🛠️ Member Build Eod Guy's Ride

[clsn43]

Air Compressor Mod: Pic A/C - Viair 485C
A/C1 - Yellow dots are factory bolts/holes
A/C2 - Mounting plate, used some stand-offs under the bolts to make it level
A/C3 - Compressor mounted
A/C4 - Switch is from "CH4X4" (cube size)
A/C5 - Air tank mounted, it's tight but it fits
A/C6 - Chuck, pressure switch installed. I use a small tank, not for air storage volume but to take advantage of an air pressure switch. That way the compressor doesn't run non-stop. I also use a "pressure relief valve" in order to not burst the tank.
A/C 7 - Passenger side Pwr Distro box, corner cover removed showing the main feed and starter cable lugs. At the top of the pic are the ribs that I removed in order to put the extension in.
A/C 8 - Ribs removed
A/C 9 - Paper template of the new buss bar extension
A/C 10 - Stainless Buss Bar extension, 1st bends
A/C 11 - Stainless Buss Bar extension, Finial crimp on to 6 gage wire
A/C 12 - Stainless Buss Bar extension, mounted
A/C 13 - Stainless Buss Bar extension, with OEM cover back in place. You can see the red 6 gage wire along the left side of the PDC, it's routed to the area in front of the air cleaner box
A/C 14 - Circuit Breaker and Aux Buss Bar mount
Under dash 1 - Yellow dots are bolts/screw, Red dots are tabs.
Under dash 2 - Door weather stripping must be pulled away 1st (Yellow dots) then the side panel can be pulled off (yellow dots are approx where the plastic clips are, the Blue dot is a plastic hook that must be inserted 1st when you reassemble.
Under dash 3 - Pull straight out on the switch panel for removal. I spliced into the illumination wire (green wire coming out of the rheostat and actually spliced in where there was room).

Pushed the switch and the air compressor works like it's supposed to! I used a fuse tap in an empty ACCY slot to power the Air Compressor switch (which in turn energizes the relay).

Lighted Door Sills Mod: Took about 15 minutes, Yellow dot is the wiring plug (passenger side is in the same location) a hook tool is the best tool to unlatch the blanking plug. The Blue christmas tree fastener stayed in when the OEM sills were removed, you will need to remove it before you install the lighted sill (new ones are already mounted in the new sill).

Center Cap Mod: Bought some Center Caps took them apart, painted them with "Ford Dark Shadow Gray" touch up paint.

I had a question on your 12V line under the hood. Did you also have to Dremel or remove some material on the cover that slides down over the top? I was looking to add a bluesea terminal fuse similar to your custom battery connection but it looks like I'd have to Dremel a slot for the wire to go through the cover to allow it to poke through. It looks like the cover fits right against the plastic of the fuse box with no room for the wire to run through to outside the box down that channel. Thanks!

 

[Trailman]

@EOD Guy, what’s the status of the fuel tank you ordered? That’s my biggest complaint with this vehicle

 

[EOD Guy]

I had a question on your 12V line under the hood. Did you also have to Dremel or remove some material on the cover that slides down over the top? I was looking to add a bluesea terminal fuse similar to your custom battery connection but it looks like I'd have to Dremel a slot for the wire to go through the cover to allow it to poke through. It looks like the cover fits right against the plastic of the fuse box with no room for the wire to run through to outside the box down that channel. Thanks!

Yes, I had to use a die grinder (air powered large Dremel) to hog out the ribs in the corner piece to allow the wire to exit the box. It exits level then turns 90 degrees downward and It looks factory.....LOL

Post#1, "Air compressor 8.jpg" above

 

[EOD Guy]

@EOD Guy, what’s the status of the fuel tank you ordered? That’s my biggest complaint with this vehicle

On a boat somewhere, I have paid for it, but it hasn't arrived yet, like other things they probably had to pull one off the Lexus assembly line.

 

[Winchester44]

On a boat somewhere, I have paid for it, but it hasn't arrived yet, like other things they probably had to pull one off the Lexus assembly line.

Can't want to see!

 

[EOD Guy]

Can't want to see!

The tank and fuel lines have arrived, now waiting on some mounts that may or may not be needed. It'll probably be after the new year before this project can be completed.

