Hello! My name is Jake and I'm in the process of importing a 94 Carry Lift/Dump 4spd/2wd via JapanCarDirect, just waiting for it to get on a boat now and I can't be more excited. Really looking forward to getting into the mini truck community and learning a lot about these kei vehicles. Planning a full maintenance once it arrives in the US and then maybe some light modifications after that. Looking for some advice - outside of the normal maintenance items (fluids, filters, ignition, timing belt/waterpump, tires) what should I make sure to pay attention to on the truck? I don't need a full lift, but am thinking about going with the "Harley Rose" progressive springs and rear shocks. Does anyone have any insight/experience in registering one of these in Kentucky? From the research I've done it doesn't seem like there will be any issues, but it always feels like a roll of the dice with grey market vehicles. A few photos attached:
Lube the joints on the lift, you will have 8 of them. 10 if the cylinder pivots have Zerks fittings. Most of mine were dry when it showed up. You can buy springs for coil-over shocks from Summit and Jegs which are suitable, and generally less expensive. I’m running 2.5-I.D., 10-inch, 150 to 450-lbs/inch springs on the front of mine. I might have gone with a lighter spring. But, my plow weighs a couple of hundred pounds. In the rear I added an extra leaf from a set of trailer springs, on top of the stock leafs.
Thanks for the good advice! What type of fluid do you use in your hydraulic system for the lift? I feel like i should probably change that too. Question for anyone: My Truck is designated as a DC51B & i can't find much about that model code out there, mostly finding DC51T or DD51T. I'm guessing the C is for 2wd? Whats the significance of the last letter?
I talked to the guys at NAPA, the guy with the local tractor shop, and the equipment mechanics at work, and then settled on Dexron 9 full synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid. They all said it wouldn’t hurt the lift on the truck, and my snow plow manufacturer said that was the right thing for the plow. Four years later and no issues.
That's a great looking dump/lift Carry! I'm in Lexington, so we're practically neighbors. I'm waiting for my Daihatsu Hijet to arrive in three weeks. I feel like Ralphie in A Christmas Story, waiting for his Red Ryder BB gun. It looks like there will be some delays getting my truck registered, but I'm eager to get it and start doing some work on it to get it ready for its second life in the USA. I was hoping it would be here in time to be a fall project, but it sat in Yokohama for two long months after I bought it before Be Forward shipped it, so it's arriving in time for winter, so it'll probably be a spring project. I have seen ZERO kei trucks in Kentucky. We should have a kei truck meetup.
