2impulsiv's MY14 GXL Prado

[2impulsiv Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 2impulsiv]

Well, I know I have nottaken delivery yet but I thought I'd start my thread for the new addition. After all, it's only 2 more sleeps!!

2014 Auto GXL Prado in Dynamic Blue.

First time I looked at this vehicle..


SOLD!!


Sitting next to a GX, strangely my eldest and youngest like it better? Uneducated little buggers!!


I have ordered it with:

ARB Extreme Winch Bull Bar with fog lamp kit, Black. Apparently this needed to be listed to ensure it was done?!?
Toyota Genuine Towbar
Rubber Mats - FREE!!

Nothing else due to LCT..

Future Modifications:

Rallye 4000's with HID conversion - Off my Captiva. They are chrome so I may have them powder coated so they don't stand out on the dark vehicle.
Seat Covers - What to chose? This is our first non-leather car since 1999...
GME Radio - Still deciding on model and decent antenna.
Recovery Points
Upgrade Headlight Globes
Window Tint, brother in-law is a glazier so he will do this next time he is in town.
Dual Battery set up
Anderson Plug - to the rear
Rear Mounted LED - I have a couple off the Captiva to chose from..
Roof Rack
Shade Awning
Tyres - Still deciding on brand and type. Will run the standard ones for now..
Lift Kit - Not too much as our car port roof is a little low..
LED Interior Lighting
Additional Power Outlets
Winch
Snorkel
And what ever other good mod's and improvements I find on here and myswag.

I would like to install some draws but the missus wants to have access to the 6th and 7th seat... Just in case!?! She has gotten used to have them in the Captiva and likes being able to take other kids with ours to things...

This wont be a fast build by any measure, however I do plan to have a few things ticked off before our Christmas holiday to Streaky Bay.

Any tips, advice and feed back will be appreciated.

Cheers

[2impulsiv Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 2impulsiv]

What a day, firstly I was flat out all day at work then had to rush the the dealership for delivery. I made it there around 16:20 thankfully. Signed all the paperwork was given a great run over the vehicle and features, was totally happy with the level of service given that's for sure.

Looking at the front bar, it seems I may have not communicated myself clearly as I don't know if this bar can take a winch?!?

My wife and I as happy with the car though, and our kids are over the moon with the air conditioner controls in the back!

Here are a few photos, I'll have to get her dirty this weekend. Unfortunately it's not looking like we will get down the Esperance for Easter now, but are doing a quick Perth-Bunbury run next month.

[Ian Reid Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Reid]

Looks good mate. Looks black in some shots and blue in the last one? Is a good feeling to finally get get your hands on it. Enjoy


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[dreamon Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dreamon]

I only picked up my new GXL last Friday but am still undecided what kind of bull bar to get so as not to loose the look of the new front end. Any chance you can post a picture showing your bar front directly in front. Thanks

[Guest Close Guest]

Yes, provide a shot from the front to see if it is a winch bar or not. Bit hard to tell from the angled shot but I can't see the opening below the number plate for the winch.

[REN470 Member Find all posts View Profile Close REN470]

Doesn't the winch bar have holes in the top?

[2impulsiv Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 2impulsiv]

Yes, I went to my local opposite lock store and he confirmed that my bar is not compatible for a winch... Well, that's one less thing on my list! It shouldn't be a problem until the day I need it.

I'll post the front view photo soon.

Cheers

[2impulsiv Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 2impulsiv]

Saturday 19th April

So today I completed my first modification / enhancement to the Prado, a simple set of spot lights. I've not installed spot lights before strangely but have done many other auto electrical jobs before so I was confident that I could complete this without any concerns. And my confidence was high em ought that the missus was not concerned either which is great considering the car is only a few day old and she is normally a little worried when I do things. I had brought the parts required the previous day which included the following.


Wiring Harness kit:


Rocker Switch:


Deutsch Plugs:


I was going to make my own harness using twin insulated 4mm dual core wire, but seeing this wiring kit I was interested in was offered a little cheaper (trade discount) I decided to go that direction.

Saturday morning I moved the 150 closer to the shed and began. Note: I wish I had moved the CT out of the shed and done the install in there as opposes to on the grass in the sun! It was a mid 30 degree day but it was the glair that was annoying me all day!!

My first step was to access the blanks on the right hand side, the dash is all simply clipped together and with a bit of effort will un clip. You need to first un clip the end cover on the right as this has a couple of clips in the lower section that goes under the steering wheel.


I pushed two blanks out as I was not sure which one I wanted to use for the new switch.


This is when I noticed my first issue; the switch I had brought was a touch bigger than the available holes. I thought of making the hole bigger to fit but then it would be too tight to fit another switch like this one later as the space was limited..






I didn't want to be held up on this so I continued on with the install, I layed out the harness and checked that it was all going to reach.


I did snap a shot of the standard light globes for future reference as I will be upgrading these in the near future, for the record I did remove the battery during this step to free up some room for my wiring.


I chose to mount the relay on the passenger side using an empty bolt hole, the thread is M8 and since the only bolts I had were 50mm long I just cut it at around 20mm using a grinder and cleaned it up. This photo is a bit wonky for some reason....

