LUVTruck.com

Great site! I have a 1980 longbed, stock motor with a factory automatic tranny, it has just over 100,000 miles. One day my son was practicing his driving out in the pasture and the timing chain broke, I was wondering, is there an easy way to tell if the valves are bent? If they arent bent Im considering replacing the timing chain and gears to get it running, but if they are bent then I may attempt an engine swap. If I do the swap, would the driveshaft of the longbed cause some problems, the driveshaft is a carrier type. Also, considering the problems of the distributor of a small block chevy against the firewall, would it be easier to go with a small block ford? Any suggestions would be a great help. Thanks!

With a 350 in mine..the distributor is right next to the firewall. I used Hooker's mounts to do it. But i dont have any problems getting it out, its actually easier than most full size trucks. As for the ford...hmmmmm...yes the distributor would be more acessible but a ford in chevy it just wouldn't be right, but if you do go that route there has been some people on here that have done it.

Read the article on engine swaps in the information section. It'll tell you all you need to know about a 350 swap. I toyed with the idea of taking the 302 out of my crown vic to put in my luv, but hooker makes motor mounts and headers specifically for a sbc in a luv.

Look in the photo gallery also at some v8 luv owners. A lot of them didn't have to cut their firewall.

thanks bob , I see your an okie too

yeah...we've got a few of us okie's on here