100 Series Family Adventure Rig
- Thread starter Bretthn
- Start date
Bretthn
Explorer
I don't want to get in trouble for advertising since I work for the company that makes these but I am not in sales and it benefits me in no way to share information. Moderators please let me know if I am breaking any rules and I will edit my post.
A lot of people in my company know that I have a big interest in these types of products so from time to time they ask me to help test things. Our engineers designed the mounting brackets to work with most factory roof rails by mounting using U-bolts. There is a PDF with mounting instructions on the Amazon listing if you look for it. It details the mounting pretty well and shows how easy it is. At first I was doubtful of how secure it would be but I have had it mounted for about 8 months now on my daily driver and have had absolutely no issues. http://www.amazon.com/Camco-51375-Vehicle-Roof-Awning/dp/B00WJDQDDO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433269568&sr=8-1&keywords=camco+51375
Thanks, I'm new to Toyotas and although I've been on MUD and around the web wasn't really able to find out much on this. It looks like the u-bolts might be rubberized to protect the paint which also is a nice touch.
I'm hoping to get an LX470 in the next little bit (waiting on my other vehicle to sell) and although I don't have a real need for a roof rack right now think that we'd enjoy having an awning to get out of the hot summer sun here.
I'm hoping to get an LX470 in the next little bit (waiting on my other vehicle to sell) and although I don't have a real need for a roof rack right now think that we'd enjoy having an awning to get out of the hot summer sun here.
Bretthn
Explorer
I have actually found a local shop that does HO rebuilds with factory alternators. I may ask them what they could do with the 100 amps and if the price is right might have them rebuilt to higher output before selling... Or i will take back the bad one for my $50 core charge and keep the one I just put in as a spare. Shouldn't ever need it though.
Yeah, our first kid is due the end of August and we did a test fit with the car seat in my 2 door JK. The carseat fit but the front seat had to be moved so far forward that my wife wouldn't be able to sit comfortably up there. I've been very happy with my JK though and have just gotten it built exactly how I wanted it. I considered going to a 4 door JK and moving all my mods over but thought I'd test drive an LC with the wife before I made any decisions. She liked the ride of the LC better so we're going that route but I'm sure I would be very happy with either vehicle.
I've found an '07 LX with 76k miles that I intend to buy but am stalled out while waiting for something to be fixed on my JK under warranty. The seller has pulled his ad but I've been in limbo for a few weeks already and while I am frustrated hope he doesn't get fed up as well and sell it before I am able to buy. Despite this I was told today parts are in and it should be resolved by next week, when the part is fixed I *think* I'll be able to sell it quickly to another dealership. Hopefully this plan comes to fruition.
Yuman Desert Rat
Expedition Leader
BRILLIANT!!
Bretthn
Explorer
rock sliders
When I bought the LX a couple years ago, the intentions were to make a set of sliders as one of the first modifications to protect the rocker panels. I was coming from a Jeep WJ where the rocker panels will collapse if you look at them wrong, it is w weak point of these Jeeps due to the low ground clearance. I quickly learned the LX had a lot more ground clearance and somehow it kept getting put on the backburner as other upgrades or modifications were made. At this point I have a fairly good idea of the type of roads this thing will see and the ground clearance and capabilities it has without the rock sliders. I began to think, maybe I can get due without them. Well, I plan to keep the LX for a long time so this added protection will eventually be needed. I don't ever want to be in a situation where I am forced to turn back while others in a group I am traveling with continue on due to not having the sliders to slide over a rock or log etc.
I finally decided I was going to just buy some. I priced them out and looked at all options and didn't find any that I am happy with already being made. They all seem to lack coverage right behind the front tires and in front of the door and do not seem quite as sturdy in the versions that are made to install with AHC. This is especially bad on the Lexus 100 series due to the cladding sticking out so far at this point.
I will trade form over function. I also want to make sure that these provide a bit of a step for my daughter to use when getting into the back seat but do not want this extra width at the front door. I have read about a lot of people complaining that they chafe their calves or are constantly getting the back of their pantlegs dirty when stepping out and dragging across them because they stick out too far at this point. I know some will say that this is more function but, I will not be using these to wedge between anything or to kick off the side of a tree or rock. When it gets that hairy I will turn around. I would love to rock crawl but I am going to have a much cheaper vehicle to do that in if I am ever to do it. I just need the protection under the rockers and something I can use a highlift on if ever needed.
