Best Trading Co., based in Tokyo, has begun exporting used Japanese 4X4 mini trucks to the U.S., Canada and other countries around the world. The Kei trucks, so called because of the Kei class to which they belong, are a sub compact class with engines limited to 660cc of displacement. They do not seem to be legal for road use in the U.S. but:

Kei trucks have many different uses like farm utility vehicles, off-road hunting vehicles, maintenance vehicles for schools, university campuses, golf courses, large factories, shipping yards, warehouse facilities, large ranches or dairies, horse stables, theme parks, camp grounds, airports, orchards, landscaping companies, nurseries, local municipalities, security companies, movie sets, cemeteries, the possibilities for these trucks are endless.

These trucks are also used as the basis for small custom vehicles in Japan such as mini VW van replicas. They look like they would be pretty cool for a lot of uses. It’s too bad we can’t drive them on the road over here. You can get them directly from Best Trading, shipped in a container to a port near you.

Will this become the truck accessory of the near future? What is the possibility of truck retrofit kits to convert your standard gasoline powered truck to a totally different drivetrain? As you stand there filling your Chevy, Ford or Dodge pickup with three dollar gas, has the thought ever crossed your mind?

Gasoline prices are going to fluctuate for a long time to come, but vary as they will, the chances of a return to long term gas prices in the one dollar region are pretty much zero, even two dollar gas is less likely than three so what is the threshold before someone decides it’s time to pull the old gas engine and drop in a diesel? Diesel prices aren’t exactly a bargain, either, but with biodiesel, the potential to make your own fuel is always there if you’re in the right situation and diesels can get considerably better mileage than their gasoline counterparts.

If your truck is relatively new, you’ve got a problem if you decide to trade or even sell outright. The current trade in and resale values are pretty low with manufacturers offering huge rebates and low interest financing on brand new trucks, so your two or three year old, low mileage creampuff has the trade in value of a high mileage beater from not too long ago. Not good. Instead of taking a beating, why not swap out the gas engine?

There are far too many pickups in great shape and far too many of their owners for everyone to just lose thousands of dollars in value and investment without some enterprising company to step in with a solution that turns a nice profit while saving huge dollars in operating costs for the truck owners. An engine and computer replacement, wiring harness, fuel tank conversion or replacement, diesel exhaust and you’re good to go. It wouldn’t be cheap but if the kit was well done the truck would have a long service life and probably retain a high trade in value enabling the owner to recover some of the conversion cost.

Who could do something like this? Gale Banks comes to mind right away but there are probably many companies that have the capability of stepping in with a kit. They wouldn’t have to supply the engine either, just the kit, and you could pull a diesel from a low mileage donor. They could supply rebuilt engines as well to give you that comfort level to know your truck would run great after all the the time and effort, not to mention money, was expended.

What are the chances? Watch pump prices. If those go up, these will appear, just wait.

Dodge will be adding particulate filters and oxides of nitrogen absorbers to their heavy duty diesel Rams starting in January of next year. Stricter emission standards will go into effect then which coincide with the rollout of low sulfur diesel fuel across the U.S. The filters will lower performance somewhat because of greater restriction in the exhaust so Dodge, like GM and Ford, plans other changes to make up for it.

The filters cannot tolerate high sulfur diesel so Dodge is waiting until January to add them to the production line because by then, all high sulfur diesel should be out of the pipelines.

Link: Autoweek

Ever had your hands full when you were lowering your tailgate? Does your wife complain about lowering the tailgate because it’s so heavy? Or maybe someone who’s a little older keeps dropping the tailgate because they can’t control the weight. The Stabilus EZ Down looks like a very neat solution.

The EZ Down installs in about 4 or 5 minutes and no special tools are needed. It’s essentially a gas shock absorber that connects on the side of the tailgate and you can simply open the tailgate and let go because the EZ Down does the rest, gently lowering it until it’s fully down. Very simple, very neat.

They have details on their website and a video that shows the short and simple installation process.

Link: EZ Down

After the record run of the Holden pickup for production vehicles, we had to remind you of what a non production but still street driveable pickup can do. Gale Banks took his Dodge Dakota pickup, the Sidewinder, to Bonneville back in 2002. The best thing about it is they drove to Bonneville, that is, they drove the Sidewinder to Bonneville, pulling its own trailer with parts and tires. When they arrived, they swapped the wheels and tires for the special race versions, pointed the truck down the track and proceeded to smash the previous records.

Although the clock malfunctioned on one of the runs, the measured exit speed was 222.139 mph in a street driven diesel pickup! It gets 735 horsepower and 1300 foot pounds of torque from the 5.9 liter diesel and 21.2 miles per gallon. It’s an economy truck, too! They set a number of records in various classes detailed on their web site.

You have to give Gale Banks credit, he builds some of the best performing trucks on the planet. 222mph! Not bad.

Link: Gale Banks Sidewinder

Holden Special Vehicles just set a new speed record for a production standard utility/pick up truck. The HSV LS2 6.0 litre V8 Maloo R8 Ute raised the record from 248.783 km/h (154.586mph) to 271.44 kp/h (168.66mph). The record was previously held by the Dodge Ram SRT-10. The Ute was completely stock and for record purposes had to make two runs within an hour to set the new speed mark.

The Holden folks, down in Australia, have been doing some nice work over the past year with their wild custom “EFIJY” and the recent GTO from Pontiac was based on the Holden Monaro.

Holden isn’t well known in the U.S. but if they keep doing this sort of thing, they might get a little more notoriety.

Link: Holden HSV

Stylin Concepts is giving away another great truck, this time it’s a 2006 Ford F150 they call “Positive Displacement.” Loads of truck accessories for both style and performance. The contest begins July 1st. Be sure to check it out.

Press release follows:

Stylin’ Concepts, the world leader in aftermarket SUV and truck accessories, is pleased to announce the completion of its first sweepstakes truck of 2006, a fully-customized 2006 Ford F-150. Entries for the sweepstakes will be accepted between July 1, 2006 and September 20, 2006. Visit www.stylinconcepts.com/winF150 for details and to enter the drawing.

Christened with the name “Positive Displacement,” Stylin’s customized F-150 features many aftermarket accessories for both styling and performance. Performance accessories include a Belltech-lowered suspension, a high-performance Magnacharger supercharger and a custom Corsa exhaust system vented through a through-the-body exhaust tip. 22” Boyd Coddington Magnum wheels with low-profile Hancook tires and a Stainless Steel Brake Corp. heavy-duty braking system make sure the F150 handles superbly and stops on a dime (with room for change). Read the rest of this entry »