LUVTruck.com

I'd love to hear some ( honest , no bragging ) high speed stories with the
LUV . What's the fastest you have driven with the v8 conversion etc and was it still a bit comfortable ? Is it really like driving a brick (no negative things about the Luv intended) or is it quite ok. How about windnoise and "safe feeling" of the car ?
If i would build a luv with a high hp v8 conversion it would mainly be for accelaration but speeds would be high too sometimes.
I will tell you a funny story at a later date about a tire blowout at 135 MPH

I've got a 4.1 Buick V-6 motor with a TH 350 trans and 2.75 gears in the axle. It will drive down the Hwy at 70 MPH without breathing hard(2500 RPM). I've ran it up to 90 MPH and the truck feels pretty stable but the road noise is enough to make you feel that you're asking too much from the truck. Trying to slow down abruptly from that speed makes the truck kinda skittish. It has fresh front end parts, good tires and new brakes all around. The truck really isn't designed for that kind of speed but with soild parts and tires it doesn't do too bad.

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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.

this isnt top speed story, but one that should be thrown out.

about 2 yrs ago we rebuilt my motor almost how it is now, only with a predator carb on it. It was just be for I tubbed it. BTW, the predator was awesome!

so with the stock rearend( limited slip i think- I could usually leave two stripes with one slightly faded) me and a buddy start down this slightly curvy road i lived on. I was in 1st, floored it and when i hit 2nd, it was a slight curv. doin 40+ mph the back started to come around. i stayed in it but straighted it up.

scared the crap outa me. i suggest testing a new v8 conversion in a straight line. I coulda rolled it.

good advice. my uncle and i almost did about the same thing in his '84 S10 Blazer with a built 350...

Not a LUV story... but more of a lost love story.... My firebird with the LT1.... I hit 140 going down the interstate and then it shifted into 4th... kept on accelerating... until I lost my nerve.

*sigh*

not really a "high" speed story,....but back when i had my 81 luv. i got caught running 78 in a 55...bastards had a plane flying around ...tried my damndest to convince the cop that the truck couldnt do 78 going downhill, wide open w/ a tailwind. but he didnt buy it. got me for no seatbelt too i think it was like $210

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I like my steak like I like my women, young, tender and bloody.

All I need is my weed, women, and wine. -Edge City Outlaws

210 bucks f*ck that!!. i once drove my luv to denver(hour and a half drive) at 85 the whole way and back and it never missed a beat .very loud rough ride

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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

THAT SETTLES IT, my engine is getting rebuilt!! my truck will hardly hold 60 and bcg187 is talkin 'bout doin 85 the whole way to Nevada??!!?!?

she's always been a good truck.i haven't even looked at her in 2 weeks. my hood is still locked and the battery is dead . oh well, i'm getting a new car friday so i think it's time to get her off the road and into the shop

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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

I had a fun experience in my stock 1.8L 77 2wd in the rain one night. I was rolling along at about 85-90ish (downhill, bit of a tailwind ) and came onto a bridge that collected water on it during heavy rain. I hit the puddle and before I knew what hit me did a 180 and was looking at where I'd been. I tapped the brake and twitched the wheel to one side a bit thinking for some reason that I *HAD* to turn that truck around before I got off the water. Next thing I know I'm just coming off the bridge driving straight down the middle of my lane at 65MPH like nothing had happened. I had been in a real bad mood (hence the pedal mashed to the floor during the monsoon) but after that I was feeling pretty damn good.

I also have a story my brother told me about doing 100-110 down I-5 in a LUV driven by a friend of his (the root reason I own one today actually). The truck had a 1.8L that had been built some (cam, don't know what all else) with a stock (looking at least) carb but it would fly. They were heading down the freeway and a cop going the other direction actually dove into the grass median between the north and southbound lanes to turn around and go after them. They ducked off at the next exit and were sitting at a relative's house near the freeway in time to see several cop cars go by. The trip home was a lot more sedate. Obviously this is second hand so embelished some by my brother I bet, but knowing that truck and its driver not far off the truth. I wish I could find his old truck, 76-78 or so lowered, orange paint with custom metalic paint down the sides. Last seen in the Hillsboro, OR area about 10 years ago or more.

nice story 800xl , a 360deg at 85 and live to tell it ! Tell you the tire story i've experienced . Not Luv related though i remembered it because i see a lot of Luv pics with balloontires (what i call em ) and was wondering about the speedrating of these since you have v8 vconversions etc. Don't be stupid as i was !! going fast with your sun cracked , curb damaged and years old tires........

