CLICK & CLACK’S CAR TALK

DEAR TOM AND RAY: Remember those Datsun mini-trucks that used to be around? Where did that class of trucks go? It seems like all you can get now is a full-size F-150 or similar. Is there anything like those old Japanese mini-trucks still on the market, or should I start shopping for a classic El Camino?

-- Bryant

RAY: People stopped buying them.

TOM: There still is a class of pickup truck smaller than the full-size F-150s, Silverados and Ram 1500s. But they're not much smaller.

RAY: Toyota still makes the Tacoma. Nissan still makes the Frontier. And Chevy is coming out with a redesigned Colorado for 2015.

TOM: But these are not mini-trucks. The trucks you remember were, essentially, compact Japanese cars with pickup-truck beds. They were cheap, lightweight and utilitarian.

RAY: Not enough people want that anymore. Pickup trucks have become large, luxury cars. The smallest two-door Toyota Tacoma these days, for example, is only about a foot and a half shorter than the smallest full-size Toyota Tundra. And that Tacoma is still 208 inches long -- only a little shorter than the old Lincoln Town Car land yachts that used to ply the airport terminals.

TOM: And even though you can order it with a four-cylinder engine and get a little better mileage than the full-size Tundra, it's a cheaper and less capable vehicle. So unless maneuverability or parking is an issue, most buyers choose the larger, more comfortable, more up-to-date Tundra.

RAY: The problem for manufacturers is that, once you design and build a smaller pickup truck and equip it with everything a modern vehicle needs to have, it doesn't cost much less than a full-size pickup. And the mileage isn't that much better. So most people go for the bigger truck.

TOM: You should have a look at the Chevy Colorado when it comes out. That'll be the most modern and up-to-date of the less-than-full-size pickup trucks.

RAY: You can look at the Honda Ridgeline (which is more carlike than other pickups, but not much smaller).

TOM: You can look for a used Subaru Baja, which was the most recent El Camino-ish vehicle that failed to sell and was killed off. It was last made in 2006.

RAY: You can look for a used Ford Explorer Sport Trac, which was last made in 2010. That's a Ford Explorer with a pickup-truck bed. Again, not small, but smaller than a full-size pickup.

TOM: You can look for a classic El Camino, or even a really old Toyota or Datsun truck, if you're willing to give up safety and reliability.

RAY: But what you're really lusting after just isn't for sale anymore, Bryant. At least not in the United States.

TOM: If you're willing to move, then we can help you out. Go to any third- or even second-world country, and you can have your pick of cheap, small pickup trucks. Just don't look too closely at the body panels, because you may see the words "Hungry Man Dinner" stamped into them.

DEAR TOM AND RAY: Last week, for one of my best customers, I replaced a very difficult steering rack. The ALLDATA instructions called for air-bag and steering-wheel removal, which I did, but I didn't really see why. The locking mechanism on the yellow air-bag connector was absolutely impossible to solve. When I got it apart, the lock was shattered, but the electrical contacts were intact. I put it back together using nonconductive plastic ratchet ties ... the same ties I use under the hood all the time to secure wires and connections. But now I'm wondering: Have I done the right thing for this air-bag connector and my customer? Since it's the air bag, it's concerning me.

-- Doug

RAY: The reason they have you disconnect the air bag probably is for your safety, Doug. Since you're unbolting the steering column, they want to eliminate the very small possibility that you'll accidentally deploy the air bag.

TOM: My brother still has the word "Ford" embossed backward on his forehead from a similar incident.

RAY: It sounds like you broke the little tab that locks together the two parts of an air-bag electrical connector.

TOM: So, to hold the two parts together, you secured them with those plastic ties. That should work.

RAY: The good news is that the air-bag system has a self-diagnostic test that it performs every time the car is started. So if that connection ever does come apart, your customer's SRS (supplemental restraint system) light will come on and keep flashing at him until he gets the connection fixed.

TOM: But you don't want to wait until that happens. So if it were my customer, I'd have him stop in so I could really secure the connection with some silicone adhesive.

RAY: It shouldn't take very long. You just remove the horn pad and then cover the connector in silicone adhesive. It's nonconductive, flexible, watertight and highly secure. We even use it for connections under the hood now, since it works so well.

TOM: And if you ever need to undo the connection, you just cut the silicone with a razor blade and you're in.

RAY: What you did probably is fine, Doug. And that warning light will let your customer know if there ever is a problem. But just so you can rest easier, have him come back so you can apply some silicone adhesive. Consider it a sleep aid, Doug.

Click & Clack (Tom and Ray Magliozzi) dispense advice about cars in Car Talk every Saturday. Email them by visiting

cartalk.com

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