LUVTruck.com

What do you think I should go for in an engine? A certain voice in my ear, I won't mention my wife, says NO V8! I don't intend to race, just cruise, pull a small trailer, and want to have enough power to get over 63 mph. (Right now my LUV will top out at 63 wedging my walking cane in place to hold the gas pedal flat on the floor! ) So I am considering either a V6 or a four cylinder such as tumwatertaz, if one can be found. I think Chevy 4.3 V6's are easy to find but also am wondering about the Buick V6. I am not sure which one costs more to build up. Will check into costs once you make up my mind for me. Four cylinder or V6, I plan to go with a better aluminum intake, carb, slightly bigger cam, Slightly oversize pistons if required, and headders. So to those that have one installed in their LUV or good experience with a certain engine, shoot me a reply here. I'd like to get as much information as possible within the next two weeks so I can get my neicec's friend, Jerry, a list of what I'd like for installing his 383. Oh yea, tranny ideas too such as manual and/or automatic with overdrive. Any specific year(s) for this stuff would be very helpful too.

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I've never been wrong! Once I thought I was, but I was mistaken.
Rick
Loranger, La
1980 Stepside LUV (Again)

they do make a v10 now.

all she said was no v8's right

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zyanug
75 luv stepside... Work in progress
76 fleetside 350hp 1968 327cu
"No replacement for displacement!"
___/__l____
[_@l__l__@_]***

Rick, I have a 4.3 of unknown parentage I acquired a while back...

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If you think no one cares, try missing a couple of payments...



FIAA!

SFPP!

V10! I could mount it in the bed for a rear engine! Ant to mytmouz, VERY FUNNY!

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I've never been wrong! Once I thought I was, but I was mistaken.
Rick
Loranger, La
1980 Stepside LUV (Again)

do like they did on monster garage......

put the v10 in the back and use a v-drive out of a boat....
make a plexi-glass floor(so you can see), and have a 1/4 mile wheelie truck!

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zyanug
75 luv stepside... Work in progress
76 fleetside 350hp 1968 327cu
"No replacement for displacement!"
___/__l____
[_@l__l__@_]***

2.3 or better yet 2.6 with the 2.3 intake and dist.

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1978 pro street step/side 455Buick, 4sp,4.11s, 31/18.5s

Nuts, missed that Monster Garage! What do you mean by "V" drive?
TJ White - "2.3 or better yet 2.6 with the 2.3 intake and dist." 2.6 what? Remember, I may be old, but I sure don't know much!

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I've never been wrong! Once I thought I was, but I was mistaken.
Rick
Loranger, La
1980 Stepside LUV (Again)

well i cant find a pic, but a "v" drive lets you put the engine in the bed, turned around so the water pump is facing the tailgate. the v drive is sorta like a transmission for a boat, because engines in some boats face backwards the v drive takes that power and does a 180 and sends it right out the back end of the boat.

so hopefully if i have explained it well enough you would see that with a v drive modified to work in a street car it could be done.

that monster garage they did this set up in a old van style ambulance with a 460 ford bb

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zyanug
75 luv stepside... Work in progress
76 fleetside 350hp 1968 327cu
"No replacement for displacement!"
___/__l____
[_@l__l__@_]***

V drive is when you put the engine /trans over the rear axle connected to a gear box then back to the rear axle putting you drive train i a V configuration.

2.3 -2.6 Isuzu ie; Trooper,Pup,and Impulse

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1978 pro street step/side 455Buick, 4sp,4.11s, 31/18.5s

I get it. Thanks and now on to reasearch of these additional engines.

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I've never been wrong! Once I thought I was, but I was mistaken.
Rick
Loranger, La
1980 Stepside LUV (Again)

The newer Isuzu 2.6 will fit and bolt right up to a stock Chevy Luv 4 speed transmission or a newer 5 speed. The older 2.3 carb intake, electronic distributor/ignition module, and everything else you might need will bolt right on to one. Since a 2.6 is rated at 125 hp stock - if you built it up right...in theory you should be able to end up with an engine that produces somewhere in the range of 300 hp.

