Salvaged 2005 GX470 Project - Now with Rebuilt Title & Plates!

Also, this little guy was mandatory. Bought it specifically for this part last time around

 

Could be worse… if it was an Audi you would have to take the engine out to get to that bolt.

 

Not quite lot to do while I wait for the o-ring for the M3. Did a little more rust removal on the GX. This flapper disc is waaaay more effective than the wire wheel i used in the beginning of the build. Didn't go through all of the POR15 prep this time though. Just a grind, wash, dry, spray.

 

Really before I sink anymore money into the project, I need to get it registered! Keep putting that off. So next paycheck I get insurance and start the process of vin verification, inspections, paperwork and whatnot.

Then after that I start paint prep. So finishing the bodywork of the QP. Bondo, sanding, whatnot. More research. Need to buy an inflatable paint booth first. I kicked up so much dust today just removing the small section of rust I worried about it settling on neighbors' things. Then a body sander, thinking battery Dewalt since I have so many of those already, but will research. I want to replace the hood also, too many hail dents in it and those are cheap enough.

So...

1. Register vehicle
2. Continue with body work (bondo where/if needed)
3. New hood
4. Rear bumper
5. Buy inflatable paint booth
6. Buy sander
7. Primer
8. Paint

 

Great work!

 

Broom duty. After this week I start working 100% remote. Glad it still have a job after shutting this place down!

 

Feels like 100 years ago, I worked overnights in a DC, don't miss that shit.

 

Figers crossed, but it looks like i got.the top side oil leaks sorted on the M3. Drove it around for a good bit today and no oil burning smell or smoking!

The next thing I need to figure out on it is this popping sound coming from the subwoofer. The entire audio system in the M3 is aftermarket, that i ran myself. The door speakers all sound fine. But occasionally the bass will drop out and the sub starts popping, while the door speaker remain unaffected. I've checked the speaker wire a few times, grounds and whatnot but still happens. I'm hoping it's not the rca cable from the HU to the amp. That was a pia to run. The subwoofer is a 10" infinite baffle subwoofer with a custom mount i made. I removed the OEM Ski pass through and oem subwoofer and installed this in its place. It's bolted directly to the body of the M3. Sounds so good when it's working.

Installed a wireless phone charger in the center console. And a Sony HU w/android auto. Really modernized the interior.

https://aespeakers.com/shop/ibau-woofers/ib10au/

 

Also switching insurance over to gieco from state farm. The quote for the GX470 & the JK was like $600 for 6 months. State farm was charging me $800 for just the JK. Next is to get it inspected. Then fill out a few forms to get the GX registered and and title swapped over. Ive got them bookmarked on the laptop. Will post the form numbers later on for future reference.

 

Nice! Sorry the sub is being a dick.

 

More rust removal on the other side. Any more after this will just happen as I replace skid plates and exhaust, brake lines ect. Get those out of the way for the harder to reach areas. All in all, I'm pleased with how it's turned out. There was a TON of surface rust, but I didn't find any holes in the frame. Should be good for a few hundred thousand more miles now!

 

And now I need to drop the drivers side headliner...

When you remove the oem roof rack on these, you're supposed to reinstall bolts, else the thread bracket can fall away from the hood and you can't put the bolts back in. I never did that until after even moving down to TX. And of course i lost one. You're supposed to be able to recover it pretty easily if you drop the headliner. Fingers crossed.

 

Ooohh and browsing marketplace last night, that's dangerous lol. Been looking for a hardtop for.the M3 for a long time. None available in Denver. But there's three in the Dallas area. May have to grab one after taxes are done, before i move back to CO!

This guy has the top, the mounting hardware, and a storage stand for $2500. And he's open to offers. Need to research ebay prices on those and keep an eye out the next few months.

 

Sweet, recovered! Just pull the headliner down a bit from the sunroof side. It's just hd velcro. And it was sitting right there.

Looks like the white plastic part that sticks up through the roof broke on one side.

 

Got that sorted

 

Nice!!!

 

Ok, finally got insurance bought. Geico was being so dumb. They sent an email asking for additional documentation, i provided it. Then they sent me two more emails asking me for the exact same stuff. After a week of that I called in to get help, all of a sudden the quote went from $600 to $1100 lol.

Went on Progressive and got none of that push back. Entered my info. got the quote. paid. got my cards in one go.

My new insurance for the JK and the GX470 is $660 for 6 months. State Farm was charging closer to $800 for just the JK, after the Tundra was removed from the policy. Now I gotta call in to State Farm just to close my account. And their agents were absolutely no help when the Tundra was wrecked.

 

I bought a digital instrument cluster off AliExpress...lol

The entire time I've had the GX, the dash gauges will randomly not work at all. Well, really just the Speedo and Tach sit at 0. I've been looking off an on at fixes, and it seems that these just go out sometime. There's a company that rebuilds the clusters, or you can buy refurbs both at around $3-400.

I was looking around last year at these digital clusters, and emailed a few companies, but at the time they only offered them for the GX460 and some older LX's. But now they popped up for the GX470. Checked the photos, and all the dimensions and connectors match. We'll see how well it works. Have "90 days from date of order to return". Supposed to arrive by the Dec 21st, said it ships from the US Warehouse.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806738878769.html

+ $765 after tax

 

I hope it works out, everything I have gotten from them (and Temu) has not had a positive outcome.

 

Fingers crossed

 

Steam cleaning the interior. Got quite dirty since the initial tear down. And some of this i've never cleaned, like the headliner

 

Adam's Upholstery cleaner does wonders on the Tundra headliner. Probably do you right on that Lexus too.

 

I've got a ton of their products! They're headquartered in Denver. They do monthly events/tours at their warehouses. Owner is a cool dude.

 

If I ever win the lottery, I won't tell anyone but there'll be signs - a garage full of Adam's for one

 

Bookmarking this removal instruction vid

https://youtu.be/Ltn4OHdzHFg?si=Bk9jpnBevlvzq2UR

 

Went to get an inspection today, in TX you can get.them pretty much anywhere an oil change is done, but their emissions machine was down. They also said since it's pretty foggy and wet out, it may fail the brake test. I asked and he said they basically test drive it 20 miles an hour and hit the brakes, see if it locks up or takes too long to stop. He also said he wasn't sure if it's pass since I haven't put the gas flapper back on. Thought I'd lost that part but it's just been sitting on the side of the house out of site.

So I need to remove it from the old QP, and rivet it onto the new one. Will try to get that done this week.

 

Or I could wait until January 1st, when TX gets rid of safety requirements lol. What's hilarious is the $7 yearly safety check fee is being replaced with a $7.50 for not having safety checks. No joke! So all those people with rotten in half frames can keep those vehicles on the road longer. Hello increased insurance premiums for everyone

 

HA!!! Easy Peasy! ^^^ dash replacement

 

Drilled out old rivets. Need to google and find some waterproof ones to install with. TIS only said to use waterproof rivets, but no other suggestion

 

I just went to home depot and got a couple of stainless screws, lock washers, and nuts.