LUVTruck.com

where to start....
just bought a new G180 (literally as close to new as it gets! was driven home from the lot in 1980 and the engine was pulled for a bigger swap and the motor was stored (literally every single piece of this engine looks brand new not a single bit of wear gunk or buildup anywhere i think this may have been the greatest $100 find of my life so far
and since i have a brand new engine sitting in my lil luv truck im thinking it needs a nice lil 5 speed behind it... however being the 1980 4x4 mikado im faced with the decisions of
1: stick with the stock 4 speed (the least favorable of my options)
2: swap in a pup 5 speed and detatch the front driveline and save the effort of modifying the front end for another time when i have a decent budget
3: swap in the 5 speed and spend the extra time and money to mate the front and rear drivelines to the newer 5 speed tranny/t-case

im sure i could make the swap work considering my uncle is an ASE cert. mechanic and knows his way around a 4x4 but that's alot of time and money on my part and time on his.
so my question here is whats the most efficient way to handle this whole situation?? buy a 5 speed 2wd tranny and just go 2wd and remove the front drive line or spend the time on the 4wd tranny and get it all working same as usual? 4wd is nice to have of course but its not really a necessity for me since i have dirtbikes for my fun in the mud
and since im on a TINY budget being unemployed currently im doing random odd jobs to keep my project going while i look for a job.
there always seem to be a good supply of isuzu pup's and troopers in the local auto salvage yards so parts aren't the issue but money is not on my side.

would there be any real problems in just removing the front driveline and converting my luv to a 5 speed 2wd with the capability of a future of 4wd if my budget allows?

still fairly new to the world of the LUV but im loving the truck and the amount of compatible parts from other models of isuzu

_________________
Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

would anyone be interested in a trade for G180 parts for a pup 5 speed or performance parts for the G180? i have a nearly complete extra G180 (block, head, stock carb, manifolds (intake & exhaust) valves, starter) i dont have spares of the dizzy, crankshaft or valve cover but thats as far as im aware of in terms of missing parts
let me know =)
especially you cat considering you are one of the few i know of within an hour or so drive of me and ya seem to know your way around a luv quite well

anyone know where i could come across a G161 head? i have been checking ebay and craigslist and have had no luck so far but as i have heard the compression boost given by the G161 head on a G180 or G200 block would give me a good increase in power

_________________
Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride