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...

Spend $1300 on wheels? Spend another $1200 on tires? No thanks. Not this guy... I tried the Rust-Oleum Metallic "Oil Rubbed Bronze" paint to see what it looks like. Figured I'd share what it looked like. It does a good job of looking like some of the other bronze wheels available but I actually preferred the satin black. OEM Sequoia wheels, poorly painted when I picked them up  After replacing my JK Wrangler with this  GX460  trying to make it more of what the "Land Cruiser Prado" was made to be in all other countries.  It looks ok from a distance but thick paint is sagging in areas. Yes, this has way better tech, a better engine, more comfortable interior, quieter more powerful engine, and more, that the Jeep JK didn't have, but it lacks in the looks department (and, as Jeepers say ad nauseum - no removable top or doors).  After chemical stripping. The aluminum surface is perfect So I want less "Latte Lounger", and more "Capable Cruiser"...

As seen in a previous post I've removed the 3rd row seating and installed a flat tray for hauling materials and a more functional rear space, along with removing 200+ lb from the rear for daily use. But I want versatility...  I've been planning on making a low set-in tray for the rear with drawers so that I can store some basic items like tow straps, gear, and tools out of the way, as well as transport smaller flatter items out of sight. It'll be a lighter drop in that can be easily lifted out. Unfinished mock-up I'd still want to be able to load larger items in the flat space, and not just rely on the retractable cover (which you have to find space for with an unexpected load).  For a family of 4 this has been great. THEN, we decided to go to the beach... with some family. 6 of us.  Uh oh. I removed the rear seats so now we're looking at two vehicles just to go?  I now realized I can improve on this idea. I removed the rear deck, grabbed passenger 3rd row seat and...