NO-E street build

[hotrod 80]

Well i have been shopping for a while and want to build a NO-E street truck ( 7.49 and slower ) I was doing the LUV search on C list and happened across this thing way down the list . I called the number and left a messae . Took about a week and i got a call . Didnt even remember the truck thinking it was a dead end . Ended up talking to the owner Russel . he bought the truck almost 3 years before with intentions of doing a V-8 conversion and life got in the way and it got stored at a friends place were out of site out of mind became the norm. I ended up getting everything arranged and made the trek 3.6 hrs away to an area outside of a small town inTexas called Lott . A good friend of mine Rodger rode with me and we Meet Russell , delbert& chris . The truck had been sitting for quit a while and both front tires were flat . I looked over the current condition and evaluated the important corrosion spots . Seemed like a good canidate . So we struck a deal , loaded it up and brought it back to Baytown . Here are the only picks i have now .

[Super73]

I have often thought about doing a Luv. I wonder what one would run with my current combo.
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[hotrod 80]

Your combo would run good in anything

Wow , what a mess . Apartently they were hualing feed when it quit running and left a bag of bird feed in the passenger side .. On the flip side The tin is so clean that the carpet retainers are still in the truck . Here are some better pics from before the clean up started .

[hotrod 80]

Got alot done yesterday . Got the old carpet out and the seat cleaned up . Vacuumed out the inside and the floor pans are spotless . If my Yellow truck is a 6 rust wise , this truck has to be a 9 . I have yet to find rust through , just surface stuff i am fixing as i go . I also got it washed . This was a job . I first scrubbed it with some purple power then regular car wash . Rotory buffed it with Meguiers #1 polish . It came out prett good . Next will be a orbital with a Cleaner wax . The main water line to the house broke and the rear Ujoint on my big Ford quit on the way home from the hardware store . Busy evening , not to mention the wife is not as thrilled about this project like i am .

[hotrod 80]

Got the Ford fixed and bought a LT4 Hotcam For the motor . The motor is a 96' 880 Vortec 2 bolt main with a nice set of polished and beamed older style rods and SRP 2 relief flattops . The bottom end hardware is ARP .

This motor was gapped at .018 top and .022 middle so it will need some run time before a small plate gets put on it . The Lt4 hot cam hydraulic roller lifters , double roller chain and 1.6 roller rockers all linked to a set of smaller World products Torquer S/R 180 heads , Summit stage 2 mid rise dual plane , a demon 750 ( may swap to 650 ) and a MSD Hei .


My tight TSI Nitrous conveter out of my Yellow truck and the fresh TH350 that was originally in the yellow truck .

31 spline 9 inch woith 3.60 street gear and a spool . The rear axle will be narrowed to fit 15 x 10 with 5.5 backspace so all my wheels will fit both trucks . This truck will be on slapper bars , but i am working with Smith Racecraft out of Dallas on a set of these bars for it on stock springs .
http://srdparts.com/index.php?page=s...emart&Itemid=1

[hotrod 80]

Well got some done today . Woke up saturday and the wife and i drove up to Conroe , Texas . This is north of Houston and the largest fall swap meet we have . Found nothing fo a LUV . I did find a MSD billet HEI distributer with 8.8 wires and a nive like new play back tach . While at the swap meet i got a call and ended up headed back to work from the afternnon til 7 am in the morning . Got a little done on this thing . Swapped out the front side marker lights that had been spliced into for some spares i had stashed in the garage . I also dug around and found a passenger side mirror that wasnt broken . I replaced the master cylinder and blew threw the steel lines . New flex hoses , calipers , pads , seals ,fabricates 5 lug hubs with trooper rotors everything cleaned and bearings repacked with Royal purple wheel bearing grease . Here are the photos .
before:

after:

The healing has began:

[hotrod 80]

Just some clean up pics .
Before flor pans :

After:

Engine compartment

[hotrod 80]

Got more done this weekend . Cam swapped in the motor . Ended up going LT4 hotcam . Motor is just about finished .

Also picked up the rear axle . 85 Ford F-150 4 x 4 gave this one up for $150 . I have 3.60 with a spool , 4.20 spool and the 3.50 that came in this one . I cleaned up the backing plates and added new wheel cylinders , spring kits and shoes followed by turning the drums . All the front brakes are now new , except for the tubing . This includes rotors , bearing , calipers , seals , hoses, master cylinder , dot 3/4 synthetic fluid .

And a sneak peak at how things are shaping up .

[hotrod 80]

Dis assembled the 9 inch today washed it out and bought new ends . Ordered new Strange axles and dropped housing off at the race car shop to be narrowed . New strange ends were also purchased . Gear is already set up with a spool and 3.60 gear . Rebuilt truck drums will be on the ends .

