Classics by the Beach: August, 2022

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Regular readers might recall that this Tonka-tough Kei truck has featured in a previous Classics by the Beach post.  That's a fairly strict no-no for us; we at Upper Middle Petrol Head try, whenever possible, to bring you something new and exciting from each monthly instalment of Hobart's first-Sunday of the month car meet and to not repeat ourselves.


However, that all ended when I saw the Daihatsu performing its more than meets the eye party trick, transforming from what looks like a bog-standard flat-tray to a tipper in an instant, courtesy of a fairly serious looking hydraulic ram.  That fulfils the new and exciting criterion, I reckon!

Fortunately for me, Classics stalwart AJ is a friend of the owner and asked him if he'd be prepared to reprise the performance so that I could video it for my newly established Instagram account (please feel free to follow me at uppermiddlepetrolhead)!  Here’s a YouTube link, just in case you’ve missed my latest cinematic masterpiece; https://youtu.be/PCzgvJY6WYg .


But wait! There's (even) more!!  Raising the tray revealed some of the very, very tidiest wiring that I've ever seen.  I mean, I'm a bit of an electro-neat freak but the cable work on this machine is next level.  We're not just talking carefully routed wires in split conduit, a bit of heat-shrink and some evenly spaced cable ties; our man has welded his own loom tabs to the chassis to ensure that everything's 100% secure and that there's no possibility of the circuits being damaged.  He's even added his own multi-junction earth plates to guarantee the lowest resistance grounds possible.  The fuel system plumbing is similarly well executed, too.         





There’s also a custom-built rain tray protecting the mid-mounted engine and electricals, air horns have been fitted, and auxiliary illumination comes courtesy of an LED light bar and a pair of old school amber-lensed Narva fog lights.  All the aftermarket switch gear in the cab features fighter jet-style covers, which is a bit of fun, even if they’re not for arming a pair of air-to-air missiles!


Don’t let the Kei truck cuteness fool you!   It might be micro-sized but this Death Machine features a proper four-wheel-drive drivetrain, including a high / low transfer case, which combines with the vehicle’s light weight and tiny dimensions to create a fairly capable off-roader.  The tipper function’s no gimmick, either; it was used as recently as last week to dump the tray’s contents without the need for any sweaty shovel work. 


My best guess is that the vast majority of the cars that follow - with the possible exception of the 1962 Bristol V8 shown in the next six photos - won’t require a lot of explanation.  That being so, we might draw the commentary on this month’s CBTB to a close.  Please enjoy the rest of the photos and do consider taking a bit of a look around the rest of the UMPH site!  















































Thanks, as always, to all the wonderful car owners for displaying their magnificent machines and, in particular, to those who took the time to discuss them with me.  It’s hugely appreciated! 






U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)






























































































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