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Thanks Mike. It is very easy to modify the xD adjuster; two hacksaw cuts, flatten a small section, and drill one small hole. Took less than forty minutes for everything.
No need to remove the original xB bracket; the necessary marks can be made with it one. I took mine off to document some steps and to clean it to match the new xD parts.
Total parts price was less than $17 for three new xD items and one additional bolt, probably find used parts for less money. Super easy to use; loosen the two original bolts as with any Gen 1 serpentine belt replacement or adjustment, then turn the long bolt accordingly to position the alternator.
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1,224 Posts
Four holes are drilled into the rear hatch at the time of an OEM rear spoiler installation. The kit includes positioning templates for use when drilling. Rubber grommets with internal threaded stock are then inserted to accept the mounting bolts. If bigdaddylip's spoiler does not have recesses for bolts, and caps to conceal the bolts, maybe it is intended only for double sided tape. As someone suggested, watch the spoiler for a few days to see if any speeds or bumps loosen the tape.
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1,224 Posts
They look great. What kind of place did them for you; a body shop; a dealership; a car cleaning shop? I have the same clouding on my 2005 TYC's.
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1,224 Posts
A few years ago, my wife and I bought and installed a black leather seat cover kit for our 2005 xB. Installation was not difficult, but did take patience. Total time for us was about 14 hours, including removing and installing the seat assemblies. In my opinion, this is something an expert should be able to do in less than four hours.
The front seat cloth is not glued on, and pulls off like removing a pair of tight gloves. Remove the headrests and do not take out the plastic bases in the top of the seat until the cloth cover is removed. Take out the plastic drop-down hooks from the back of the front seat. If your leather cover is not already cut out for these hooks, and you never use them, you may not want to put them back in.
There are about 100 hog rings to be removed for the total job. Use a pair of regular pliers to twist and remove the old rings; or they can be cut. For closing the new hog rings, a pair of hog ring pliers is about $7. We used medium sized hog rings for the install.
The front seat bottom and front seat back are set up similar. There are thin metal rods which are used to keep the covers tucked in tight against the foam padding. These also have hog rings and as you pull the cover off partially, the first rod is exposed and removed, then there is another one a few inches further. The seat bottom cover is pressed onto the front of the seat frame with a long, narrow u-shaped clip.
The top seat cover pulls off in the same manner. There are two or three of the tension rods in it. After the cloth is off, remove the headrest's plastic base. Reach under the foam padding and use a wide pair of pliers to squeeze the tabs together and then slide each tube out of the top. Some new seat covers may already have holes cut for the headrest posts; ours did not. If necessary to cut, be careful to have the new covers positioned exactly where you want them. Otherwise the opening in the leather will show around the plastic base.
For us, putting the front seat top cover on was the most difficult part of the job. We tried stuffing the foam padding into the cover and aligning it without much success. Finally, we turned the cover inside out and then pulled it down over the seat like a sock. Each tension rod had to be installed in sequence as the cover went on. Be sure to have the cover positioned were wanted before installing the final hog rings.
The front seat bottom is installed by putting the narrow clip on in the front and working the foam padding into the cover. This is the second hardest part of the job. Here again, the tension rods are installed as the cover is fitted.
What makes this difficult for the both the top and bottom sections is the foam padding expands slightly when you take the cloth off. Then you are compressing the foam to put the leather on.
The rear seat cloth is glued on; but is easy to remove. You can chase the cloth off with a razor blade and keep the cover intact. This took us a long time, but it made for a smooth surface of the foam padding. I pulled a couple of foam chunks out, but after the leather was on, where those small pieces were pulled out did not show through.
I have read some postings where people just cut the sides off of the back cloth and left the center parts. For us, the two top sections and the bottom of the back seats were a lot easier than the front seats. Make sure the top seat covers are just where you want them before cutting the opening for the three rear headrests.
