Rich Rebuilds Built a Solar Kei Truck Camper on ATV Tracks for $1,100

There are two kinds of kei truck builds. The first is the sensible kind: a lift kit, some all terrain tires, maybe a bed rack and a toolbox. The second kind involves strapping ATV tracks to a 30 year old Honda Acty, bolting a custom camper on the back with solar panels and a heater, and doing the whole thing for less than most people spend on a set of tires for their F-150. Rich Rebuilds, the YouTube channel with over four million subscribers known for tearing apart Teslas and rebuilding salvage cars, went with the second option.

The build starts with a second generation Honda Acty, the mid engine, rear drive platform that Honda built from 1988 to 1999. The Acty's E07A 660cc three cylinder puts out roughly 46 horsepower, which sounds comically insufficient for a vehicle that now wears tracks and carries a small house on its back. And it is. But that is kind of the point. As UTV Driver noted in their coverage, the build leans hard into the absurdist prepper aesthetic: "put ATV tracks on it because the world might end someday."

The Build: $1,100 and a Lot of Fabrication

The most impressive part of this project is the budget. Rich sourced the lift kit and ATV tracks from Facebook Marketplace, which is rapidly becoming the go to source for niche kei truck parts alongside dedicated suppliers like Oiwa Garage. The total materials cost came in at roughly $1,100, not counting the truck itself, labor, or the creative energy required to look at a 660cc Japanese work truck and think "yes, this should have tank treads."

The fabrication work is where the real value sits. The team refreshed the Acty's top end mechanicals before doing anything cosmetic, which is exactly the right approach. Our maintenance guide hammers this point: every imported kei truck needs a complete fluid service and inspection before you start bolting fun stuff on. Rich's team clearly understood that a camper on tracks is only as reliable as the engine underneath it.

The camper shell is custom fabricated to fit the Acty's compact bed, which measures roughly 6.5 feet long by 4.5 feet wide on most second generation models. Solar panels on the roof feed a battery system that powers heating and basic electrical needs. It is not a luxury RV. It is closer to a mobile survival shelter, which is exactly what the video's tongue in cheek premise demands.

Why ATV Tracks on a Kei Truck Actually Make Sense

This sounds ridiculous, but there is a real argument here. Kei trucks weigh between 1,500 and 1,800 pounds depending on the model. That is less than half the weight of a midsize pickup. ATV track systems are designed for vehicles in the 500 to 2,500 pound range, which means a kei truck sits right in the sweet spot where the tracks can actually function as intended without being overloaded.

Companies like Mattracks have been manufacturing rubber track conversion systems for decades, primarily for ATVs and side by sides. Their systems bolt onto existing axle hubs and replace wheels entirely, turning a wheeled vehicle into something that floats over snow, mud, and soft ground instead of sinking into it. The ground pressure drops dramatically compared to tires. For anyone who uses their kei truck on a snowy farm, a muddy woodlot, or soft sand, tracks are not a gimmick. They are genuine flotation.

Honda actually proved this concept decades ago with the factory Acty Crawler, a special order variant that replaced the rear wheels with tank style treads on tandem axles. It was available until 1999 and remains one of the most sought after Acty configurations on the collector market. Rich's build is essentially a DIY version of what Honda engineers prototyped 30 years ago, just with more solar panels and more apocalypse energy.

Kei Truck Camper Builds Are Exploding

This build sits in a rapidly growing category. Kei truck camper conversions have gone from a niche Japanese hobby to a legitimate segment with commercial players and DIY builders going at it from both ends. On the commercial side, companies like Direct Cars in Japan sell turnkey kei campers like the Dune Rover (based on the Daihatsu Hijet) starting around $38,000. On the DIY side, forums like MiniTruckTalk are full of builders fabricating custom shells, slide in campers, and pop top conversions for under $2,000 in materials.

The appeal is obvious. A kei truck camper gets you a self contained vehicle that fits in a standard parking space, sips fuel, and can navigate forest service roads that would scrape the sides off a full width truck camper. The Subaru Sambar and Honda Acty are the most popular platforms for camper builds because their mid engine layout keeps the cab floor flat and the bed unobstructed. Our kei truck camper guide covers the full range of conversion options from commercial shells to DIY builds.

What makes the Rich Rebuilds version different is the combination of off grid capability and off road mobility. Most kei camper builds stick with standard wheels and tires. Adding tracks means this thing can reach spots that wheeled vehicles simply cannot access during winter or wet season, which is the whole point of an "end of the world" build.

Should You Build One?

The honest answer is probably not, at least not exactly like this. ATV tracks add complexity, reduce road speed, and require ongoing maintenance that most kei truck owners do not want to deal with. They also make the truck illegal on public roads in most states, which limits you to off road and property use only.

But the underlying concept is sound: a cheap kei truck plus a simple camper shell plus solar power equals a capable off grid micro vehicle for a fraction of what a van build costs. You can buy a running Suzuki Carry or Honda Acty for $5,000 to $8,000 from a US dealer, add a basic camper shell for $1,000 to $3,000, and have a self contained vehicle for under $12,000 total. That is less than a down payment on most new trucks. The dealer directory has importers and dealers across the country if you are shopping for a base vehicle, and the state legality guide will tell you where you can actually drive it.

Rich Rebuilds built this as entertainment. But the bones of the idea, a kei truck as an affordable platform for off grid utility, is dead serious. As Hagerty has noted, these 660cc engines are built to run for 200,000 km with basic maintenance. The parts are cheap. The insurance is cheap. And the smile on your face when you drive past a $80,000 overlanding rig in your $6,000 Japanese work truck with solar panels and tank treads is, apparently, priceless.