LUVTruck.com

i have an 86 trooper with the 2.3 engine and 5 speed trans and someone in town is selling a 76 2wd luv for parts...i would like to have the engine as a spare for my trooper if it will fit as parts are extremely hard to come by where i live. i realize it will be a step down in power but i'm not concerned about that...better to go slow than not to go at all.

anyway from everything i have read on this board the 1.8 out of the luv should drop into the trooper and mate to the 5 speed with little or no trouble...can anyone confirm this? will there be any issues with the power steering or 4wd or anything interfering with clearance? will the stock oil pan on the 1.8 work? i don't want a hassle when it comes time to repower my troopy so if there is any doubt i will pass on the luv.

i appreciate any info anyone can give me.

You should update your avitar, that way when someone replies to you they know where you're from. I live in California and because of smog laws, any engine must be newer than the one removed, or the same year. Before you commit to the parts truck, review the laws that aplly to your Trooper. You may get lucky and have a smog guy that doesn't take the time to check the engine number. But what if you move to another state, or the next guy, or girl is tripping on his, or her license. They check the number, and you not only fail, but the state comes down on you for trying to slide one past them. There are other Isuzu Pups with 1.8L you might find, that are the same year or newer than your '86 Trooper if your worried about getting that size. An idea is maybe you can look into getting just an engine from a wrecking yard or used engine supplier. Get a 2.6L when your at it, and get it serviced or rebuilt when you get a chance. Leave it on a shelf till yours breaks and your fine when the time comes. I had an '86 2dr Trooper with the 2.3L, and an '88 4dr Trooper with the 2.6L. It was only a little 0.3L difference in mumber, but now that I've drove the 1.8L too, the first chance I get to have another 2.6L I'm jumping on it. I'm going to hop mine up with the Offenhauser intake, Weber carb, Pacesetter header, and MSD ignition for sure. Isuzu sure built some good engines. The only problem though is sometimes they tend to blow spak plugs. Watch out for that, I broke down on the end of a road trip. It cost me $500.00 to get it towed home. I found out later all I had to do to save that money was to screw it back in and permanently fix it when I got back. Doh!!!

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1980 Chevrolet Luv Truck 4WD
1995 Honda Accord VTEC Coupe
1959 VW Double Cab Pick-Up
1968 VW Deluxe Microbus w/camper interior
1968 VW Beetle 4dragracing w/fiberglass flip-frontend

there is no smog check where i live and it's doubtful there ever will be. that was one of the main factors i took into consideration when i relocated to here. i would never willingly move to an area where there was one since the freedom to do what i wish to my vehicles is too important to me.

i didn't end up buying that parts truck which actually belonged to another member of this board, but i may still swap a 1.8 into my trooper if i come across one in the future, and i have since verified it's a bolt in.