LUVTruck.com

i found a dana 27 that came off of a jeep mail truck. i also got a rear end with a detroit locker. i am going to start making a log of how i am going to do this and take plenty of pictures for you guys to do the same.

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is it worth the time to swap a dana 20?

will it be strong enough to last any kind of serious wheeling?

A.j.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykgDNjeTa0g

I agree, I don't think the mail trucks are made for alot of heavy duty off roading. Mainly putting around at slow speeds. I would go with something heavier. That's just me though, good luck with it.

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In life there is the "Way things should be" and then "There's the way they are".

2005 Silverado 3/4T Crew Cab
1981 Luv 2WD
1979 Luv 4x4 Currently going through Open Heart and Cosmetic surgery
1995 Roughneck JetBoat
1981 Luv parts trk

it was first on the mail truck and the guy i got it from had it on a first generation s10 for a while before he took it off.
your probably right about it not being heavy duty. but its better than the IFS that im running in the front. CV's are starting to clak and wear out so its time for a axle swap.

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One problem I suspect you will encounter- the stock LUV pitman arm is too short to fully turn wheels as far as they need to turn. I had to have mine lengthened, now the front tires almost contact the spring leafs at full lock.
Other suggestions: locate the front axle slightly ahead of the stock location- it's a lot easier to trim the front corner of the fender sheet metal than the back corner and the fender liner.
The logical place to mount the rear shackle hanger is under the frame rail just where it becomes straight, parallel and flat. The distance from this point to the front axle location is farther than it is from the axle to the end of the frame rail- the logical place to hang the other spring end. So you must either use a front spring with the axle mounting hole offset from the center or add a subframe/crossmember extending foreward from the frame rail end and mount the front spring hanger to it. This last setup will also allow the front hanger to be lowered so that the springs don't have as much arch.
Determine your spring length & axle location before locating the spring perches on the tube because the amount of spring arch effects the caster angle the perches need, otherwise you'll have to use tapered shims.
The Dana 27 will handle anything the LUV engine can put out, almost as strong as the stock Isuzu rear. You don't say what gear ratio is in the Dana, if it happens to be 4.56 by all means get a rear 4.56 third member from a '84 to '87 Trooper, will let you use bigger tires without a power loss. OR see if you can find a matching ratio from a Jeep, then you won't have to deal with two different wheel lug patterns.

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'78 Chevy LUV,1.9,4sp,headers,31's,SAS Dana 30,Dana 20,SOA rear w/Aussie Locker, rough body, bought new 12/4/78.
'87 Trooper,2.3,5sp,headers,31's,ball joint flip & spacer,Aussie Locker rear,Superwinch hubs,brush guard w/5.5K winch,more to come.

very nice, you know your stuff.

A.j.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykgDNjeTa0g

thanks for the info. im not sure what the gear ratio is on the front yet. i have to take the axle apart and clean it cause its been sittin for some time. i got the rear end that goes with the front axle. i know im probly gonna have to put shims where the driveshaft is so that i can get the correct angle. i see that the frame of the luv bows inward and then bows back out in the front. so i think what im going to do is try and cut some pieces off of a old chevy frame and weld new mounts so that the frame will be flush. i was told that if i do this that the frame will be a lot more sturdy and wont snap when it flexes. the once thing though is that pitman arm. where can i get a longer one for when i lift it. do they even make drop pitman arms for luvs?

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I had my pitman arm cut, then a splice welded in to both lengthen and drop it -maybe not the most safe plan, but it's lasted 30 years.
Try calling independent4x.com, they sell parts to SAS Isuzu SUV's, can probably help, or at least give advice.

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'78 Chevy LUV,1.9,4sp,headers,31's,SAS Dana 30,Dana 20,SOA rear w/Aussie Locker, rough body, bought new 12/4/78.
'87 Trooper,2.3,5sp,headers,31's,ball joint flip & spacer,Aussie Locker rear,Superwinch hubs,brush guard w/5.5K winch,more to come.

i just looked at my buddy's jeep YJ. and when i looked at the axle it looks like the same size axle. so im pretty sure that axle will hold up pretty good. thanks for the info on the pitman arm. one thing that is crazy about this axle is that the u-joints are enclosed. if you look at the picture you can see that it looks like a ball attached to the hub assembly. its so that the u-joint dont get water or other stuff wedged in the u-joints. i have never seen this set up so i thought i would just point it out. so if you want to go through some mud i would suggest those covers on the u-joints.

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