Where to buy a TrueTrac?

[Norbie]

Hi all,

After a lot of screwing around I've come to the conclusion that it's impossible to buy a TrueTrac in Australia. :( So, where in the US is the best place to buy one? Of course I'd prefer a retailer who's prepared to put it in a box and send it to the other side of the world. :)

Any information appreciated. My diff sounds like it's going to explode any day, so I really need to take care of this soon!

[SilverMk2]

I'd try these guys 1st;

http://www.reiderracing.com/

[rabidchimp.com]

I can get the True-Trac for you Norbie, along with the proper OEM bearings. Please e-mail me, with your postal code, and I'll shoot you a quote right away. Hope to hear from you soon.
-Aaron

[Norbie]

Email sent! Thanks Aaron. :)

[RWDCelicadude]

Hey, Aaron, how much for the true trac and can you find a set of 3.42 gears to go along with it? Thanks for your help.

[Norbie]

Yeah ditto on that last point... I'm looking for a 3.7:1 or taller ratio (3.42:1 would be great) but I have a feeling that's asking for the impossible. :(

[MikeD]

Yeah ditto on that last point... I'm looking for a 3.7:1 or taller ratio (3.42:1 would be great) but I have a feeling that's asking for the impossible. :(

Not if you got the money! BTW, 3.42 gearing would've cost me additional $200 usd when I had trutrac installed and instead went with 3.73 gearing. So far I'm happy with it! Revs quite a bit lower on hwy (2350 rpm @ 60 mph vs 2800 rpm @ 60) especially with 17" wheels.

[RWDCelicadude]

Hell, $200 isn't bad, I had one shop quote me $350 for the gearset then call me back the next day and say they actually couldn't get it, even at that price.

[SupraFiend]

Don Culbertson runs with 3.42s with his true trac

[williamb82]

are you sure about that? i thought ophir was the one with the 3.42's, and he's running a stock lsd, since his car had what 13kmi on it when he got it? i know don c. has a true trac but thought it was a 3.727 and he is using the truck tranny that is geared lower. then again, he could be running 3.42's with the truck tranny and it works out like a w58 with 3.727's.
william

[SupraFiend]

maybe it was ophirs, but I think don said he had them too. I could be confused. I'm sure Junkie will pipe in soon enough to confirm or correct. My point is they're out there and can be had.

[Norbie]

My point is they're out there and can be had.
If anyone can tell me where, I sure would appreciate it. :)

[SupraFiend]

they are used in a toyota truck, and they fit just fine into our diffs. Thats about what I know of it. Shawn (aka Junkie) should have the rest of the info your looking for. Sometimes he doesn't check the forum that regularly, give him a PM and he should get back to you though.

[williamb82]

yeah, shawn is who i got my info from, the only thing i dont remember for sure is the r&p of don's car, the rest of it is correct, even the truck tranny( w55 i beleive) in don's car.

as for the 3.42's, they are in the toyota pickups with 7.5in r&p's i dont know the firewall code for them or the exact years, but you should be able to jack the truck up and check. not very hard.
william

[rabidchimp.com]

I'll be selling the Tru-trac LSD for $399, plus shipping. Retail is $452 and change. You'll also need new bearings, which run $47 ea. I'll do some hunting for gears. Later folks.
-Aaron

[williamb82]

not to undersell aaron, but reiderracing.com has the truetrac for under $300. i paid $304 + shipping for mine and last i called it was in the $280 range. also, they sell the bearings for $90 for the pair
william

[Speed Racer]

not to undersell aaron, but reiderracing.com has the truetrac for under $300. i paid $304 + shipping for mine and last i called it was in the $280 range. also, they sell the bearings for $90 for the pair
william

"not to undersell Aaron, but...."

Congratulations...you JUST DID!

Sometimes I really wonder why he bothers trying. You guys are going to make it physically impossible for him to stay in business if you keep this crap up.

You ask him for a price...and he gives you a fair price, then you shop him anyway and announce it to the ENTIRE FLIPPING GROUP that you found it for less, or already GOT IT for less elsewhere.

