Teseven Tubs

[OGBeno]

There is no such thing as a Toyota classics program or any vetting etc.

There never has been.

Toyota sanctions nothing in the aftermarket except for the TRD program ancillary part suppliers. Toyota has never sanctioned any restoration companies or their parts.

The closest thing Toyota ever did with a restoration company was when they commissioned Jonathan Ward’s TLC to do three prototypes for the FJ Cruiser program.

 

[1MOA]

My first choice was Teseven but i couldn’t get
them to answer an email ever! So aqualu it was. Have fun with your install your gonna have a beautiful truck when it’s done and you won’t have to worry about a rusty tub ever! As a side note I cut off the posts on my hard top because things didn’t line up at all..,

She was very responsive when I contacted them. They gave no reason for no longer offering the SS tub however the tub now offered for a 1977 frame was $8,800 delivered to port of baltimore with a build time of 11 months. 1/2 due up front other half paid before it ships.

 

[bcsteel]

Weird I sent 3 emails and called. No answer no response. Oh well glad it worked out for you!

 

[DEADSALT]

...maybe they are too busy trying to find a decent welder

 

[Economist LC76]

I also had experience with Teseven.
As everyone I was impressed by excellent marketing (Instagram etc), pictures of restored cars, convenient forms of order and easy payment. Slightly confused by the lack of detailed photos. At the first stage I had a good impression - “plug & play”.
The second stage was not so nice: correspondence, delays, standard and non-standard explanations. In any case, it turns out that the order will be made with a several months of delay (2 months +). During this period it is expected to collect: vocations, breaks in production, a multiple promises that your body had been welded or sent to you. At the second stage the impression is greatly spoiled, but there is a hope.
Next step is a delivery. Usually performed reliably (when you have reliable information that you passed stage two - production). The impression from the delivery stage is good.
The last stage - the body itself. Unfortunately, expectations rarely meet the reality mainly due to lack Of the detailed photos of the bodies. So usually the client does not fully understand how much the body is different from the original! This does not indicate that the product is bad or the body is not straight!! Just the body as a whole repeats the form of the original, in some places it is very close in shape. But clearly, for an authentic restoration, the body and parts are not suitable at all !!
Some observations: the arches are made more for 33+ wheels; thicker metal is used; the floor does not exactly repeat the original (thick metal and a weak press); the rear sill does not go to fender corners; mounting to the frame must be done separately; no attention to the small details, curves, welded nuts and general quality of welding.
The pros: new strong body; much stronger than the original protected from corrosion; there are options to make a box in the floor; you can choose the body style (different generations - early, before 1979 or 1979+; short, medium or long wheelbase);
Conclusion: if you do not plan the original restoration; your body is ruined by rust; you are ready to tolerate the deadlines delay; you are ready to spend time in order to refine the body - this is a good replica!

 

[wimberosa]

Conclusion: if you do not plan the original restoration; your body is ruined by rust; you are ready to tolerate the deadlines delay; you are ready to spend time in order to refine the body - this is a good replica!

I believe I'm in agreement with @Economist LC76. My experience was similar in almost every way.

 

[Bear]

Thank-you gentlemen for your honest appraisal. Sounds like what I would expect for the Aqualu aluminum recreations--close enough for a novice; not quite there for someone more in the know.

 

[-MaTTi-]

But clearly, for an authentic restoration, the body and parts are not suitable at all !!
Some observations: the arches are made more for 33+ wheels; thicker metal is used; the floor does not exactly repeat the original (thick metal and a weak press); the rear sill does not go to fender corners; mounting to the frame must be done separately; no attention to the small details, curves, welded nuts and general quality of welding.

I agree too Economist´s opinion. I knew quite well what I was getting, thicker 1.5 mm sheetmetal was big bonus, as bigger wheel arches too. I asked them to do the reinforcements for the tire carrier, and they did them for both sides without extra charge. There is reinforcements for the upper hinge too.

The rear sill is totally different design underneath than the original.

The welding, yes, would be nicer. But I can live with this.

Corners need some tension before painting.

But overall, I´m happy, I would order again the same 1/2 tub if needed. I don´t know if they still sale these, because I got the following message at Juny 2018:

The bodies may be the last ones because we want to focus on complete restorations that we've been more and more requested about.

 

[White Stripe]

I personally think the oem sill design is terrible. Its like they designed it to trap moisture and mud to rust out the metal intentionally. I think the Teseven design will last longer.

 

[shaggy_mutt]

I personally think the oem sill design is terrible. Its like they designed it to trap moisture and mud to rust out the metal intentionally. I think the Teseven design will last longer.

