1997 LX450 Camping Rig

[Roketdriver]

After meeting numerous Toyota 4x4 owners who all suggested I join this club, I finally did it. I'm looking forward to future events and getting to meet all the great people in this group.

About three years ago, I found myself facing a dilemma. I loved my little Mazdaspeed 3 and Miata, but I also wanted to go camping. Both were pretty useless on roads rougher than a gravel driveway. So I sold the hatchback and picked up this mint LX450 with 168k on the odometer. This one isn't triple locked, but that's okay with me.

How it started:

How it's going:

Over the course of the past three years and +55k miles, I've taken it on countless trips and have fully embraced the FZJ80 money pit lifestyle.

Some of the work done includes, but isn't limited to
- All the standard baselining
- Wits End spare tire tuck & blue hub fan clutch
- Warn VR EVO 12k housed in an ARB bar
- OME stock height HD kit
- BIOR sliders
- Magnaflow exhaust


If anyone is interested in the full saga, my my iH8mud thread is here. But here are some highlights:

Snow wheeling for the first time:

Moab:

Got it stuck for the first time out by Bonanza:

(Traction boards apparently go under the tires??? Who knew)

Did a big loop around Utah:

The camping setup itself:

I can't do woodworking to save my life, so I thought the kitchen shelves would be a good solution. With the middle row folded I have just enough room to stretch out and sleep inside.

I absolutely love this rig and the places it has taken me. Moving forward I'll be keeping this thread current with the work I'm doing on the LX and where I've taken it. Thanks for reading!

 

[Notyourmomslx450]

Hi and welcome.
Be careful or your LX may look like mine before to long.

 

[Hulk]

Welcome to the RS forum! Those are some great photos.

I love your quote:

I've taken it on countless trips and have fully embraced the FZJ80 money pit lifestyle.

@Romer the snow wheeling photo is definitely worthy of the RS Calendar for next year. The mud shot is pretty epic too.

 

[Romer]

Welcome to the RS forum! Those are some great photos.

I love your quote:



@Romer the snow wheeling photo is definitely worthy of the RS Calendar for next year. The mud shot is pretty epic too.

yes it is. can you email me the snow wheeling picture with a caption in High res to kenromer at comcast.net. It would be for the 2023 Club Calendar

here is the thread on the 2022 calendar so you can see what it looks like

Calendars are In and Ready for Pickup- 2022 Club Calendar - 13 left if you want one

The site I used had a one day coupon which brought the price down to $17. Add $10 if you want them shipped. I will be going to the post office once. I should have them before Thanksgiving and if we don't have a Club Meeting, I can drop Calendars off at Volunteers in different parts of the...

risingsun4x4club.org

 

[Roketdriver]

Hi and welcome.
Be careful or your LX may look like mine before to long.

Awesome looking rig! I'm trying to keep the tire size and lift to a minimum - I don't want to fall into the rabbit hole of extensive modifications. It sure is tempting though...

Welcome to the RS forum! Those are some great photos.

I love your quote:



@Romer the snow wheeling photo is definitely worthy of the RS Calendar for next year. The mud shot is pretty epic too.

Thank you! I shoot cars as both a hobby and a side hustle. I'd be honored if one of my photos made it into a calendar. Here's a few more from the highlight reel:

View attachment IMGP6068.jpg

yes it is. can you email me the snow wheeling picture with a caption in High res to kenromer at comcast.net. It would be for the 2023 Club Calendar

here is the thread on the 2022 calendar so you can see what it looks like

Calendars are In and Ready for Pickup- 2022 Club Calendar - 13 left if you want one

The site I used had a one day coupon which brought the price down to $17. Add $10 if you want them shipped. I will be going to the post office once. I should have them before Thanksgiving and if we don't have a Club Meeting, I can drop Calendars off at Volunteers in different parts of the...

risingsun4x4club.org

I'll get you a copy of the photo in full resolution, thank you! I'll also be more than happy to do photos at every event I come to.

 

[Romer]

Thank you. The calendar is made up from Photos of members and non members and I try and spread it out among people and types of vehicles so I would likely only use 1.

