Atlas Fabricators Inc. of Long beach aka the first Toyota Production facility in the North America. (1 Viewer)

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JohnnyC

Long ago TLCA# 2231
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In order to sell the Toyota pickup truck lineup to the North American market to circumventing the “chicken tax” (Chicken tax - Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax), Toyota teamed up with Long Beach, California-based metalwork facility Atlas Fabricators in 1971. This facility would in turn become Toyota’s first production facility in North America, and makes truck beds for trucks imported from Japan to the United States.

Most information was found either from Toyota global or from saved pdf's and from Toyota USA Museum.

1971: Toyota signs agreement with Atlas Fabricators of Long Beach to begin producing truck beds for pickups. This marks Toyota’s first U.S. production.

1972: Atlas Fabricators of Long Beach begins producing truck beds for pickups. Making Toyota the only import truck with a domestically built cargo body.

1974: Toyota purchases Atlas Fabricators Inc. and renames the Long Beach facilities Long Beach Fabricators, Inc.

1976: Long Beach Fabricators produces its 100,000th truck bed.

1980 Toyota renames Long Beach Fabricators to Toyota Motor Manufacturing, U.S.A. Inc. (TMM).

1983: Toyota and GM begin planning for a joint manufacturing facility using a closed GM plant in Freemont, CA.

1984: Toyota and GM form a joint venture to build vehicles named New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) in Freemont, CA.

1984 TMM produces its 1,000,000th truck bed

1985: Toyota selects Scott County, Kentucky for the company’s first wholly-owned US automobile manufacturing plant.

1985: Toyota selects Cambridge, Ontario, Canada for the company’s first wholly-owned automobile manufacturing plant in Canada. Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, Inc. (TMMC) is established.

1986: Toyota Motor Manufacturing, U.S.A., Inc., (TMM) is established to build vehicles in Georgetown, Kentucky.

Ground is broken for the new $800 million manufacturing plant in Georgetown, Kentucky. Ground is broken for TMMC manufacturing operations in Cambridge Ontario, Canada Toyota Auto Body Incorporated (TABC) Camry Line-Off ceremony

1988: Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Long Beach CA is renamed Toyota Auto Body Inc. (TABC).

1987: Toyota announces plans to build a $300 million powertrain plant at TMM.

1989: TABC produces its 1.5 millionth truck bed

1996: TMM is renamed Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK) Toyota establishes Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America, Inc (TMMNA) in Kentucky as headquarters for its various manufacturing plants.

Found some very interesting pictures:
1_Atlas-Fabricators-Admin-Building-1920x1080-1-1500x844.jpg
1971 july.jpg
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atals with writting.jpg
oct 72 atalas.jpg
 
Thanks, Johnny !

On a similar note, I had friends who bought the first 4-Runners, and was told that the fiberglass tops were manufactured in San Bernardino, CA. If true, was this also because of the Chicken Tax and the protectionism favoring GM, Ford, etc.?
 
@Bear

I don’t know if that was or not … I wonder if toyota sent over just cab chassis then Winnebago grabbed bed pieces from TMM and assembled the Trekker … the original 4Runners. Of if the cab and rear came to them complete with the fiberglass needing install

Was it the trekker (81-83) or 4Runner (starting 84 model) that they had?

Could very well been more skirting the extra tax

Do you know the company’s name in San Bernardino ?

@Unimogguy
Thanks !!!
 
@JohnnyC ,

I only know what I was told back then--that the fiberglass tops were very heavy, not like the later tops for pickup trucks. I believe they must have been the early 4-Runners, not the earlier Trekker. Was there any Toyota-sanctioned top manufacturer located in or near San Bernardino back in those years, or was I told a tall story?
 
The old nuumi fremont plant was 20 minutes from me back in the day! Now its a Tesla plant! Great info Johnny, guess the 45’s sneaked in with beds in the 60’s!

433BEB51-B302-4476-86BD-A2D87A378D69.png
 
@JohnnyC ,
Was there any Toyota-sanctioned top manufacturer located in or near San Bernardino back in those years, or was I told a tall story?

not necessarily a tall tale... a LOT of businesses sub out work, even if they weren't under contract to make the rear fiberglass tops they may have been contracted by a manufacturer that toyota was using (if the production for them was infact here) . this article from 10/72 talks about 15 american suppliers of Toyota components ...."to increase the number" of trucks.

By the 80's i can imagine there were MANY more

oct-72-atalas-jpg.3235038




The old nuumi fremont plant was 20 minutes from me back in the day! Now its a Tesla plant! Great info Johnny, guess the 45’s sneaked in with beds in the 60’s!


they did not sneak :) they paid the tariff... 25% not the 4% or so i've read.
 
Looked for this thread when you posted in the 40 section you were going to start one here. Guess I looked too early. Interesting the pickup bed trailer I have was probably made in the US. Tail lights would be 72-75.

Doesn't surprise me. What I'm curious about was the bed made to Toyota specs and match what being made in Japan or a different bed completely?@ Also was there a mix of US and Japanese beds being sold here at the same? One with smooth sides and the other with hooks on the outside. Believe the Camry and Highlander quickest to tell where it was made was by the J in the VIN. J was made in Japan.
 
sadly .....:confused:

any cab / chassis pickup that received a NAP ( North American Production ) bed at the port facility rusted pre-maturely

a SR5 FULL 100% JAPAN bed lasted much much longer , i saw this happen first hand and TOYOTA would warranty a new complete BED assy. paint and all , full installation , using a MADE IN JAPAN full bed , NOT a NAP replacement


the JAP beds came pre-undercoated

the NAP beds did not

this is fact .........





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