I think they designed it to be made relatively quickly and easily. Remember, when Toyota designed the J4 in the early 1960s, Japan was a poor country still recovering from WW2. It was hard for them to imagine how the trucks would look 50 years later...

 

[Living in the Past]

I personally think the oem sill design is terrible. Its like they designed it to trap moisture and mud to rust out the metal intentionally. I think the Teseven design will last longer.

May be a better design as far as collecting dirt which hold moisture. But for overall strength think it falls short. The factory rear sill is actually multiple layers. The top back edge is three layers. The outer and inner layers of the are C shaped. The floor folds and end half way down the sill. Moisture getting trapped where it ends is why you see so many sills rusted in the middle. The corner wraps all the way around the to the sides to help support the weight of a hard top. I also do not see anything for the body to frame mounts. Today for most if your going to spend money to restore a 40 your probably not going to drive it on road that have been salted. Keep the stock sill clean and your not going to be dealing with rust. Even in AZ not uncommon to see sill rust just from dirt collecting in the C channel rear sill. I have 1960 FJ25 from N. CA/OR and tub from a N. CA 1962 FJ40 that have solid rear sills. The FJ25 has rust on the floor from a leaky tarp, it came from a humid part of OR. Not that hard to keep from rusting if you understand how it was made and maintenance it to keep it clean and dry.

 

[White Stripe]

May be a better design as far as collecting dirt which hold moisture. But for overall strength think it falls short. The factory rear sill is actually multiple layers. The top back edge is three layers. The outer and inner layers of the are C shaped. The floor folds and end half way down the sill. Moisture getting trapped where it ends is why you see so many sills rusted in the middle. The corner wraps all the way around the to the sides to help support the weight of a hard top. I also do not see anything for the body to frame mounts. Today for most if your going to spend money to restore a 40 your probably not going to drive it on road that have been salted. Keep the stock sill clean and your not going to be dealing with rust. Even in AZ not uncommon to see sill rust just from dirt collecting in the C channel rear sill. I have 1960 FJ25 from N. CA/OR and tub from a N. CA 1962 FJ40 that have solid rear sills. The FJ25 has rust on the floor from a leaky tarp, it came from a humid part of OR. Not that hard to keep from rusting if you understand how it was made and maintenance it to keep it clean and dry.

Yes the two layers of c channel is the problem. Once corrosive seep between the 2 it's very difficult to flush out. Personally I think a piece of heavy square tube is better as their are then no layers. U do have to cut some windows for the mounting bolts. In addition, when u do the spot welds for those layers it burns off whatever coating u sprayed between those layers. So when corrossives do get between their they eat away at the bare steel. Even just a muddy dirt road in the rain will get mud packed in their. Fj25s have crazy thick steel, so doesn't rust as bad it seems.

 

[Living in the Past]

Two of the four FJ25s I've the rear sill was rusted. Another has a non stock replacement. If it wasn't a FST would not be strong enough to support a hard top. These were AZ cruisers. We have a red clay that is hard wash out. Been washing it off my 68 FJ40 for forty five years to keep it rust free.

 

[workingdog]

Curious how this project is going?

 

[softdrinkviking]

Wondering here is anyone knows about the half-tubs and year models. I have a 1971 FJ40 and I would like to use one the teseven half tubs. Is there any incompatibilities between the half-tub portion of a 1971 and say a 1975 FJ40?

 

[softdrinkviking]

I'd like to update here that I went through a quoting process with Teseven, and they answered my questions at first, but they didn't like the idea of doing a 1971 tub because of whatever differences there are between them and the later tubs. They wouldn't even consider doing a version without the year-specific parts so that I could have it made to fit my truck. This was all way before COVID, so it didn't have anything to do with the current working/shipping considerations.
My impression from their website at the time is that they want to be more of a full-service business that restores whole vehicles and not a tub maker. They'll sell you a tub if it's convenient and it fits what they have from a model perspective, but nothing else.

I gather, based on other experiences in this thread, that this business position is a change for their service, but has been evolving for awhile. Too bad, it was a good cheap alternative for the window it existed in.

 

[pjohnson]

Probably a moot point now. You probably didn't know.

Teseven burnt down

Yesterday, while France is in confinement, the building housing Teseven burnt down. For those who don't know, Teseven is a French 40-series restauration company that recently sold one for more than 100k€ on auction: Rétromobile 2020 | Vente n°3980 | Lot n°89 | Artcurial Some may know them for...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[softdrinkviking]

oooof. No, I didn't know. That sucks. Thanks for letting me know.