$2,500 Budget for LC250 1958 Upgrades – What Would You Do?

[Calokie]

Get the rectangle head lights.

hell-yea! 100% best upgrade

 

[GR8Santini]

Simple plan for 1958 LC - Wheels & tires, functional roof rack & level/lift.

- Tires & Wheels. Buy like-new take-off set of (4) GX Overtrail tires & rims off of either LC, GX marketplaces, or a take-off company. I used these guys for some GX550 rims. $1600 (seen them as low as $600 set/4).

18" Lexus GX550 OEM 10544 wheels rims Land Cruiser Tundra Sequoia 2024

(4) 18" Lexus GX550 / Toyota Land Cruiser OEM 2024 2025 2026 rims and tires -Tires are 265/70/18 Toyo Open Country A/T3 -These wheels and tires will make your truck look amazing! -Lugs and TPMS sensors are not included (we have them in stock if needed) Texas Truck Tire -We can also buy your old...

texastrucktire.com

- Roof Rack. Marketplace, Facebook or eBay find a set of cheap standard OE roof rails. $250 -$400

- Roof Cross Bars. (2) Victory 4x4 flush cross bars that you can actually hang things off of vs. OE cross bars. $300 for cross bars.

Land Cruiser Roof Rack Crossbar | 250 (24+) - Victory 4x4

Offering quality steel and aluminum goods for Toyota and Lexus 4x4s.

www.victory4x4.com

- Level Kit. Peak Front level. $200 parts - $250 install.

Suspension - Leveling Kits - LC250mods.com

Shop GX 550 and LC250 leveling kits to eliminate rake and fit larger tires. Easy install, better stance, and OEM-level ride quality.

lc250mods.com

 

[basicxj]

Is that yours? Looks sharp!

 

[GR8Santini]

Is that yours? Looks sharp!

Just saying that’s what I’d recommend - gave the notes to Ai.

 

[basicxj]

Just saying that’s what I’d recommend - gave the notes to Ai.

Ah. Well AI did a good job making the concept look sharp

Now if only AI could get the fresh bird of my Land Cruiser

 

[Dawgprimo2025]

Like everyone one has said $2500.00 for upgrades will get used up quickly!
I am finding that out quickly!!!!
One thing I am not sure about is the rear diaper??
Good luck!

 

[GR8Santini]

Like everyone one has said $2500.00 for upgrades will get used up quickly!
I am finding that out quickly!!!!
One thing I am not sure about is the rear diaper??
Good luck!

1/2 Diaper & Reno Insert & Shackle $60 on Amazon

 

[basicxj]

Like everyone one has said $2500.00 for upgrades will get used up quickly!
I am finding that out quickly!!!!
One thing I am not sure about is the rear diaper??
Good luck!

The factory full hitch cover aka “diaper” :

 

[GR8Santini]

Looks like they came off a go-kart bumper

 

[basicxj]

Looks like they came off a go-kart bumper

I have yet to ever need to tow anything. I removed my “diaper” to mount up the “half diaper” and stuck a Schittybilt Beaver Step in the hitch- easily removed if I have to use the hitch.

Euro spec Land Cruisers don’t seem to come automatically with the hitch like North American market models do, and have a much cleaner look. If you add the Euro hitch it mounts differently with a different way to finish where it protrudes, also pretty clean looking.

 

[Kaliyat]

Hey everyone,

Looking for some opinions from the group on where you'd spend about $2,500 to make a noticeable improvement to the appearance of my LC250 1958.

A few details:

• Truck is still relatively new to me
• Only have about 3,000 miles on the factory tires
• My initial thought is that tires are probably the biggest visual/practical upgrade for what I want to do. Also feels necessary to have more aggressive tires before adding other overland/exterior accessories
• That said, it feels a little wasteful replacing nearly-new tires (possible to sell them?)
• I'm also going back and forth on whether wheels are worth the money

My goal isn't necessarily to build a hardcore overland rig yet, but slowly taking steps that way. Want to make a noticeable change towards it here.

A few ideas I've considered:

• AT tires 265/70R18 or 275/70R18
• New wheels?
• Different stance (spacers?)
• Roof rack
• Rock rails/sliders

If you had $2,500 and wanted to improve the look, what would be your first move?

Curious what owners who've already modified their 250s think made the biggest difference.

Thanks!

I have a 2024 1958 edition that I mostly drive on pavement but need the ability to go off road for work and some pleasure but not serious 4 wheeling so I wasn't going for a big build. I wanted some aesthetic but also practical upgrades to mine. I did upgrade the tires before the old ones were worn out. They were a bit over a year old at the time but they sucked in the Colorado winters so I wanted something better. I got Cooper Discoverer Roadtrail ATs. They are only about an inch bigger than the original tires. Here are the things I did for mine:

• Better tires (I didn't do new wheels so my tires were about $1100)
• Paint protection film (I did this together with the tint and it cost about $500 or so)
• Window tint (for aesthetic but also to minimize heat and UV inside the car as I live in Colorado)
• Running boards that also act as rock sliders (these were spendier because I didn't do them myself $900)
• Leather upholstery (my dealership didn't have any Land Cruisers with leather at the time and worked with me to have the seats done with Katzkin leather so I got a deal - $1100)

I just little bits at a time instead of all at once to keep it easier on my wallet. I've included some photos of my vehicle so you can see what I did. No roof racks for me as we haul a canoe on a Ford F150 with racks.

