LUVTruck.com

Hey gs, did you fab that patch piece for the rocker panel or did you find it somewhere? The passenger side rocker on my '80 is totally wiped out and I've been looking for one.

I fabbed it myself out of flat sheetmetal. the bends are pretty easy. I did them on my bench with a couple of 2x4's. the rusting rockers seams to be a pretty common problem on the Luv.

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Did a v8 conversion in 1981 on my '76 luv
Current Fleet
#1 1980 Black 2wd, #2 1980 Blue 2wd, #3 1980 Black 4x4 #4 1980 black 2wd Long bed #5 1979 black 4x4 #6 1977 red 2WD
pics
http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q223/gs11x/

got a little distracted with the holidays and thought I would post some new picks.


Engine back together and running


Test of new weatherstriping for the sharp 90 degree corner of the door


seat installed with floors all welded and painted. I think I need some carpet now


before


finished rocker panel that I fabricated from sheet metal


finished seat in the truck


corner on new weather strip my practice piece was a little better


Inside of the doors were really bad so i did a little body work and repainted


Bottom of the doors looked like swiss cheese form rust holes. I ground away all the rust I could sealed everything i could with professional grade rutoleum then i filed the holes with the bond0 filled with fiber glass hair. the fiber glass hairs in the bondo really filled the holes great.


here is my 1976 luv I did in high school. I sold it in southern california in the summer of 1985. If you know where it is I would probably buy it back.

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Did a v8 conversion in 1981 on my '76 luv
Current Fleet
#1 1980 Black 2wd, #2 1980 Blue 2wd, #3 1980 Black 4x4 #4 1980 black 2wd Long bed #5 1979 black 4x4 #6 1977 red 2WD
pics
http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q223/gs11x/

Looking good gs11x.

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'75 body with '82 diesel running gear
My build thread.

I agree, it looks like you're doing really well.

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'78 1.8L 4-speed Fleetside

The only thing more beautiful than a sunset is a sunrise.

Where did you get your sheet metal from?

I've gotta get my floorpans fixed ASAP...that's about the only thing that is seriously holding me up from finishing my interior and keeping me from driving it much....besides this lousy cold weather.

I'm looking at firing up my cheapo harbor freight wire feed welder(damn..I wish I'd spent the extra $$ to get the better one that kills the power and feeds the wire with the same trigger...lol) and getting to work on them real soon.

Then I have half my garage full of lots of goodies to install and add to it, then new paint, then finish the interior, (sigh)....hurry up and get here spring!

Geez...I am seriously suffering from tinkering-on-my-truck-in-my-shop withdrawl!

Aha ha ha ha is that what it's called? Tinkering-on-my-truck-in-my-shop withdrawal. Good one Tazman!!! My condition is called tinkering-on-my-truck-on-the-frozen-concrete syndrome! It's a condition that causes violent shaking and purple discoloration on the gluteus maximus. Advanced symptoms include forgetting who I am and what I was doing, and also the inability to attach a socket to a ratchet. If not treated promptly FullaLuv will soon be a statue and shrink to mummified existence.

I am also suffering from Gs11x's garage envy!!!! That one makes my skin turn green and buckets of drool come sliding out the right corner of my mouth. No known cure.

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'78 1.8L 4-speed Fleetside

The only thing more beautiful than a sunset is a sunrise.

Hi Taz,
Believe it or not I bought it at the Ace Hardware in southgate center (Trosper and Capital). Sorry I haven't called you yet. I think my truck is almost ready for the road so maybe we can meet up soon.

Here is my key learnings from the floor pans.

1. If you are going to try to do a continuous bead make sure you have 100% rust free metal all the way around. I ended up just tacking every couple of inches and then sean sealed it.

2. I would take some time and do some crude forming of the stamped rips. heating and beating with a hammer will do the trick. I just patched together flat pieces. putting a couple of ribs in will make it look better and stronger.

3. watch out for the fuel lines on the passenger side

If your wirefeed doesn't work for you let me know and you can come over and use mine.

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Did a v8 conversion in 1981 on my '76 luv
Current Fleet
#1 1980 Black 2wd, #2 1980 Blue 2wd, #3 1980 Black 4x4 #4 1980 black 2wd Long bed #5 1979 black 4x4 #6 1977 red 2WD
pics
http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q223/gs11x/

I actually tried using some sheet metal from a computer case once. If you have some old cases, you might find the steel worth using. I didn't have to cover a whole floor, just about 6 inches circular, so it would've worked, but I didn't have a welder. I almost sprung for one, but ended up using POR-15.

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'78 1.8L 4-speed Fleetside

The only thing more beautiful than a sunset is a sunrise.

Quick Update

1980 black luv #1 is up and running. Lapped in new valve and she is running great


1980 Blue luv #2
Running with oil leak front crank seal, Electrical problem, Carb and fuel pump not getting any voltage


1980 Black and blue luv 4x4 #3
Blue cab, black bed Might have a blown engine. Not sure yet just got it Friday night. Took the wife on a hot date to pick it up and tow it home. I am so romantic.

