TOYOTA TRAILS it was so unique and recognizable, he found people were not very interested in buying a Land Cruiser with zebra stripes. So, in typical Rainey creative style, instead of selling it, he decided to raffle it. Tickets were $25 for a chance to win his FJ40. Back in the early days of the internet (before forums and social media had been invented), the action was all on the Land Cruiser Mailing List (LCML) which was an email list. In its heyday, the LCML had a steady, robust volume of emails from Cruiserheads from all over the world. Rainey sent out his raffle idea on the LCML and people purchased tickets from all over the country. The winner was from Texas. Many years later, the Zebranator changed ownership again. Rainey learned of this when he received a phone call from the new owner stating the Zebranator had been in an accident and asked, “Would he be willing to come down to repaint the stripes?” Rainey politely declined. Painting a Zebranator twice was enough. The Zebranator was a legend in the Land Cruiser community for many years. Even now, if you google “Zebranator,” you will still find photos of this legendary truck. THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAIN TRAIL RIDE Shortly after joining TLCA, Rainey was talking with a friend at a local 4-wheel drive shop where he used to hang out. He mentioned a magazine article about a group of Land Cruiser guys that had a club on the east coast, and this got them talking about starting their own local club. This became the Southeast Toyota Land Cruiser Association. Rainey was one of the founding members. Initially, he served as secretary and a few years later he became the president. Soon after founding this new TLCA chapter, they decided to host a TLCA Sanctioned Event: the Great Smoky Mountain Trail Ride. Rainey thought the name of the event was too long, so he came up with “GSMTR” (pronounced gee-smit-er), and the name stuck. Rainey likes doing trail runs with obstacles because the obstacles create community. He feels like getting out of your truck and intermingling with everyone was the most fun. “Everyone gets out of their trucks, walks out to the front and helps you get through the area.” Not all runs he has attended subscribe to this philosophy, but whenever Rainey is involved, he makes sure to keep it social, simple, and fun. He feels GSMTR has always been this way, which is why he loves the event so much. Rainey talked about a trail at the event called “The Bottom of Two.” The locals call it the “Devils Gulch” because of the last 100 yards are very difficult. This trail provided lots of socializing opportunities! One of Rainey’s fondest memories at GSMTR happened when the winner of the Zebranator raffle attended with the truck. They were all on the trail and getting ready to head up “Rollover Hill” when the driver asked Rainey if he would drive the Zebranator up. Rainey got in and drove it right up. He was amazed that nothing had changed with his FJ40 — everything was exactly as he left it, all the way down to the tiny Maglite flashlight hanging from the heater control. By the way, GSMTR is still going strong. This year was the 30th annual event! TLCA: LEADERSHIP, ILLUSTRATIONS, AND A NEW LOGO In addition to his involvement with his local club and GSMTR, Rainey also became involved with TLCA holding the position of VP of Marketing. At the time, this position involved contacting off-road companies to ask for donations for raffle prizes for TLCA sanctioned events. During this time, TLCA was also rethinking its organization and focusing on rebranding to better reflect its growing national presence. The team heard about Rainey’s professional illustrator talents and approached him to redesign the original TLCA “Ventura County” logo. The new logo that Rainey created was first launched in the March/April 1993 issue of Toyota Trails and is still in use today. Fun fact: he actually did several versions of that logo including one with a FJ55 and another with an FJ60. 13 If you are someone who collects older issues of Toyota Trails, you might remember the fun Cruiser drawings in the old blackand-white issues. These drawings were the work of Rainey. One day he was doodling cartoons of his Land Cruiser, and he faxed a drawing to Gary Bjork, the original editor of Toyota Trails. Gary loved it, published it, and asked for more. Rainey kept doing these drawings for quite a few years. Rainey says that he has been privileged to have designed t-shirts for quite a few TLCA events over the years, as well as several chapter logos. Special Note: We recently connected with Rainey to partner on a limited-run t-shirt of his illustration of an FJ40 called “The Beast.” It’s wonderful – you should check it out. You can find the shirt at tlca.org/shop Rainey’s Toyota 4x4 collection over the years includes a 1965 FJ45, 1970 FJ40, 1975 FJ40, 1977 FJ40, a 1974 FJ40 with no engine, 1985 4Runner, and a 1982 mini truck. He currently drives a 2012 Tacoma. The 1982 mini truck was the vehicle that he purchased after he raffled the Zebranator. A friend let him drive it at Rubithon, and he liked it enough that he bought it. It was built as a Baja-style truck, but Rainey still drove it as his daily driver. He says his wife thought it was completely “redneck.” Rainey has been a car guy since he was a small boy. “It is just part of who I am,” he says. After 13 years, Rainey is nearing completion of a 1932 Ford. Rainey says this has been a long time coming, and the only thing left to finish is the interior. Although he doesn’t work on Land Cruisers for himself anymore, he is helping two of his friends build their FJ40s. He says the only reason he knows how to work on FJ40s is because his good friend Gene taught him everything he knows. Rainey says the best thing about owning Land Cruisers is the vehicle that he drove to work every day could conquer anything! If you know of a longtime TLCA Member with a great story to share please reach out to Karie Farr, memberservices@tlca.org