WOW! Someone that has heard of Toy Store! Do you know what happened to that shop?

 

Yeah, i think so... This is totally anecdotal and based on what I saw...

Before TRD came to the USA, the Toy Store was Toyota USA's semi-official race shop. They built Toyota USA's IMSA/SCCA cars, the first Long Beach Grand Prix celebrity race cars and pace cars and they made all the parts for the Toyota USA race "program", as it was. They made their own parts including the fiberglass flares and spoilers. It's the fiberglass parts that forced them to move to Arizona due to new fiberglass manufacturing rules implemented by California. I remember stopping by one last time as they were packing up their store for the move.They had an address in Arizona for a few years. But around that time, TRD expanded from supplying only to Toyota USA's racing team to being open to the public. Soon after that (early 90s?] I stopped seeing The Toy Store's ads in R&T magazine. I think that's when they closed for good.

I do remember seeing The Toy Store name again for a while but I think someone purchased the rights to the name. The stuff the resurrected Toy Store sold wasn't the same...

 

Haha those are neat. Love seeing them at the zoos and parks! Don't know if I'll fit in one at 6'3"..lol

 

I would've love to check those shops out back in the day!! Maybe a museum of all the factories and shops here on the west coast would be cool as hell to see.. is there one now?

 

The Toy Store was where I got my first ideas with what to do with my 22r and 18RC. Hate to see such a place fall to the wayside.

 

Yeah, it was interesting to see the contrast between the Toy Store and TRD. The Toy Store was almost totally invested in Toyota cars/parts available in the USA. 20R, 22R, 18RC, 2TC. They did sell some used 18RG and 2TG but not much of their parts.

OTH, TRD was almost totally invested in 18RG and 2TG. You could get all the obscure 18RG and 2TG parts but very few 20R and 22R parts. DT header, Mikuni 40 and 44 kits, cams, but not much else.

 

Toy Store had a comment about building a 200HP 2TG, they could build it, but they won't, they knew you would blow it up.

I had an 18RC with a can they had, 280 diration and low lift. Best cam I've ever come across for street use.

 

Wondering if there Are any shop pictures surfing around..

 

I'd like to find my copy of their catalog.

 

Hmmmmm.

Another thread lost to side conversations.

Auto manufacturers should do a "Beta Test Group" so the first set of owners don't get hit with all the first iteration failures, and then stuck with a less than trusted form of transportation.

The FORD Maverick is having a bevy of issues.

Although I did buuy the Mazdaspeed 3 as soon as it hit the showroom. That car was a hit! One of the most reliable vehicles I've had. 220k miles and still on the original clutch, never broke down yet. Pretty good for a 263hp, 280ftlbtq 2.3 liter 4 banger.

I can't wait until this Ammonia ICE engine comes out, if it does.

 

It's cool, not many ppl actually read new post.

I agree with beta testing.. or give out a 10-15% discount of first year models if they have a certain amount or specific malfunctions. Like an anti lemon rebate or something. Haha

 

But then again, you know how many ppl have recalls on their cars/trucks and still don't go in for service.. even tho it's free!! Hahah I guess at some point the Manufacturer just says fuk it!!

 

Most people don't even know whay a recall is, let alone how to search them. Another thing that keeps people from keeping up to date on recalls is the price of dealer maintenance and repairs. Who wants to pay the dealer 300 bucks for a $50 oil change. Don't go in, never find out about any news on your vehicle. Then there are the shops that are a bit on the shady side and WON'T do their due dilligence on what they maintain.

I never took my '92 3vze in for the head gasket recall. I did wait 'til the heads leaked and then had the engine blue printed (along with a few other things) and never had any problems with it. The 3vz is actually a good engine, just got a bad rap.

 

I haven't been inside any of the new "mini" trucks, but I'm assuming theyre simply LSDs and/or AWD to some extent, probably more FWD-oriented, no? can't think of the proper term for the AWD-system... something like tempermental, er gah can't think of it though brain fog!!!

 

Depends on trim level and options ordered. Chance are there won't be an AWD mini, just 2 and 4 WD versions. Nobody would ever bias the power to the front of a truck for regular people, it would make towing on the road a nightmare.
Most would come with open diffs with LSDs being optional in the 2WD trucks and the 4WD trucks would likely be LSD standard and E-Lockers optional.
Gotta remember, automakers build and tune mostly for idiot drivers. Slushbox transmissions, zero feedback power steering, zero feedback power brakes, open diffs, cruise ship suspension, fluffy pillow seats, all designed for people that don't give a flip about actually driving a vehicle. Now we have anti-lock brakes, traction control, yaw-control, pitch-control, adaptive cruise control, side proximity warning alarms, all added to keep the dullard, inattentive flotsum that shouldn't be allowed to operate a toothbrush have a psuedo safe mode of travel.

And those morons are still out there killing people with those "smart and safe" vehicles.

A.I. is no competition for natural stupidity.

Rant off.

 

Hahahahahahahahah

 

Well believe it or not, the first New Skool truck that I know of going FWD is the Honda Ridgeline.. that thing is crap.. it's a high seating accord. Lmao. But, the base model Maverick is fwd also.. idk about the rest of the pack but fwd trucks are here and it doesn't look like they are going anywhere! Sounds so weird.

 

I guess they don't learn from history. FWD trucks failed miserably! The VW pickup? The Dodge Rampage pickup? Don't they remember those ridiculous piles? Who knows, maybe the FWD pickup will flourish with todays brain dead drivers. After all, these milksop cockroaches couldn't load the bed enough to take enough weight off the driven wheels.

MAN! I do have a bad attitude against modern drivers. Maybe I should start the next movement for mass transit. This time it will make more sense than emissions or saving fuel. But then again, how will we qualify the bus drivers?

 

Hahahah

The movie Wall E explains a lot of where this new Gen is going! Soon everyone will go auto drive, then automated. Frisco and Phoenix already have automated ride share in their city.. for about 3 yrs now. Bus driving is becoming obsolete.

There's still hope for these new trucks. There is all kinds of tech they want to put into them, but simplicity is what mainly gets to us about our Minis!

..no matter how complicated or long they take to build! Haha

 

Well then, you answered your own question, didn'tyou!

Yup, today's brain dead driver's don't remember and don't know the difference. After being fed so much bullshit about how FWD is soooo much better/safer/superior than RWD to try (and succeed) to fool people into buying FWD crap, none of the brain dead care. All that matters is the car is "pretty", or "cool", or "popular". Don't forget: car-based unibody (as opposed to truck based body-on-frame) SUVs and CUVs weren't "supposed" to do well since Americans "know and love their trucks". And yet..

My GF tells me I have a bad attitude about the dumbasses I "share" the road with. I tell her, "it's not an attitude; it's an observation."