*shakes his head*

[williamb82]

sorry but over $100 usd is alot, espeacially when you have to pay shipping to australia. anyway, i posted that price over 6 months ago when i bought it, so this isnt the first time i told how much i paid. and thats the first time iver heard aaron even mention he can get the truetrac. if it was close i wouldnt mention it but $120 is quite a bit. hate to burst your bubble but not all of us are rich and its well known everyone wants the best possible price, thats why we institute group buys and such. if you dont like the fact i made that post, tuff. i like aaron, he is a cool guy, but not all of us can afford those prices and therefore are going to look for better deals, and when we find better deals, the majority of us are going to share the info, and thats all i did. for all i know reider racings price could be cheaper then aarons current truetrac supplier. but then again reider racing is a 4x4 shop and sells alot more truetracs then aaron ever will which is why their price is so much cheaper. sorry if i was trying to help norbie out, he is the one who started this thread.
william

[Speed Racer]

William,

I have no beef with you bro. I'm more upset at the situation than anything else. It's hard to stay competitive in the import parts market. There is always someone bigger who can buy cheaper.

It just concerns me, because Aaron is working as many deals as cheaply as he possibly can...but he's got to make SOME profit in order to keep Rabid Chimp in business.

I didn't mean to come off like an ass - I just know how it is to be a sole proprietor. Keeping your doors open is sometimes very very difficult. I know not everyone is made of money - obviously since we are driving 20 year old cars. However, I try whenever I can to get stuff from Aaron...because his prices are usually close enough to the big boys that I don't mind the extra few bucks.

PS: And for the record William....your statement in the PM about me making "a buttload of cash" - you're so far off the mark it's not even funny.

[tubinator]

WHy is AARON such a BADASS??

[zank]

WHy is AARON such a BADASS??

He is one of the few people that offer mk2 performance parts for us www.rabidchimp.com :whistle:

Suprafiend- see I can be nice :evil: I dont aways make a smartass remark :wink:

[Speed Racer]

WHy is AARON such a BADASS??

Please explain exactly what you mean by this question...

Is this a compliment or what?

[cheappower82]

not to undersell aaron, but reiderracing.com has the truetrac for under $300. i paid $304 + shipping for mine and last i called it was in the $280 range. also, they sell the bearings for $90 for the pair
william

"not to undersell Aaron, but...."

Congratulations...you JUST DID!

Sometimes I really wonder why he bothers trying. You guys are going to make it physically impossible for him to stay in business if you keep this crap up.

You ask him for a price...and he gives you a fair price, then you shop him anyway and announce it to the ENTIRE FLIPPING GROUP that you found it for less, or already GOT IT for less elsewhere.

*shakes his head*

I can understand a high price on custom fabbed parts (like the intake pipe), but $100 markup on a readily available differential is somewhat questionable.

I agree that sticking your head out in the business world is quite risky, and I commend Aaron on his courage on starting a business that's not exactly 'highly profitable'. I guess for people who have a surplus of money that don't have time to search for alternatives, Rabid Chimp is the Celica-Supra Garden of Eden. I needed a new intake pipe, and his worked out great. Pricey, yet very effective.

[Speed Racer]

I guess for people who have a surplus of money that don't have time to search for alternatives, Rabid Chimp is the Celica-Supra Garden of Eden. I needed a new intake pipe, and his worked out great. Pricey, yet very effective.

I think starting first thing tomorrow, I'll log onto FTP on RabidChimp.com and take the website down. Maybe replace it with Pet Rocks and Gummy Bears. You're probably asking yourself "Why would he want to do that?"

With negative comments on THIS forum about the "prices" on Aaron's website from a select group of individuals - not only is it harming his business, but you're taking HOURS of MY work and flushing it down the toilet.

I believe in free speech - obviously because I installed this forum in the first place. But with statements like the above quote about his products requiring a "surplus of money" and the intake pipe being "pricey, yet very effective" - That's like saying "She was ugly, but the sex was pretty good."

Let me ask you this:

Have you ever compared the cost of custom fabricated parts for OTHER cars before? Do you know what HARD COSTS are involved for non-production line parts? Have you ever compared what Aaron is charging for his intake pipe, to a production line intake pipe for say, a MkIV Supra?

I've looked around on several websites that sell custom MkIII and MKIV Supra parts...and I assure you, the pricing structure on RabidChimp.com is a bargain for the majority of what he sells. In fact, the prices are close enough that when I need stuff...I get it from Aaron because he's dependable, he's honest, and his products are beyond well made.

Believe me, if anyone knows I KNOW this - Aaron's profit margin on nearly everything he sells is not going to have him rolling in a Benz anytime soon - you guys haven't got a clue. He's selling stuff that you can't GET anywhere else, and he's doing us all a good service too.

It's amazing how he can put all this time AND effort into building an online business to keep something out there for us MKII owners, and I can bust my ass building him a website FOR that business - but it only takes a few seconds for some of you to post a message like the above and make all that hard work - evaporate!

Thanks.

