Tough truck!

[mechagouki]

I'm not sure how many members have seen the UK TV show Top Gear's failed attempts to stop a 1st gen running but I had always understood these truck were tough. Yesterday I got my first direct taste of how tough. Driving to work I had just pulled onto Highway 401 in Toronto and was accelerating to speed when the crew-cab F150 that had been riding my bumper down the on-ramp tries to jump the queue a little by zipping up the shoulder - he gets blocked by the usual hyper-aggressive Toronto drivers and ends up having to brake and cut me off to avoid going in the ditch. Unfortunately at the same time a driver in centre lane cuts him off and then pretty much stops dead. F150 brakes hard and stops about 50-75 feet in front of me so I drop all anchors and.........slide.

I hit the back of the Ford at about 30-40kph and see little bits of green and black plastic fly, I'm okay 'cause I saw it coming, a little shaken, that's all. I look across the dash to put on my 4-ways and when I look up the F150 appears to be attempting a new 1/4 mile record away from me leaving small pieces of his truck all over the highway. I'm guessing he was uninsured or had no license, whatever the reason, he didn't want to stop and talk to me. I continue to work and get out to check the damage - one broken (but still functional) passenger side turn signal and the bumper has slipped back about 1/4 - 1/2" on the drivers side slightly deforming the grille. I put on my work gloves and haul on it and after a couple attempts the bumper moves back - truck is otherwise completely fine!

I've voiced doubts on this forum about whether I bought the right truck, after yesterday I'm sure I did!

 

[topdown4runner]

What a jerk. Sounds like traffic is horrible up there. Sorry to hear about your "accident", and seriously glad you & your truck are O.K.

You've got one of the few 2nd gens I would buy, 22RE & 5 speed! Great Truck!

Pics???

 

[zombie]

Sounds like you made out just fine.
Sent you a pm.

 

[Iroke17]

-- removed by admin --

 

[mechagouki]

Fixed the turn signal with orange cellophane candy wrappers.

Yeah, there's a lot of ******* drivers up here, 4th largest city in North America don't you know, streets are basically one big parking lot at rush hour.

Zombie - thanks for the link, I was looking for some local Toyota fiends.

Don't have any pix of the truck at the moment - it's none too pretty to the uninformed eye though - lots of rockerguard, no gas hatch door and a mismatched Hilux Surf rear hatch. Got plans for new paint and other stuff but it's -10 celsius here at the moment and I have no garage!

 

[Awz]

A buddie of mine had a 2nd gen Pick-up, drove the crap out of the thing, over rev'd it rallied it and was just plain mean to it. Ended up sending a connecting rod through the block, but the timing chain and rest of the internals were still good. (think the crank was gone though). Swapped the engine. Then a few months ago got broadsided, and drove the thing home. Tough tough trucks.

 

[elcidsurfer]

Glad to hear you and your truck are good to go. These things are very tough little trucks. The very first day I got my T4R I let a buddy of mine take it for a test drive. He parked it in the drive way and left it in first with no P-break on (I always leave it in nutral with the P-break on). So the next time I started it up I used the "clutch cancel" button while standing outside the truck just to see if it worked. As soon as I cranked it up it jumped and slammed into my house mashing the brick veneer... After quite a few cursing I looked and the truck and there was no damage but some cracked fog lights... Very tough truck

 

[s2kpuddydad]

Good to here your ok and your 4Runner faired well too:wow:

Avoiding a dog on the road, I went into the medium at 65 mph, not fun….I bounced a little and for a moment it was a bit squarely but, I was able to keep it and get back onto the road.