GX470 weekend expo build

[JLee]

I decided that my '97 LX450 was too slow and overbuilt for my purposes, so I sold it and bought something a bit newer and more comfortable (with a lot more power). I'm going to use this for shorter-ish trips (likely max of about two weeks) but it'll also serve as a daily until it becomes impractical.

It seems I don't have any pictures of it stock, but it wasn't that exciting. Step one was tires - 265/65R17 street tires aren't the greatest for rock squashing, so that was fixed with a set of 255/75R17 Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs.

Next up was a Pioneer Platform roofrack, which is much more useful than the stock bars. Unfortunately it added some wind noise, but it's still quieter on the highway than an econobox, so there's that. I bought this from Seth at Adventure Driven (great guy, if you're ever looking for a Baja or Grand Canyon tour, hit him up!).

MetalTech 4x4 had a group buy on their OPOR rock sliders, so I snagged a set. Unfortunately they were damaged in shipping, but since a perfect fit/finish isn't necessary, I squashed the dent out as best as I could.

Primed (2 coats), scuffed, and cleaned with wax/grease remover, ready for paint:

Painted - now 5-9 hours to dry to handle, so they'll sit here for a while:

Once again, Seth was upgrading so I had an opportunity to pick up a set of ARB storage drawers, as well as as some Budbuilt skid plates (four skids, from engine to fuel tank). Since I have quite a while before I can do anything with the sliders, I'm getting the ARB drawers installed.

Test fitting before I drill into the floor:

Seat clearance:

Test fit for my 63 quart Edgestar fridge/freezer, before I commit to drilling:

Looks good!

Drilling - can't see too well with all the crap under the truck, and I ended up finding it with my finger. It's not bad at all, but linked if you're a little squeamish. Anyway, it's in the right spot but the bolts I bought were too short (35mm) - I underestimated how much carpet/sound deadening was in the floor of this thing. Ace Hardware (my bolt source) closes at 7 minutes and it's 9 minutes away, so I suppose I shall resume in the morning.

 

[Willman]

Great looking rig! I like the rear cargo area.

Keep it coming!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Great looking rig you got there!

 

[washington taco]

I am thinking of going the GX way!

 

[JLee]

I was at Ace Hardware before dawn, swapping out bolts for longer ones and also picking up hardware to mount the fridge. One drawer is done. It was a pain in the *** - the drawer frame has some flex to it, and since the front bracket crossed over a hard seat mount and the rear bracket was just on carpet, I ended up with a twisted frame. Less than ideal, so I put a standoff in between the frame and the carpet to make some more space. It's tolerable now.

It's a little bit warped, but the drawer and lid is a little flexible so it works fine:

Done:

 

[chowwwww]

Do you know if the group buy for the sliders are still going on? Do you have a link?

Also, do the 255/75 fit fine with stock suspension? Any rubbing issues?

 

[JLee]

The group buy is over - here's the link. The tires fit fine except for rubbing the fender liners up front. I'm going to trim them, but haven't gotten around to it yet. The spare won't fit in the stock location when aired up, but I'm going to try deflating it and see if I can squeeze it in there.

Finally got the drawers completed. It's warm outside...took a lot longer than I thought. There's a lot of stuff under the truck that I had to avoid when dropping bolts in, and I didn't want to have any 'oops' moments. It worked out! Now to mount the fridge.

 

[JLee]

The fridge is in!

Next up is to get a longer power cord for it, since it can't reach anything right now. It was supposed to come with a 110v harness too, but I don't think that showed up.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Storage setup looks great!

Quick question. I'm looking at getting that ARB fridge slide you've got. How deep is the drawer underneath? I know the whole ensemble is like 5" tall, but I was curious about the drawer itself.

 

[JLee]

The swaybar (with KDSS) can sometimes contact the front skidplate, so I put a piece of hose on it (thx Seth @ Adventure Driven for the tip) to prevent metal on metal contact on bumpy roads.

The stock "skid plate" next to Budbuilt's offering:

Steps removed:

Storage setup looks great!

Quick question. I'm looking at getting that ARB fridge slide you've got. How deep is the drawer underneath? I know the whole ensemble is like 5" tall, but I was curious about the drawer itself.

 

[chowwwww]

Man, sucks that I missed the group buy. $360 seems like a really good deal. Are you still on the stock suspension?

 

[JLee]

Yep, still stock - should be going Radflo 2.5" extended travel in December.

The Budbuilt skids use existing holes, but mine were unfriendly enough that I ran a tap through to make life not suck.

Crossmember installed - the OEM skidplate was touching it. I feel it's unnecessary now, so I removed it.

Heat wrap complete! The center skid will contact the exhaust so I was advised to wrap this section to avoid rattling.

Stock fuel tank skid dropped, Budbuilt skid under the truck:

This one is heavy...with the exemption of the engine skid, all the plates bolt together. It's halfway supported now, so it's easier to manage:

FINALLY!

 

[JLee]

Done for now. I'll do the sliders (and hopefully suspension and timing belt/water pump/radiator/blahblah) in December.

 

[chowwwww]

Looks great!

 

[NMBruce]

looking very good, thanks for all the information