80 Luv fo free!

[70rs/ss]

I'll get picts when I get it home. It has the 4 cylinder standard trans and it runs!! Original paint, company truck, the guy just had it sitting and I asked if he wanted it gone, he said yeah can you get it out of here, being the nice guy that I am, I said yeah. I may toss him a C note just because!! Picts when I get em. I have a nasty SBC my brother never got around to installing into a car before he passed, so this'll do for now!!

[72BlckButy]

Can't wait to see some pics!!!! What a steal.... free!!!!!

[hotrod 80]

Cool man , let me know if you need any pointers

[70rs/ss]

Yeah, I know 350 install "kits" exist for the S-10's but what about the Luv's? Since it has the 4 in it is that going to mean I need V6 mounts? Any advice, picts, etc would be great.


Mike

[abebummy26]

Sounds like a pretty good sleeper to me.

[hotrod 80]

Hooker makes a kit for it with motor mount and trans mount . They discontinued the headers , so you'll have to find some used ones . I have a bunch of pics if your interested . I fabbed my own mounts and used 1st gen Camaro motor mounts and extended the trans mount from materials i got a the hardware store . I also used a Hooker super comp block hugger . My truck also has an HEI in it . Here are a couple of the mounts . Trans mount

Motor mounts

[70rs/ss]

Thanks the mounts are $275 alone and the headers are $420!! Looks like I'll be doing the home grown approach!!

[70rs/ss]

BTW what the heck is the 4 and trans in this thing?? Is it worth anything, as it runs and drives?!

[hotrod 80]

It should be a 1.8 ltr Isuzu motor . The carbs are a premium . I would try and sell it before pulling it . Headers are discontinued through hooker . Summit was sold out .

[hotrod 80]

Also try LUVtruck.com

[RPOZ11]

Originally Posted by hotrod 80

Also try LUVtruck.com

Also try www.V8LUV.com

[70rs/ss]

I just called summit and they show the headers? It even says ships today?! I thought Isuzu.

[70rs/ss]

Yep, they have them. I am kinda on the fence as this has the 7 1/2' bed, long bed, but free is too good to turn down, i hope the extra foot or so will help with traction! Thanks for all the help and the LUV board is too cool.

mike

[hotrod 80]

I went with a budget build . it sounds like i had bad info on the headers . It'll be fun , keep us posted .

[70rs/ss]

Originally Posted by hotrod 80

I went with a budget build . it sounds like i had bad info on the headers . It'll be fun , keep us posted .

Yeah, i think I may do the budget build as well, since the Hooker parts are going to be $600+, but I did get the truck free, so if I can sell the motor/trans maybe I can save some headache and just buy the stuff?! Thanks for all the help, I'll get picts when I drag it home!!

[lolife99]

How hard would it be to put the body on a S10 frame. Tons of parts and junk S10's out there. Just a thought.

[hotrod 80]

It can and has been done , but the S-10 frame is weak compared to the Luv frame . The Luv frame is fully boxed from front to back and has 6 cross members in it . The Luv frame is over built . It would be alot of work . It should have a 4.10 or 4.56 being a stick truck . There is a guy here in town that had a long wheel base that went 10.80 on a stock rear axle . I have a 9" ford in mine .

[70rs/ss]

I was figuring to go as fast as I could with as much OE equipment and replace it as it broke!!Will a 454 fit in there? I have an LT1 w/aluminum heads that needs a stroker kit put in it, then maybe some squeeze on top of that. I guess 400-500hp in one of these truck would be like 6-700 in a heavier car, so no need for BBC I am thinking 700r4 or something like that. If it has 4:10 or 56's I'll need an overdrive. A buddy of mine had an old LUV like this that he put a too huge cam in, and we never could get it to hook (good thing or crap would'a broke) that is where I got the idea when I saw this truck sitting. I need to go get it before he decides to give it to someone else. Tomorrow is a snow day so that'll work!! We got a mini blast up here dropped 5-6" in about an hour or two, so no worky tomorrow. I'll get picts!

[Mickey_D]

You really want that thing to fly?

Drop about 600 lbs of cement between the rear fenders and stuff a 1995 RX-7 R1 engine into it. The stock tranny probably wouldn't last a weekend in it, but you'd certainly surprise the hell out of a lot of people with it.



I know, I know. Break out The Banhammer (tm) for suggesting anything but GM components.


Oh, and as for breaking stuff, you're not going to hurt the axles with anything short of 500 ft/lbs. In my 79 4X4 I had a heavily breathed on Isuzu Impulse Turbo 2.0L that enabled me to go rather quick. I used it to deliver newspapers on Bainbridge Island in Washington for a while. 700 copies of the Thanksgiving Seattle Times stuffed in on and around it made for a pretty heavy load. The tranny gave out on me (original with almost 300,000 miles on it) but I never had a problem with the axles. And I tried, believe me.

The weakest point in the original drivetrain was the head gaskets. And as hotrod 80 said, if the carb is still working, you've got a small goldmine there. They are the Hitachi HH240D vacuum secondary 2 barrel. They are a good carb when they work, but once they start to go, there's not much you can do. Even rebuilding them doesn't help as they normally warp the throttle plate.

The front torsion bars are adjustable and can take quite a beating. Just need a 22mm socket and a hefty ratchet. Just remember to count how many turns you lift each side so they match. It's a PITA to do a front end alignment when they're at different heights.

I can tell you from experience that the rear axles will withstand 3,800 pounds driven over 75 miles in 1st, 2nd and reverse. So will the rear suspension. The weakest part on the rear end is the spring shackles. If you wrap them up too much they'll fold. But it takes a LOT to do it (like putting your truck up on the left front and right rear wheels with the truck at a 45 degree angle to the ground both front to back and side to side).

They are also absolutely fantastic in the snow if you put a bit of weight in the arse end. I was driving around Bremerton, Wa with no problem in 14 inches of snow when everything else was at a dead stop. Even full sized Chevy's were getting stuck (which I pulled out to their dismay). When we had an ice storm and everyone else was stuck, I was one of only two vehicles getting people to my ship (funnily enough, the other was a Toyota Tercel 4WD wagon).

[70rs/ss]

Good to know, I plan to get it running and try to sell the motor and trans before I do the swap. I'd like to put a turbo or blower on the 383 so we'll see what I can throw at it, if I do well enough on the selling the drivetrain, that'll help me with the purchase of the other stuff!!

Thx, MIke