LUVTruck.com

I am looking into building an other LUV, and I just wanted some input on what everybody thinks(their opinion) on what would be the best powerplant for the LUV truck. Mopar(probably not), chevy, Ford etc.
I know that I want to keep it all under the hood, and $ is really no object. The only thing that is a given is a 9 second time slip. Thanks for th input, Tad K.

Mopar big blocks have the smallest bore centerline of any big block. That basically means that it's the smallest big block. Make sense?

I'm not really a Mopar fan but a 500+ CID motor in a LUV just sounds evil.

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If at first you don't succeed, try it like your wife told you to do it.

Just me but i would try to stick whith chevy bits. I am almost thinking that a 327 would be killer in a luv (i have heard that they are a better motor than almost anything else)

oh and another thing if my dad can make a 57 chev go down the trakc at 11.07 1/4 miles whith a 327 (just intake and a carb). Then i bet you could get a luv into the mid 10s easy.

i vote goes to the small block chev, but i would build a 377 its a 400 block with a 350 crank ,i was talking to a guy that was runing one in a sprint car ,and he said his would turn 9000 rpm no problem.he had all hi dollar
parts but i looked into it and you could build one for about 3000$ without
heads would make 550hp easy mid 9s i think in a 2700# luv -wa hoo!!!

luv2fast did you give up on the v6 ? did you git the heads back on and try it ?how did it do?do tell !!!.i like your idea of the v6 if you can get the bugs
worked out ,from the pics you do very good work ,maybe you can try putting copper head gaskets with o-rings, if you still burn the head gaskets, i was on a race team that ran a bbc with 13.5-1 com with12-71 blower making 30lbs boost every pass ,it ran copper gaskets with o-rings never burned a gasket ,broke every thing else on the car but never burned a gasket !!!!

I think the chevy sb is the way to go. Way back in the year 19 and 86, i istalled my first Buick V-6. That was the big ticket "bolt in"ride that Hooker was promoting. Now years later, its still a great setup but a 350 is a motor that has so many options for performance. V-6 performance options(rear wheel drive)are fading away. Let alone the displacement difference. there's a reason so many members on this site have a 350 under the hood. Great power/ An almost endless supply of parts! One thing is for sure, If the stock motor goes, replace it with a V motor. The cost to repair an old japanese motor is close to retrofitting a stock GM V motor. Any extra cost is more than worth it.

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Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

my .02 is, go w/ the sbc. i should've listened and built a 350 or hell even a 305 for mine. would have cost me 1/2 what i have in the 3.8 right now. and it aint even in the truck yet

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I like my steak like I like my women, young, tender and bloody.

All I need is my weed, women, and wine. -Edge City Outlaws

Put a viper crate motor in it I looked into doing this but it would cost too much for me. It would be original and you could get 500hp easily. If they can fit it in a PTcruiser without having to move the firewall back, I'm sure u can get it in a LUV. Mopar sells almost everything u need to install it in a non-viper application. Of course last time I checked the crate motor itself was $17,000, but the motor is fully dressed. Hell, they even have a book to help you with the swap. My dream was to do this and get twin turbos for it......well i guess it'll stay a dream unless Bill Gates decides to help a guy out.

hell if money isn't an object just build a 426 sbc with about 15:1 and throw the laughing gas to it.
if it doesn't go fast enough just spray some more.....

I am building this engine to play with at first 350 10.5:1 .060 w/ aluminum chevy performance heads 2.100 intake and 1.60 exhaust. I am going to spray this one a little, then I will build a better bottom end then spray the crap out of that one....if it doesn't go fast enough I will spray more....that is my plan anyway....

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03Cobra

I blew both head gaskets @ Sears Point about 1 month ago, so I pulled them off and sent them to Precission Turbo for a O-ring job, and since it is down, I am installing a roller cam and a manual shift kit. There is no way that I am giving up on the v-6, just looking for more power at a resonable price. I think that 1 day I will be in the 10's with this terd, but to drop a full second off of my time I think that I can build something else in a different truck!
HEY, THANKS FOR EVERYONE'S INPUT, SOME GREAT IDEAS.

well if you want to keep it simple and easy go with the sbc all the parts are easily available. now if you want to be a little different something i think i'm going to try down the road is a mild sbc with a turbo . that would be kinda cool.

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don`t have the luv no more but I still like em.72 el camino,
00 & 06 silverado one 4x4, turboed vw sandrail,99 banshee, 06 raptor 700, 02 polaris trailblazer.

It depends on what you're going to do with the truck. I like a 377 motor with a 6" rod due to its good rod to stroke ratio. but if you dont necessarily care about longevity that much then you just cant beat a motor with 3.75" stroke or better. 383, 406, 421, 434 etc. the bigger motors work well on the street because you can use less rear gear and less converter and still whoop some ass while being a lot more streetable.

building a killer motor for the track is one thing, but building one to live on the street is another.

if money is no object go ahead and put a 8.0L V10 viper engine in and see what the hell happens...that is if you can stuff that thing under the hood!!lol for me i think i am going to do the 327 keep it chevy even though it is isuzu..um..uh never mind lol

Luv2fast, You are in a unique situation having a turbo v-6. Of course it's something to stick with. Those of us with normally aspirated v-6 motors know of the specific limitations of these motors both in cost and limited options. The most likely direction for us would be to go with a v-8. In my case it isn't something i've tried because finding a turbo buick motor would be like finding a dinosaur egg. They're that rare! If i had a turbo v-6, i'd keep it in the truck. If i got a bad jones for a v-8, i'd build one for another truck.

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Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

dangit racelife you took my idear.
I am wanting to build a turbo setup for my truck when I build the race engine for it waaaaaay down the road.
there is just something about a turbo spooling up on the line......ahhhhhhhhhhh

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03Cobra

My 2 cents-

i drool at the thought of a 4.3 litre v6 with twin turbos. that will be my next project.

EFI throttle body, twin T's right down the throat! I figure they are gettin' 1000+ HP out of a small block. Professionally built of coarse. If we could build one not quite as hot, your still talkin a crap load of ponies. build a strong bottom end, research the turbos and design the intake, youde have something that noone else has done. I really hope i can go first.

g

How about a Caddy Northstar?
Check out the site below for these whoop ass engines.
http://www.chrfab.com/

Tunnel rammed Northstar.

Blown Northstar with 600HP on 9lbs of boost.

Twin turbo 800HP Northstar.
The chrfab owner runs this engine in a sand buggy.


Now if I could just figue out how to replace the Northstar with a small block in my wife's Eldorado while she wasn't looking..... She'd probably notice the power loss though

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

If you would want to be REALLY special and have some money lying around : build a V12 ROLLS-ROYCE Merlin 27 litre airplane engine in the Luv . ( only minor firewall mods ) THAT would really make it fly !!!!

I think any engine is good as long as it's providing enough Hp and drivebility for the money and if it gives you enough options in the future .

But i myself would never think of building anything other than a v8 in the Luv.

Stay with a chevy motor. Maybe a 302 for quick power, that would make that Luv launch off of the starting line. Nothing beats Chevrolet.