I make the Calendar in late October and post it for sale on this forum only at cost in early November

 

[Roketdriver]

Thank you. The calendar is made up from Photos of members and non members and I try and spread it out among people and types of vehicles so I would likely only use 1.

I make the Calendar in late October and post it for sale on this forum only at cost in early November

Sure thing! I didn't have the expectation of having more than one photo in the calendar, just wanted to share a few more.

- - - - -

This morning I was up early to run Webster -> Montezuma-Deer Creek -> Middle Fork Swan -> Glacier Ridge. I had the trail to myself as the sun came up and I enjoyed the summit of Webster Pass in peace and quiet. After going up and over, I looped back to head toward the Glacier Ridge trail. I didn't want to go into Breck today (or ever, honestly), so getting off the 4x4 trail in Jefferson sounded much better.

I absolutely love the view from the top of the world.

The entire drive I was mentally preparing myself for the SOB Hill obstacle along Glacier Ridge/Georgia Pass. I knew it was going to be a jarring challenge, especially uphill.

I rolled up to the bottom, walked it a bit, then sent it. I made it 85% of the way up under my own power, had to do a bit of a winch pull, then completed the climb unassisted. Thank goodness I have sliders on now because I would have annihilated my rockers without them. If anyone cares to see the video, I can upload the Gopro footage.

A quick note about the winch pull - in my opinion, the #1 recovery tool is your brain. But I forgot that this morning and ate my winch blanket.

I spent a few minutes in the middle of SOB Hill trying to get the damper loose. After determining the top wasn't far and I didn't need to get back on the winch, I finished the climb and was able to get this fixed on flat ground. I wound up putting the winch in free spool, attaching it to another tree, and slowly reversing until the drum was spinning freely again. A chunk of the blanket came out, but the majority was still wedged in the back. I had to remove the control pack bracket then used a claw hammer and small pry bar to get it dislodged.

It wasn't until later that I realized I also managed to tag the rear quarter on that ridiculous climb.

At least the view at the top was pretty.

Overall a fun morning on the trail with minimal traffic and some new battle scars. Not sure if I'll attempt SOB Hill again with the rig in its current configuration but it was certainly memorable.

 

[3rdGen4R]

Great pictures! Welcome to the forum! Hope to see you at one of our meeting or a club run!

 

[Roketdriver]

Great pictures! Welcome to the forum! Hope to see you at one of our meeting or a club run!

Thank you! I'm watching the events forum and hopefully I'll be able to make it to some outings.

I got the video put together this morning - it needed a few quick edits.

 

[subzali]

That's a pretty good full sending effort. Gotta look up that hill...

 

[subzali]

Looks like you come down Middle Fork of the Swan and pretty soon after making the turn toward Georgia Pass is this hill? Looks like maybe a 30% grade - pretty steep:

 

[Crash]

Not sure how it came to be called SOB Hill but it is a bit of a bitch. Bunch of us in the club used to run this trail years ago and it was known then as Missouri Gulch with the rocky section going unnamed. At that time, SOB Hill was the top of the Middle Fork of the Swan just as you got above treeline.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Thank goodness I have sliders on now because I would have annihilated my rockers without them.

Bunch of us in the club used to run this trail years ago and it was known then as Missouri Gulch with the rocky section going unnamed.

Funny that you guys mention this stuff. Steve may remember, I did put a pretty solid dent in a rocker panel on the climb up Missouri Gulch.

 

[Crash]

Funny that you guys mention this stuff. Steve may remember, I did put a pretty solid dent in a rocker panel on the climb up Missouri Gulch.

Yup, it’s a gnarly section that will get you. Was that the same trip that @L43dean in his open diff Hilux made to within 10 yards or so of the top before we had to pull rope? Heroic effort on his part. Another heroic effort was Robbie @powderpig showing all the flatlanders how it’s done on the same section during the 2005 3FE Bash? More epicness.

 

[Inukshuk]

Another good reason not to use "winch blankets" aka dampeners. They also don't "dampen" a winch line. They are a useful visual indicator, but as you saw, you have to watch them