LUVTruck.com

As a Luv owner and have lived with 3 different kinds of powerplants under the hood, I feel i must state my thoughts on the pros and cons of each setup i've ran.
Stock: MPG... Thats the only pro i can think of. I had the stock setup when the speed limit was 55 mph. I can only think that at 70 mph the truck is murder on the Hwy. Even with some performance upgrades, the motor will be ok on using fuel. But you can only expect to get so much power from a 1800 c.c. motor.
V-6: Far and away the best modification i've ever done to the truck! For 18 years i've ran a V-6(3.8 odd fire. 3.8 even fire and 2ea. 4.1 even fire motors) and it's been a strong, reliable, powerful setup. Adding the 9" axle with taller gears almost made the truck perfect! The Luv truck should have been made with a V-6 as an option. The V-6 motor belongs in the engine compartment. The drawbacks are that it cost some money to convert the truck and it WILL consume fuel at a greater rate than the stock motor. The extra weight is noticed at first but you get used to it quickly. Once the conversion is complete, the effort and cost of the conversion instantly leaves your mind the first time you drive it. It's a great balance of power to size and added weight. I could go on but i think you get the idea.
V-8: POWER...POWER...POWER!! Forget about gas mileage. It's the big trade off for all that muscle at your disposal. The fuel tank was designed to work with a 4 cyl motor so watching a V-8 suck the tank dry will freak you out. The extra weight is barely noticable over a V-6. To get the most from the V-8, you need to be more serious with the build. Other factors will need to be addressed because of the greater power(chassis, suspension, steering, brakes and the like). Getting the power to good use will be important. Correct traction will be of an issue.
To sum it all up, stick your foot in to the carb of a stock motor and blow it up and get it over with. If your truck is a daily driver and you want reliability, Go with a V-6. You will see yourself owning the truck for years and years. the performance upgrade will keep you happy for a long, long time. If you want a rocket, go V-8! You wont pass by very many gas stations but you can get there in a hurry. It's a rush driving the thing.
Any upgrade from the stock motor will make you look at your truck in a whole different light. It will become very different than what you knew.

Thank you for hearing me out...

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Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

cool man, i think you just changed my mind about what motor i want

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1980 luv sport 4x4 Just a memory now
Frame rusted from the inside. Truck stripped and now looking for a new donor in southern ohio

Good job.... Finally when people ask about motors, we can just refer them to this post. As for me as most of ya know v8 all the way..... But I have one problem.... I LOST MY KEYS Now I can't even get into my truck, 'cause no one could make me a copy of my only key .

good write up Blue!
the 4 banger lasted as long as it needed to in my truck. it was running fine when I took it out, but it was time for more power! argh argh!

I have also had a Buick V6 in my truck for years and you covered that pretty well. I had the 5 speed in mine and loved it. I couldn't tell you how many miles I put on that setup.

the V8 is going to be fun im sure.

hey wicked....call a locksmith!

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03Cobra

my 4.3 has been great...but am still considering a v8 upgrade.

not sure if i'll do it though...don't know if i want that much power at my disposal every time i get in the driver's seat.

nice write up though.

I'm not saying that a V-8 is a wild, wicked setup. I have a mild cam, aftermarket intake and headers. It's a very smooth, controlable ride. I do know that i'll have to be careful if i drive it in the rain. The truck WILL pour smoke off of the right rear tire from a standstill so it's wasted energy without a posi rear end. The rules change when going with a V-8. The V-6 worked very well with the differential i have right now so it was easy to drive around town or the Hwy. Even with the successful upgrade to the V-8, i am still kina bummed out about the Buick setup i had. I had tailored the truck to the V-6 setup and i still miss it. The truck was my only transportation for years and years so finally getting the V-6 setup sorted out made it a great daily driver but it is no longer my primary vehicle. Once i tailor the V-8 setup, it will be a fantastic, controlable street rocket. I dont need the truck to be used to handle responsibilities of daily life. It's now a weekend missile that may need to be used on occasion if my primary truck goes down. My 1500 Chevy truck makes the money, My Chevy Luv takes the money.

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Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

that is exactly what I am looking at blue!

I can't wait.

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03Cobra

if you wanted a more powerful 4 cylinder, a toyota 2.4(22R) out of an '95 or earlier truck, or a 2.7l 3RZFE out of a tacoma would definitely be cool swaps. 22rs are dirt cheap and are much better supported than luv engines. the 3rzs are still pretty expensive since they've only been made since '95, but they're DOHC and have around 160hp and 180lbs of torque. the only drawback with this little guy is the wiring, since it's EFI.

as for the v6, i think the best bet nowadays would be the 4.3l gm motor. very easy to come by, available in carbed, tbi, and mpfi(i think) so you can do whatever you like. probably fits a lot better in the engine bay than a v8 too, and doesn't have the issues the older buick motors did

i think the ultimate luv engine swap would be an inline 6, if you could shoehorn it in. the main thing they have on a v6 is their smoothness and reliability, being one of the only naturally balanced engines out there(along with the rotary and v12). a 7MGTE out of a '86 up supra is rated around 230hp out of the box, and are rather easy to come by

Kyle, your right about the 22r. Thats what was in my '78 before I put the 5.7 in it... They are a good motor, but mine decided it was time to die, so when the bearings went out, I decided to blow it up, went downtown and did donuts until it went boom (more like... screeeeeeeech, crunch, clink clink clink clink) .... If I had it to do again, I would have put another 22r in it (which I had lying around) and saved up for a LT1 with a 6 spd, but no..... I wanted power right then....

I got to agree with the fact that the inline 6 is an incredibly smooth motor but im not sure if it would be worth trying to fit it to the Luv. The heater core would certianly be eliminated with all of the firewall mods needed. A slant 6 would be totally out of the question. I'd love to have one in a Jeep though!

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Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.