I was having a "conversation" with my wife this afternoon on the topic of sheet metal "restructuring", and similar artistic pursuits. See, we have a used car lot/junkyard/tire pile/OC Choppers, ghetto tuner shop motif going at our hacienda. At any given time there are at least: two civics, a 310whp CRX, an 85 Supra (stepchild), two Subie wagons, an 02 Taco(My DD), a 91 Toy (my baby), A Gale, 52 dodge, 58 Studebaker, numerous motor and pedal bikes etc. etc. My wife is a near-perfect catch. She takes care of me and puts up with my crap when I'm dope-sick on chemo, she buys X-mas gifts like a Sony mp3 car stereo, she allows this amazing sprawl of mechanical crap, gives me time to putter, and lets me spend money on that stuff ya gotta have to survive, like an 83 Toy front axle, 8,000lb winch, 5mge turbo manifold etc, as long as the bills are paid. The only real rule is this: if I even approach her Subie or the Taco(which is BONE stock, except for KN Intake and OEM Bilsteins) with a cutting or grinding instrument, I'm sent to my room , there to contemplate the error of my ways, since there are plenty of other vehicles for me to mangle. Today I was chopping up my Toy's front bumper, all the better to mount a new winch on(which I picked up for a measly 40$+22$new solenoid) my dear. She asked me if I there would be anything left of the Toy when I was done. Now, we all know the problem with that question; its NEVER done. I do understand her point. Before I caught this 4x4 plague, I never dreamed of the kind of radical surgery I'm so used to now. Any automotive cutting was for cosmetic surgery, carefully done and covered up with anal precision. Now, If its not structural and its in my way, its history. I got this truck from my pa three years ago. It was his weekender, absolutely pristine at a mere 68k miles in 2001 when I got it. Only Toyota gen parts were ever used, the only aftermarket item was a WOODEN truck box my dad built for it. The metamorphosis started so innocently. The only flaw on the body was a slightly blistered spot above the stock tail pipe exit. I feathered/blended/primered that little spot and............never stopped. I know I'm rambling, so I guess my point is that this hobby is kinda like being an alcoholic, you never get over it and you gotta talk about it. I know that no hobby I've ever had before brought me the kind of pleasure this does. When some dude pulls up next to you and starts asking questions, it makes all the work and mangled knuckles worth it. It gives me a feeling I could never get from some of the show queen imports I've owned, that other people did most of the work on. Hell, my family has their own mechanic, who comes to their house to fix vehicles. That’s what I grew up with. Now, however, my name is Jeff and I'm a Toyaholic.

You are right and it's also worth it for the times you get compliments. I think its partly where you live too. I'm in Montana and I get lots of compliments and I've had several guys offer to buy my rig on the spot. If I still lived in Boston or Seattle, I know I'd get lots of those "what a moron" looks.

do you have a dancing pickle on the frount?

Hello, My name is Pablo and Im a toyaholic....My itch started past summer when by father gave me my 4runnner...back then it was all stock....not it has started to take shape...slowly but surely...one day Ill get " wako" stares...and thats what Im looking foward to