Restore Pit｜MEGA WEB（メガウェブ）

Restore Pit

Toyota's Restore Pit offers the chance to see mechanics working at first hand. Outside the entrance on the left-hand side is a display of unique pit signs showing photographs of the TS020, which competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, as well as the Celica's win at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1991 - an unforgettable moment in Toyota's racing history.

On the walls are hand-painted scenes recreating other memorable events in Toyota's racing history. Next to the 1st floor entrance is a painting of the 1-2-3 finish by the 2000GT and the Toyota Sports 800 in the 1967 Fuji 24-Hour Endurance Race. On the wall of the stairway leading to the 2nd floor you can see the Celica winning the WRC Safari Rally.

In the Restore Pit, famous cars from the past are taken apart down to their individual components and restored. In the process, the craftsmen use their expertise to revive the cars' original beauty both internally and externally, as well as to restore their performance. The expertise of the craftsmen is well proven. The panel specialist has experience training mechanics at Toyota's dealers, and other specialists include such veterans as a former Toyota 2000GT Speed Trial mechanic and experts in repairing historic cars. Don't miss the opportunity to see the process by which these cars are brought back to life through the craftsmen's skill.

If you see a craftsman at work when you stop off at the Restore Pit, knock on the door and they will be happy to talk to you.

The Restore Pit craftsmen

Shigeyoshi Aoki

Mr. Aoki has worked in car maintenance for the general public and in vehicle development for 35 years.
From 1969 to 1991, he worked in car maintenance for the general public and he also has many years' experience in servicing and repairing historic cars.

Koichi Tomizawa

From 1970 to 1983, he worked in the servicing and maintenance of new cars.
From 1983 to 2008, he worked in car body manufacturing, inspection, and quality assurance.
He has 13 years of experience in servicing and maintaining new cars and many years' experience in teaching repair techniques and inspecting vehicles.

Takemitsu Yokoyama

Mr. Yokoyama has worked in vehicle inspection, body maintenance, and maintenance related to periodic car safety inspections for 40 years.
He also has many years' experience in teaching repair techniques and inspecting vehicles.
From 1997 to 2008, he worked as specialist in vehicle maintenance and inspection.

Shigetomi Ijima

Mr. Ijima is an expert in general inspections, as well as the inspection and remodeling of special vehicles, such as race cars, rally cars, the Toyota 2000GT, and Toyota 1600GT.
He is also in charge of training vehicle body service mechanics inside and outside Japan, and provides technical guidance to mechanics from around the world.

Kazuyuki Komuro

Mr. Komuro has worked in car maintenance for the general public and in vehicle development for many years. He also has long experience in servicing historic cars and sheet metal working.
He is also in charge of training vehicle body service mechanics inside and outside Japan, and provides technical guidance to mechanics from around the world.

The restoration process at the Restore Pit

All the vehicle's individual parts are removed from the main body.
Everything from the engine, chassis, doors, fenders, and trunk hood down to the last screw is removed and inspected.
Vehicles cannot be restored to their original condition without removing every single component to perform the work.

Restoration of the vehicle body: The body is returned to an as-new condition by repairing dents, defects, damage, rust, and so on.
The panel work involves inspecting every inch of the body, cutting out any rusted sections, making replacements out of new steel sheets, and faithfully reproducing every slight curve of the original panel.

Rusted sections are cut out, then replacements are made out of new steel sheets and welded on.

Restoration of the engine, chassis, and auxiliary mechanical parts: Components used for many years are all dismantled, repaired, and restored to full working order.
All the components are checked one by one, and any that are damaged are repaired, or replaced and adjusted, to restore the engine and other mechanical parts to their original condition.

The engine is dismantled, and all components are checked. Any damaged components are repaired, or replaced and adjusted, before being reassembled.

Restoration of interior and exterior fittings: Damaged or torn seats are repaired or reupholstered. Damage or unevenness in the chrome-plated sections of bumpers and elsewhere is repaired, and the parts are then re-plated to restore them to their original condition.
Re-plating and the replacement of seat upholstery and carpets are outsourced to specialists.

Rust is removed from accessory parts, which are then rust-proofed and painted.
Any unevenness in the moldings is repaired, then rust is removed, and they are polished until they look as good as new.

Cars restored at the Restore Pit
Toyopet Crown	(RS41)	1963 model	1963 (Showa 38)
Toyopet Corona hardtop (donated by Mr. Kenichi Watanabe)	(RS50)	1966 model	1966 (Showa 41)
Toyopet Crown (donated by Mr. Kohei Tsunoda)	(MS51)	1969 model	1969 (Showa 44)
Toyota 1600GT	(RT55-M)	1967 model	1967 (Showa 42)
Toyopet Corona (donated by Mr. Kakuto Tanai)	(RT40)	1967 model	1967 (Showa 42)