[quick]

I can understand a high price on custom fabbed parts (like the intake pipe), but $100 markup on a readily available differential is somewhat questionable.

Just understand that in order to remain in business you have to make a profit. If you have low margins on some stuff you need higher margins on another.

By cross-shopping RabidChimp you may save yourself some money in the short run, but you can potentially screw yourself long-term when there are no ways to make MkII parts and make a living.

You decide whether to support the people who offer some kind of aftermarket. I'm buying all of my stuff from Aaron.

[supra83mkii]

nice one supraracer007, i agree with what you said, why say something about Aaron when you still when ahead and bought his intake pipe, and say it very pricey, blah blah blah, why the f uc k dont you (cheappower82) find another person that sells supra mkii specific parts and are as dependable as Aaron, are as polite as Aaron, and are as cheap as Aaron, i tried looking for a intake for my car and guess what i could find one so i had to buy a universal one that suck ass and it costed me 100 dollars compared to Aarons ceramic coated intake pipe which fits perfectly on my car, and is designed for my car, sure you can buy somecheap shit that will work but not as effective as Aarons parts, Aaron was the only one that provided me with the service that i like and the prices that i liked too, AND IF YOU DON'T FIND AARON FIT TO DO WHAT HE IS DOING, WHY DON'T YOU (cheappower82) MAKE YOUR OWN SHIT FOR YOUR CAR..

[cheappower82]

I think starting first thing tomorrow, I'll log onto FTP on RabidChimp.com and take the website down. Maybe replace it with Pet Rocks and Gummy Bears. You're probably asking yourself "Why would he want to do that?"

With negative comments on THIS forum about the "prices" on Aaron's website from a select group of individuals - not only is it harming his business, but you're taking HOURS of MY work and flushing it down the toilet.

Hold it right there chief. You shouldn't defragment peoples statements like a sentence in elementary school. You're reading into this way too much.

The point I'm trying to get across is some people need Aaron to custom fab these parts, and some people don't. I could've had a local shop bend up that same pipe for, well I'm not going to quote how cheap, but quite less than what I paid. But I had the money, so why not throw it his way.

I'm all about supporting those who are trying to make available custom parts to a limited group. I try to refer others to Aaron when they ask questions like "where can I get some custom IC pipes" or "how about those CT26 oil feed/return lines".

But some of us are capable of making our own parts, and others just can't afford to sink that kind of money into the upgrades.
Sorry if I stepped on your toes :doh:

[RaptorRacing]

Can't we all just get along and HATE Hondas :gotrice:

[Speed Racer]

Hold it right there chief. You shouldn't defragment peoples statements like a sentence in elementary school. You're reading into this way too much.

The point I'm trying to get across is some people need Aaron to custom fab these parts, and some people don't. I could've had a local shop bend up that same pipe for, well I'm not going to quote how cheap, but quite less than what I paid. But I had the money, so why not throw it his way.

I'm all about supporting those who are trying to make available custom parts to a limited group. I try to refer others to Aaron when they ask questions like "where can I get some custom IC pipes" or "how about those CT26 oil feed/return lines".

But some of us are capable of making our own parts, and others just can't afford to sink that kind of money into the upgrades.
Sorry if I stepped on your toes :doh:

Ok...ok...let me clarify:
For the record I didn't defragment your sentences - I quoted you exactly - and I'm not out to flame you either - I'm trying to make a very important point that concerns all of us.

I don't think you're getting the big picture of what I'm saying, so I'll just say this: It's ONE thing to have alternative sources for parts, or the ability to have parts fabricated yourself...however, when you broadcast this to a small group like ours, the long term damage is that it not only hurts sales for guys like Ray Fong, Aaron Garney, Jim King, LJM (bars) and Robert Pina - it ends up hurting ALL of us in the long run.

After reading Flyin' Hawaiian's post about the availability of parts for the MkII: click here (http://www.celicasupra.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3449) (and already knowing parts are getting more and more scarce) everyone needs to realize that if you DON'T try to buy your stuff from one of our CS.com members - you're only hurting yourself.

If you can have your own fabrication work done, that's great - some people have that ability or sources and some do not. I am NOT saying that if you find a huge price diff not to go for it (that would be lame) but you don't have to announce to the whole freakin' world "I just bought it from So and So for $75 less".

Chances are good that "So and So" doesn't own a MkII, doesn't belong to our group and couldn't give two shits if any of us had these cars or not.

[Junkie]

they are used in a toyota truck, and they fit just fine into our diffs. Thats about what I know of it. Shawn (aka Junkie) should have the rest of the info your looking for. Sometimes he doesn't check the forum that regularly, give him a PM and he should get back to you though.


