LUVTruck.com

I am having my '79 4x4 Mikado restored, and I have a few questions and am open to suggestions and opinions on what else I should do. This truck will be my daily driver and I will be keeping the stock motor to keep the good gas mileage. It has factory buckets (which will most likely be up for sale in the future). I will probably have some pictures in the future of the restoration if you guys are interested in seeing them. Anyway, here are my questions, I am sure I have seen a few of these questions on the board before somewhere:

1. Should I have a bigger alternator put on?

2. Will tinted glass eliminate my glare in rearview mirror driving at night?

3. If driving lights are mounted inside holes in front bumper, will they shine correctly?

4. If I get 15" rims, does speedometer need to be re-calibrated?

5. Is the Weber carb 32/36 DGEV with electric choke the best one to go with? (Roadshow Bob tells me these are the ones most people are going with for the better preformance and still have good gas mileage)

6. I read here in the past, someone suggested installing some sort of block temp gauge/sensor idiot light. Has anyone done this and what does it require?

7. What seems to be the best size tires and lift for driving in snow? I want to go with a 2" lift and 15" rims. Will this not be overkill on the lift and still look good on the truck? Also, will there be enough tire clearance? What should I go with, 14" rims - no lift, 14" rims - with lift, or 15" rims - with lift?

8. How much difference is there in gas mileage with 14" vs. 15"? (probably not much)

9. Where to buy new rubber seals for around wipers? And best prices with decent quality for the door weatherstripping?

10. How much is cost and best aftermarket dash to get? Is there a dash that has defrost vents that get closer to corners of windshield? I don't know if any of you guys have a problem with the corners of windows not getting de-fogged on cold damp days? It might just be that my vent is a little tilted because of the dash cracking and warping?

11. Can I get a new printed out sticker for the driver side door with the build date and stuff on it? (I think I saw this question here last year?)

12. Where is the best locations for stereo speakers for best sound? I am not amping or anything, probably just having speakers put in doors (probably 6 1/2") and behind the seats in area behind seat belts. I am just wondering if I should have some put up higher near the seat belt swivels for the sound to be up a little higher like in my S-10?

13. Will a 15" spare tire fit under bed where stock spare fits?


Any other suggestions that I should improve on from the factory/stock stuff?

I am already having AC put back in, power steering added, new paint, rust proofing, etc.... Keeping stock 1.8, but most likely all new everything else, hoses, belts, fuel pump, gaskets, etc... Also am going to have it switched to the pushbutton 4x4 (so can throw it in when that sudden snow squall hits without having the messa around with locking the hubs!)

Also....

Do any of you guys have some pics you can direct me to to help me decide if I should go with a black or a gray interior? The truck will be painted black and the bowtie, emblems, tailgate letters will be red.

If I get a tonneau cover, should I go with a canvas cover or a hard cover? What looks better? If someone has some pics of both, let me know. Can the hard tonneau covers be removed if I want to haul something?

Question not related to this restoration......

I want to have my '80 2wd restored in the future for a toy and am wondering if I should go with a 350 or a 400? Is the 400 overkill? I know a lot of people do the 350 swap.


Thanks to all of you that have helped me with answers in the past, please consider my questions and throw in any other ideas you may have.


here is a pic of the truck

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http://www.purerockradio.net/

sounds like your trying to overkill from the looks of your truck you don't need a whole lot,i would look into alum. wheels to fit your tires then go from there. Alum. is alot lighter than steel and you can feel the diff.

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1978 pro street step/side 455Buick, 4sp,4.11s, 31/18.5s

# 1. Are you having alternator problems? Are going to need more power? Both of mine work fine just all stock. If you are only adding a couple fog lamps, the stock alt. should be fine.

#2. We tried tinting the rear window in my 78 and it made it like looking into a double mirror. My son hated it and pulled it all off. I think whats up is the rear view mirrors in these trucks are low quality. They don't have that little day /night flip thing that most other cars have.

#3. I would think your fog lights would shine on the road ok if they were mounted in the empty holes in the bumper.

#4. Depending on your tire size of choice, The speedometer may be off a little. Usually what people do is they just learn how far off their speedo is and do the math. It's usually only 5 or so mph off. A tachometer is also very helpful.

