks!

Here's the truck as it sits now in my friends garage:

 

[stupidchicken03]

No leads on sliders, but where in NorCal are you?

 

[HomersCanyonero]

When I gifted my son my 1996 FZJ80 to go to college, I did slee front bumper, rock sliders, and engine skid plate.

Rear had full factory tow bar that protected the rear pretty good. 2” OME lift.

Removed collision insurance to lower premiums and let him drive the tank!

Order the rock sliders and install when they arrive. It shouldn’t take much to install bolt on sliders.

 

[dovetails]

I quick update and a few questions. The budget build has begun!! BAMF high clearance front bumper is installed (see picture), running boards deleted and roof rack deleted.

This weekend the following is going to happen:

1 - Eibach 2.8" lift kit. Already assembled the front shocks which I would like to never do again.

2 - new $80 UCA's

3 - new front rotors/pads

4 - various bits: Moog LCA ball joints, Freedom Offroad diff drop & extended sway bar links which I suspect I may not have actually needed

5 - DX4 wheels (TRD look alikes at 50% less) + Goodyear Wrangler 285/70R17

This truck's mission is to safely transport my teenager to high school daily while looking great and performing well offroad. Obviously a budget build like this isn't going to do any serious offroading. If we get into it, then I'll keep going and invest more into the suspension primarily.

Question: Rock Sliders??? I've researched all the usual suspects and no one has anything in stock. Originally I decided to forgo the expense of sliders and the entire rear bumper, swing out, spare etc set up to avoid spending $$$ and looking (even more) like a poser. Now I realize that I'm not a youngster anymore and I kinda need the step to pull myself up and in off the ground.

Everyone I've contacted has 3 to 5 week lead times which is fine except that I'd like to wrap this up and move on to other projects without waiting for the sliders.

Is there anyone out there in NorCal who would have GX470 sliders in stock ready for pickup? This is a budget build. They don't need to be badass. In fact a cheap set of returned or used "scratch and dent" sliders would be perfect. Appreciate any help. Thanks!

Here's the truck as it sits now in my friends garage:

View attachment 3562831

Look into JW Offroad rock sliders! I ordered the Weld-It-Yourself kit for cheap to have a buddy make for me. (They're still currently being welded by my buddy). But you can buy the completed kit as well and they're in stock!!

Rock Sliders

We specialize in Lexus GX470 and GX460 offroad products, from roof racks, rock sliders, tire carriers, skid plates to molle panels and brackets. All of our products are made in the USA and we guarantee the quality. We are entering the Toyota 4Runner and Tacoma market so keep on the look out.

www.jwoffroad.com

 

[Zarasa]

No leads on sliders, but where in NorCal are you?

I'm in the East Bay and the garage is in Stockton.

 

[stupidchicken03]

Im just east of Sac in Roseville

 

[Zarasa]

When I gifted my son my 1996 FZJ80 to go to college, I did slee front bumper, rock sliders, and engine skid plate.

Rear had full factory tow bar that protected the rear pretty good. 2” OME lift.

Removed collision insurance to lower premiums and let him drive the tank!

Order the rock sliders and install when they arrive. It shouldn’t take much to install bolt on sliders.

I'm going to let him drive the truck for a bit starting next week and then decide whether to drop another $1K into it for sliders. BAMF, JW, White Knuckle and CaliFab are all in NorCal (I think) so I can easily pick up form one of them and avoid shipping.

 

[Zarasa]

Latest picture of the front end. If all goes well, should be back on the road by Monday to get an alignment and SMOG.

 

[HomersCanyonero]

Latest picture of the front end. If all goes well, should be back on the road by Monday to get an alignment and SMOG.

View attachment 3566540

Looking good as new. I’m eager to find out if your cheap UCAs hold up.

The area of concern is the ball joint and bushings. Keep an eye on those

 

[Zarasa]

Looking good as new. I’m eager to find out if your cheap UCAs hold up.

The area of concern is the ball joint and bushings. Keep an eye on those

I learned how NOT to press out and replace a LCA ball joint yesterday. Almost got hurt using a janky Harbor Freight press.

The right way to do it is to take your LCA and a new Dorman ball joint to your neighbors mechanical shop. Ask nice and give him $20 to do it in five minutes with the proper equipment.

If I hold on to this GX, I think I can go back in to change out several suspension bits in a half day now that I know my way around. The luxury of having access to a lift really helps move things along faster.

Finally I’m thinking about buying a lightly damaged GX470 at CoPart and setting it up similar to this one. If I do I’ll start a new thread for it.

 

[HomersCanyonero]

Wow. Economies of scale! Although, two GXes is not quite a big scale

 

[Zarasa]

Here's the "finished" product. Although you all know how this goes...now I'm thinking it "needs" sliders, and some lights, and a roof rack, and wouldn't it look cool wrapped in desert tan like the new GX550, and and and....!!!