Steward I
- 1,903
- First Name
- Joshua
- Last Name
- Whitgob
- Member #
-
0553
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- WSCJ959
It looks like the last time I visited this forum we still had our 98 LX 470 that we built for exploring! We sold her in May 2020 and bought a GX 460 that we eventually built up for exploring, which we sold in December 2022 and then purchased our current 2003 LX 470 we are building! I buy, build, become bored with then sell and start over! We have had 3 different 80 Series and this is our 3rd 100 Series!!
Maybe it's because I'm 51 now, but I have decided to just keep this rig pretty mellow as compared to all the "things" I "needed" on all our other rigs. I always threw on sliders, front and rear bumpers, winch, tire carrier, jerry can carrier, roof rack, roof top tent, oversize tires, drawers, and fridge.
Our first Cruiser (back in 2002) was a 1992 with the 3FE and all she had was some larger all-terrain tires and we went so many places and just camped in the back and had the time of our lives!
So this rig, I did some research and was more patient than usual when hunting for it, (the hunt is the best part)!
It's a 2003 with the 5 speed, 5 more HP's than the previous 2UZ-FE, 4.10 gearing, I dialed in the AHC and it is so smooth and has the rare Lexus Night View with the infrared camera that displays the image on the heads-up display on the windshield! It's a great color, Vapor Blue Metallic with gray interior. We bought her with 239K miles and service history from Lexus from day one up to just before we got her. I'm an ex Mercedes-Benz Technician of 18 years and still have my toolbox and tools so I have maintained and done all the work myself. She lived some life in Colorado and the rear axle had some rust on the front side that bothered me being a Native Californian and not being used to rust, so I found a donor axle from the local recycler from a 2006 and swapped that in with all new factory suspension components and hardware. Friends told me it was only surface rust, but I hated to see it.
So far she has a set of Slee Off-Road Sliders, BFG KO2 275/70R18, a single storage drawer and fridge. Future plans include a hidden winch plate w/winch behind the factory bumper and I think I will call it done! We live up here in Shingle Springs and our favorite trails are off of Highway 88 and 395. This setup will be fine for the kind of exploring we do, I feel the overkill builds are no longer necessary. It's nice to have the AHC and AVS and be able to set the dampening to fit the windy road to the trail and then once we approach the trail I like that I can just raise the suspension to "HI MODE", lock the center diff, switch to 4 LOW and remember to turn off the RSCA and get where we need to go!!
Most recent repairs include timing belt/water pump, radiator, fan bearing bracket, upper/lower radiator hoses, fuel filter, air filter, cabin filters, all fluids baselined and some stickers!
Now for the photos!
Maybe it's because I'm 51 now, but I have decided to just keep this rig pretty mellow as compared to all the "things" I "needed" on all our other rigs. I always threw on sliders, front and rear bumpers, winch, tire carrier, jerry can carrier, roof rack, roof top tent, oversize tires, drawers, and fridge.
Our first Cruiser (back in 2002) was a 1992 with the 3FE and all she had was some larger all-terrain tires and we went so many places and just camped in the back and had the time of our lives!
So this rig, I did some research and was more patient than usual when hunting for it, (the hunt is the best part)!
It's a 2003 with the 5 speed, 5 more HP's than the previous 2UZ-FE, 4.10 gearing, I dialed in the AHC and it is so smooth and has the rare Lexus Night View with the infrared camera that displays the image on the heads-up display on the windshield! It's a great color, Vapor Blue Metallic with gray interior. We bought her with 239K miles and service history from Lexus from day one up to just before we got her. I'm an ex Mercedes-Benz Technician of 18 years and still have my toolbox and tools so I have maintained and done all the work myself. She lived some life in Colorado and the rear axle had some rust on the front side that bothered me being a Native Californian and not being used to rust, so I found a donor axle from the local recycler from a 2006 and swapped that in with all new factory suspension components and hardware. Friends told me it was only surface rust, but I hated to see it.
So far she has a set of Slee Off-Road Sliders, BFG KO2 275/70R18, a single storage drawer and fridge. Future plans include a hidden winch plate w/winch behind the factory bumper and I think I will call it done! We live up here in Shingle Springs and our favorite trails are off of Highway 88 and 395. This setup will be fine for the kind of exploring we do, I feel the overkill builds are no longer necessary. It's nice to have the AHC and AVS and be able to set the dampening to fit the windy road to the trail and then once we approach the trail I like that I can just raise the suspension to "HI MODE", lock the center diff, switch to 4 LOW and remember to turn off the RSCA and get where we need to go!!
Most recent repairs include timing belt/water pump, radiator, fan bearing bracket, upper/lower radiator hoses, fuel filter, air filter, cabin filters, all fluids baselined and some stickers!
Now for the photos!
