I kinda liked the 90s.....
So are there any TRD Superchargers left? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter danadog
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
LINUS
Waiting for the Great Pumpkin
I kinda liked the 90s.....
Any decade prior to the next is better, just from the simple standpoint of bigger fish & game - you have to count eyeguards to get an 8 point buck anymore, for the average guy.
And the further back you go, the fewer lawyers were around, and common sense trumped being a litigious person.
On topic - I bet I get a 20# steelhead before Toyota releases supercharger kits again.
And it's been 20 yrs since that happened, and 10 since I've SEEN one in WA. Hope you BC or AK guys even still have 'em.
NCFJ
Supporting Vendor
It can be made with relative ease in the machining world. The question is, is it worth the time and money required to do it. If a manufacturer believes it is worth that investment, you'll see them. How many guys are willing to pop for a unit within the next month? How many over the next 6 months and 12?
I think that's one of the real issues there.... It took me a long time to actually save up the $ for the SC... so at first of course i wanted one and i would take the talk but never could pull the trigger. If they were available i would venture to guess that only a few would actually buy one right now.
^^^ CARB Certification ^^^
Cali's still the tail that wags the dog...
Cali's still the tail that wags the dog...
even after you got over CARB... how many people would throw down almost $4,000 right now?
1973Guppie
Supporting Vendor
yup the problem will be the CARB cert, no new mfg is going to go through the trouble and cost to be carb legal. If I were not in CA I would just look into doing a custom turbo setup since I would not have to worry about smog......
Exactly, that's still a lot of money for a lot of people.
BTW i have some CARB stickers i could sell...... 
LINUS
Waiting for the Great Pumpkin
That's the core of why I see the amount of S/C kit sold as the market being at near full saturation.
Those that were willing, made it a priority & saved the cash, ate ramen, whatever - & got one years ago.
Those that always liked them, and always wanted one - never having bought one when previously available probably never will - and for a long time it was easy to rationalize since Dan would run out to get more kits. That said, I remember Dan saying a few weeks ahead of me finally having all the money saved that "the TRD water well wasn't an eternal spring" - the party would be over at some point, and he said it a few times IIRC.
Now you want to try to tell me the same people are going to buck up if the license is bought by another group & their price doesn't have a C-dan discount? (I 'd bet it becomes a $4K+ kit then) -Those that rode the fence because of price/performance ratio are now even less likely customers.
I'd challenge you that if you even got Toyota to come back to the table, at this very minute you only have 3-4 people who would prepay one on a credit card, or have the money saved.
It's just the allure of the item being NLA, at least for 80 owners who have had theirs since prior to S/C kits going NLA.
Maybe some of the last ~20 kits Dan/Onur put together will surface FS if people bought them just to try & turn a quick buck / speculation? ---Put out WTB ad in the classifieds & offer $300-400 over what the last kits sold for, one of the new owners will bite/have buyers remorse.
Which is why the added acronyms "NIB" and "NOS" triple the value of mine....
I'm a sucker for pink unicorn hunts and nothing gets the blood boiling faster than plotting, tracking, setting up the stand, then bagging a monster, one point buck, that has "NLA NIB NOS" on the tag.
Granted, a heightened gratification when the unicorn hasn't been seen, in any form, in many years, let alone NIB.
SCs aren't that rare.....yet, but betting there's currebt enthusiasts, even some who aren't, today, that'd some future day give a appendage for an NLA NIB NOS TRD SC, for their 80 resto.
Edited: In the spirit of perpetuating the 80 into eternity.
Will add a pink unicorn 80 to the pink unicorn SC, throw in the shortblock, all for $30k.
The rarest of rare, all the way around....
jfz80
Cruisin’
Actually werent you the turbo fan boy that used to make fun of that silly hair dryer bolted to the motor ..... At least at the bottom of the hills
But agreed it easy for everyone to verbally jump on board. Dibs, seconds, ill take ones all seem to get a lil quiet when coupled with an invoice
NCFJ
Supporting Vendor
You are right on the mark Jason, I got it every time I came out with a new bumper, slider or suspension links. Everyone was going to get one....................
LINUS
Waiting for the Great Pumpkin
And nobody knows better than you that I was right there with you for a hot 10 minutes, then decided I really wanted my 80 with a hairdryer before said hairdryer got sold for downpayment on a 200 series, so I fully support you on this - I'm still doing it really, I just picked my battle & my unicorn is in the BMW family, the E30M3 Sport Evolution (1990) & all parts that made it "unicorn".
There were only ~5,000 M3's in the USA '88-'91, and 600 of the above mentioned model sold in Europe only, add to that how BMW makes parts aimed at us "unicorn hunters".
So I just decided to focus what I hunt & help your rarity status & pop the seals off my kit, making it a grand total of 2 other NIB kits I know of, and the other guy is going to install his too (you should thank him too) - so beyond yours, the last kits Dan & Onur made (18-20?) are the very last of the unicorns, so to speak.
More power to you, I bet you will get a boatload for your kit, especially with the 80 being a unappreciated modern classic, so when someone decides to rebuild a 80 your kit will be gold.
And for those that don't watch auto auctions, look at restored 40 prices, and even big domestic 4WD's - a solid 1st gen Bronco / '70 Chev 4WD P/U / Suburban / Scout is same $$ as a average condition 1st gen Camaro/Nova. The market is there. The market for older P/U & SUV's woke up ~5-10 yrs ago & it's hot.
I actually only put two together and it was *very* difficult to get correct in the sense that the parts were only "service parts."
Parts individually are a completely different story than parts in a kit prepared for direct installation.
Lots of back and forth about availability and lots of frustration. But in the end, it was worth it for me from a learning point of view and I hope for the clients getting what they, in the end, wanted.
Parts individually are a completely different story than parts in a kit prepared for direct installation.
Lots of back and forth about availability and lots of frustration. But in the end, it was worth it for me from a learning point of view and I hope for the clients getting what they, in the end, wanted.
LINUS
Waiting for the Great Pumpkin
Wow, O! - I thought you 2 had put together quite few more, - whatever the number is, I hope you're right & the people appreciated what they got out of it!
Oh, dang 'Lancy - yours just ratcheted up in value a *little* bit more!
Oh, dang 'Lancy - yours just ratcheted up in value a *little* bit more!
I don't know if Dan did, but it is a losing venture for most people because most people need directions and guidance. The SC kit provides that in how the put the entire kit together. Service parts don't do anything for you. It's just a part and even if you have instructions you still have to figure out how everything goes together correctly--sometimes that requires fabbing things (cf: Photoman's great help for these folks).
The two clients knew going in that there wasn't going to be much support from Toyota on this project from the point of view of installation and "figuring it out."
The two clients knew going in that there wasn't going to be much support from Toyota on this project from the point of view of installation and "figuring it out."
It'd take boatloads.
As ludicrous as it sounds, if there were $30k's worth of hundos being waved in my face, right now, I'd have to think about it, because I do appreciate the timeless classic.
There won't be and my posts are goading, so rest assured the rare NLA NIB NOS TRD SC will reside in the even rarer 80s engine bay, a top the NIB built 1FZ shortblock, with an unimaginable amount of other NIB parts, all part of a restoration and preservation plan that should guarantee this 80s lifespan parallels that of my own.
There's only a few that suffer from, even less that appreciate, the degree of insanity I enjoy.....but restoring a Pig has a way of making this appear a completely logical plan and investment.
Last edited:
