American Beds are the smooth ones which more people want and the japanese have th lip on the outside of the bed.
My 1995 22re still gets me 25 mpgs on the road and will go 95 on the 5 all day long. It gets up to speed just as fast as any of those Hondas the kids think are fast and it is rolling 31 inch tires. Plus it will do all that going threw the desert. BUT I get less MPG's in the desert due to the low tires and Me being on the gas hard all the time.
I miss the mini pickups. Wish they would come back.
__________________ '05 Tundra DC TRD 2 WHL: The TOW truck, Spectra Mica Blue, with Kenwood H/U, Kenwood Amp and crossover. Infinity 6010cs, 10" Rockford SUB, 6 disc CD Changer mounted in Center console, SWI-X to retain steering wheel controls, 7" TV with DVD. Tinted Windows, Three chamber Flowmaster, Painted front chrome strip
1994 Toy: The TOY Standard cab, Long travel front pulling13" w/Double fox w/Res, Deaver rear at 18" w/Single 2.5 18" fox w/Res., full glass, Bumper to Bumper cage, Gusseted frame, PRP seats, Crow harnesses, Custom steering(All Heims & Chromoly), Grant steering wheel, Smoothest ride around. OH by the way only 70,000 miles.
I still have a mini 96 Tacoma 2wd for a beater...250K miles and still going. Keep the Tundra for weekend use and put all the miles on the beater. Saves a lot on gas also. My favorite mini was my 1986 SR-5 long bed 2wd. That 22re engine would run circles around the 2rz-fe that came in my 96 model!
I have looked and finding a nice mid 80's efi SR-5 is a rare find these days. Most have been driven into the ground. I did see one on ebay a couple of years ago...It was I believe a 85 model extra cab sr-5 2wd with 15K original miles and perfect condition! I think it sold for like $5500.
I believe Toyota could market a mini again along with the current mid size Tacoma and full size Tundra. The 2 & 4wd mid 80's Toyota trucks were just plain great trucks. Everytime I see the movie "Back to the Future", I lust over Marty's 4x4 Toyota!
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Doug Thorley ceramic coated headers, SOS high flow Y pipe, Doug Thorley cat back exhaust, K&N drop in filter, Rev-Tek 2.5" lift kit, diff drop, Goodyear Wrangler's 275/70-17's, Dynoed @ 245rwhp
The latest Taurus SHO has the "EcoBoost" twin turbo V6 and can manage a mid 13 second quarter mile. No more stereotypes about the Taurus and rental car fleets.
I remember the first generation SHO well. One of our writers did a story on this car (1989 model if memory serves correctly) and I got to drive it for a few days for photo shoots. This Taurus was no bs. It was a real sleeper and I had a lot of fun easing around town. A Ford platform, manual gearbox and a Yamaha engine that would really scream... who'd a thunk it!
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More's Law: If more's good then too much is just right. CBTMA member
Where did they go, indeed, Doc. I sometimes miss my '92, and more often miss my '83. Neither of them was a drag racer, both were 4x, and they never failed to do what I asked of them; and I ran them to death: over 500K on the '83, and near 300K on the '92. I only got my Tundra because I wanted more room inside; in the old ones, me and one of my boys or my best friend were a crowd; literally rubbing elbows, and the foot room was chancy for a guy with size 13 shoes, or 14 with the brace. But those older trucks were absolute workhorses. I have thought a few times of finding a couple of '84 or '85s, an extra cab, and a long bed, and cutting and grafting to make an extra cab long bed. While at it, I'd most likely do something to increase the oomph, and versatility, say a 4.3 Chevy with a 700R4 and an Advance Adapters transfer case setup, some Dana axles - you know, just hot rod the he&& out of it. Like I need any more projects.
A man after my own heart!
These comments remind me of my long gone '76 Datsun pickup. Talk about bare bones utility! It was a great little truck but it was so stiffly sprung that you could feel it when you ran over a wet cigarette butt.
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More's Law: If more's good then too much is just right. CBTMA member
It must be - he77, it is the nature of car and truck guys to look back and say that they rue the day they let that one particular one get away, but most of the time it was done in the name of expediency, frustration and the heat of the moment, or was beyond one's control. Of all the cars and trucks I have had and let go, only about three of them do not elicit that emotion from me. Had I still those others in my possession, I'd need at least one barn to house them all, and the income of Bill Gates to pay for their overhead.
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Rrumbler - Wrenching and banging on stuff for over sixty years.
It must be - he77, it is the nature of car and truck guys to look back and say that they rue the day they let that one particular one get away, but most of the time it was done in the name of expediency, frustration and the heat of the moment, or was beyond one's control. Of all the cars and trucks I have had and let go, only about three of them do not elicit that emotion from me. Had I still those others in my possession, I'd need at least one barn to house them all, and the income of Bill Gates to pay for their overhead.
Of four vehicles I've owned that I wish I had back, there were very good reasons for three of them, and one was wrecked. It doesn't keep me from wishing I could have kept them, but at the time it simply wasn't feasible to do so. And yes, if I had kept them, I would need a bigger garage and a better job!
