I just picked up my first Kei Truck! It’s a Daihatsu Hijet S82V Deck Van, carbureted, 660-cc, 5-Spd Manual, Right Hand Drive, and super fun to drive. It was advertised as a 91, but the seat belt tags say 93 so based on searches it’s more likely a 93 or 94. It’s a Forest Green color (G13? maybe G15?), but was obviously originally blue due to terrible masking and not painting the jambs. I’m in the US military stationed in Yokosuka, Japan and plan on taking this back to the states with me when I complete my tour. Because of that I don’t plan on doing any major work, just basic maintenance and making sure it’s ready/able to be shipped. I just picked up Danko’s Service Manual which I think will work for my S82. I’ve been lingering for a while and finally got an account when I got the truck. I’m looking forward to tinkering and I’ll post pictures when I figure out the process.
Welcome aboard. Based on 30+ years experience with keis in Japan I highly suggest you go through it thoroughly on this side, before shipping it back. Parts here are much more available and also much cheaper. And there's a lot of stuff you just won't find at all in the States... save on shipping from the motherland. Pack it with extra maintenance items like filters and brake pads... whatever. Unusual to find a bad paint job in Japan... one reason I suggest digging deeper before the move. Corners may have been cut elsewhere as well.
Thanks for the welcome, Limestone. I appreciate the info, Ronin. I still have about 2 years here, so I'll go through it as much as possible and stock up on parts. Any high-failure items you recommend I stock up on, other than maintenance items? I've seen the difference in the short amount of time I've had it. Went to AutoBacs to replace the battery, and after reading about everyone's trouble finding them in the states I thought it might be difficult. Turned out they had a mountain of 4 different kinds right when I walked in the door! I imagine I'll run into a lot of that.