We removed the cloth from the two front headrests and from the two larger back headrests, but the center backseat headrest fit perfectly into the leather cover with the cloth left on. This will all depend how your leather headrest covers fit. On all of them we left the original piping; I could not figure how to remove that without damaging the foam padding.
There is carpeting on the back of the rear seat top section which is held on by plastic tabs. There were seat belt slots already in the bottom section of the leather covers.
Finally, the cloth inserts on the door panels. Our leather kit came with the four leather panel insets. This was something we could not install ourselves, no matter how we tried. We took them to a professional for installation.
Good luck with however you decide; the leather interior is beautiful. Please post pictures if you undertake the project.
The front seat cloth is not glued on, and pulls off like removing a pair of tight gloves. Remove the headrests and do not take out the plastic bases in the top of the seat until the cloth cover is removed. Take out the plastic drop-down hooks from the back of the front seat. If your leather cover is not already cut out for these hooks, and you never use them, you may not want to put them back in.
There are about 100 hog rings to be removed for the total job. Use a pair of regular pliers to twist and remove the old rings; or they can be cut. For closing the new hog rings, a pair of hog ring pliers is about $7. We used medium sized hog rings for the install.
The front seat bottom and front seat back are set up similar. There are thin metal rods which are used to keep the covers tucked in tight against the foam padding. These also have hog rings and as you pull the cover off partially, the first rod is exposed and removed, then there is another one a few inches further. The seat bottom cover is pressed onto the front of the seat frame with a long, narrow u-shaped clip.
The top seat cover pulls off in the same manner. There are two or three of the tension rods in it. After the cloth is off, remove the headrest's plastic base. Reach under the foam padding and use a wide pair of pliers to squeeze the tabs together and then slide each tube out of the top. Some new seat covers may already have holes cut for the headrest posts; ours did not. If necessary to cut, be careful to have the new covers positioned exactly where you want them. Otherwise the opening in the leather will show around the plastic base.
For us, putting the front seat top cover on was the most difficult part of the job. We tried stuffing the foam padding into the cover and aligning it without much success. Finally, we turned the cover inside out and then pulled it down over the seat like a sock. Each tension rod had to be installed in sequence as the cover went on. Be sure to have the cover positioned were wanted before installing the final hog rings.
The front seat bottom is installed by putting the narrow clip on in the front and working the foam padding into the cover. This is the second hardest part of the job. Here again, the tension rods are installed as the cover is fitted.
What makes this difficult for the both the top and bottom sections is the foam padding expands slightly when you take the cloth off. Then you are compressing the foam to put the leather on.
The rear seat cloth is glued on; but is easy to remove. You can chase the cloth off with a razor blade and keep the cover intact. This took us a long time, but it made for a smooth surface of the foam padding. I pulled a couple of foam chunks out, but after the leather was on, where those small pieces were pulled out did not show through.
I have read some postings where people just cut the sides off of the back cloth and left the center parts. For us, the two top sections and the bottom of the back seats were a lot easier than the front seats. Make sure the top seat covers are just where you want them before cutting the opening for the three rear headrests.
We removed the cloth from the two front headrests and from the two larger back headrests, but the center backseat headrest fit perfectly into the leather cover with the cloth left on. This will all depend how your leather headrest covers fit. On all of them we left the original piping; I could not figure how to remove that without damaging the foam padding.
There is carpeting on the back of the rear seat top section which is held on by plastic tabs. There were seat belt slots already in the bottom section of the leather covers.
Finally, the cloth inserts on the door panels. Our leather kit came with the four leather panel insets. This was something we could not install ourselves, no matter how we tried. We took them to a professional for installation.
Good luck with however you decide; the leather interior is beautiful. Please post pictures if you undertake the project.
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1,224 Posts
Were any parts of the seat, such as the tension rods, a problem for placing the heating element between the cover and the cushion? Thanks.
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1,224 Posts
Yes, the two seats are set up the same with the position of the rods.
I have been considering installing seat warmers in our xB, and wondered about any modification necessary. I appreciate the heads up about having to cut access for the hog rings.
