March 1998 Drivelines

Fun Facts To Know And Tell
Toyota History
•Number of years Toyota has been selling trucks and cars in America: 40
•Year the Toyota BJ was delivered to the U.S. Army: 1950
•Year the Toyota BJ was renamed Land Cruiser: 1954
•Year the Land Cruiser was first exported to America: 1958
•Designation of FJ-55 replacement, the third-generation Land Cruiser wagon: FJ-60
•Model years of the FJ-60: 1981-1990
•Year the FJ-62 was introduced: 1985
•Year the FJ-62 received fuel injection: 1987
•Year the fourth-generation Land Cruiser was introduced: 1991
•Designation of '91 Land Cruiser: FJ-80
•Year the fifth-generation Land Cruiser was introduced: 1998
•Designation of the '98 Land Cruiser: UZJ100

Swamper Spied
We recently spied these 35x14.50R15LT Super Swamper TSL street tires hidden from people like us at a trade show. Cool!

Carlisle 1998 Events
Some of the can't-miss shows held every year are thrown by Carlisle Productions (Dept. 4WOR, 1000 Bryn Mawr Rd., Carlisle, PA 17013-1588, 717/243-7855, Web site www.carpro.com). They feature parts, supplies, accessories, antiques, competitions, seminars, memorabilia, and more, so plan your year around the following dates:

Kia Wins In Score Series
A Don-A-Vee Motorsports-prepped Kia Sportage snagged the Class 3 title in the '97 SCORE Desert Championship Series. Driver Darren Skilton piloted his short-wheelbase sport/ute to wins in five out of seven races and was one of only 13 vehicles to finish every mile of the race in 1997. He smoked his competition-a Nissan Pathfinder, a Chevy Blazer, an Isuzu Amigo, a Ford Bronco, and a Jeep CJ-7-with only a four-cylinder DOHC engine; the others were stuffed with a V-6 or a V-8.

1998 Sidekick Calendar
Rick Russell might be luckier than anyone else we know. He gets to travel all over the country photographing trail rides, Jamborees, races, and shows (hmmm, why does that sound so familiar?), and for nine years now he has produced the Sidekick Off Road Event Calendar. In addition to posting the dates of 130 different events, there are snapshots of action from some of the biggies, including the Rubicon, Moab, South Dakota, and the Fordyce Creek Trail.

The calendar is available at off-road-accessory stores or by sending $10 ($7.95 plus $2.05 tax/postage) to Sidekick Off Road Maps, Dept. 4WOR, 12188 Central Ave., Ste. 352, Chino, CA 91710, 909/628-7227, Web site www.sidekickoffroad.com.

Quote Of The Month
This one comes courtesy of the Dec. 15 issue of Newsweek:

"My problems start when the smarter bears and the dumber visitors intersect."

Update
Remember a few months back when we told you about the "discrimination" some dealers felt about not getting their hands on the hot-selling Lincoln Navigator? Ford will now make the SUV available to all Lincoln dealers.

Should you wish to have an airbag on/off switch installed, the federal government has a few requests. You must sign sign a document stating that you will be driving enough children around that one will be forced to sit in front of an airbag; airbag deployment would worsen an existing medical condition of someone in your family; and that you sit closer than 10 inches from the steering wheel. It'll run you about $150 for the switch.

Oops-our typing skills aren't what they used to be. In January's "Body Buyer's Guide," Durabak's e-mail address should have been cote-l@worldnet.att.net (that's cote-l with the letter L, not the number 1). Ditto for the Web site www.truckworld.com/cote-l. Jeep Giveaway As part of the Big O Tires Buyer's Fair running from January 1 to February 18, a product purchase will net dealers a chance to score a '97 Jeep TJ. The raffle will take place at the Big O Tires annual convention in San Antonio, Texas.

Jeep Giveaway
As part of the Big O Tires Buyer's Fair running from January 1 to February 18, a product purchase will net dealers a chance to score a '97 Jeep TJ. The raffle will take place at the Big O Tires annual convention in San Antonia, Texas.
Among the big-name aftermarket goodies on the Jeep are Dick Cepek 4-inch Race Series II suspension and shocks, a 9000XDi Warn winch and mounting system, Smittybilt front and rear double tube bumpers and side step bars, Carr diamond-plate corner guards and rocker panels, Steel Horse rear storage boxes and center console, a Dick Cepek windshield lightbar and lights, and custom graphics and paint by Car Cuts By Barber.

Big O Tires stores are located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and Canada.