So I started pricing steel and looking at every slider build I could find on the internet to come up with a good mounting solution and materials to use. At this point I am thinking I will use 2x4 rectangular tube and 2x2 square tube for the main body and 2x2 for the legs to the frame. I still haven't decided how I will mount them. I would like to be able to remove them with bolts and was going to have plates made with bolt sticking out of them so I could weld these to the frame and still remove the sliders by removing a few nuts. I've had the idea for a while after seeing it on Stom_M3's Sequoia
Well after doing more reading and talking to some engineers at work, I have found that there is a chance that the frame is heat treated and welding to it could weaken the frame more than actually drilling holes through it would. I am now leaning towards drilling through the frame to mount with through bolts and also have a backing plate on the inside of the frame. I still have a few other ideas in my head and will eventually work something out.
I made some quick mock ups out of wood tonight to see how it would look. The steel will actually be 2x4 and 2x2. The wood mock up is not true 2x2 and 2x4 so steel will be a bit wider but I will bring them inboard a bit and this design still isn't set in stone. I still think the front kickout can look better and be more functional. Ideally I could go with the angles/contours of the cladding on the rocker panel but I want to keep my cuts all at 90 and 45 degree angles and keep it simple.
This first picture makes them look a little wider than they actually are.
As I am typing this and looking at the pictures I am adding I think I will actually make the front kickout about half the length it is now and see how that looks. You can see the contour I am trying to follow at the back of the front fender in this picture.
This is looking straight down from the front door. Still sticks out past the rocker but I don't think I will drag my legs on them when I step out.
This is the rear kickout/step for my daughter. I think it is just the right amount.
A couple more angles.
Overall I like the design and will do some tweaking on the front kickout tomorrow. I may even spray paint them black to get a better idea of how they will look. I am considering color matching them to the body in pearl white so they blend in. If you have read much of what I have already done to the LX you already know I like the look of the subtle things or things that many people wont even spot as a modification.
In other good new, I did receive my 180 amp high output alternator from DC Power yesterday. That is on the list as well but I have a lot of wiring to do when that goes in. I have already rerouted some wiring and my secondary battery is now my starter battery and the large group 31 in the stock battery location is dedicated as the house battery for extra circuits.
When I bought the LX a couple years ago, the intentions were to make a set of sliders as one of the first modifications to protect the rocker panels. I was coming from a Jeep WJ where the rocker panels will collapse if you look at them wrong, it is w weak point of these Jeeps due to the low ground clearance. I quickly learned the LX had a lot more ground clearance and somehow it kept getting put on the backburner as other upgrades or modifications were made. At this point I have a fairly good idea of the type of roads this thing will see and the ground clearance and capabilities it has without the rock sliders. I began to think, maybe I can get due without them. Well, I plan to keep the LX for a long time so this added protection will eventually be needed. I don't ever want to be in a situation where I am forced to turn back while others in a group I am traveling with continue on due to not having the sliders to slide over a rock or log etc.
I finally decided I was going to just buy some. I priced them out and looked at all options and didn't find any that I am happy with already being made. They all seem to lack coverage right behind the front tires and in front of the door and do not seem quite as sturdy in the versions that are made to install with AHC. This is especially bad on the Lexus 100 series due to the cladding sticking out so far at this point.
I will trade form over function. I also want to make sure that these provide a bit of a step for my daughter to use when getting into the back seat but do not want this extra width at the front door. I have read about a lot of people complaining that they chafe their calves or are constantly getting the back of their pantlegs dirty when stepping out and dragging across them because they stick out too far at this point. I know some will say that this is more function but, I will not be using these to wedge between anything or to kick off the side of a tree or rock. When it gets that hairy I will turn around. I would love to rock crawl but I am going to have a much cheaper vehicle to do that in if I am ever to do it. I just need the protection under the rockers and something I can use a highlift on if ever needed.
So I started pricing steel and looking at every slider build I could find on the internet to come up with a good mounting solution and materials to use. At this point I am thinking I will use 2x4 rectangular tube and 2x2 square tube for the main body and 2x2 for the legs to the frame. I still haven't decided how I will mount them. I would like to be able to remove them with bolts and was going to have plates made with bolt sticking out of them so I could weld these to the frame and still remove the sliders by removing a few nuts. I've had the idea for a while after seeing it on Stom_M3's Sequoia
Well after doing more reading and talking to some engineers at work, I have found that there is a chance that the frame is heat treated and welding to it could weaken the frame more than actually drilling holes through it would. I am now leaning towards drilling through the frame to mount with through bolts and also have a backing plate on the inside of the frame. I still have a few other ideas in my head and will eventually work something out.
