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PostPosted: Wed Jan 16, 2019 6:49 am 
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I just bought a Luv. 81 4x4 Diesel with 145,000 miles on it. It’s rough looking but runs good. I’m taking it to the shop for rust mitigation and painting it with black bedliner paint.

I am trying to find 14” off road tires, or tires more aggressive than street tires. Not having any luck. My tire guy said tire companies don’t make them anymore.


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PostPosted: Wed Jan 16, 2019 2:23 pm 
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Check Tire rack and discount tire, both online.

They both carry a 27x8.50x14 offroad tire.

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1980 4x4 in the process of being grafted onto a 1989 Trooper frame.


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PostPosted: Wed Jan 16, 2019 8:32 pm 
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Mickey_D wrote:
Check Tire rack and discount tire, both online.

They both carry a 27x8.50x14 offroad tire.
e
Are these suitable for the Luv? I’m also having difficulty finding them on Discount tire

Should I try to look for 15 inch? The back of the truck sits low.


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PostPosted: Wed Jan 16, 2019 9:14 pm 
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I swapped my 14" rims for 15" several years ago. I suspect that would get you a lot more choices for tires. If the rear end is low, you may need your springs re-arched.

Jack

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 5:59 am 
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JoeIsuzu wrote:
I swapped my 14" rims for 15" several years ago. I suspect that would get you a lot more choices for tires. If the rear end is low, you may need your springs re-arched.

Jack

New term for me. Re-arched. What does that entail?


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PostPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 6:19 am 
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(From a PM)
Bluesman wrote:
Did you find bigger wheels for your truck? I have an 81 and I am looking for 15 inch wheels. I just bought the truck. 4x4 Diesel
The bolt pattern is common to quite a few vehicles, but you always have to consider width, offset, and the center bore. Mine came from an early Trooper.

Bluesman wrote:
New term for me. Re-arched. What does that entail?
I've seen it suggested several times by people who I think are pretty knowledgeable. I don't know, myself -- but I believe there are shops that can bend the leaves so that they return to their original shape. This may also involve heating and tempering, but now I'm just speculating. ;)

Jack

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 10:26 am 
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I just bought these for $250. I think they will work. Good price for all four


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PostPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 11:33 am 
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When buying used tires, always check their year of manufacture. I bought an Amigo and it had a set of zero-mile tires on it, but they were known to be old stock. I bought the Amigo in the Atlanta area and was driving it home to Memphis. I hadn't made it 50 miles when the left rear blew out at 75 mph. I stopped all three lanes of rush-hour traffic coming out of Atlanta on I-85 while trying to get control of it. It finally stopped, still in my original lane -- but looking eye to eye with three lanes of stopped traffic. Their eyes were wide as mine. The guy in my lane applauded and gave me a thumbs-up sign. I had to check my shorts and then limp to the shoulder. :lol:

No more old tires for me.

Jack

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 2:28 pm 
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Bluesman wrote:
Mickey_D wrote:
Check Tire rack and discount tire, both online.

They both carry a 27x8.50x14 offroad tire.
e
Are these suitable for the Luv? I’m also having difficulty finding them on Discount tire

Should I try to look for 15 inch? The back of the truck sits low.


Discount Tire

Tire Rack


I just searched by size, put in 27 x 8.5 x 14 and these came up.

You might have to crank the torsion bars up front an inch or so and get the rear springs sorted out back to stock height as the original tires were only 25.5 inches tall I believe. So these are an inch and a half taller. But I ran the Les Schwab ones on my 79 4X4 back in the late 90's just fine.

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PostPosted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 6:36 am 
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I have an electrical short somewhere. Needs a jump start after about a week. That’s gonna be a big problem to track down I think. I might be better off selling this truck. I don’t know. I paid $1600 for it. Opinion is desired.


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PostPosted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 10:18 am 
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1st step - go buy cheapo multimeter at harbor freight or equivalent.

Check voltage at battery with engine off. Should be 11.7V - 12.1V If not, charge battery until it is. If it won't charge to and hold that voltage for at least 24 hours, replace battery.


Start truck, let idle settle down. Check voltage at battery. Should be 13.9V - 14.2V If not, check voltage at big stud at the back of alternator (the one that uses a nut to hold the wire on). Voltage should be 13.9V - 14.2V If it is, the wire between the alternator and the battery is broken. If not, check condition of idiot light bulb in gauge cluster. The voltage regulator needs that bulb to set voltage with. If you (or someone else) changed the bulb out to LED, change it back.


If none of those bring the voltage back up to where it's supposed to be, you're looking at needing a new voltage regulator.


