LUVTruck.com

Well i think im gona order that gauge set in a couple days.

O i didnt know they came hooked together like that thats sweet! that makes it alot simpler Yea i think your right it would be cool to see, I remember ctmandu's it looked pretty sweet! to bad you wernt doin a V8 swap then you wouldnt have to cut one of them off. Well Ill be watching whatever you deside to do! You done anythin more to the 4.3?

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"Project Rangeluv"-Dana 28/7.5 rear, TFI2.9V6 5spd, 86 Ranger frame swap, custom flatbed,Custom luv!
1989 ford bronco II "The Mountain Rig"
My build thread (viewtopic.php?f=33&t=24076)

just more disassembly. i cant do anything new until i get the machine work done.... did get a new phone tho so i will be able to take a lot better pics of progress form now on..

i have a court fee i need to pay and fines before i can do much more to the engine $$$-wise so i can get my license back so its going to be slow going for the next month or so

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

alright i have two questions got anyone who has done a smallblock or 4.3 swap

what exhaust diameter should i use? 2.5 or 2.25? 4.3 v6... vortec heads, dual exhaust, 4 barrel etc...

and what size of a radiator am i going to need/will fit right.... recommendations for a radiator?

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

My buddy runs 2.5 from his headers back and likes it, (but his is 350) not sure if this helps much! and summit has great rads! I bought a 22"X19" a while back (that i didnt use) fit in there nice tho, after cutting the core support up alittle bit.

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"Project Rangeluv"-Dana 28/7.5 rear, TFI2.9V6 5spd, 86 Ranger frame swap, custom flatbed,Custom luv!
1989 ford bronco II "The Mountain Rig"
My build thread (viewtopic.php?f=33&t=24076)

im thinking 2.25 will prbably be the way to go..
im going with vortec heads (real vortec from 96+) which are the same as LT1 heads port wise... so this will flow a lot more then the old heads could, and going to stick with a quadrajet and stock intake re drilled to fit the vortec heads and a set of pacesetter shorty headers

and 22x19 is gonna be about all i can fit went out and measured today.. i have heard the fan from a lincoln mark somethin is 14" and dual speed electric so that would be a great junkyard part..

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

okay... i know there has been a lot of me rambling on and on about this idea and that one without and real decision on what i will do so today me and my dad spent a little while out in the garage looking over the luv and talking about what the best would be for it in terms of speed and remaining very streetable. .

well after much heated deliberation... decided the plan is to rebuild the 4.3 using 96+ vortec heads, rebuild the 700r4 and get shift kit for it. after that is finished and ready to run going to pull the NP241 AWD tcase from a 90-95 chevy astro (65/35 split) the front end from the astro, and either a chevy 12 bolt or ford 9" rear end w/posi. planning to cut down the astro's front suspension and use it so i can run coils up front and pull the t-bars out.
its a relatively cheap swap for what it is.. under 2000 for all of it including the rebuild of engine and trans. going to see how much its going to take to have the drivelines modified and axles shortened, got a guesstimate but will need to findout

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

well finally got the shims to fix my brakes and get the luv on the road again.
had a near miss right after getting it back together... forgot to pump the brakes before i backed out of the garage and dang near took out a parked car before a had pressure to stop myself whoops...

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

well my ignition switch finally fried because pretty much everything was drawing power thru it, fuel pump, stereo deck, tach, etc etc... got to the point where it was dying every 1/4 mile or less and you had to hold the key in just the right spot to keep it running
decided to end the ghetto wiring job done way back when... picked up a pair of relays a 4-fuze box and a few spools of wire and a new ignition switch
put the new relays in the same box as the original ones on the pass side fender, wired up the fuel pump to its own relay since it has already been fried 4 times i think it was time to wire it right... hooked up the power to my stereo deck, electric choke and tach to the other one and got it all wired up.. took a good 4 hours to get it done because i had to run to the hardware store for wire connectors half way thru but over all i am pleased with it and havent had any problems since and the ignition isnt gettting hot to the touch anymore . will get a pic in a few minutes when i head downstairs.

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

wow i completely spaced out and forgot to get those pics... will have to do it tomorrow.. have been loving the setup so far tho no problems and the pump always runs strong now...
need a battery bad tho it blew some acid out and it rusted my distributor valve cover and all below it so the metal is getting really bad may have to replace bettery tray going to replace the regulator again when i get a new battery..
i really need to find a more powerful alternator, i have a 50amp right now did some math
12volts x 50amps = 600 watts peak output.
i have a 1000w amp running a single 10" 1000w peak sub, i have a second one of these 10s i want to use as well as a 300w amp i want to hook up to a new set of 6.5s in my doors and a second pair when i build a new box for the 10s to squeeze them behind the seats. 1000w would be 83.3 amps at 12v. not including the lights and everything else that draws power. so i need to find a 100ish amp alternator i can get to fit. could put a v belt pulley on pretty much any alt just need to find the closest one to stock mounting pattern.

the luv is going to be put on the back burner for a little while. picking up a pair of datsun 510's one rolled with an l20 and 4 speed and a roll cage and the other is good body with no engine trans... putting them together with a header and side draft carbs. roll cage the whole 9 yards once that is done i can work on paint and body work on the luv while i drive the 510. then do the opposite i think the luv is going to be a 4 banger for a while, want to swap in a 5 speed and maybe a 2.3 or 2.6. the 510 will be the toy to beat on, keep the luv alive a lil longer

was thinking about putting an isuzu symbol in place of the chevy symbol when i get a new grill. isuzu motor, isuzu made it... its an isuzu gotta make it stop lying to itself. maybe plastic weld one in place.. i have the chevy logo from both of my grills that were destroyed in accidents

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

well its getting to be about the time to get back to work on the luv, will be getting the 510 pretty soon and drive it while i fix the luv, and then vice versa
passenger side is still leaking bad, went out today after a heavy rain and found a puddle on the passenger side, going to need some POR-15 but trying to figure out how much to get, need to do the frame, floorboards and inner fenders, may just have to spring for a gallon.
going to use bedliner for the inside of the bed since i noticed a few rust pinholes behind the wheel wells. and then i need to paint it after i fix the dings and small rust spots under the paint, should be an evenful winter

going to get the 4.3 put back together and try to get it sold, i am going to keep the luv 4x4 no reason to take all that out when i will have a rwd car to play with. will invest in a 2.6 and 4x4 5 speed combo next time picknpull has a 1/2 off deal.

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

out in Seaside OR with the girlfriend and the LUV for the weekend took a few pics today, thinking about a video on the beach tomorrow




a luvly sunset




about as close as i could get without water coming up to the wheels, really need to fix my front end.


found a lil log to hop a wheel on

i miss my grill

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

finally found a second job today so there will be a flow of cash to get the luv fixed up and improved.
plans for near future, por 15 the frame and engine compartment, line the bed and floor of cab, and fix my skeleton dash

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

well the second job is finally paying off
next friday im going to pick n pull getting myself a trooper 5 speed and front driveshaft for my luv and a 4 speed with parts im trading for front end body parts. looking into replacing my beat up rear bumper while im a it if i can find a good looking one to adapt while im at the yard
so depending on work this next weekend should be a pretty productive one hoping to have it ready for paint soon after i fix the body. slim chrome mirrors coming too.. i dont haul a big trailer i dont need big mirrors

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

alright update time
my engine is starting to go thru oil and cooant so in the next two weeks its comin out for a rebuild/build up.
shopping list so far incudes a g200 oil pump, g180 timing set w/g200 tensioner (metal vs plastic kind of a no brainer) set of clevite stock pistons (gettin ceramic top coat), the usual rebuild parts gaskets etc
just emailed delta cams about a regrind for it.
getting the 4.3 sold and out of my work space so i can tear into my g180

i decided to go with my early idea of using propane and a turbo. my buddy is working for a volvo shop and is picking me up a water cooled garrett turbo for it, i can pick from a few different ones so i will look into which will get me where i want to be. him and i are going to weld up a turbo manifold from some weld els once i get the engine done

calling the machine shop tomorrow for a quote on bore, balance and having oversize valves fitted

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

the luv makes my ob so much easier
we end up wheeling hundreds of these chairs from the hotel to the trade center and back across the lot a few times a month.. this is so much easier than wheeling them 10 at a time with a hand cart.. they even give me gas money for doing it


recently i noticed my throwout bearing is going out and making noise so engine/trans are comin out as soon as i get ahold of a hoist
if anyone is looking for a running g180 with electronic ignition and a weber w/4x4 4sp let me know clutch kit is 85 bucks.
the 4.3 is going in afterall. i just cant bring myself to sell it when i could get 2.4x the displacement of stock with great aftermarket support for a few hundred more bucks.. cant pass up 30% overdrive either

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

we the truck is in the garage now will start working on it tomorrow, few days off this week gonna get some progress made.
will post pics as i go this time i made sure i have a camera handy.
tomorrow the interior is coming out, seats are trash, carpet is going, keeping some of the stereo gear but sub and box are going,
getting the engine ready to come out after that, will probably cut out the trans crossmember and fab a new one or the 700r4, figure i might as well go auto, i can always throw on a shift kit later
the wiring is a nightmare under my dash so i may flip a coin on tearing it all out while im at it

hoping to buy a hoist tomorrow morning so i can get it pulled by tomorrow night.
done with this indecisive crap i just want to get to work

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

small update while i take 5 for some food
got the interior mostly stripped

thought i would throw this in, last thing the luv did at work, beer run!


got the seats pulled out


carpet, sub and amp pulled out


pulled the deck and cut out the old tangled up wiring from it


got the wiring & fuel lines disconnected, oil & coolant drained. will be ready to pull when i get a hoist

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

got some more work done before i decided to call it a night
pulled the hood, radiator, all the hoses, sensor wires and starter wiring, battery, cleaned out the interior with the shop vac, also removed the windshield wipers and cowl after the pics were taken






went and bought an orbital sander and some discs for it while i was out so i can get prep work done for the paint bed liner and floor boards.
planning to pull the fenders and the bed tomorrow.
if i hear from the guy im tryin to buy a hoist from i will get the engine out tomorrow or thursday

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

waiting for the guy with my new hoist to show up so quick update for now
got the radiator pulled, lights off & fenders off before i had to move the truck to get the garage door fixed, the helper spring snapped and the motor couldnt lift the door

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

made some good progress today
broken loose


engine out, transmission about to come out


engine and trans out


i took the tranny/case out the front after the engine was out, made it easier to get to the wires on top of the housing.

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride