Vintage TOYOTA MOTOR Hand Tools and "TEQ" Accessories

Thought I’d start this as a supplement to wscbill’s “Tools, Tool Kits, Options, and Accessories” thread, which, incidentally is one of the most informative of any threads on MUD. Bill, I (we) owe you a big-time thanks for doing the research and sharing your findings. A dolt like myself couldn’t have completed a correct tool bag without it. TreerootCO, I understand you had a hand in it also – thanks to you too – don’t want to demean your contributions, or anyone else’s for that matter. Those looking to build a tool kit/bag with period-correct tools who haven’t seen that thread, have a look – you won’t be disappointed.

Tools, Tool Kits, Options and Accessories

The intentions of this supplemental thread are simple:

· Muster up conversation about other vintage Toyota Motor tools and accessories which never made it into Land Cruiser tool kits, but would be cool in them nonetheless.

· Share pictures of your Toyota Motor tools and accessories

· Encourage MUDDERs to keep educating MUDDERs

· Be a launching pad for some buying, selling, and trading (definitely not trying to create another classified section, but don’t think it would be too terrible if a few deals were made as a result of this thread).

We all know the basic tools that came in Land Cruiser tool kits from the 50’s – 80’s: open-end wrenches/spanners, 250mm adjustable wrenches, 200 mm pliers, screwdrivers with wood, yellow, or black handles, lug wrenches, those impossible to find OH and Maruki hammers, the grease pumps which I firmly believe only exist in legend, engine adjust kits, etc. But Toyota also stamped their name on a myriad of other “Standard” and “Recommended” tools. Thanks again to wscbill, (and full credit to him also) pictures of those tools can be found in a couple of old catalogs. The seven links below are pages 1 – 7 of a 1972 (or so) Toyota Motor tool catalog. Have a gander at each.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/media/pg-1.65822/full

https://forum.ih8mud.com/media/pg-2.65821/full

https://forum.ih8mud.com/media/pg-3.65820/full

https://forum.ih8mud.com/media/pg-4.65819/full

https://forum.ih8mud.com/media/pg-5.65818/full

https://forum.ih8mud.com/media/pg-6.65817/full

https://forum.ih8mud.com/media/pg-7.65816/full

Then a link to a 1982 catalog is here. It’s a nice color version written in Japanese.

We see some very cool stuff - a pipe wrench, ratchets, sockets, colorful plastic-handled screwdrivers, honing stones, box wrenches, files, etc. Note the vast majority of the tools in both catalogs are marked TOYOTA MOTOR without the old Toyota “TEQ” logo (side bar: “T backwards E Q” are actually three Japanese Katakan characters which translate to “TO YO TA”). This absence of “TEQ” on the tools in the 1972 catalog may be relevant, as many of the early Land Cruiser tools and other Toyota models had that stamp. We can almost surmise the practice of stamping of the “TEQ” logo on Toyota tools was discontinued in the very late 60’s or very early 70’s. That’s speculation of course – if anyone can substantiate, please chime in.

If seems then the words "TOYOTA MOTOR" were used on tools well into the 80’s, as evidenced in the 1982 catalog. So when did TOYOTA MOTOR tools just become TOYOTA tools? It appears that TOYOTA MOTOR evolved into TOYOTA in the 60 series and 80 series, based on some of the tools in the bags during those production years. Speculation again, but TOYOTA MOTOR likely all but disappeared from Toyota tools in the mid-80s. Here's a pic of TOYOTA MOTOR tool #09130-00120, needle nose pliers, from the 1982 catalog, in living color:




The time frame of the TOYOTA MOTOR to TOYOTA evolution is important when considering the possibility of obtaining/collecting TOYOTA MOTOR tools from the 1972 and 1982 catalogs. Think about the period we are talking about. Toyota’s first import into the United States was the Toyopet Crown in 1957, and obviously as cars were imported and driven, cars fell down, went boom, and had to be repaired. How many auto shops fixed Japanese imports back then? We all know – not a ton. And for the tech who had a Toyopet Crown roll into their shop, where would he get replacement parts? Order from Autozone.com? No, he would probably have to pick up their rotary phone and call a parts importer, order, and wait. And wait. Fast forward 37 weeks to when the part arrived and it is install time. He needs a flathead screwdriver, a crescent wrench, and a 14mm wrench. Hmm. 14mm. Might not be in his bag. Think he is going to whip out his Toyota “Recommended” tool catalog and place an order for a Toyota socket set? Unless he wants to keep his customer waiting for another 37 weeks, he’s making a trip to Sears and buying a Craftsman.

If that theory is correct, it is very possible few TOYOTA MOTOR “Standard” or “Recommended” tools from the 1972 and 1982 catalogs ever made their way to the United States. That is somewhat substantiated by the absence of those types of tools on US auction websites, making them just as scarce, or even more scarce, than those legendary grease guns.

Here tools 09130-00140, 09018-38180, & 09018-12250 (vise grips, 9.5mm ratchet, & 12.7mm ratchet).



Page 12 of wscbill’s TTKOA thread has some great pictures of the screwdrivers from those catalogs:

Tools, Tool Kits, Options and Accessories

With regard to accessories, who knows how many hundreds or thousands of vintage items were manufactured for the different Toyota models that had TOYOTA MOTOR or the old "TEQ" logo imprinted or stamped? I’ve recently come across a few TOYOTA MOTOR or TEQ items I never dreamed existed. Here’s one that would look very cool in the glove box of a vintage Land Cruiser:



And another:




Speedy 101 AutoWax? Yeah, pretty sweet.

Your turn. Do TOYOTA MOTOR tools fill any space in your bags, boxes or chests? Have any old, vintage TOYOTA MOTOR or TEQ accessories collecting dust in the back of the garage cabinet? Share a few pics if you do. Would love to see them in living color.

Poster's Editorial: Guess this thread could have been a continuation of the TTKOA thread, but figured it could be separated out and focus on tools/accessories that weren't found in Land Cruisers as they rolled off the lines.

 

Very nice stuff. I'm more of a vintage guy. Here's a pic of a pretty cool "TEQ" tire chain bag, probably from the late 60's. Any more 60's, 70's, or early 80's Toyota Motor or "TEQ" tools or accessories out there?