Another thing to try is the fuse block refurbishing in the info section of this site.


If everything is working correctly but you're still having to jump it, you're got a parasitic drain. Remove fuses and replace one at a time until you find it. Time consuming, yes. Effective, yes.

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PostPosted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 10:45 am 
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Great tips, Mickey_D.

Regarding whether to sell it or keep it: Getting an almost 40 year old vehicle to "reliable daily driver" status and keeping it that way is an ongoing challenge. If you're not on board for a perpetual project, then perhaps selling it is advisable. If you're lucky, you MIGHT get your purchase price for it.

Let me suggest the MINIMUM maintenance items you should plan for, should you decide to keep it:
  • Replace the oil line that runs from the block to the alternator. $40, 1/2 hour.
  • Replace the timing belt (drain, flush, and refill the radiator while it's out). $30, 3-12 hours, depending on skill and confidence.
  • Replace the fuel filter. $30, 1/2 hour.
  • Drain whatever is in the transmission/transfer case with motor oil. $5-$20, 1/2 hour.
  • Replace all coolant hoses including heater hoses (the little "bypass" hose is hard to access, so do that one while replacing the timing belt). $125, 2 hours.

Postpone any of these, and your decision could get a lot simpler. ;)

Jack

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PostPosted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 11:10 am 
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Both good replies. Thanks. I’m not looking for a daily driver. I’m looking for it to tool around on a 250 acre farm as a hunting vehicle , however I do want it road worthy as I hunt other property around town. So it would have to be daily driver capable. I wanted 4wheel drive because my F150 gets stuck often.

This Luv is like a caterpillar. Nothing stops it. I was thinking of a budget of 4K to semi bring the body back and get the mechanicals up to snuff. Actually get the electricals up to snuff. But at the end of the day would it be worth 5.5 K? So now I’m thinking just get the mechanicals up to speed. It does run good when it’s running and would be great for my purpose.

So far though the wipers don’t work and the horn does not work and the battery is draining. When I get it started after a little time the battery charges up and it cranks fine. But come back in a week and the battery is weak. Too weak to turn the motor.

The first tip Jack I didn’t understand. There is an oil line between the block and alternator? That strikes me as odd. Is that specific to Diesels?

Also are the heater hoses readily available?

Thanks again guys.

John


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PostPosted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 11:31 am 
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Bluesman wrote:
The first tip Jack I didn’t understand. There is an oil line between the block and alternator? That strikes me as odd. Is that specific to Diesels?

Also are the heater hoses readily available?

John,

Yes, diesels don't produce engine vacuum, which is needed for the brake booster and the ventilation system. So Isuzu mounted a vacuum pump to the rear of the alternator. It's a vane pump that requires a constant oil bath. Interestingly, GM used a different approach in the diesel Chevy S10 / GMC S15. They used a separate belt-driven diaphragm pump so that the could use the same Delco alternator as the gas trucks used. Anyway, that oil line is rubber, with a fabric cover for reinforcement. Over time, the rubber gets brittle and fragile. If you so much as bend it (while troubleshooting your alternator, for example) you can break the rubber line, with no visible damage because of the fabric covering. When you start the engine and drive, you can dump all your engine oil in under a minute. Quite a few engines have been destroyed this way.

Heater hoses - They're all molded specifically for this vehicle, and I believe they're all available. Did I send you the email address of my supplier?

Jack

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PostPosted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 3:38 pm 
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Bluesman wrote:
I just bought these for $250. I think they will work. Good price for all four


I ended up not getting them. The tires were not matched and two of them were way to wide. 255x14. Just too wide.

I found those General Tires on Discount Tire web site. Thanks!


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PostPosted: Sun Jan 20, 2019 7:42 pm 
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Mickey_D wrote:

Another thing to try is the fuse block refurbishing in the info section of this site.


I found some good fuse block hints, but can’t seem to find this thread. I did find where a good bath in lemon juice will help, also CLR. Also links to replace fuse block. I’ll try lemon juice first.


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PostPosted: Sat May 04, 2019 2:15 pm 
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Ok. It went to the shop today. One of the owners has 15 years repairing Caterpillar diesels. He knows this engine. So I just contacted Jerry Lemond to order the parts recommended here in this thread.

I’m going with taking off the bed and putting a little stake body on it. Rehabbing the rust and painting it “Navy” grey with bedliner paint, with black accents. I will post pictures of the progress.

Going to reupholster the seat in canvas. That will look good. It’s gonna come out cool looking. Perfect deer hunting truck.


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