Nomad's Lexus GX 460 - aka - Land Cruiser Prado 150

Full size roof rack mounted, a time consuming DIY My goals with this rack: DIY, full roof size, able to stand on, as low profile as possible, can connect to stock rails and be quickly removable.  The heavy duty cross bars I made work fine for hauling beach items and lumber from the 'Depot. I was planning on making a fairing to eliminate the little bit of wind noise and adding flat platform material to it. The larger issue I ran into was they were not long enough to support a full 8' sheet of material, leaving the front to bend down toward the roof, and the curve of the roof track made them uneven for a flat cover.  Reality is I felt the itch to do a project and weld more. I want a solid platform to mount items to that are odd shapes or heavier, like max tracks, an awning, or a spare 5 gallons of gas for offroad excursions in this thirsty truck.  But really, who doesn't want to look like they are on a safari, rolling curbs in the Target parking lot? After looking at severa...

"I welded, it helded." I was thinking about  adding rock sliders. Not to hit rock gardens and pivot around obstacles or grind over boulders, but as a 'just in case" measure as even mild trails can reach up and grab those low hanging plastic steps the GX came with.  I had a few options: Several suppliers have bolt on designs for $600-1,000 Trail Gear DIY kits are around $350-400 Raw steel tube would cost $250 (still need to buy a bender) I researched and watched used markets for take offs... As I looked at used parts, I noticed how much cheaper the Jeep JK stuff was. DIY kits are basically sliders welded up but you do the fitment, mounting plates, and extensions. Weld it and finish it. Well, my catalog of poor ideas keeps growing... I had another one. I picked up a set of Smittybuilt rock sliders for the Jeep JKU (4 door) for $80 locally. Cheaper than I can buy the same amount of raw tube steel... Jeep sliders for the Lexus? Just my style. Stock sideskirts are 74...

 Just for fun I decided to figure out a way to add Paracord Grab handles to the Lexus GX460.  Is it an essential mod? No.  Does it solve a problem? No.  Is there a good reason to do it? Yes! Mods = fun. My method is completely reversible if I don't care for them or need to put it back to stock.  Problem 1: When the factory handles are removed there are odd shaped holes left behind. I measured then modeled some finish plates to mount the handles to. 3D printed a set and will see how they fit.  Problem 2: The factory uses clips in 3/8" x 3/4" square holes to attach the stock handles. This makes it tough to just "bolt on" another option. I had to get creative in how to mount them. I settled on what I hope is a simple/strong enough design. A little garage time whipped these up. Inserted into the hole is a 1"x 3/8" drilled and tapped tab. A "C" shaped spacer is then entered into the hole to position and clamp the tab to keep it from spinning behin...

 I have a 2013 Lexus GX460 with the premium package (basically a Prado 150 or 5th Gen 4Runner chassis) and while it does have KDSS, locking center diff, traction control, 4-lo etc it does not have the Toyota "Multi Terrain Select" option.  New Module with MTS This module changes the way the traction control system works, tailoring it for various terrain types: Mogul, Rock, Mud and Sand, or Loose Rock. This is a very easy fix though, by just changing the traction module in the dash. A few bolts, screws and dash panels are removed and the module is swapped. Easy as that. There are plenty of writeups online.  About an hour moving slowly and I have a nice upgrade for offroad use. A little intelligent electronic intervention only serves to make the GX460 more capable. As they say: Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.  Useful and inexpensive compared to many other options often advertised. 

 As many have dealt with, the factory air pump draws in air from the engine bay but uses a small piece of foam suspended above small turbine blades to filter the air. The foam breaks down over time and contacts the fins and gets sucked into the system. Many have cleaned out the foam gunk and more have had to do larger jobs of replacing pumps etc.  So the easy safeguard/fix, is a cheap air filter with a 1" opening.  The lid comes off with one screw, then I removed the foam, and carefully pried off the factory intake end. The filter goes on the end easily and all fits back where it belongs. 

So for all the hardcore rock crawlers that want to maximize their 470 and 460 this may be a little extra mod to add to the rig. These are ABS sensor guards that also have mounts for small rock lights. If you're going through heavy scrub or rocky terrain then these would protect the sensor and wire. While not terribly expensive or difficult to fix, the sensor ties into many driving modules so if its cut then your dashboard will light up like disco. These are from Ohana Rig Supply. More of a just for fun mod for me, but I figured I'd get them fit up and take a look. After all, "just for fun" has always been a legitimate excuse to mod! They use the abs sensor mount bolt, and the wire bracket bolt. These put a guard in front of the ABS sensor and wire. They fit up against the inside of the brake shield and bend behind the tie rod. Small rock lights can be mounted to the top of the bracket above the steering link. These will move with the wheel so will aim where you point....