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Did a v8 conversion in 1981 on my '76 luv
Current Fleet
#1 1980 Black 2wd, #2 1980 Blue 2wd, #3 1980 Black 4x4 #4 1980 black 2wd Long bed #5 1979 black 4x4 #6 1977 red 2WD
pics
http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q223/gs11x/

Go's to show you she realy LUV's ya

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

just got Blue #2 running and idling. I tried the trick of covering the carb with the engine running to suck any debris through the jets. WARNING do not use your hand for this. I thought my hand was going to get sucked into the engine. Oh my God it hurt, and I still have a ring Bruised into my palm. but the engine Idles awesome.....it was worth it

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Did a v8 conversion in 1981 on my '76 luv
Current Fleet
#1 1980 Black 2wd, #2 1980 Blue 2wd, #3 1980 Black 4x4 #4 1980 black 2wd Long bed #5 1979 black 4x4 #6 1977 red 2WD
pics
http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q223/gs11x/

Lol..next time try a piece of sheet metal or an old piece of plywood.

BTW...you just described one of my favorite newbie pranks.

Next to the "here hold this coil wire" or the "get me a left-handed wrench" or "hand me the bolt stretcher"...it's one of the best.

Or for mobile fun...try hooking up someone's horn to the 12 volt positive wire for their wipers or to the 12 volt positive wire for their brake lights.

Reminds me of a timewhen I was in high school. My luv had the windshield washer turned sideways so you could squirt people on the side walk.....it was fun until one day there was a cop on the side of the road writing a parking ticket. my friend robert in the passenger seat reaches across and gives the cop a squirt. next thing i know they had 5 cop cars pulling me over in the high school parking lot. they thought we through a bottle at him. then we fessed up that it was the windshield washer. got off with a lecture and my name in his little black book

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Did a v8 conversion in 1981 on my '76 luv
Current Fleet
#1 1980 Black 2wd, #2 1980 Blue 2wd, #3 1980 Black 4x4 #4 1980 black 2wd Long bed #5 1979 black 4x4 #6 1977 red 2WD
pics
http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q223/gs11x/

looks like your quite tin man. Those patches look great, and also that seat is incredible. I dont think i would ever try upolstry myself

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1980 LUV 4x4, going under re-construction...

Yeah...he's quite a talented guy...that is for sure.

gs11x stopped by my place the other day, and met me and my wife, and after he showed me his truck, I have to admit the metal and body work he did on his truck looks real good. I've seen a lot worse work done in a professional body shop that charged a small fortune, using pre-formed factory replacement panels, that is for sure.

He left a couple of bucks poorer with some more of my excess luv stuff, and caught me right in the middle of doing my floor pans too, but only I cheated a bit on mine.

I just cleaned them up good with a wire wheel in a die grinder and rust-treated them thoroughly with rust preventive, and then fiberglassed them inside and underneath with resin and webbing.

I put 2 layers of patches over all of the holes both inside the cab and underneath the truck, and then put two layers over the entire floor pan on the passenger and the driver's side inside, then after it all dried and set, I primered and painted them both inside the cab and underneath the truck.

The floor pans are good and solid, it didn't cost me much, and my truck is no longer a fred-flintstone-mobile...lol

And thanks to his clever suggestion about using old coil wire end-caps to replace my leaky old rotten windshield wiper seals, my truck is now officially water-tight and leak free.

He also was kind enough to catch his phone when he was busy and answer a couple of quick questions about the Impulse G200 engine I just bought today that really saved the day.

So gs11x...I thank you much, and if you ever need anything else...you know the way to my place and you have my number...just gimmee a holla.

TRUE LUV

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'78 1.8L 4-speed Fleetside

The only thing more beautiful than a sunset is a sunrise.

thanks Taz. glad I could help. thanks for all the parts saved me a lot of time. Now we just have to get you ready to get the new engine in your truck.

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Did a v8 conversion in 1981 on my '76 luv
Current Fleet
#1 1980 Black 2wd, #2 1980 Blue 2wd, #3 1980 Black 4x4 #4 1980 black 2wd Long bed #5 1979 black 4x4 #6 1977 red 2WD
pics
http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q223/gs11x/

Not likely big chunky!

Taz don't go dat way...so go play with your new tools and eat your darn pizza...lol

gs11x...I had to make a deal with my wife to get the new engine:

First I work on my daughter's Honda, then the little Metro, then my truck.

Oh well...you win some...you lose some.

And at least she doesn't want me to finish the bus first...lol

Your supposed to say "the parts are on order dear i'll just have to work on my truck in the mean time" but it only works for a while( hee hee) but i bet you can find another line to keep going.Ah hum good luck though

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