LUVTruck.com

i pretty much have to re wire most of my truck and i have a possibility of putting a buick v6 in with a th350 trans. is it really worth the trouble will the stock axles be able to be used? thatnks aaron

Sure. Most stock rear ends have a 4.11:1 ratio. Some automatics came with a 3.73:1. Biggest thing would be how many rpm's you have to turn to drive highway speeds.

This most likely means a over drive transmission. A 5 speed or something like a 700hr4 automatic, which should be fine for that engine. Some think it won't hold up to High Horsepower. I'll say see what everyone says and make your decision.

You can see if you can get a used harness, a harness out of another car(chevy truck?) or buy a new wiring kit from Painless wiring, Ron Frances Wire or many others make universal kits

Richard

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75 Luv, 350 V8, TH350, Camaro rearend. New 1975 Luv Step side. Stock for now.
Grandmaster of the "Shade Tree" way.. I can't see the yard for all the cars. Come on down and we will sit on the porch and watch the grass grow.

Running a stock axle with a Buick V-6 will hold up but you dont want to get out on the Hwy. Engine r.p.m.'s will be too high and you'll cook the motor quickly. 55 m.p.h. will require around 3500 r.p.m.s. If you keep the truck in town, it will be a quick, ride from stoplight to stoplight.
I had the stock axle under my truck for over 10 years without any axle issues. But this was when the speed limit was still 55 m.p.h.
A new driveshaft will need to be built to match the trans yoke to the pinion yoke.
Go ahead and do it. After it's built, you can focus on building a new axle.

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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.

could you go with an s-10 rear end if ur running a v6 and have no problems

According to Haynes, the LUV rear ends were 4.56 for manuals, and 4.10 for the autos.

It's still a leetle bit of a winder... I can do 70 (I think it's 70, the speedo is way off) with a 231 and th350 with the stock rear, but it is wound up pretty good.

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1978 shortbed fleetside, th350, Fireball 231 Even Fire V6, Edelbrock 500CFM Performer with Edelbrock intake. Workin' Truck.

he is right about the axle ratio for 4x4 (4.56) I checked my self by counting the revolutions on the driveshaft turned 4 and a half times.

I think you'll love it. If you go with an S-10 rear end, you can end up with a gear ratio from a 4:10 to a 3:08 which is more suitable to what you are doing. Ben and Derek have put "How to install a V8 in your Luv" on this site that has a lot of pics and instructions you could benefit from, including a stock Camaro driveshaft that will fit, if you install an S-10 rear end. The Luv rear end will work to get you driving and will last reasonably well.

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I want to be different like everybody else.