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Here's a couple pics of my small block conversion into the 78 Luv 4X4.




I'm replacing the front and rear spring perches this week. They're all from Chev 1/2 ton rears. This will provide more lift, longer spring length and wider spring width.

Front springs are 6" positive arch (Rancho Suspension) from a fullsize Jeep Wagoneer. Rear springs are 73-79 Chev 1/2 ton. All springs will have all but 3 leaves removed, for plenty of suspension travel. Gas shocks all around. Also doing a spring reversal on the front springs, this moves the shackles to the backside of the springs for a much smoother ride.

Radiator and battery are going in the bed.

I'll post some more pics after I get the body back on.

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When everthing goes wrong....
What's right is what's left.

Sounds cool.

A lot of my friends are 4x4 dudes and they always give me a hard time about building a 4x4 LUV. So I'll be checking out those pictures when you get 'em.

what headers did you use in that. Just curious??????

rustobust
These are some 70-75 Camaro headers that I had laying around the garage for some time. I don't know what brand they are.

Ben
Most of my friends have older fullsize 4X4's and have been making fun of me for building a "Ricer" truck. Wait 'till this little truck kicks their butts. It's about 1500-2000 pounds lighter than most of them, will have lots of suspension travel and about the same amount of power.

_________________
When everthing goes wrong....
What's right is what's left.

sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

I think your right lowkat. I have a friend with a 76 Datsun converted to 4x4 with 3.8L. Lockers front and rear. He goes places no one else can go. In fact his truck is nicknamed "the goat".

Keeping that big motor cool during off-roading is going to be a challenge though. What do you have planned for the cooling system?

Ben
I'm mounting the radiator in the bed with electric fans. I'll have to wait 'till I get to that point, but I have a couple choices. One choice is a huge 4 core copper radiator from a '67 Olds Toronado that had a 455 engine. The other is 2 aluminium radiators in series from 4.3 Chev S-10 pickups.

I'm also installing a 3" body lift which will make room for the 2" pipes for the radiator supply to run down the top of the frame rails. One pipe down each side. I'm tack welding the "U" portion of a muffler clamp to the top of the frame then install the pipes and clamp them down just like a tailpipe.

I've been trying to think of a nickname for this one but don't have anything for sure. I was thinking maybe "Mother LUV" or "TUFF LUV"

77ssluv
Thhhhhaaaaaannnnnnnkkkkkkksssss!

_________________
When everthing goes wrong....
What's right is what's left.

One word of advice about radiators, go aluminum if all possible. ive had three different radiators, each time going bigger and nothin has worked yet. If you dont use one of the ones you have send it to me, COD.

alright, then. nice.

77ssluv
A single 4.3 radiator is marginal for cooling a warmed-over V8, especially in the summer. Most of the S-10 guys running V8's use an aluminium, late 80's Corvette radiator. I'm not sure how they'd fit in a Luv, but they're a bolt-in deal in an S-10. They can be purchased new from the Auto Zone for about $140.

In my 327 powered S-10 Blazer I'm running a 4 row copper radiator from a 75 Nova or Camaro. It has a large stock thermostatic fan and no fan shroud, but the fan is about 3/4 of an inch away from the radiator. It never goes above 180-190, even when idling in summer traffic for long periods.

_________________
When everthing goes wrong....
What's right is what's left.

nice man!! are you willing to sell the rims or maybe trade?

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1980 luv sport 4x4 Just a memory now
Frame rusted from the inside. Truck stripped and now looking for a new donor in southern ohio

They look better in the picture than in person. You prolly wouldn't want them if you actually saw them.

_________________
When everthing goes wrong....
What's right is what's left.

thanx for the input. I've not worked the bugs out of my truck due to the fact that I havent been able to run it much after it warms up. late summer i put a ford v8 car radiator in(3rd one, biggest one) and it still heats up to where i am not comfortable with it. i will definately make a not of the autozone radiator.

Most aluminum radiators start at about $350, so I avoided it. if time is money, Ive wasted more time on cheap radiators- should have put in the aluminum first.

thanx for the heads up lowkat!

g

someone told me once that when you build a high performance v8, usually your bolting on a lot of aluminum- heads, intake, valvecovers...
and due to the high rate of heat transfer that comes with aluminum, high performance engines pull a lot of heat into the heads and such, heating up the water more than usual. Makes sense to me, cause i have all alluminum, exept the dang radiator. Fight fire with fire, bring the aluminum radiator BABY!

(copper radiator)

(heat problems)

Lowkat-

one other thing, I jealous that your doin a "frame off" buid up. tastey!

g

Yea body off makes it a lot easier to get at everything. I'm doing a body lift to make room for the radiator supply pipes so I had to pull it off anyway.

_________________
When everthing goes wrong....
What's right is what's left.

i'm curious..when you put a radiator in the bed, what exactly do you use (hoses,pipes, or something else) and what size of plumbing ? Also does this place any strian on the water pump ?

bob
I'm using 2" thick wall, exhaust tubing for the pipes that run down the top of the frame rails. Then regular radiator hoses for the connections on each end.

As for a strain on the water pump, I don't think so. The distance the coolant will travel horizontally won't create hydrostatic pressure as it's created by pumping vertically.

_________________
When everthing goes wrong....
What's right is what's left.

Heh,heh he said hydrostatic........

77ssluv

Is hydrostatic the "word of the day" ??

Do I win a prize ??
What's the prize and where do I pick it up ??

_________________
When everthing goes wrong....
What's right is what's left.