LUVTruck.com

Hi im new to this board and just had a few questions about my LUV truck.
I have a 79 4x4 mikado LUV with the stock 1.8 in it. It has a few upgrades to the motor such as a cam, weber progressive, header, bored .030 over, and a shaved head. It's still not enough power though when im off road wheelin up some steep trails.

I was wondering what V6 or V8 bolts in the easiest/cheapest and what all has to be done to make it fit and drive well?

Also it has a 3" body lift and a few inches of susp. lift and 31" tires. My turning radius is horrible. Is there any way of making it so i can turn to at least make it around some trail corners?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Dustin

What kind of rims do ya have? I have 33 thornbergs on my 80 luv. If your tires are rubing your frame, ya need to go with a negative rim, it well make your tires stick out a bit from your fenders , but at least you can get your turning radius back, and save your truck from front end damage. As far as puting a biger engine in a 4x4 luv.....good luck, you have to change alot more than your engine! 'O' yea welcome to the site...enjoy!

They are 265/75/15. They are about 31 or 32 inch. Im not sure totally if its the tires causing me not to be able to turn as well though but i plan on buying some thinner tires soon.

I know that a motor swap isnt just the motor and you are done but i was just wondering what one (if there is one) is the easiest to swap in.

cant u 4wd guys use the engine and drive train off a toyota truck 4wd? or maybe a old bronco?

i ment blazer not bronco

Alosmt got urslef shot there... hehehe

On the V6/V8 debate, it takes a similar amount of work to go either way, so I would tend to say go ahead and go for the V8. That said, you're going to want to drop something more solid under that truck for axles if you want a 4x4 V8 LUV (or V6 for that matter) That is a lot of power to push through those stockers and you could get more height, more upgrade parts(Lockers, etc), along with more strength if you drop a solid front axle and matching rear under there.

One tip for what you have now, spend some time tuning the Weber carb up right if you haven't yet. It can make a lot of difference on both power and fuel consumption. A good guide on how to do it can be found at http://www.redlineweber.com/html/Tech/carburetor_set_up_and_lean_best_.htm It helped out quite a bit for me back when I was still running a Weber.

Thanks Alot! i will definately tune my weber now.