So it was about time i started my own build thread! Ive been meaning to do it for a while but have never really got around to it.
First things first!
I bought my 09 SR5 at the end of 2013 as sort of a Christmas present for myself! BEST PRESENT EVER!
It was a one owner car before me and it was very stock expect for the Toyota bull bar on the front and only had 60,000kms on the clock, no scratches and a very clean interior the only downside for me is that its an auto, but really its no big deal.
My plan at this point was to make the car into a touring vehicle and go around Aus and that really hasn't changed! its just taking me longer than i wanted to get the car ready!
Light Bar InstallSo one of the first things i did was put a front facing light bar on the bull bar, a must have for night driving!
I did all the cabling myself, even made my own little fuse and relay bank (will post pics up later)
Also i installed a UHF, just a basic Oricom UHF030 that i got from Christmas 2014
Safari SnorkelAnother must have in the world of 4WDing
I installed the snorkel myself and while doing this the drill bill in the hole saw snapped and i scratched all up the side of the front panel!!!! luckily i was able to paint it up and then the snorkel just covered the scratches!!! SO LUCKY!
Roof Rack + AwningThe main reason i wanted a roof rack was to have somewhere for my awning.
I don't like the clamp on roof racks so i went with the Rhino tracks and found a nicely sized roof rack at a local 4x4 shop All up the rack cost me $450 including the tracks, bolts and rack!
the awning is a Kalahari Black edition, which is fantastic! (and its black. not khaki)
I also at this point decided to take the side steps off the car, they were always in the way while driving so i just got rid of them in hope of finding some cheap rock sliders one day
TrayTo Tray or Not to Tray... that is the question.. for me the answer is TRAY!
All of my mates thought i was silly to put a tray on my car over say a carry boy canopy.
But really i have SOOOO much more storage room now I've put the tray on!
The tray is a custom build, i designed it myself and with a lot of help from a good mate of mine we built it!
took a few weekends to make it just right, first one to get the mounting points perfect, second to weld it all out and the third to apply the finishing touches, i then sent it away to get painted (2 Pack) and once i got it back i put it straight on the Lux which only took a night!
All and all i love the tray! and ill be happy to share my design with anyone looking to make their own! i drew the designs up on Sketch up so anyone with a PC should be able to view them.
So Whats Next?So i have a few things planned!
1st - i just bought a second hand TJM bull bar to replace the horrible hilux stock one! will post the finished product here!
2nd - i found my old Sun raiser triangle pattern rims off my old Surf! so they are going to get painted up and put on!
3rd - make a canopy for the tray.
4th - once all that is done and the weight is distributed i will upgrade the suspension
The rest will come eventually!!!
Cheers,
Johnny