When I first bought my 85, I tore the plastic shartastic bedliner out and threw it away. I removed the inner side panels to clean out the pounds of dirt and leaves from 22 years of use. I was surprised to find that Toyota never painted the inner bedsides they left them in Primer which I guess is why a lot of these beds rotted out at the seams. Lucky mine has no rot holes yet.

Why did Toyota skimp in this area of rust protection?

 

the almighty dollar (or yen)...

 

I think thats the one and only answer.

 

I read somewhere that the trucks came to the US from Japan without the beds installed to avoid tariffs since they weren't considered complete vehicles. The beds where then installed in California when the trucks arrived.

Rob

 

We have a winner. There was actually a Japanese bed and a US bed. The difference? Does the top of the bed rolloutward? If so, its a Japan built bed, and if ti rolls inward, its US made and installed in California.

 

jeeze dude. why dont you just list every single vehicle that you have ever owned on your little sig....

btw i did not know that

 

I only show current inventory. But hey, I didnt list every option I thought was cool like you did, that would take up several pages. . Some folks like toys, I'm one of them.

 

Not 100% of this but cant you tell if its a jap bed cause it has a lock on the gas lid, and the beds from the usa just flip open. I thought i herd this somewhere but could be wrong.