Wisconsin area events, parking lot parties and social gatherings

IIRC there is a place in Kanosha that does under coating with a similar product I've heard about. I was considering having my truck done there. New Hapshire something or other... I'll get back when I find it

EDIT: New Hampsire Undercoating Oil. And I guess I was wrong there isn't a dealer in WI.

 

Not Wisconsin but in Carol Stream, IL Chi Town 4x4 was taking reservations to fluid film vehicles. Might be in the several hundreds of dollars as I saw them advertising on the FJ Cruiser forum - https://www.chitown4x4.com/store/c1/chitown4x4Home I have wanted to stop down but you could give them a call to learn more about their services.

 

i wonder how 'friendly' they are to 1st gen Tacomas and what exactly they know that my local Toyota dealers do not
Chicago is a big area so maybe there is some chance for proper service at a reasonable price

 

I'm not sure what kind of "proper service" you're looking for, it's a wax infused lubricant coating, not rocket surgery

 

well it seems what i need to do to save my truck from the climate apparently IS rocket surgery (for lack of a better word)

i can't begin to tell you of the frustrations i am having locally when asking the Toyota dealers about the frame situations, they basically have no clue whatsoever!
and I have pictures as proof that it happens right here on the outskirts of the mid west if they keep on denying it time and time again

no other body type shops outside of the dealer realm have a clue either it seems locally
all of my info has come courtesy of TW and a recent visit to the local salvage yard

the one place i thought i could get some very straightforward answers from could not even deliver, the 1-800 customer care #

i have no clue WHY this is being such a stubborn hassle, i have been at it for at least six months now and it is very taxing on me

there have been a few on TW in the east like MD that say there are places there that do proper frame stuff all the time and not sure why this area of the country just sucks the big one

i have plenty of BS bottled up any more...

 

Your truck is 23 years old (and in good shape for its age), what are you trying to achieve? A frame recall?

Metal corrodes. And corrosion is accelerated if you live in an area that treats roads. Unless you store it in a climate controlled garage, it will continue to corrode. I don't understand your frustration

 

maybe you should call corporate. Actually better yet, you could write them a letter because that’s what people did back in ‘97

https://www.toyota.com/support/contact-us

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
P.O. Box 259001
Plano, TX 75025-9001

 

no to the frame recall but i learned its actually an extended frame warranty and not a recall (lots of people have run into problems after having that done with parts not being put back on properly)
since its still good or so they have told me the several times at the inspection. but i can see it with a halogen light close up
i don't know if there is an exponential curve on the rate of decay on these materials used that the 4Runners do not have this problem as I have heard

i would not think it would corrode as much anyways if there was a proper coating to cover it like the body panels are painted and do not corrode unless chipped,scratched etc. exposing metal

 

i feel like driving there someday, it used to be in CA which is much further away
but i have called them multiple times with no help much whatsoever, they are pretty much clueless or else REFUSE to give me the info i desire

 

no, my truck was not subject to the frame warranty, one service manager said whatever doesn't apply to me but not sure what he meant by that

i could buy you a beer and bs this at some length, i have 30 years of experience and think i know a thing or two because i've seen a thing or two

for nearly 25 years I have been employing the @Shellshock method of hosing down regularly as best i could, i put a lot of effort into it or so i thought, some spots were missed

 

CHI Town is well respected and they hold meet and greets for all trucks in the toyota family plus lexus models. I think even a group of the Wisconsin traveled down for one of their open houses and give aways. They seem to be active on the FJ Cruiser board - I went from 2004 Tacoma double cab to the FJ Cruiser.

Toyota dealerships are hit and miss. Here in Madison, I won't take any of my vehicles to Smart Toyota in Madison on the westside. Every time I took my 1st generation in they would attempt to sell me a tuneup for a second generation and I would humor them and have them walk me thru how they had to remove the "manifold" - I would just ask "Are you sure that is for a 2004, since the last time I changed plugs you didn't have to remove anything but a bracket for easier access.

Feel your pain on worrying about the frame -- I had to purchase frame replacement for the rear sections of my 2004 -- but we had a local shop in Madison who was familiar with the process on tacomas and does several Jepp TJs each month using the same method.

Your 97 is a cool truck and I can see why you would want to keep it...though they are hard to justify putting all the money into to keep them running and the frame issues seem hit or miss without just inspection every 6 months or so -- my technique was to use a screwdiver and when it poked through the frame it was the "oh shit" moment (right where everyone says to look at the framerail and the gas tank).

 

yes, that is one spot by the fuel tank that is a difficult spot to get at and also behind the rail a little further up
my frustration lies in not knowing a whole lot about this until TW came along almost a year ago, believe me if I had known and had the proper information I would have looked into more preventative measures but I really had no idea how and where the bad parts start to develop, and I still really don't (but am getting closer) after six months of looking through TW pics and related info mostly to the east of me.

I am not sure what you mean by this statement, "they are hard to justify putting all the money into to keep them running" I have not yet had to do any 'serious' maintenance on it, and other than a few squeaks and wind rattles that I am still trying to diagnose, it runs & handles near excellent like the day i drove it home in May '97, which is unreal compared to the 3 other Toyota vehicles I have had in the past 30 years that have been over 20 years old and running low on the fumes mechanically (not to mention the body panel perforations)

 

Someone stole my ball hitch and pin....... -____-

 

Best part is my locking pin.. is in the truck. It was rusty so I repainted it and now it's wandered off..

 

…people actually steal those?

that’s pretty shitty. You could walk through a parking lot and leave with a truckload of them. Not sure there’s a big market for used hitches. My money is on hooligans just being stupid.

 

were you aware that somebody most likely stole my powdercoated alloy wheels out of the back corner of my garage last month or the month before
they also took an industrial sized can of WD40
nothing else was rummaged through it seems , so i am totally perplexed!

 

Yeah I guess people really steal them. Funny thing is the locking pin is in the truck because.. never needed it. And it's Madison. I was going to use it if I left my car in a sketchy place. It's only been at places I go frequently this past week. Which is more annoying. Anyways new one already ordered. Lock is going on it. But now I'm definitely considering the locking lug nuts. They have been on my to buy list but I hadn't gotten around to it. Oh and my locking gas cap. That's in the house..

 

I just submitted this pic for voting on the 2020 TW calender, 1st gen edition
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...dar-submission-1st-generation-tacomas.637016/

just wanted to make sure if there are any objections or not from any whose truck is also in this picture from potentially being on a calender (that i assume will cost $$$ to get one)
i will de-submit if there is objection
also, i don't remember the photographer, i should give you credit for the photo as i did not take this

 

Locking pin in the truck, gas tank lock in the house... I'm seeing a pattern emerging.
Legit, though, who steals a hitch? The only way I could conceive of it is if their existing hitch broke while they were towing something and yours was closest?

Oh, also, do you remember when you painted your wheels? I was gonna try it this winter, but I'm afraid of the finish if I try to do it in the cold.