Late to this thread,sorry guys.I can get 3.42,3.58,3.73 R+P 's from toyota 4x2 trucks.Don C. has 3.73 and a tru-trac.Ophir has 3.42 with a stock lsd.I have Ophir's original 4.30 with less than 7k on it :wink: sitting in my shop,just waiting to get the Cressida from the wife :twisted:

I also agree with Stephen and Quick - Aaron is the shit, use him when you can, keep him alive :!: :!: :!:

[williamb82]

i agree with shawn, if you need stuff that aaron fabricates like an intake pipe, i/c pipes. turbo oil lines, turbo kit, etc... go with rabid chimp, but in the case of the true trac, im the one steven was refering to as getting it less, but, when the price is ~$120 less that is alot, and aaron doesnt advertise the lsd on his site, and as far as i know has never mentioned that he could get it before. but anyway, this thread was started by norbie, and i posted to help norbie out which i beleive i did. im sure the $120 difference can be used for shipping the lsd to aus. it isnt exactly light.

also, from the ranting that steven is doing, youd think rabid chimp was his own personal buisness. get a grip. we are all going to shop around. i can tell you there is nothing aaron offers that i cant fabricate myself for a fraction of the cost, but most people dont have the ability to do that. i had been thinking of ordering one of his intake pipes rather then make one myself, just so i wouldnt have to take it to be coated. i could post how little it would cost me to make one but you'd prolly cry if i did. anyway, no matter what, people are going to shop around, deal with it. but remember, the parts that arron makes that are mkii specific, he has no competition so is still going to get those sales. i feel your complaining and whinning way too much and have taken nobies thread waaaaaayyyyy off topic.
william

[Speed Racer]

also, from the ranting that steven is doing, youd think rabid chimp was his own personal buisness. get a grip. we are all going to shop around. i can tell you there is nothing aaron offers that i cant fabricate myself for a fraction of the cost, but most people dont have the ability to do that. i had been thinking of ordering one of his intake pipes rather then make one myself, just so i wouldnt have to take it to be coated. i could post how little it would cost me to make one but you'd prolly cry if i did. anyway, no matter what, people are going to shop around, deal with it. but remember, the parts that arron makes that are mkii specific, he has no competition so is still going to get those sales. i feel your complaining and whinning way too much and have taken nobies thread waaaaaayyyyy off topic.
william

And you don't GET it either, do you...

"Complaining and whining"? "Get a grip"? (How about you get a CLUE)

Instead of READING what I'm saying...which you obviously didn't read any of my previous posts carefully at all - I DID agree with several of your points.

No, Rabid Chimp is NOT my own personal business...however Aaron is a good friend, and I designed, built and maintain his website. Aaron would never speak up for himself like this, and people that know him know this to be true.


anyway, no matter what, people are going to shop around, deal with it.

Did I not address this in my previous post? Of COURSE they are! Damn...are you a "select" reader or what? Deal with THAT.

And as for taking Norbie's post "off topic" -- seriously, don't let it bother you. Most of the posts on this forum go that route sooner or later. I could steer you toward many more posts that have strayed off topic as well. If you wanna be a big help to Me, Malloy and Quick...how about you bitch about those posts too, Mmmm'kay?

Instead of reading what I said and realizing WHAT I'm saying, for some reason you feel the need to go off on a tangent and accuse me of "crying, whining and complaining". Had I known that you couldn't be an adult and discuss this without name calling - I never would have brought this up in the first place. Obviously my assuming you possessed the ability to respond with some level of maturity was just me using poor judgement.

As far as I'm concerned this matter is concluded.

[scarletlizard]

I know at my house, when there's silence after a fight...someones farts !!
PPPPHHHHTTTTT

[SupraFiend]

It is but as someone who did fabricate some parts himself that Aaron sells, I feel I should pipe up. That whole I can make whatever he can for a fraction of the cost thing is pure bull. You honestly belive that? Then do it and count how many hours you spend on it and keep track of all your material cost. Obviously your not paying someone for those hours but time is still money so at least factor in something minimal like 10 bucks an hour. For instance, I made myself a pvc intake pipe. Its a project I started early in the year and then put off for awhile. In all I spent at least 50 bucks in materials on it, and god knows how many hours. The thing went through at least 3 major revisions (read, nearly starting over from scratch) before I got something that fit right. Then I went into the prototyping stage, where I experimented with different coatings and fittings to get it to stay on right. After my tubes poping off and being reattached with many different adhesives I finally got it. If I was charging 10 bucks an hour for my time with materials I easily spent over 200us making that thing. And you know what? In the end I'm left with a plastic pipe that doesn't have mandrel bends and has never been dyno tested! Not to say I wish I hadn't done it, I am proud of it but it still isn't as good as Aarons and it most certainly didn't cost me a fraction of the cost.