#7. I think for snow you want a tall thin tire. It cuts down through the snow and finds the road. Wide tires tend to float around on top of the snow and slip. This is coming from a guy who lives in L.A. though. Thats just what i've heared over the years.

#10. Most popular and most cost effective is the hard dash cap.

Yes you (2 people) can remove the hard style tonneau covers to haul something.

A small block 400 has married bores. That means coolant cant get between the cylinders and they can develop hot spots. This was a problem in full size trucks that people worked hard. In your LUV just playing around it might be ok.

I know the 350 is easy to find and you can get parts easily for cheap too.

I answered the ones I new and felt I could help you with. Good luck.

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

Thanks a lot for the suggestions. The pic of the truck looks pretty good, but it isn't in pristine shape. That is why I am paying to have it all done up nice. It is still way cheaper than a brand new truck and I will be getting what I want. This is going to be a complete frame off restoration. It will be pretty awesome when finished. There are a lot of rusted out spots that are in dire need of repair. The rockers are pretty shot, the frame has been welded in 2 places, there is a pretty good rust spot on the roof. Cost isn't really a problem, I mean I do want to get the best prices on the parts I will be needing. I know you can get dash caps pretty cheap. I am looking for the complete brand new aftermarket dash that won't dry out and crack like the stock ones. I think I saw something here last year or so when you can buy them for around $300? I need to check the links section again I think. Anyway, thanks again for the input. I will be checking back regularly to see what else you guys think and I will probably post some pics when things get started with the truck. They are picking it up Saturday morning. Not sure when they are going to get started on it, but hopefully soon.

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http://www.purerockradio.net/

Oh yeah, I was just wondering about the alternator. With adding AC back in and with a stereo added, was wondering if a slightly bigger alternator would be a little better than stock. I am sure the guy restoring the truck can answer this for me too. I will have the driving/fog lights, mp3 player most likely will get an ipod and a stereo with the connection for it, and whatever little extra juice is needed to run the push button 4x4 and its dash lights and an extra bulb under the dash to light up the "lights" like the "wipe/wash" illuminates. Will be adding an extra license plate light and a 3rd brake light as well. These are the kind of things you end up getting pulled over for if they blow. I am sure the stock alternator would handle it fine, but heck, with all of this getting retored, why keep a 27 year old alternator in it when I could have a newer slightly larger one installed.

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http://www.purerockradio.net/

I think what I mean about the rearview mirror glare is, I see the road ahead of me when driving at night, but backwards, when I look into my rearview mirror. There doesn't have to be anyone behind me. I have noticed this with my other LUV as well. My S-10, or any other vehical I have ever had, does this. It either has to be the glass or the rearview mirror itself?

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http://www.purerockradio.net/

The dash will cost you around $550.00 including the shipping from AUS. I was able to install mine in about 2 hours.

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Certified pilots, looking down on people since 1903.

you can get a dash cap for about 65 bucks on ebay all the time. and for your wiper arm seals use some old spark plug wire boots. works great!

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1980 luv 1.8 finally running!!!...... and then like a moron i sold it
got another one!!! 1980 mikado. v8 swap here we come... nope divorce and cross country move happened.
got another one!!! 1980 4x4 mikado sport. rusty beater for now...

1-5 yes, 6-??, 7- 15" w/lift, 8-not much, 9-not sure, 10-??, 11-??, 12- top corners behind seat is where mine were and it sounded good, 13-? My .02

Thanks for the input! All I could find on whole dashes was about that price. A little much I think. I did pick up a dash pad this week from a seller on eBay and he shipped it ultra fast. Can this cap be moulded in with the existing parts of the bottom portion of the dash and still look ok? I am sure the dash will be removed completely before paint and I am hoping it doesn't fall into pieces when they do it! I have a few pics of the beginning of deconstruction that I will probably be posting as soon as I make a nice page or slideshow of them. Thanks again to everyone that gave me suggestions and comments. Keep them coming, I will consider anything. Also, anyone with parts for sale, check my wish list in the classified forum, you might have something I am looking for.

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http://www.purerockradio.net/