Modifying and upgrading Kei trucks can either be an awesome hobby or a practical and cost-effective way to improve the vehicle you have without needing to resell it and buy a new one. Of course, it is the kind of thing that needs to be done properly, but when done right, custom builds can improve a vehicle’s engine, raise its carrying capacity, enhance its durability and longevity, add quality of life features, or even enable it to traverse off-road terrain that it wasn’t capable of before.

The type of upgrades you do as part of your build matters a lot, of course, but the “canvas” you start with is also very important. Not all vehicles are equally suitable for modding and turning into custom builds, or at least not to the same extent. That’s because many modern cars come so chock-full of features already that you often need to remove features before you can add new ones, which is usually a waste of time and money.

Something like a kei truck is often the hottest and perfect canvas for custom builds or modding, however, as more and more people in the West are finding out recently. Let’s examine why that’s the case below.

Why are kei trucks the ultimate vehicle for custom builds?

What makes a vehicle perfect for a custom build is, to a large extent, subjective. After all, everyone has different preferences and different end goals in mind. If you want to make a custom monster truck, a kei truck probably won’t work as a base, for example.

However, there are objective factors to consider as well. Namely, the fact that the ideal canvas for a custom build is a vehicle that’s as “bare bones” as possible and only has the basic fundamentals. Then, all you can do is add onto it, without needing to remove stuff or worry whether your mods will work with the vehicle’s other features.

Additionally, those basic fundamentals need to be good. There is little point modding a vehicle with poor fundamentals, unless you plan to swap those too.

Another factor that makes a vehicle a suitable “canvas” for a custom build is the availability of suitable parts and components. This is something that’s often seen as a weak point for kei trucks, as they aren’t all that widespread in the West yet, and not many places offer replacement parts for kei trucks. In recent years, however, it’s relatively easy to find what you’re looking for, especially at the Oiwa Garage.

Kei trucks have light engines but are very fuel-efficient, which is also great for modding. With a 660cc four-stroke engine, kei trucks aren’t particularly powerful. However, that small engine plus the small size of the truck also gives them an incredible fuel efficiency of 30 to 40 mpg (miles per gallon). This gives you a lot of flexibility in how you choose to mod your custom build. You can change the engine to something more powerful, or you can go with something more efficient. Or, you can just use this already light and efficient engine as is and build around it.

Additionally, kei trucks are small, maneuverable, and versatile. A kei truck is so lightweight and versatile that it can be turned into anything – a small urban delivery vehicle, a rural or farm utility vehicle, a recreational vehicle, an off-road vehicle, or anything else. So, with a clean yet great base and with readily available parts, kei trucks are excellent canvases.

What mods would we recommend for you kei trucks?

Everyone’s build is different, but we’d say kei trucks are generally great for:

1. An engine change – whether for a more powerful or for a more efficient option (or a bit of both) is up to you.
2. Electronics – depending on the model you’ve got, your kei truck may only come with a rudimentary radio and heating. Many old kei trucks don’t even come with an AC unit. This gives you the freedom to add any type of electronics you want, from an AC and a new radio, to speakers, sat nav, a speedometer, and so on.
3. Roof and bed modification – the standard kei truck comes with nothing on its bed and roof, but there are countless options for what you can do there. Roof baskets, cargo nets, camper shells, and more.