I made some quick mock ups out of wood tonight to see how it would look. The steel will actually be 2x4 and 2x2. The wood mock up is not true 2x2 and 2x4 so steel will be a bit wider but I will bring them inboard a bit and this design still isn't set in stone. I still think the front kickout can look better and be more functional. Ideally I could go with the angles/contours of the cladding on the rocker panel but I want to keep my cuts all at 90 and 45 degree angles and keep it simple.
This first picture makes them look a little wider than they actually are.
As I am typing this and looking at the pictures I am adding I think I will actually make the front kickout about half the length it is now and see how that looks. You can see the contour I am trying to follow at the back of the front fender in this picture.
This is looking straight down from the front door. Still sticks out past the rocker but I don't think I will drag my legs on them when I step out.
This is the rear kickout/step for my daughter. I think it is just the right amount.
A couple more angles.
Overall I like the design and will do some tweaking on the front kickout tomorrow. I may even spray paint them black to get a better idea of how they will look. I am considering color matching them to the body in pearl white so they blend in. If you have read much of what I have already done to the LX you already know I like the look of the subtle things or things that many people wont even spot as a modification.
In other good new, I did receive my 180 amp high output alternator from DC Power yesterday. That is on the list as well but I have a lot of wiring to do when that goes in. I have already rerouted some wiring and my secondary battery is now my starter battery and the large group 31 in the stock battery location is dedicated as the house battery for extra circuits.
Jwestpro
Explorer
You appear to have been off roading before, however you must have never had to "slide" along the full length of the bar right? I have several times and can only imagine how annoying the experience would have been with those "kick outs". If I were you I would just make the whole length that deep. You gain nothing really by having the middle narrower and can even create problems against things like stumps, roots, rocks.
I'm enjoying seeing your progress.
I'm enjoying seeing your progress.
Bretthn
Explorer
You appear to have been off roading before, however you must have never had to "slide" along the full length of the bar right? I have several times and can only imagine how annoying the experience would have been with those "kick outs". If I were you I would just make the whole length that deep. You gain nothing really by having the middle narrower and can even create problems against things like stumps, roots, rocks.
I'm enjoying seeing your progress.
Jwesto, I completely understand what you are saying and I did a poor job of writing about my slider intentions. I doubt I will ever take a chance at any line where I have to slide on the sliders but if I did, this would be an obstacle under the vehicle and not at the side of the vehicle. I am never going to put myself in a situation where I have the chance of a side impact and expect the sliders to keep me from brushing up against the side of a tree, rock, ledge, etc. My biggest concern is impacts from underneath and I think these will work with that.
I did contemplate going with one 2x6 or 2x5 the length of the car, but I dont want them sticking out at the front doors. I easily can step directly into the vehicle and never used the running boards when they were on. I dont want to drab the back of my pantlegs across a dirty slider everymorning when I get out of the LX to go into my office. Who knows, I may hate them completely when finished but that is why I built them out of wood first and am building them myself. All said and done I expect to have about $200 into them and can always rebuild them.
I appreciate the input and that is why I posted up last night. Hope to see more.
Bretthn
Explorer
HO alternator and dual battery charging
I also put this in the technical 12 volt section but don't think there is much traffic there and I am thinking of finishing this up tomorrow.
I am working out the best way to install my new DC Power engineering 180 amp HO alternator to replace the factory 100 amp. I already have dual batteries, 1 DHP group 31m for added circuits and 1 DHP group 65 as the starting battery and for OEM circuits. I have everything wired through a Blue Sea ACR.
Tacozord provided some good information in his build thread http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/139692-Boden-Build-2015-Tacoma-DCLB-4wd?p=1845558#post1845558
and I ended up reading all of the "Alternator Bible" based on his recommendation. It is full of a lot of good information.
So it turns out that a lot of vehicles have the alternator directly feed the battery and then all circuits feed off of the battery. Essentially even when the battery is topped off after startup, you are still running all of your alternator power through the battery then back out to the vehicle circuits. The Alternator Bible says it is ideal to have the alternator and battery running to a distribution block and the alternator sense wire run to the distribution block. All circuits will feed from this centralized power distribution block.
I believe that Toyota already covered this with their system. The 100 series already has this type of system from the factory. The alternator/charge cable is on the left and the alternator sense wire is in this distribution/fuse block.
I will be upgrading my battery ground wires to the chassis to 2 awg and also running a dedicated 2 awg ground wire from the battery to the the new alternator along with the new 2 awg alternator/charge cable. From the factory there is no ground direct to the alternator, it is grounded to the engine.
I will get to my questions soon.
Right now my understanding of the system is as follows, I hope this is all clear.
Starter draws power from the starting battery.