Sounds like you are installing it perfect with the heating elements and with the wiring. Great work!
I have been considering installing seat warmers in our xB, and wondered about any modification necessary. I appreciate the heads up about having to cut access for the hog rings.
Sounds like you are installing it perfect with the heating elements and with the wiring. Great work!
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1,224 Posts
I put 215/45 tires on TRD RHE 18's a few years ago and they are a reasonably decent ride with the 1.5" lowering springs. The tires also fill the wheel wells a little more. Only a slight misread on the speedometer due to the increase of 1.69 inches added to the overall wheel height over the original 215/35 tires.
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1,224 Posts
Man, you just left here two hours before you posted your pictures. After a forty-five minute drive home you already:
1. Changed the inside components from the black xB key fob to the blue xA key fob.
2. Removed the OEM engine cover, switched the rubber grommets and metal inserts from the OEM engine cover to the carbon fiber engine cover and installed it.
3. Put the boo boos on. (Okay, that one did not take too long)
4. Did an initial fitting of the RaysSport FFF
and secured it at the top middle.5. Took pictures of your handiwork.
6. Posted them here.
Do you never rest?
And, you have a wife who is happy with your automotive purchases! She sounds like an angel! 0
Hope the birthday party tomorrow is festive.
Frank
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1,224 Posts
Here are some pictures of the TYC JDM set I have. You can see the outside corners follow the curve of the rest of the lens' face. The USDM lamps have raised corners to accommodate the amber side reflector. The reflector is not used in this TYC model. I am converting them from LHD to RHD for US roads, but still have not finished. I bought Ray's FFF almost five years ago to use with the lamps and never had time to install either.
ser_dad bought the FFF two days ago and he is almost finished installing it. He also is making the FFF work beautifully with USDM headlamps. Very clever modification!
Frank
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1,224 Posts
Removed my TRD lowering springs. My daughter will be using the xB for a couple of years, and the stock springs will work better for her and for the grandchildren.
I have completed only the rear springs. Amazing height difference between the TRDs and the stock springs, as shown below. Of course, the springs will settle some.
Now the car is sitting on jack stands waiting on dust seals, isolators, and strut bumpers. I special ordered the parts today after searching online and speaking with twelve dealers and checking with two Toyota regional warehouses. I am surprised they are not common dealer stock items. I hope this does not portend what the parts availability will be for the xB.
Frank
I have completed only the rear springs. Amazing height difference between the TRDs and the stock springs, as shown below. Of course, the springs will settle some.
Now the car is sitting on jack stands waiting on dust seals, isolators, and strut bumpers. I special ordered the parts today after searching online and speaking with twelve dealers and checking with two Toyota regional warehouses. I am surprised they are not common dealer stock items. I hope this does not portend what the parts availability will be for the xB.
Frank
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1,224 Posts
I decided to loan the xB instead of giving it to my daughter. Although it will be registered in either her name or her husband's name, it will revert to me if they elect to replace it. It is tough to part with this car; I planned to never sell it even though it had become a spare car last year. This way I will look after it and still make some changes to it. Plus anytime I visit Kentucky, in addition to family, I will see the xB and will perform maintenance on it. No dealer has touched my xB except for warranty and the first three oil changes they gave free back in 2005 when I bought it new.
As you saw when you picked up the FFF, I have several mods yet to complete.
Frank
---------- Post added 05-02-2018 at 09:25 PM ----------
Thanks Ray! You are being kind; and in light of the radical mods you perform, a compliment from you is noteworthy. I am surprised you would like a stock height given your xB can touch the ground when you lower it.
Frank
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1,224 Posts
Fair question. I was considering replacing them with some 15" wheels to gain some sidewall height like on the original P185/60R15 tires. I would love to locate some Scion EM-7 wheels, but also have been looking at other 15' wheels.
Frank
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1,224 Posts
Very cute grand-daughter! Apparently it will not be too long before she drives; she is already in the driver's seat.
Frank
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