 

[Winchester44]

Well best of luck to you good sir!

 

[jay3253]

Do you have a diagram or design for the air compressor mount? Have you got a list of parts you used or places you can buy some of these things? If you have an Amazon store I would buy from it so you could get some pay.

 

[EOD Guy]

Do you have a diagram or design for the air compressor mount? Have you got a list of parts you used or places you can buy some of these things? If you have an Amazon store I would buy from it so you could get some pay.

I do not have exact plans for the mount...... But If you can drill a hole you can make the platform. Everything is flat, no fancy fabrication required. I think I used scrap 1/8" aluminum plate.

Start by making a square cardboard template (not corrugated box card board, but cereal box carboard) that takes up the entire area between the Fuse box and the computers (doesn't have to be exact as you trim it to size).

Using a straight edge resting on the highest surface just in front of the fuse box, (two bolt holes surface (3 & 4)) stack washers up on the lower surface until they reach the bottom of the straight edge. Wrap tape around the washers to make them one unit. Repeat for the single bolt hole surface (5).

Place the washer stacks over the respective holes and place the cardboard template over all 5 holes etc........ Use a pointed tool to poke a hole in the template for one of the far right bolt holes (1) and secure it with a metric M6 bolt. Adjust the template so it is square in the space, poke the 2nd hole (2) and secure it with a 2nd M6 bolt. (I use metric furniture bolts available on Amazon)

I cut the head off a M6 bolt, used a drill to sharpen the bolt to a point and threaded it into one of the washer stack holes, placed the washer stack over the M6 bolt securing it into place, with the pointed tip protruding from the washer stack about 1/16", I poked a hole in the template. I then removed the cut-off M6 bolt and threaded it into the next hole, poked the hole etc.......... Use the template to transfer the bolt centers to your material and drill your holes.

The reason I have the little piece bolted to the far right holes of the platform is the scrap piece of Alum wasn't big enough to make it one piece. I wanted it to be one piece ...........

In the top L/H of the platform the computer mount gets in the way, so I just cut a small slot to clear it.

Total fab time was less than an hour.

 

[SKLC]

12V outlet Mod:
I wanted a 12v outlet in the rear that was easily accessible. I fabricated a simple mount from a piece of angle iron, bolted it to the Jack cradle. Jack trim cover closes completely without any interference. I added a very small voltage meter, that's momentarily turned on by pressing the switch. I also added a battery tender pig tail in the rear to provide an easy power source, ease to hook up my jumper box (I don't need the starting power of the jumper box, just the 12volts to get the LC's computers fired up so the Hybrid battery can take over and start/charge the vehicle) As always, I protect my wiring with a resettable circuit breaker. I went with a 30amp as I don't anticipate running anything with a higher amp load.

Seat Storage: I purchased 3 or 4 different types of seat gap fillers/storage etc.......

I thought "storage 1" pic was the answer..... nope, it collapses and slides with the seat, not very deep and really would only hold a cell phone a bottle of water and putting that bottle back in while driving was interesting! so I purchased yet another set ("Pocket" pic)and fixed mounted them to the knee bolster pads. That way no adhesive to worry about on they actually will hold things.....LOL I used 1/2" binding posts (used to hold "hole" punched papers together) Yellow circles are where I drilled from the back side and through bolted/mounted them to the knee bolster.

Roof Rack Step:
Initially I didn't think I'd be using the roof rack for anything and actually considered removing it. My daughter convinced me "It completes the look of an "LC" so I left it on. I decided to mount my WeBoost antenna to the inner frame as it was very solid. The antenna has a locking folding feature that allows it to be stored when running through a car wash and or when parking in areas where you don't need unwanted interest in the vehicle. All very well except when you're not very tall and old and climbing up on a tire isn't as quick as it used to be.......... so I saw a solution on Amazon, but it was made of steel (which will rust over time) and I wasn't going to pay $100+ for something I didn't really like. I decided to make my own version out of extruded aluminum that would fold flat, easily stored and double as a small table when rested on the bumper vs the tire.

My result.... It's 22" wide, heavy duty and has enough room on the platform, unlike a small ladder, that I can easily turn around, reach almost to the front of the rack, weatherproof and easily stored in the cargo area. It'll get either powder coated or painted in the near future.