[2impulsiv Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 2impulsiv]

Next I moved onto the switching circuit. This wiring kit came with a H4 connector which would have made things easier if we had H4's! So, I cut this section off and spliced into the wiring for the high beam globe on the passenger side. I took my time here to ensure I didn't stuff anything up. It's a weird feeling when you start hacking into the standard wiring on a brand new car. The harness kit did also have some quick connectors for this but I have found them to be crap in the past as they allow green death in over time. So there was no way I was going to use them in my car! I soldered the wires together and ensured all the wire was covered. Note, if you’re new to this you might not know that having a damp rag is very handy to take the heat out once done. This can also reduce the damage to the remaining insulation from the heat.






I then individually covered them tightly with electrical tape and then again together, then finished it off with the split tube and taped the ends. The other random wires in these pictures are from when they installed the front bar and lights. It is a little rough by my standards.




My next step was to cover the wire to the dash in split tube and cable tie it up out of the way. I was thinking of running it through the fire wall on the passenger side, but I have a few more things to run through that side in the future so I settled for the driver’s side to reduce the clutter-ness on the passenger side later on.


I used a small screw driver to make my hole through the rubber and then pushed the wire through. It was very tight which is good!


Since I was not going to be able to fit the original switch I had brought I decided to use the supplied toggle switch from the harness kit. I have cable tied it in behind the dash panel. Once I have a more suitable switch I'll swap it out.

[2impulsiv Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 2impulsiv]

With the switching circuit done, the dash switch done that only left the wires to the lights and connecting the positive. Luckily because my missus was waiting to use the car to go to the shops... So my photos were reduced to save time and get the job done! I didn't get any shot of putting together the Deutsch plugs but I'm sure you have seen them before; they are by far the best connector for use in the elements.


With the lights on and wired up I quickly got a couple is shots of the wiring along the inside of the bull bar.


I've run both spot light wires in 16mm split tube then separated them into two 10mm split tubes.


Looking up underneath the bull bar (bash plate removed)


The Deutsch plugs are both hidden under the bar.


Connected the positive and cable tied it in place


Just about ready to test them out....


And success!!




I was not able to bend the wiring through the cut out behind each light as it was way too tight. But I'm happy with how I've run them anyway.


Covers fitted - these lights were on our Captiva, they have the HID upgrade and all the running gear is inside the light. It's a tight fit inside there!!


And once the missus came back from the shops I got another picture of them working..


Cheers.

[2impulsiv Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 2impulsiv]

Time for a few updates on this thread since I've done a few things to the Prado since last update...

I know I don't live next the ocean but when I'm down that way I have birds to carry while driving on the beach. So I decided to fit a rod rack. I was hoping to find a black one in town but unfortunately there were none to be found, so I made my own black one. Well, I painted a silver one!! But I have used a rubberised automotive paint so it should hold ok for some time! I hope so as the paint was near on as expensive as the bloody rod rock!!

Anyways, here is a couple of pictures..





Cheers!

[2impulsiv Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 2impulsiv]

Then on went a set of roof racks.. Unfortunately we are not able to fit a full roof cage as we wouldn't be able to park in our car port!!

[2impulsiv Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 2impulsiv]

Then it was time to install a UHF. After heaps of research I decided to go with an ICOM IC-440N, ZCG Scalar Heavy Duty 6.6dBi UHF Antenna, ZCG 2.1dBi Whip Antenna (for day to day use) and a ClicOn Hold My Phone Mount for the hand piece..




Once they all arrive I set to completing the install one sunny Saturday.

First off was to fit the antenna. This was easy, running it into the car via one of the handy nipples!



Off came the side plastic covers to access the area on the passenger side.




I ran the wires under the passenger door sill panels as the main unit was to be mounted under the passenger seat. I was going to fit it hidden in the dash somewhere but couldn't find a good stop i was happy with..



Hand piece all mounted....



Then it was time to install a UHF. After heaps of research I decided to go with an ICOM IC-440N, ZCG Scalar Heavy Duty 6.6dBi UHF Antenna, ZCG 2.1dBi Whip Antenna (for day to day use) and a ClicOn Hold My Phone Mount for the hand piece..




Once they all arrive I set to completing the install one sunny Saturday.

First off was to fit the antenna. This was easy, running it into the car via one of the handy nipples!



Off came the side plastic covers to access the area on the passenger side.

[2impulsiv Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 2impulsiv]

I ran the wires under the passenger door sill panels as the main unit was to be mounted under the passenger seat. I was going to fit it hidden in the dash somewhere but couldn't find a good stop i was happy with..



Hand piece all mounted....



I used stick on velcro to hold the cable joiner. This isn't working as well as I had hoped when using the hand piece. I'll need to improve this in the future..






The clip is simply screwed to the mount and not the dash..

[2impulsiv Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 2impulsiv]

The big antenna.. As you can see it is too tall to fit under our car port..




The little one.... So small, makes me fell insecure!




It all works a treat and I'm happy with the gear. Can't wait to take it away and give it a real work out..