LUVTruck.com

Ok here is my plan. A S10 frame with a 1971 Caddy 472 low miles runs great, TH350 trans. in it. Will it fit? I will try cause it is a toy and not a daily driver. Let me know your input. Thanks.

Like we allways say, if you have the skills to fab it up it will work.

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Certified pilots, looking down on people since 1903.

One of the members here has a caddy in his truck, but it's the stock frame. Curious as to using the s10 frame, the LUV one is stronger, IMO. The S10 frame is not fully boxed. I have v8'ed both, and the LUV is easier to work with one you ditch the torsion bars...

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If you think no one cares, try missing a couple of payments...



FIAA!

SFPP!

The 472/500 Cad can be made to fit but you have to change the oil pan/pickup tube to the Eldorado's pan witch is a rear sump setup. On the V8 Buick.com site there is a member with a S10 with a 455 Buick in it and another member i chatted with doing a Cad into a S10.
Now the bad news the lead head on the Cad motor is the pass. side meaning the driver side head is the one that sets back farther making for some fitment problems.You will have to dog house the firewall to get get the motor back and off set it to the right.Like Mytmouz ditch the idea of the S-10 frame as the LUV frame is far better in structure and a lot stronger.
When i built my truck i did a 6" doghouse with the thought that i could put a 500 Cad in it but my 455 Buick 4spd. is a lot more fun so far. The Cad motors are also 75lbs lighter then the big block Chevys but are wider and longer but they can fit.

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

with the right amount of skills and more money that you know what to do with anything is possible

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zyanug
75 luv stepside... Work in progress
76 fleetside 350hp 1968 327cu
"No replacement for displacement!"
___/__l____
[_@l__l__@_]***

hi all, just caught onto this post! I'm done with the functional part of my Caddiluv build. Its true tho, you should totally think of doghousing your firewall. I didn't and i had to 'Z' my frame in front. and you BEST know your way around a welder! None of that 110V flux B.S.! Let me know if i can give some insight to this potential build.

You're in for a mega long hardcore build tho, but the first time you squeak your 9" rearend into third at 5000RPM while ur buddy in the passenger seat is sh*ting himself...itll be totally worth it.

Figure it like this:
-Cad 500 engine, rebuild = $3000
-presents for your wife becuase shes
mega pissed at long shop nights =$1000
-FUEL = only god could know
-knowing that you've succesfully stuffed
GM's largest engine into their smallest
truck = priceless!
-The confused disgusted look that
people get when they look under your hood = also priceless!

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1975 LUV with a caddy 500ci, 12.5-1 comp, 850CFM holley sucking E85 through 110 jets and torquing the hell out of a TH400. Currently @ 6mpg

Bowties may be for little boys, but ponies are DEFINATLY for little girls....

What gears are you running in the rear as Cad's don't like low gears very well. The last one i built in a 78 stepside C10 would bark the tires hard in second with 2.73 gears and big BFG road hugger radials.

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

I'm running 3.27's I think in the 9". But with the shift kit it'll move those tires off the road in any gear just about

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1975 LUV with a caddy 500ci, 12.5-1 comp, 850CFM holley sucking E85 through 110 jets and torquing the hell out of a TH400. Currently @ 6mpg

Bowties may be for little boys, but ponies are DEFINATLY for little girls....

Yup there is no more fun then driving a truck that has a bed full of TORQ and you can't use it all and none of the small block guys don't have a clue.

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

_________________
If you think no one cares, try missing a couple of payments...



FIAA!

SFPP!

_________________
Certified pilots, looking down on people since 1903.

AHA i knew that was coming my bad but a guy has got to have fun once in awhile as long as nobody gets hurt that is.

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

yeah! I had the 350 in there, but after I blew it up I decided to do something completely different. Its the out-of-the-box thinking that brings us all here! The thing with the caddy 500 is I could literally describe it as "beautiful". No casting flash, balanced. Hell, when i took the 50K mile block apart you could still see the cross-hatches in the cylinders from honing and the bearings were just starting to change to the lighter gray. (no, it was not rebuilt prior).

I'd really like to see more of a variety of motors installed into the LUVs. I saw a sand-rail once with the 4.0L mini-Northstar and there is a nissan pickup running around town with a Passat TDI in it.

I have a 7.3 Powerstroke sitting in my shop.......if I could just get my hands on another LUV.........

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1975 LUV with a caddy 500ci, 12.5-1 comp, 850CFM holley sucking E85 through 110 jets and torquing the hell out of a TH400. Currently @ 6mpg

Bowties may be for little boys, but ponies are DEFINATLY for little girls....

HA! I bet that a 7.3 with a tranny hooked up to it would snap a tortion-bar!

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1975 LUV with a caddy 500ci, 12.5-1 comp, 850CFM holley sucking E85 through 110 jets and torquing the hell out of a TH400. Currently @ 6mpg

Bowties may be for little boys, but ponies are DEFINATLY for little girls....

Only when the front end falls back to the ground...

A Olds 350 gas or diesel will fit. Well a 403 would too.

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75 Luv, 350 V8, TH350, Camaro rearend. New 1975 Luv Step side. Stock for now.
Grandmaster of the "Shade Tree" way.. I can't see the yard for all the cars. Come on down and we will sit on the porch and watch the grass grow.

thats if the front end falls back down, that much torq in that small truck then add bully dog, now that sounds fun

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zyanug
75 luv stepside... Work in progress
76 fleetside 350hp 1968 327cu
"No replacement for displacement!"
___/__l____
[_@l__l__@_]***

haha i am actually pondering the idea of trying to find a totaled 2003 f series, with the diesel, so i can take the motor, tranny, rear end, computers, well you get the point, and stuff it all into thew luv!!!

Have you thought about the fact that a 7.3 is about 250 lbs heavier that the Cad. motor then you add the trans.But lets see now hum how about a long bed with 7.3 in back and a V drive all in the name of balance LOL.

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

can you see it??? 1/4 mile wheelie WOOHOO!!!!

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zyanug
75 luv stepside... Work in progress
76 fleetside 350hp 1968 327cu
"No replacement for displacement!"
___/__l____
[_@l__l__@_]***

The 7.3 wouldnt be too bad...but if somebody wanted to do it they should just build a frame around it to accomidate the luv body. The caddy motor is a TIGHT fit... The balancer goes where the front of the frame was on mine.

Hmm. I wonder if a Muncie could be adapted to a northstar...now that would blast. What would be really cool tho is if someone could lay out a 4wd luv and throw in an ls1. Make it an AWD little race car.

I guess we can all dream about stupid sh*t all day huh?

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1975 LUV with a caddy 500ci, 12.5-1 comp, 850CFM holley sucking E85 through 110 jets and torquing the hell out of a TH400. Currently @ 6mpg

Bowties may be for little boys, but ponies are DEFINATLY for little girls....