Once the vehicle is running the alternator will top off the starting battery then continue to provide enough power to run the vehicle circuits. Power produced is based on the alternator sense wire in the OEM distribution block.
When the Blue Sea ACR senses that the starter battery is charged back to ~13.4 volts it connects the batteries so that the house battery will also be charged from the alternator.
I believe in this system even after the the starter battery is charged, when the two batteries are connected, the power being drawn from the alternator to charge the house battery is still running through the starter battery first. Is this true?
I already know that it is not ideal to run two different brand, type, or size batteries in the manner I am. Running two of the same is not an option so I want to make the system as good as I can with what I have.
I am thinking that when I run my new alternator 2 awg wire I will connect it to the starter battery post on the Blue Sea ACR. My thought is that this will allow for a more direct feed to the house battery. If power goes the route of least resistance, this method would allow power to go direct to the house battery for charging when the ACR is connecting the two and the starter battery is already topped off. How does this sound?
Of course I will have an appropriately sized fuse in my new alternator charge cable. If this is all a good idea, where is the ideal spot for my alternator sense wire?
Thanks in advance.
I also put this in the technical 12 volt section but don't think there is much traffic there and I am thinking of finishing this up tomorrow.
I am working out the best way to install my new DC Power engineering 180 amp HO alternator to replace the factory 100 amp. I already have dual batteries, 1 DHP group 31m for added circuits and 1 DHP group 65 as the starting battery and for OEM circuits. I have everything wired through a Blue Sea ACR.
Tacozord provided some good information in his build thread http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/139692-Boden-Build-2015-Tacoma-DCLB-4wd?p=1845558#post1845558
and I ended up reading all of the "Alternator Bible" based on his recommendation. It is full of a lot of good information.
So it turns out that a lot of vehicles have the alternator directly feed the battery and then all circuits feed off of the battery. Essentially even when the battery is topped off after startup, you are still running all of your alternator power through the battery then back out to the vehicle circuits. The Alternator Bible says it is ideal to have the alternator and battery running to a distribution block and the alternator sense wire run to the distribution block. All circuits will feed from this centralized power distribution block.
I believe that Toyota already covered this with their system. The 100 series already has this type of system from the factory. The alternator/charge cable is on the left and the alternator sense wire is in this distribution/fuse block.
I will be upgrading my battery ground wires to the chassis to 2 awg and also running a dedicated 2 awg ground wire from the battery to the the new alternator along with the new 2 awg alternator/charge cable. From the factory there is no ground direct to the alternator, it is grounded to the engine.
I will get to my questions soon.
Right now my understanding of the system is as follows, I hope this is all clear.
Starter draws power from the starting battery.
Once the vehicle is running the alternator will top off the starting battery then continue to provide enough power to run the vehicle circuits. Power produced is based on the alternator sense wire in the OEM distribution block.
When the Blue Sea ACR senses that the starter battery is charged back to ~13.4 volts it connects the batteries so that the house battery will also be charged from the alternator.
I believe in this system even after the the starter battery is charged, when the two batteries are connected, the power being drawn from the alternator to charge the house battery is still running through the starter battery first. Is this true?
I already know that it is not ideal to run two different brand, type, or size batteries in the manner I am. Running two of the same is not an option so I want to make the system as good as I can with what I have.
I am thinking that when I run my new alternator 2 awg wire I will connect it to the starter battery post on the Blue Sea ACR. My thought is that this will allow for a more direct feed to the house battery. If power goes the route of least resistance, this method would allow power to go direct to the house battery for charging when the ACR is connecting the two and the starter battery is already topped off. How does this sound?
Of course I will have an appropriately sized fuse in my new alternator charge cable. If this is all a good idea, where is the ideal spot for my alternator sense wire?
Thanks in advance.
Slaw ninja
New member
Great thread!
Your thread here is the greatest find I've made since I picked up my LX last week. I am in the process of unloading my JK Rubicon Unlmtd that I've spent the last 5 years building as an Expo rig, and all the same notes you've had are the same reasonings behind my new found project. Can't wait to follow more, and I'll try to post up some mods as they come along for me.
Your thread here is the greatest find I've made since I picked up my LX last week. I am in the process of unloading my JK Rubicon Unlmtd that I've spent the last 5 years building as an Expo rig, and all the same notes you've had are the same reasonings behind my new found project. Can't wait to follow more, and I'll try to post up some mods as they come along for me.
Bretthn
Explorer
Thanks for the awesome compliment! I will try to have some updates soon. My daughter and I had an adventure recently and I have an update on the alternator.
