Improved GX470 rear door strut mod

[@JMilkie]

your step by step instructions are perfect, the show notes on what to purchase and the links to get them is great! i look forward to viewing all that you have on the 2003-2009 Lexus gx470.

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

Thx for the feedback

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

thx for the kind wordss

[@justinthurman5130]

I just got a gx470 from a friend and am really digging the ride. I actually just ended up greasing the roller and slot and the door opens and closes smooth as silk!

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

That is great

[@TC-en7vi]

Thanks you so much for the video! Pristine work! Thanks for adding the link for the parts!

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

glad it helped you out.

[@kostantinosmenounos7966]

Now...that is a cool modification for my Prado120!! Excellent job!! Thanks sow much for sharing guys!!

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

glad you like it.

[@comcamera91]

I’ll stick to OEM. In many instances I need to partially open the door to prevent contact with other vehicles. A gas strut would be counterproductive, and if I need the door held to full open position I can easily engage the locking mechanism. My 2 cents.

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

good to have a clear vision for your truck!

[@RChan6950]

I just got my GX this summer and do not know how to engage the locking mechanism.

[@KarpucMotoring]

@@RChan6950 push in the flat metal bracket that is between the door and the body (the hinge basically). It will click then pull on it to unlock it again.

[@mikei611]

I tackled this today. Worked like a charm! Thanks for posting this. Liked and subscribed!

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

Thanks for the note... glad to help!

[@Zamai]

Can you post the SKU or the exact name of the rod? I'm not able to find it on the Lift Supports Depot website

[@mikei611]

Item # is SE244P40. Lift supports depot.com

[@Zamai]

@@mikei611 thanks ordered!

[@Psilocy-ben]

Great vid. Do you think if I have a full size spare mounted this gas strut will work okay still?

[@Standomness]

i was wondering the same thing..i have a 100 lbs spare wheel mounted to my rear door, should i use a higher lbs strut?

[@TeslaOverland]

Sick mod. So simple and helpful.

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

Thanks for the note... all the most elegant solutions are simple :-)

[@dunk50]

Followed your video to the letter. Bought the weakest 24' strut I could find which was 20 pounds. Your door opens slowly. Mine slams if I don't hold onto it. Which strut are you using. I just saw your link and your strut is 40 pounds and opens slowly while mine is 20 pounds and slams. Don't know what to think

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

sorry to hear you are having trouble. you can always find the parts list on our website www.lastgreatroadtrip.com/4x4-tech/how-to-modifications/improved-lexus-gx470-rear-door-gas-strut-modification/ These are the parts we used unless the manufacture has changed their product or rerouted their links.

[@ayoobnabwani4493]

Hi can I set the gas strut of land cruiser 150 (with locker) on gx470 ?

[@Wifigarage9]

Hello is it work for Lexus GX460, thank you 🙏

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

don’t know but would love to hear what you find out.

[@skidplateoutdoors209]

Thanks for the video. Does the strut support the door and hold it open when parking/camping on an uneven area?

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

The strut doesn't lock but the pressure in the strut will hold the door open in most situations.

[@warrenlowe676]

Shouldn’t washers be used for the ball studs?

[@ayoobnabwani4493]

I'm going to do this on my lqnd cruiser 120.. thanks for the video

[@ai257]

why the aluminum bar? you can just screw in that piece into the hole without the bar and you're good to go

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

Good question and it is an optional upgrade. The reason for the bar is to strengthen the connection point and distribute the force in oder to prevent the sheet metal in the door from developing a tear or crack from too much stress on one point.

[@lawsonmcintire2267]

I did this mod last night, your video was great. I am a bit worried about the force the door is opening with. It seems to open much faster than yours door did in the video. I purchased the recommended strut from LiftSupportsDepo. Do you have any advice on slowing the strut down? I can see the aluminum plate pulling away from the door when it opens completely.

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

you should not see the aluminum plate pull away if everything is installed correctly. Make sure you have a tight fit. It is always a good practice to use your hand (if they're not full) to guide the door open reducing further any force.

[@daveh3777]

@@lastgreatroadtrip ditto here. Unfortunate I'm not the only one using the door, the aluminum has bent, and now the sheet metal has bent. With the bracket now cut off I can't easily reinstall the stock one. Good times.

[@miguelvaldes3367]

a query how much is the gas arm that was used for that job

[@josesamaniego1346]

Hi. I have a prado 150 2014 if i only buy the gas shock works?

[@priamapas7115]

I cannot find the aluminum bar, it is out of stock in amazon as per link

[@skylernikolas1539]

I bought the extra strut you referenced and it SWINGS the door open dangerously fast. Any change the part numbers changed? seems like i need something more in the 20lb range

[@curtisreed5263]

I am in the same boat. You better be holding it when it opens or it will take out anything in its path.

[@skylernikolas1539]

I found a 30lb strut worked great

[@BarracudaBud]

@@skylernikolas1539 I had the same problem. Thanks for the tip

[@devildogair]

@@skylernikolas1539 I installed the recommended strut on this video, and yeah like you said, it swings the door open super quick. did you find a better solution? I saw the owner of Lifts support commented on this AFTER I bought the originally mentioned strut and his link doesn't work. Just looking to find a better alternative.

