Steward I
- 1,903
- First Name
- Joshua
- Last Name
- Whitgob
- Member #
-
0553
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- WSCJ959
Over the years we've had many Land Cruisers, the first a 92, then a 97, then a 98 100 LC, back to a 97 Collector Edition, and finally ended up with our current 98 LX470 (purchased on Valentine's Day 2016)!
The 97 Collector Edition was nice, bumpers, sliders, winch, and 4.88's but with 35's, J Springs the ride was less than comfortable and the wife wasn't a fan of the lean around the corners. I decided on the LX as the AHC allows me to lower the rig to get our older parents in and out, and raise it when necessary off-road. Also the AVS (Adaptive Variable Suspension) makes corner lean a thing of the past!
Married 19 years, we have always camped in tent trailers and although comfortable, they just limited us to the destinations we really wanted to go. So we sold our Fleetwood E3 and used the money to start the build of our current rig, (Ellie 2). Our Collector Edition was named Ellie as she reminded us of an Elephant and we couldn't come up with a clever name for her replacement!
The first modification was hood support shocks, baseline all the fluids, a pair of Sylvania Silver Star headlight bulbs, front and rear stabilizer bar bushings a new set (5) BFGoodrich TA KO2 285/75R16. For the type of expedition style wheeling we do, 35's are not necessary, and I'm certain the All Terrains will get the job done. They also wear the Snow/Ice Rated badge and living just an hour away from the snow, this makes us comfortable driving in the slick stuff!
At 237K she was a pretty clean, but needed some leaks addressed, so I took her to work the next day after delivery and replaced the valve cover gaskets, and right front axle, (I had a good spare in the garage).
Also, being a Lexus I was able to log into Owners at Lexus website and check the service history. To my surprise there was no records of the timing belt ever being replaced, so I tackled the belt, tensioner, pulleys, and water pump.
Now on to the good stuff!!
A few friends have the James Baroud RTT, and after seeing them in person the wife and I were sold!! We had fun with painters tape comparing the footprint size differences between the standard and XXL size and it was decided the XXL was the one. We ended up getting the Evo XXL from Tom at adventureready.com in Seattle.
To mount it, I ordered a set (3) Rhino Rack load bars and feet. This was an easy install and utilizes a hidden set of attaching points not used on US Spec 100 series.
Up next is the fun stuff, armor! A friend agreed to make a set of sliders for me like he made for his LX470. I took them to a local powder coater and was really pleased how they turned out.
The 97 Collector Edition was nice, bumpers, sliders, winch, and 4.88's but with 35's, J Springs the ride was less than comfortable and the wife wasn't a fan of the lean around the corners. I decided on the LX as the AHC allows me to lower the rig to get our older parents in and out, and raise it when necessary off-road. Also the AVS (Adaptive Variable Suspension) makes corner lean a thing of the past!
Married 19 years, we have always camped in tent trailers and although comfortable, they just limited us to the destinations we really wanted to go. So we sold our Fleetwood E3 and used the money to start the build of our current rig, (Ellie 2). Our Collector Edition was named Ellie as she reminded us of an Elephant and we couldn't come up with a clever name for her replacement!
The first modification was hood support shocks, baseline all the fluids, a pair of Sylvania Silver Star headlight bulbs, front and rear stabilizer bar bushings a new set (5) BFGoodrich TA KO2 285/75R16. For the type of expedition style wheeling we do, 35's are not necessary, and I'm certain the All Terrains will get the job done. They also wear the Snow/Ice Rated badge and living just an hour away from the snow, this makes us comfortable driving in the slick stuff!
At 237K she was a pretty clean, but needed some leaks addressed, so I took her to work the next day after delivery and replaced the valve cover gaskets, and right front axle, (I had a good spare in the garage).
Also, being a Lexus I was able to log into Owners at Lexus website and check the service history. To my surprise there was no records of the timing belt ever being replaced, so I tackled the belt, tensioner, pulleys, and water pump.
Now on to the good stuff!!
A few friends have the James Baroud RTT, and after seeing them in person the wife and I were sold!! We had fun with painters tape comparing the footprint size differences between the standard and XXL size and it was decided the XXL was the one. We ended up getting the Evo XXL from Tom at adventureready.com in Seattle.
To mount it, I ordered a set (3) Rhino Rack load bars and feet. This was an easy install and utilizes a hidden set of attaching points not used on US Spec 100 series.
Up next is the fun stuff, armor! A friend agreed to make a set of sliders for me like he made for his LX470. I took them to a local powder coater and was really pleased how they turned out.