(And that sure as hell beats the Luv's Isuzu G180 1.8 engine that maxes out at 75 hp stock....lol)

With the right aftermarket head, the right pistons, a decent cam, a higher output coil and alternator, a decent exhaust setup, and a good intake with a weber 38/38...it should be one hell of a potent little 4 banger. And it would still get fairly good gas mileage with out adding very much weight at all.

Even with all I've done to my Isuzu Impulse G200z 1.9 engine in my '78 stepside...trying to crack that over 200 hp barrier has been very tough to do. That's why I'm slowly shopping around for a decent 2.6 engine and the necessary 2.3 parts I'll need.

IMHO adding an engine to a Luv with around 300 hp that didn't add any more weight to speak of would surely be one hell of a fun ride.

With almost 200 hp a LUV should still be one fun ride!

_________________
I've never been wrong! Once I thought I was, but I was mistaken.
Rick
Loranger, La
1980 Stepside LUV (Again)

That's true...but for nearly the same $$ that you woud spend on building any G series engine - you could go with the more potent 2.6/2.3 hybrid.....and they are a lot easier to find and to get parts for.

There's a guy that owns a lowered Pup longbed running around town where I live with one in it and trust me...it is pretty damn quick.

I love the buick V6 myself, lightweight - ideal location of engine compnents for a resonably easy swap, and fairly easy to find parts for.

All factory turbo parts fit chassis perfectly except for turbo downpipe.

The engine is fairly effiecnt as well, and with proper tuning can live on stock radiator. The buick V6 when treated right is easily capable of 600hp in stock turbo form.

downside.......... way more expensive then a SBC to build for any kind of performance.

but on a happy note, I do have a dodge V10 forsale for 700 bucks.

A.j.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykgDNjeTa0g

why not a nissan motor? SR20DE/T or CA18/20DE/t? theyre both an I4 bit of messing around but they are a good motor from what i hear.

DE-T's are not cheep here in america, as the "T" turbo was never available in america. Most are shipped here from japan in crates. But very very fast engine indeed!

would be an awesome choice, especially if the silvia running gear with the 5 or 6 speed is taking with it.

A.j.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykgDNjeTa0g

ive seen front cut SR20DETs go for around 4 grand australian pretty steep, but you can make monster power especially in something relatively light like a LUV. i want to do this conversion myself but i dont have the funds at the moment.

As if I wan't going bald already, you guys have me scratching my head and losing hair even faster. But thanks to all of the ideas. So far I am leaning on having Jerry find a 2.6 and 2.3 for me. I like the idea of staying with four cylinders, getting it set up right, and having fun with it. Not going overboard with the power would probably be safer for my wife. She enjoyed my last LUV I had in Alexandria Louisiana around 1991. I had to part with it as we went to Japan for several years with the Air Force. It had a 350 four bolt main and other nice stuff in it and was FAST. She would come home sometimes saying she kicked a Vett's ass and showed me the speeding ticket to see how fast she went. Boy was that an expensive time!!!

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I've never been wrong! Once I thought I was, but I was mistaken.
Rick
Loranger, La
1980 Stepside LUV (Again)

Yeah I gotta agree...from one Rick to another. I've put a few V8's in little cars and trucks...and yes they are FAST right out of the gate and in a straight line...but they all tend to corner/handle like crap, guzzle gas, and will get you (or your wife...lol) in a heap of trouble out in the public streets if you tend to have a bit of a lead foot. (Like the first speeding ticket I've got in 7 years that I just paid today for example. )

So as a daily or semi/daily driver...IMHO they don't work very well.


Using a built 2.6/2.3 hybrid would give you a much needed increase in hp/torque, wouldn't adversely effect the handling/cornering, wouldn't add very much weight, and it still would get reasonably decent gas mileage.

In fact - I wish I would have done that in the first place to my truck. But hindsight always is 20/20.....lol

BTW..Please keep me posted on how it's going if you wouldn't mind....because I should be doing the same thing in the near future.

Good luck!

Truthfully guys, the engine has little to do with getting any tickets. However your right foot has a lot to do with it. I've owned blown with injection cars and drove them daily on the street, nary a problem with the law. Usually got pulled over as they wanted to see what there was.

A good combonation is the Chevy 4.3 liter V6 with a 7004r od trans. Good power and milage. Lots of performance parts also.

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The light at the end of the tunnel, may just be a train coming!