 

[skipowpow]

‘24 58 I upgraded to AT KO3s after about 7k miles on a cross country trip for winter use. Kept stock wheels. Rock sliders were already installed. The other thing I did was Prinsu roof rack - totally optional and was necessary for my use case (raft frame and rod rack). That ate $2500 quickly.

 

[rkat]

I was in the same situation as you last year with my 1958 trim. After looking at lot of options, I did the following. 1) Got literally new 18" OEM wheel set for about $350. 2) Four OEM TPMS during dealer sale for $200 3) Four 275/70 R18 Falken Wildpeak AT4 for $1300.
This works for me since I go on adventures primarily during summer with the new set and go back to stock set remaining 8 months of the year.

 

[Patt710]

I have a 2024 1958 edition that I mostly drive on pavement but need the ability to go off road for work and some pleasure but not serious 4 wheeling so I wasn't going for a big build. I wanted some aesthetic but also practical upgrades to mine. I did upgrade the tires before the old ones were worn out. They were a bit over a year old at the time but they sucked in the Colorado winters so I wanted something better. I got Cooper Discoverer Roadtrail ATs. They are only about an inch bigger than the original tires. Here are the things I did for mine:

• Better tires (I didn't do new wheels so my tires were about $1100)
• Paint protection film (I did this together with the tint and it cost about $500 or so)
• Window tint (for aesthetic but also to minimize heat and UV inside the car as I live in Colorado)
• Running boards that also act as rock sliders (these were spendier because I didn't do them myself $900)
• Leather upholstery (my dealership didn't have any Land Cruisers with leather at the time and worked with me to have the seats done with Katzkin leather so I got a deal - $1100)

I just little bits at a time instead of all at once to keep it easier on my wallet. I've included some photos of my vehicle so you can see what I did. No roof racks for me as we haul a canoe on a Ford F150 with racks.

Thanks - this is very helpful. Do those running boards (rock sliders) mount to the frame and support the weight of the truck? $900 seems like a reasonable price compared to some of the other full step rock sliders I have seen on the market.

 

[Patt710]

View attachment 72713‘24 58 I upgraded to AT KO3s after about 7k miles on a cross country trip for winter use. Kept stock wheels. Rock sliders were already installed. The other thing I did was Prinsu roof rack - totally optional and was necessary for my use case (raft frame and rod rack). That ate $2500 quickly.

View attachment 72712Thanks! Great looking truck - are those 275s?

 

[sweet5ltr]

Hey everyone,

Looking for some opinions from the group on where you'd spend about $2,500 to make a noticeable improvement to the appearance of my LC250 1958.

A few details:

• Truck is still relatively new to me
• Only have about 3,000 miles on the factory tires
• My initial thought is that tires are probably the biggest visual/practical upgrade for what I want to do. Also feels necessary to have more aggressive tires before adding other overland/exterior accessories
• That said, it feels a little wasteful replacing nearly-new tires (possible to sell them?)
• I'm also going back and forth on whether wheels are worth the money

My goal isn't necessarily to build a hardcore overland rig yet, but slowly taking steps that way. Want to make a noticeable change towards it here.

A few ideas I've considered:

• AT tires 265/70R18 or 275/70R18
• New wheels?
• Different stance (spacers?)
• Roof rack
• Rock rails/sliders

If you had $2,500 and wanted to improve the look, what would be your first move?

Curious what owners who've already modified their 250s think made the biggest difference.

Thanks!

You don't need aftermarket wheels.

Tires can run you $1,000-$1,200 as most tire shops will provide a credit for your OEM tires.

Invest in a set of maxtrax. Air compressor such as the Milwaukee M18 if you do this casually. Tire deflator. Soft shackles (x4). Kinetic rope. Tool kit. Medical kit. Fire extinguisher. Handheld FRS/GMRS radio (x2). 12V 40L fridge. Power Station. Off-roam phone mount.

That's essentially 95% of what you actually need to have a very good time off road.

I would then save up for OEM Toyota rock sliders and skid plates. They will run you another $800-$1,000 on sale or second hand.

 

[skipowpow]

Patt710 I missed your question. Mine are 265s.

 

[Kaliyat]

Thanks - this is very helpful. Do those running boards (rock sliders) mount to the frame and support the weight of the truck? $900 seems like a reasonable price compared to some of the other full step rock sliders I have seen on the market.

Sorry, I just now saw this. I didn't install them myself but I do believe they do based on what the guy and I discussed when I was ordering them.