LUVTruck.com

Hey, all! Just picked up this LUV a month ago now. It's been in Nevada its entire life and it shows! Only one spot of rust under the driver door. The interior did not fair so well in the Nevada heat while it sat out in a pasture. Here's what he looked like up front:









Gotta LUV those decals!

Anyway, please bear with me because I didn't even know how to change a tire before I bought this thing (so my technical terms may be off)! But I hope to be a girl who knows just as much as any guy when it comes to vehicles! I have a good friend with 15+ experience helping me out. We just did the usual things to start off with. Changed the oil, new spark plugs and ignition wires.





Then, everything came to a screeching halt. A few weeks ago, I went to start it and it didn't! Sounded like the battery had died, so we replaced the battery and the connectors (they needed it). Once we finished, it ran like a champ! The idle was even better. The next day, it started up and just rolled over. Haven't gotten the thing to start since.... Only after we replaced the starter...



the fuel filter...



the rotator and distributor caps, the ignition coil, found and cleaned each ground...



and rebuilt the carburetor...



and were checking the valves before reinstalling, did we see this...



UGH! The timing chain must have snapped (maybe the tensioner or puller was loose?) and was caught. Either way, the parts are on order and we plan to tear it down next Saturday. Now, my friend who harbors all the mechanical knowledge was ecstatic! He was so angry this truck has stumped him, ha. We were calling everyone we knew! Hopefully, this is fixed next weekend (barring anymore delays), then we'll be replacing the brake and emergency brake lines. We're on a time crunch, though. I'm in the Navy and will be PCSing in January to Florida! Yep, this baby has to make a cross-country trip in 5 months. The windshield still needs replacing and it needs tires soon. Not to mention that cracked to hell dash and the botched electrical everywhere!

Beauty shots!





My babies...



Thanks for reading and I welcome any comments or advice!

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1979 4x4 Chevrolet LUV

2012 Triumph Daytona 675R

good lookin truck i really like that grenade transfer case shifter
looks like the timing setup has seen better days but eh at least that is a cheap fix.. good thing you caught it before it really screwed you up
what are your plans for the build? stock rebuild for a daily driver?

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

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

Very nice find and welcome to the site!
Just so that you will know, the previous owner has swapped the original single headlight bezels and front grille to a 1976/1977 and earlier double headlight bezel and grille. They probably liked the four headlight set-up better than the two. They interchange easily.

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1978 LUV Mikado - all stock with automatic/AC

i was looking at that the 79 should only have the single headlights but i think the twin lights look better.. will convert mine if i get a chance to
overall pretty nice truck.. you got lucky on the minimal rust

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

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

Take care of that perfect front bumper. They are really hard to come by.
That is great that you are so willing to learn and get dirty. Congrats to you!
Before your trip, because it sat for a long time, you may want to drop the gas tank out, and take it to a radiator shop to get it cleaned out. Then replace all the fuel lines too.
The factory A/C is a BIG plus in NV, I'm sure! Nice truck!! Good luck, and welcome to this site. You will lots of helpful info and people here.

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OK, I'm over it. Where's the beer?

Thank you for welcoming me to the site and all the advice, everyone!


Thanks, ha! I have gotten more compliments on the grenade shifter than anything. Yes, I'm grateful for the cheap fix. Just irks me that it happened after I bought it! I'm trying for a stock rebuild and daily driver. Sportbikes aren't very conventional, lol.


Yeah, you know, that really confused me upfront when I was looking to buy it. I asked the seller if he was sure it was a '79 because of the dual headlights. He said it was an aftermarket upgrade, though he wasn't totally right. We think one of the previous owners hit a sign post (the crossmember is bent), so they had to fix the front end. I like the dual headlights much better myself, but I wish the original hood with decals was still there. We did pick up a single headlight set-up the other weekend at a pick and pull (along with some other goodies). You're right, very easy!


Same! Twin > single. Thank you! The solid body was what sold me.


They are? I didn't know, but I will certainly take care of it!


Thanks! It's something I have always wanted to learn and I think I started with a great project.


I'll pass all that on to my friend. I know we are having to flush the radiator out before we pull it out to get to the timing cover to fix our newest issue. Replacing the fuel lines and vacuum hoses was one of our next tasks along with the brakes. I'm anxious to get to that stuff! Argh!


Yeah, it's so hot here! And the A/C works really well, lol! Thank you and I'm excited to be here, meet everyone, and talk LUV! I'll be sure to keep everyone updated.

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1979 4x4 Chevrolet LUV

2012 Triumph Daytona 675R

Nice rig!

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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

Welcome to the site. Everything you need to know about Luvs can be found here.
A/C really? that would be nice.

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Three Amigos

i agree with rondog baby that front bumper! I completely trashed one and bent another pretty bad and its about the only thing i can not find a replacement for... like shooting yourself in the foot, one of those things you regret a long time afterward the only one good one i found in the junkyard was on its way off the truck... got beat to it by ten minutes or less

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

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

Sorry for such a late post! Work and life in general took over for a bit, but we're back to the truck and stuck! First, however, I wanted to respond to the posts.


Thank you very much!


Yes, I am very grateful for this site! The A/C is nice, but it would be even nicer if I could use it, lol.


Sorry that you missed out on that bumper, love4theluv! I'm gonna do my best to make sure that bumper stays like it is! Haha.

All righty. Time to layout my problem. We managed to get to valve cover off and get to the timing chain assembly. Good news: the damage is minimal. The timing chain was completely intact! I was relieved the thing hadn't broken and ended up God knows where. OK, the bad news: the crankshaft was missing quite a few teeth (I've already ordered a new one along with an oil pan gasket) and the tensioner was warped (also have its replacement). In addition, there was some scratching on the inside of the valve cover and we'll have to really go through the oil pan to make sure there's no aluminum flakes having a pool party down there. I saved the worst for last! The shaft tensioner(?) was bent. Not sure of the exact name, but it's the part that's not more than an inch long and the tensioner fastens to and balances on. I have no clue where to find a replacement nor do I know a part number/name. The machine shop in town said the most they could do was attempt to straighten it - they couldn't make another. At a loss, so any advice on where I should go from here is immensely appreciated. I'm starting to forget how the engine even sounded when it ran!

Also, can anyone suggest a thread I can follow for this job? I want to do this right and not make an even more costly mistake. Thank you!

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1979 4x4 Chevrolet LUV

2012 Triumph Daytona 675R

I have a parts motor. If you take a picture of what part you need I may be able to help.

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1978 LUV Custom - 1979 LUV stock

Thank you, but the machine shop straightened it for me and did a good job. Starting to actually re-assemble the engine!

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1979 4x4 Chevrolet LUV

2012 Triumph Daytona 675R

Well, we've finally put the engine back together, but the truck won't fire. I posted in the Newbie Section detailing the issue and asking for any help. So, if you guys have the time to spare, I would really appreciate any and all advice. Thank you!

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1979 4x4 Chevrolet LUV

2012 Triumph Daytona 675R