Drove home at 3 am coming from a friend , one hour drive , bright moonlight night and felt really like going for it . Was the only one on the road so not that dangerous . My car you don't know but sorta comparable to aussie Holden commedore (6 pot straight 180 horse , standard lsd and spoiler junk , standard 145 mph capable , nice big car though for 750 bucks ) Averedge speeds approx 125 felt great am used to it. When i was close to home on a nice straight piece road doing 135 suddenly all hell broke loose . In a fraction of a second there was a noise like you've never heard . Vibration was so bad MY VISION GOT BLURRY . Takes a second before you know whats happening ! First thought was a broken propshaft but then realized whas the rear right tire . Started braking mildly best was to slow down sap before i would sorta crash . When i got to 60 and the car felt stable again i relaxed because i knew i'd survived. Movement of the car wasnt too bad actually during all this had to controll it only slightly , but QUICK from left to right otherwise would have crashed terrible.
When looking at my tire all was left of it were the two sidewalls !!!!! A trail of rubber debris could be seen over an eight mile long in the bright moonlight . Tire had broken off the sideskirt , complete rear spoiler mountings , put a big dent in the gastank and put a feet long gaping hole in the boot where i found half the remains of what was once a tire !

Cause of all this : tire was only garanteed for 110 MPH and i had forgotten all about it ..........thought you might find it a funny story.

Please people tell me more about wind and roadnoise with the Luv , like to know . Can imagine its not very good going fast without a cover over the bed .

wow!...blowout at 135 i would have had to clean a BIG brown stain outta the drivers seat

glad to see your still with us tho. as for the wind noise.. LUVs in my part of the world have a bad habit of door seals rotting..which can be VERY annoying at high speed. not to mention DAMN cold in the winter time. but we have found that trooper door seals work well.

btw i love this guys lingo "propshaft"....."boot"...hehe

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I like my steak like I like my women, young, tender and bloody.

All I need is my weed, women, and wine. -Edge City Outlaws

i`ve only had my luv up to 110 and that was on the track.it seems pretty stable there i have no complaints except braking is a little slow at that speed. i have a hard time getting it slowed down enough for the first turn off.i just coast to the second turnoff on the track so i`m not so hard on the brakes.

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don`t have the luv no more but I still like em.72 el camino,
00 & 06 silverado one 4x4, turboed vw sandrail,99 banshee, 06 raptor 700, 02 polaris trailblazer.

ive had mine to 110 -ok 109.98 on the time slip and it was very stable i have disc in front and the 10"X2.5 wide drums from the 9" in the rear and it stops great

i have decided that i am going to try to put in the zz520 350crate engine in the luv......and then when i am all done with it i will have some top speed stories for ya...lol but i did have my stock luv up to 90 for about a 15 min trip up in canada once!!!! i was so proud...and so topped out hahahahaha

thanx for that. thats my set up and was wondering.

Not a LUV story but thought I would throw this one in! I had a 1973 Olds98 with the Rocket 455 in it the car was 22 and a hlaf feet long it was a friggin boat My buddy who had a 63 Caddy laughed at me cause my car was a foot longer than his. Anyway onr night coming back from a local night club a me and a bunch of my buddies were trying to race back to Cove(for you Blue) there was a Vette a 68 Firebird and a 67 Camaro me another guy in his in his 66 Chevelle convertible and last but not least one guy in a truck.... yes this is in Texas always one truck in the bunch Well we all decided to race home and I was in the rear and I thought screw these assholes they are gonna have to catch me I past all of them and then past my buddy in the Vette doing 120 in the old Olds' they have a dial indicator that buzzes when you set it at a certain speed well mine was turned down to 120 and it was buzzing like hell. I saw a pair of headlights come up on me real fast and I thought it was my buddy in the Vette again!! To my pure terror it was a State trooper in the Mustang 5.0's they used to have!!! The funny thing is was one of the guys that was racing it was his older borther!! Well anyway he just pointed forward and we started racing man it was the coolest thing in the world until I saw lights come from the other side of the highway so we pulled over and the other trooper clocked me at 155 and the Mustang at 160 he was finally starting to pull away from me! I Loved that car !!! It was my mafia mobile

Heres another non-Luv speed story. A buddy of mine had a 1960 4 door Cadillac Brougham with a 390 in it. This car was the ultimate land yacht! He had it up to 120mph on I-95 in downtown Miami. The transmission wound up being destroyed when he tried to down shift manually. The gears were set up differently than todays normally acepted configuration. P-D-3-2-1-R. When he pulled the gear lever down to what he thought was 1, it was actually reverse. Pretty cool pyro show that night.

Man, I need to move to Texas. Racing a State Trooper. LOL!

Got two non-LUV stories, both in my '96 Camaro. One has a happy ending, the other doesn't.


Driving up Highway71 kinda on the outskirts of this little valley I live in. It was late at night, I was pretty much the only car on the road. I'd never really opened up the car on the road and was always curious if it would actually do 150+ like the rumors said. Well, I got up to about 130 and decided that was fast enough when I passed a Honda like it was standing still. I left off the gas and let it slow down little by little.

Well, I had slowed down to about 100 when I saw some headlights in my mirror gaining fast. I thought it was the Honda and he had got on the gas. I was just about to get back on the gas again, when I saw my exit coming up. So, I changed my mind and figured I'd let him blow by me or whatever it was he wanted to do. Well, surprise! It was a Highway Patrol! Not sure how he saw me or caught me but luckily I had slowed down to 95 but the time he clocked me. He was pissed! I thought, man if you only knew buddy. LOL! For some reason he only wrote me up for 85.

So, not a happy ending but not bad.