Rear Bumper Covers:

Remove the top bumper cover (it pops straight up, no tools required) you can look into the small slots (where the top cover snapped into) and see the white keepers. A long skinny screwdriver is just right to depress the white tab and push it to the side (see picture below). Getting them out wasn't a big deal.

To re-install them was challenging, I used a long set of forceps for the top ones except the inner most one on the Pass side required a hole drilled. After the hole was installed.....lol It was easy as pie.

Bed platform Mod:
I didn't want a full sized, dedicated platform, I still need the seats for traveling with my G-Baby. I wanted something super lightweight that could be stored on it's edge, if needed or strapped to the roof rack, if needed. I wanted clear unobstructed storage under it to store my tool kits and access to the rearmost storage tray. I made and installed a carbon fiber deck. (edit: after finishing the carbon fiber deck, the entire platform weighs 13 lbs)

When I measured the 1/2 folded seat front edge and rear edge, there was 1.5" - 2" difference in height so I made my platform 3.75" tall. That leaves 1.5" or so difference in height and I don't think it'll be an issue.

It's only 4" tall, just enough for my jumper cables and socket set will fit underneath. I didn't use what most are using to secure the platform to the cargo floor (turn buckles) I made some 1/8" thick by 1.5" wide metal straps that take advantage of the large bolts holding the hybrid battery to the frame. I used some 1" nylon strap secured the mounts/metal strap mentioned above, cut some very small slots in the plastic trim pieces and threaded the nylon through those. I attached the quick cam buckle to the bed. When the bed isn't installed only two nylon straps are visible in the cargo area and those are easily pulled through the rubber mat and hidden.

I also hinged the top deck at the rear storage tray area, allowing me to flip it up and gain easy access to the tray

The straps allow me to remove the bed in approx 3 min. They also allow me to unbuckle the rear straps and pivot the bed up to retrieve the jumper cables or my socket set.

Bed1 - Extruded Alumim Frame
Bed2 - Mattress inflated, fits like a glove
Bed3 - Mattress from amazon ($100) Someone on this forum recommended this, and they weren't wrong, I like it so far.
Bed4 - Extruded Alum from Amazon (less than $150)

The Key to a sturdy extruded alum frame structure are exact lengths and 90 degree cuts. (wood working tools work great for cutting alum, just go slow and keep a firm grip, the metal will get hot, so gloves are recommended)
The ext Alum is 3/4" square (actually sold in mm)
The long runners are 42" for the top two and 34" for the bottom two (allows for the rear seat to be reclined in a normal sitting position with the rack installed). The bottom runners are shorter to allow access to the rear storage tray with the rack is installed.
The cross braces are 25.5" and are installed between the top runners.
The vertical posts are 1.75" and are installed between the top and bottom rails. (this allows for the 2 different style corner braces to be installed)

Credit Card Key:
Parts are for a 2024 Tacoma..........
New credit card key, 8990H-A1010
Emergency key blank, 69515-12350
Not every locksmith can cut this key.
Program new card to vehicle.

Musts:
Brand new never programed credit card key
Bring all the existing fobs when getting the card programmed, otherwise any forgotten fob will not work anymore. They need to enter all existing key registrations into the vehicle at the same time.

Secure Box Mod:
I made it out of 3/16" cold rolled steel. Fingerprint lock.

Cargo area lights:
I purchased 2 of these from Amazon, milled off the little bars that are used for a strap around a roll bar. Fabricated a mounting plate that fits under the OEM grab handle. They work Great!

Solar 12v battery Charger MOD:

I don't use my LC for a DD and I've had the 12v battery go flat several times, so much that I bought a jump box. If it sits for more than a couple weeks the battery voltage drops below the min required to fire up the computers and it will not start. With the jump box it has always started right up, but even with a new Optima battery there is always a constant drain so I decided to see if I could fix it............

I mounted the panel under the cross bars in order that I still had full use of them. I ran the wire the same way as I did my "WeBoost" coax cable just on the Dvr's side.

Best upgrade so far is…RTR tag

 

[jenos96]

Hey eod, any insight on the best way to run a cable from exterior roof to interior hatch area? Hoping to avoid having to deal with anything involving adhesive like running it down the windshield pillar.

 

[dtxlcfe]

Hey eod, any insight on the best way to run a cable from exterior roof to interior hatch area? Hoping to avoid having to deal with anything involving adhesive like running it down the windshield pillar.

I am not nearly as smart as EOD but this is what I did:

 

[jenos96]

Is the blue circle the entry point? Not totally sure I follow… does it go under the bumper?

 

[dtxlcfe]

Is the blue circle the entry point? Not totally sure I follow… does it go under the bumper?

yup, it is where you pop the plastic off to lower the spare tire. that's where I went from running it through the weather stripping, through that plastic (above it) and down into the undercarriage of the car. to be specific, above the spare but under the frame. there is a wire harness there that you can follow all the way back to the hood pretty much.

 

[jenos96]

yup, it is where you pop the plastic off to lower the spare tire. that's where I went from running it through the weather stripping, through that plastic (above it) and down into the undercarriage of the car. to be specific, above the spare but under the frame. there is a wire harness there that you can follow all the way back to the hood pretty much.

Then back thru the firewall presumably?

Might be a bit circuitous for my liking, since it’s a roof mounted Starlink that will plug into a power station near the hatch door

 

[EOD Guy]

Hey eod, any insight on the best way to run a cable from exterior roof to interior hatch area? Hoping to avoid having to deal with anything involving adhesive like running it down the windshield pillar.

Sure, it's really simple. I have a coax cable and a charge cable for my solar 12v charger run through the rear hatch boot. I zip tied the cables to the roof rack, back to the top corner of the hatch opening, then used some JB Weld Plastic Bond along the short "roof trim strip" and down the inner corner of the hatch opening (we're talking about 5"). I put some painters tape along both sides of where the wires were going to be glued, leaving about 1/4" to 1/2" of the corner exposed and a large area on the hatch and roof surfaces (to avoid getting the epoxy everywhere). I laid in a thick layer of plastic bond and pressed the wires into the plastic bond bead, covered the wires and plastic bond with a piece of heavy plastic sheet and taped in place until the epoxy cured. I used several objects wedged between the actual hatch and the wires to keep them in place. Do trial runs of securing the wires BEFORE you actually apply any epoxy! You can wipe the wet epoxy off very easily before it starts to set, but if it dries it's a Royal Pain to get it off. It's been several months since I have done this to both corners and they seem to have worked exactly as I had planned.

Once the epoxy cures (I waited 24 hours) I poked a very tiny hole in the rubber boot using an ice pick, then forced the wire through that tiny hole. It made a very tight waterproof seal.

When removing the rubber boot, DO NOT attempt to pry it off like every other panel or you will break the plastic keeper! Grasp the rubber boot along the flat part of the boot and pull straight out until the rubber boot comes off the white plastic keeper, work around the boot until it's separated from the keeper. Once the boot is free, there are plastic tabs that keep the keeper secured to the metal, just depress them and pop the keeper out. after running your cable through the boot, stretch the rubber back around the white keeper and snap the keeper back in to the hole.

 

[dtxlcfe]

Then back thru the firewall presumably?

Might be a bit circuitous for my liking, since it’s a roof mounted Starlink that will plug into a power station near the hatch door

Oh then you can just hook up to the battery in the back right? I am going up through the hood because I need to get to my relay box that provides power and switch.
But this is the best way imo to route roof rack lights that have to connect to a switch up front. All my wires into cabin are coming in that one plug EOD guy also uses on the top right corner looking at driver side under the hood.

 

[cmpugh7]

Any feedback on the battery life of your credit card key? I'm hesitant to pull the trigger if I have to replace the battery every 6-8 weeks.

 

[EOD Guy]

Any feedback on the battery life of your credit card key? I'm hesitant to pull the trigger if I have to replace the battery every 6-8 weeks.

Mine's running on the one it came with. I thought the battery had went dead, put a new one in it and it was doing the same thing............ the fix was put the CC in my hand when opening the door..... my fault...... so I put the orig battery back in.

 

[surf fishing offroader]

Would you have some more detail/info on where this yellow wire tapped into?

Thanks