[@danhdoan2072]

What year and color is this GX?

[@calebsiemens5067]

I think its the same green as mine. Sage Metallic Green i believe. Definitely the best color they came in, followed closely by the red

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

and 2008 was the only year it was available.

[@stevenm7620]

@@calebsiemens5067this was the color I just missed by minutes when I was looking for a GX, had to settle on the Red which has grown on me, but I do like that green a lot😢

[@WilbanksUSMC]

You should make sets of these and sell them for people who don’t have access to the nice tools!

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

good idea... sounds like a solid side gig.

[@WilbanksUSMC]

Last Great Road Trip I’d buy for sure

[@richardellis69]

Scale of 1 to 10, how critical do you feel it is to have the aluminum plate?

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

Without the reinforcement plate you need to make sure you walk the door open. The strut dampens the force of the door fully opening, but if you let the door open all the way on it's own you will notice the little tweak of the door's sheet metal at the base of the ball stud. It is just a little but over time, the stress will add up and can cause it to weaken and possibly crack or tear. The Reinforcement plate spreads the force out and prevents the stress from building up in the sheet metal at the connection point. If you're always (or mostly) careful and don't allow the door to swing all the way open on it's own, then it is probably a 2 or 3. If you always let the door swing fully open on its own, and frequently open the rear door, then it moves up to an 8 or 9. But this is just anecdotal, I didn't test it out to see if or when the sheet metal fatigue causes failure. Thanks for the question.

[@yiayang3403]

@@lastgreatroadtrip can I just use a metal plate instead of aluminum?

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

@@yiayang3403 it you are comfortable working steel that should be fine.

[@cloudpiper9056]

Very informative, will this conversion work for GX460?

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

Don't know. If you find out let us know. thx

[@mannymerc89]

Did you find out?

[@yiayang3403]

How strong is the shock if I'm parked on a hill or an awkward position? Would the shock hold the door open or slam close? I see you have the 40 lbs listed, would it be better to go with the 60 lbs?

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

40 lbs works well for us. Holds the door open well in all situations. 60 lbs will throw the door open a bit violently.

[@JaredMorr-cq5id]

Can alternative strut lengths that can be used both in the closed and extended ends of the spectrum? I ask simply because I'd prefer to not purchase 2 struts (Amazon link) and I'm having difficult finding an exact 24.4 x 13.66 alternative.

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

I'm sure there are but I've been happy with this length so haven't explored other sizes and strengths.

[@redbone7040]

Wow great job 👌 I might try to do it thanks

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

thank you for the feedback. Let us know how it goes if you do this mod.

[@antoniocaballerorodriguez8242]

Hola cuántos milímetros mide de grosor la placa de aluminio que as fabricado??

[@luiselias1887]

usa el grosor similar a la placa metalica orijinal. aunque si puedes encintrar mas grueso estara mejor porque el aluminio no es tan fuerte.

[@mcqeen951]

Hey! Is it possible to know part number of gas strut?

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

yup... check the description for a link to the show notes with parts and additional details.

[@user-ng4uq5xb9x]

Hello! please tell me what kind of car does a gas shock? I did the same thing in my car. can not the gas damper put?

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

You will find a link in the video description to our show notes where there is a complete parts lists as well as more step by step info.

[@aboi50]

Hi there your link is not working, please send me the parts list @@lastgreatroadtrip

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

@@aboi50 www.lastgreatroadtrip.com/4x4-tech/how-to-modifications/improved-lexus-gx470-rear-door-gas-strut-modification/

[@kylet808]

This is great! Thank you

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

Thanks for the note @Kyle glad you like it.

[@dglabaj]

Thank you!! Another annoying problem solved

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

glad it helped!

[@stefan3225]

Ive had to use my rear door lockout to hold the swing out open on many occasions, in this case a strut won’t do the trick…

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

yup... some people like the hard lock on the OEM hinge. Stick with it if that is your preference.

[@joshmoore6165]

I don’t have an issue with the original mechanism

[@mwcleaning]

Good idea but there’s times where you don’t have room for full swing.

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

Yup that can be a thing.

[@bsd123me]

Like when I have my trailer hooked up. Thanks for mentioning that because I was going to do this modification. Now I’m not.

[@sebastian2357]

READ IT BEFORE YOU GO ! I did it according your instructions. I have installed even less strong strut than you recommend. Unfortunately IT DOESN'T WORK. Yes strut is opening the door but it gives them speed and there is no dumping- actually you have to catch up the doors before they reach the end otherwise it can be damaged. I've noticed there is very smart cut scene in the video when you are not showing the whole travel of opening door. I suppose that is because door need to be hold at the end. Frankly I am little disappointed ..what is the purpose to show and sell to people a modification that doesn't work?

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

Sorry you didn't get the results you wanted. Since you used a different strut then recommended, check what the dampening it has as well as the full stroke. Thx for the note.

[@warrenlowe676]

Aye Oregon Ducks!! From Beaverton!

[@dkla80]

Super cool but I'm not that handy

[@lastgreatroadtrip]

glad you like it... don't sell yourself short.