Meet Liam Pickering, the owner of a 1996 Suzuki Carry dd51t from Wakayama (和歌山) Japan now let loose on the roads of Norfolk!
How did you first encounter the Kei truck greatness?
Well kind of a odd one really as because it was really a mixture of things.
Main two reasons was a Honda acty that was always parked in the joint car park at the model shop (it the one in the photos). And being one of WPL RC social media partners (influencer) I got sent out one of the first 4 d12s in the UK a month before the public release and within doing research for the video it kind of made me want get one more and more.
(Bonus fact: the Honda acty was originally imported in from Japan by one of the Honda bike dealership in Norwich as there recovery/delivery truck. It was sold to it current owner due to the windscreen getting smashed and the dealership struggled to find a replacement)
Tell us your Kei truck story, how did you acquire your badass ride?
How I end up getting mine was really by just saying fuck it you only have one life.
Literally after the 3rd or 4th lockdown due to covid I was kind of getting bored of building RC cars and doing research for the d12 video push me on too looking at the full size ones online and realizing the prices are just going up and don’t seem to be stopping…. about a month later my first car (Vauxhall Corsa D) started to get gearbox issues in 3rd, so said fuck it and sold. I found a 95 carry on Facebook marketplace…. but it sold the day before I sold my old car. So, I end up with no transport for 2 weeks until I found my one down in Exeter which was over 280 miles away from home. It was already license, road tax and had 12 months rego. I end up messaging the guy offering the guy £4,500 for it £500 less than asking and ended up using that £500 to pay a recovery truck to bring it back to Norfolk. It ended up taking from (5am to 7pm to get it back home).
Any mods or plans? Share the details!
Well, not 100% sure what the final build will be as me and (my partner) Chloe would like to build it out as a tent style camper. We would love to get a @hardcargo roof rack and the tent that go with it.
As for mods, we have done quite a lot.
- Nardi steering wheel for leg clearance.
- We did the door card and headliner fabric with tartan we bought on holiday up in Scotland.
- Skateboard wheel window winders.
- Added speaker to the door cards and a sub tuck up in the passenger side footwell.
- Added passenger side air vent from the DE51V van
- Added the garage cluster from the DE51V van as it has a tachometer.
- Added passenger side sun visor.
- Custom made cup holders.
On the outside it had a change recently:
- Was on 13″ JBW rallye special rim that was wrap in Maxsport RB1 Rally Tyre. It now on 13″ cobra slot mags power in gold. Wrap in some nankang road tyres (We always want slot mags on it from the start but been struggling to find 12″ in 4×100 or 13s that tuck under the arch more. I do want go 12 inch slots so can run the toyo open country but keep finding them in classic mini fitment 4×101.6)
- I had a custom made 1inch and half lift kit on it when it was on the JBW.
- I got 4x hella comet 500 lights attached to the rear rack for night time driving as stock head lights are crap. (Side note it has been featured on hella UK Instagram account)
- Added the under bed toolbox and bed box for storage.
- Odd device bed chain mounts.
- Most recent add was some vinyl graphics on the bed sides.
What I want to do in the future for mod:
- Add locking diff
- Add AC
- Yoshimura honda monkey exhaust.
- Seat covers.
- Raptor coat the bed.
- Under seal the frame.
- Get crash dent fix and repaint truck.
- Probably turbo it with the f6a out of a Suzuki wagon R
What do you mainly use your Kei Truck for?
Well, when I first got it was daily for pretty much a year and a bit strange. But now it spends most of its time in my garage waiting on some TLC as currently something is up with the carb and timing to the point it shoots flames out the exhaust if you back off the throttle (If you been doing 45mph for 5 minutes then let off it goes pop). But I still drive it for car shows and when I just feel like driving something that feels like it going to kill me 🤣
Have any wild Kei Truck tales or fun facts about your ride?
I do have some but I am pretty sure most of them are illegal 😅. Definitely just your typical burnouts, drifting and possibly drive by shooting of a road sign.
Favorite thing about owning a Kei truck?
To be honest it the first car that I owned that activity trys to kill me in stupid ways and I love it.
It feels fast as fuck even though you’re only doing 45 compared to doing 120mph in my volvo xc70 estate which feels the same as doing 30mph.
Where can we follow you for your Kei truck action? Tell us your socials!
My Instagram is @that_kei_truck . Apart from that account on Instagram, you can find me on YouTube under Mr Liam Pickering. Most of the contact is RC related but the odd Kei Truck or car video will pop up.