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If Buddha is burning in hell, I'd better pack my summer clothes.
"Courage is being scared to death… and saddling up anyway." - John Wayne.
"A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts." Steve Prefontaine
They build what people buy. So when the small truck gets roars at the auto show, you'll see it in the show room. If the economy was to stay bad a few more years, they'd be back.
For those fondly remembering an 70's or 80's small pickup, I've haven't seen one since 90. They would rot out in a few years. What good is a reliable drivetrain if there is nothing left to put it in. And if you guys love them, go south and get one and rebuild it. Not likely to happen as it really is a romantic notion.
They build what people buy. So when the small truck gets roars at the auto show, you'll see it in the show room. If the economy was to stay bad a few more years, they'd be back.
For those fondly remembering an 70's or 80's small pickup, I've haven't seen one since 90. They would rot out in a few years. What good is a reliable drivetrain if there is nothing left to put it in. And if you guys love them, go south and get one and rebuild it. Not likely to happen as it really is a romantic notion.
Must be the weather because they are all over Here (So Cal) and there is very littl rust/rot unless it was by the beach. I can go get me a 80-95 mini any day here and the body would be great. Yes the 80's will have a little rust but nothing major. My 84 had a little rust around the windsheild which I just ground down and primered when the glass broke and it was all good, the single wall bed was perfect. Heck I still see and my mother owns a single wall bed 88 with no rust in the bed. Not that hard to find around here. We are just extra lucky
__________________ '05 Tundra DC TRD 2 WHL: The TOW truck, Spectra Mica Blue, with Kenwood H/U, Kenwood Amp and crossover. Infinity 6010cs, 10" Rockford SUB, 6 disc CD Changer mounted in Center console, SWI-X to retain steering wheel controls, 7" TV with DVD. Tinted Windows, Three chamber Flowmaster, Painted front chrome strip
1994 Toy: The TOY Standard cab, Long travel front pulling13" w/Double fox w/Res, Deaver rear at 18" w/Single 2.5 18" fox w/Res., full glass, Bumper to Bumper cage, Gusseted frame, PRP seats, Crow harnesses, Custom steering(All Heims & Chromoly), Grant steering wheel, Smoothest ride around. OH by the way only 70,000 miles.
They build what people buy. So when the small truck gets roars at the auto show, you'll see it in the show room. If the economy was to stay bad a few more years, they'd be back.
For those fondly remembering an 70's or 80's small pickup, I've haven't seen one since 90. They would rot out in a few years. What good is a reliable drivetrain if there is nothing left to put it in. And if you guys love them, go south and get one and rebuild it. Not likely to happen as it really is a romantic notion.
Well, in this neck of the woods, it might happen; things don't rot away here as fast as they do where you live. Just the other day I saw an early eighties 4x4 ToyTruck on the boulevard, all decked out with a lift kit, big tires, reminded me of my '83, only this one had a definite V-8 growl to it. It was done in "desert primer camo" (gray, tan, and red oxide), and just looked right. They are still around, here in the west. As to reminiscing, and having romantic notions, just wait 'til you get a few more decades under your tires; you'll find yourself doing it too. Sometimes, that is all I have the energy for, anymore.
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Rrumbler - Wrenching and banging on stuff for over sixty years.
Yeah DSRT, that why I said go south. You won't find a drivable one unless someone has brought it up from the sunshine states and babies it.
When Toyota (scion) has a new one for you PickupTrucks.com: Special Reports: October 2009
They build what people buy. So when the small truck gets roars at the auto show, you'll see it in the show room. If the economy was to stay bad a few more years, they'd be back.
I recognize that there has to be a market for them, which is why I was lamenting the fact that they have morphed into "mid-size" trucks in the first place.
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For those fondly remembering an 70's or 80's small pickup, I've haven't seen one since 90. They would rot out in a few years. What good is a reliable drivetrain if there is nothing left to put it in. And if you guys love them, go south and get one and rebuild it. Not likely to happen as it really is a romantic notion.
You see few early 80's around here in Ohio, but you see a fair number of late 80's early 90's, some in fairly good condition, some with a fair amount of rust. And remember, it isn't simply a particular year that I was discussing, it was a particular body style, or size. If the opportunity to buy an older, say, pre-Tacoma, were to present itself, and Mrs. Doc approved, I would snap one up and set to work.
Come to think of it, maybe it is time to start looking for one for the kids. The oldest is almost at driving age. Yeah, that's the reason... For the kids...
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If Buddha is burning in hell, I'd better pack my summer clothes.
"Courage is being scared to death… and saddling up anyway." - John Wayne.
"A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts." Steve Prefontaine
Re: Where Have They All Gone?
'05 Tundra DC TRD 2 WHL: The TOW truck, Spectra Mica Blue, with Kenwood H/U, Kenwood Amp and crossover. Infinity 6010cs, 10" Rockford SUB, 6 disc CD Changer mounted in Center console, SWI-X to retain steering wheel controls, 7" TV with DVD. Tinted Windows, Three chamber Flowmaster, Painted front chrome strip 
1994 Toy: 
Re: Where Have They All Gone?
Re: Where Have They All Gone?
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