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I just drove home a '76 LUV 2 days ago and was giving it an initial once over. As you are standing at the front of the truck facing the engine, on the top right side of the engine near the front, there is what appears to be a mechanical vacuum or air pump. Does anyone know what this is? The belt that goes from the main pulley to this is missing. I tried spinning it by hand and it spins smoothly with only a tiny bit of resistance.
Lot's to do on this little truck in the next few months. The guy I bought it from lost the keys for the truck a long time ago. He had the wire harness removed from the back of the ignition and had jumper wires to turn on the fuel system and start the engine. I don't think I will put an ignition back in the truck. I went and bought a simple toggle switch and a push button last night and mounted them in some holes that someone else had already drilled in the dash down near the ignition.
The engine runs surprisingly well. I would've easily been able to drive 65mph on the way home with it if I wasn't terrified that the front passenger tire would blow (completely bald with cords sticking out). I can already tell, however, that I will be putting a new carb on this beast. I'm experiencing the same problems that others here have had wherein the truck has to be coaxed from a stop to get going with a delicate dance of clutch feathering and throttle play. Also on the "To Do" list is finding the source of all this oil. The front end of the engine must have 2-3 quarts of oil caked on. I suspect that the loose filler cap coupled with a loose valve cover gasket and perhaps the "mystery pump" might be the cause.
The truck's appearance was improved 100% by simply removing the ugly, over sized canopy that someone stuck on it. I was really disappointed that someone thought it to be a good idea to shackle up the rear springs and throw 225/70/15's on the back while the front set of tires are only 195/75/14's. I just don't like the look of the rear end of the truck being so much higher than the front. That's definitely got to go back to stock height and wheel/tire size (thanks LUVTruck.com for telling me what that was!) The body was in surprisingly good condition. There are two spots about the size of a dollar bill that have rusted completely through; one on the pass side below the tail light, and the other on the sill below the driver's door. Aside from that, there are only a few spots of surface rust. I'm heavily considering taking off the bed and building a small flatbed to replace it so the spot at the back may not even be an issue. The one under the door will be fixed soon enough as I plan on giving her a new coat of paint in the next week or so.
All-in-all, I really can't complain any as the truck was given to me free. With a little bit of time and elbow grease, she'll be in decent condition soon. I live in Spokane, WA and have noticed that there are a lot of people from WA, OR, and ID here. That's really reassuring and hopefully we can talk and compare notes down the road. As an end note, the long-term plans for this LUV include a conversion to an all electric vehicle. I work for a company that sells pumps, air compressors, and electric motors so I can get the motor and controls at a discounted price.
Nick
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