Then theres my exhaust, shall we get into that one? Aaron offered to sell me just his 2.5 mandrel bent stainless catback (minus the muffler, I already had one) for $200. Taking the, "ah I can do it for cheaper and it make exactly what I want attitude" I dove in. Well the first shock came when I found out that one 10 foot stainless pipe went for over a 100 bucks even with my heafty discount at the parts store (they weren't available in 7.5 foot pipes in stainless). Then the 2 10+ hour days it took to cut it to size, fit it, pay a muffler shop to use their pipe expander (3 trips in all) and weld it all together was the next. If I had actually been paying my welder friend for all of his time (I gave him a computer instead), this little project would have costed me over 300 bucks, as it is I'm in nearly 200 cdn not including the cost of the muffler, resonator or cat. And guess what? In the end I'm stuck with a pipe that isn't mandrel bent (its made from cut sections of a mandrel bent U joint), doesn't flow as well, isn't stainless (couldn't afford it) and bottoms out constantly! I have to cut up a section of it and redo it as its too low under the axel. Although the intake pipe was not worth the time investment, I am proud of it and don't regret it. But the exhaust was just a waste of time and money.

Anyways, the moral here is if you can think you can do it for cheaper, take into account the value of your time, just how much R&D is put into making these things, and don't even for a second expect the end product to be as good as what Aaron sells. I guarentee you the fabricated part you buy from him costs him at least 3 times what hes selling it for to develope it to the level of quality that his stuff is at.

[williamb82]

lets see, 3in mandrel u bend $24. 2 3in-3in connectors with clamps ~$8, 1 3in-2.5in connector with clamps ~$6, about 20min to mark it and cut it at $10/hr $3.34 1 can of engine paint $4 another 5min to paint and about 15min to cook $3.33 2 peices of copper tubing the right diameters ~$1 and a package of jbweld $4. lets see, $53.67 later i have a mandrel bent intake pipe. not as nice as aarons but completely functional.oh, and how about my mandrel bent 3in exhaust that replaces the o2 elbow. lets see, i bought a 10ft section of 3in pipe, only needed about 3ft but regardless i got it cause my buddy need a few feet as well, pipe cost me $40. 2 3in u-bends $48, the magnaflow muffler $80 brand new from the muffler shop, the custom flange, free, my buddy cut it out of a peice of scrap for me. took me about 3 hours because my buddies lift was broken so $30 for the time so i spent $168 for the full 3in exhaust from the turbo back with the muffler i wanted. sure its not a pretty stainless steel pipe, but i plan on adding a full t04 and didnt want to waste the extra money on the stainless steel stuff till i upgraded the turbo, i want to go with 3.5in when i go with a to4.

and steven, i didnt call you names, a said you were whining which is what you were doing. yes, aaron works hard, and has alot of nice parts, but you need to think before trying to bash someone for helping out a fellow member. i dont care where norbie buys the truetrac, he asked where he could get it for a good price that would probably ship it to him and i told him. simple as that.

william

[Speed Racer]

and steven, i didnt call you names, a said you were whining which is what you were doing. yes, aaron works hard, and has alot of nice parts, but you need to think before trying to bash someone for helping out a fellow member. i dont care where norbie buys the truetrac, he asked where he could get it for a good price that would probably ship it to him and i told him. simple as that.

william

Ok...fine William. Let's see, you were "arguing", "bitching", and "whining" William - and yes William that is what YOU were doing. Now that this little debate his digressed below Junior High level...

I was thinking very clearly when I said what I said earlier. If there is anything I do -- I think very carefully and I choose my words wisely.

I wasn't bashing you for helping a fellow member. You STILL (after explaining this to you 3 times) don't see the big picture at all, and you're completely missing the point. I'm tired of trying to rationalize with you, because with you it's not possible.

Selective reading and comprehension is obviously an issue with you. If you had read ANY of my previous posts, you'd get my point and we'd be DONE with this. Now that this is all settled, can we get back to talking about cars here...or do you actually have something constructive and useful to contribute?

Edit: It was suggested to me that I lock this thread and put an end to the bullshit. If you wanna play tennis some more, we can do it via PM.

[thread locked]