[hotrod 80]

More cleaning . The broken air shockes were removed and the new/old ones from the Yellow truck were installed . All the poly tubing from air shocks removed . The rear section of the wiring harness was a mess . These trucks have the seperate turn signal brake light and require a converter box for trailer lights . Looked like there was 15 splices back there . I had the tail light harness off a 78' a buddy of mine parted out that was a Texas A&M campus maintience truck ( wornout ) . It was prefect so in it went . Both the side marker lights in the rear were not working due to broken wires . Had replacements as everytime i find one of these trucks i buy the lenses . Actually got the wiring cleaned up and working . Thinking the 4 cylinder might run . I found a good home for the motor here in Houston/Tomball . A father son restoration of a stock 1978 with a automatic . They are on Luvtruck.com and the parts will be helping there project .

Ordered a new oil pan , valve covers , breathers , air cleaner , roller rockers . This should be the last of the big stuff pending the radiator .

[djracer]

You have been hard at it! It should be a fun little truck.

[hotrod 80]

Originally Posted by djracer

You have been hard at it! It should be a fun little truck.

The racing has kinda slowed down so i have been working on it . I work rotating shifts and the wife and i are empty nesters now so i have alot of time alone to work on it . Hoping the motor makes around 350/360 to the ground . Should run some 11.80-90's and have power brakes and a/c . Im going to drive this one more .

[Super73]

Looking good.. Will be fun once in action!
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[dukcaln]

wow brings back a lot of memories... my brother had a white luv with a 350 and auto trans... pretty much stock with all bolt ons when I was 15 (1985)... he would run mid 12's all the time and won a few trophys at the high school drags..... I all ways wanted it but never got it cause he wrapped it around a pole... survived no injuries but the truck was toast

[hotrod 80]

Got a little more done on the drivetrain this week . Rocker arms are on and valves adjusted . The oil pan was from a caprice or roadmaster with the sensor in the pan and i couldnt get it to stop leaking . i replaced it with a new truck pan . i am waiting on the valve covers and breathers to come in and it should be close .

Also got the housing narrowed and the axles came in . The bearings are not correct , so i will have to wait for them to come in or buy them local . The axles should have come assembled and ready to install . I dont have a press so i have no idea what im going to do there . I double flaired the factory brake line with a standard 3/16 end to allow the use of an F150 brake flex hose .

[hotrod 80]

Wrapping up the motor .

[hotrod 80]

Got this far today .

[ERASER5]

^ That'll do, pig.

[hotrod 80]

Not very romantic , but all the lights and signals now work except passengerside rear side marker . The wires are off it . I will solder it back up and re install it . The left turn signal indicator in the dash is bad so i will get it fixed , Got the horns working . Stock motor is locked up solid . More clean up and 1/0 battary cables built .

[hotrod 80]

Got a bit farther along . The motor mounts were used and cut out of another truck . A budy of mines son Shawn is in metal shop class and he used the motor mounts as a project in metal shop . I got the hood off and more wiring done . All the lights are burning now . most of the stock motor is disconnected and ready to be pulled . Wife had me doing yard work most of the weekend , so no huge steps , but it iscoming along . Stock motor which is locked up about to come out .


All the key player having a meeting before moving in .

[hotrod 80]

Havent had alot of time for this truck lately but got a few things done . My Vortec block had no provisions for a fuel pump at all . No fuel pump rod hole or pump mount holes at all . I drilled and tapped the block for the fuel pump block off plate . The A/C bracket im going to use mounts to the fuel pump boss and the 2 holes in the front of the motor . Also the motor mounts will be the polyurethanes off my Yellow truck . Getting closer to the install .

[hotrod 80]

Got a bit farther today . The Chevy Luv/Izusu rear axle is basically a Japanese copy of a Ford nine inch chunked in the oven and shrunk . I pulled the old assembly out and set the new axle on the moroso spring perches , with 1/2 " u-bolts and the Afco lower shock mounts that came on the Yellow truck . The emergency brake cables from the Luv snap right in the big Ford backing plates and the cables slide right in the cam arms for the e-brake of the drum brakes . Ill get some pics of the brakes coming up , but a photo update . 28 x10.5 x 15 slicks



275 60 15 drag radial

[hotrod 80]

You can also see that after being cleaned up and buffed out that it has it's fair share of body damage . Most of the damage was hide when it was dirty .

[hotrod 80]

Dash cap and radiator came in today along with the carpet and door panel material . The material is a 70's/80's mopar pattern that caught my eye 95% of people will never know it is not factory , the other 5% wont care .


Here are the original door panels . The kick panels will also be upolstered to match .

Waiting on the A/C and alternator brackets to come in . Still need a fan , mufflers , sump for factory tank , Have been working 7 days a week and not had time for this , plus santa claus is coming and my girls are back in town for a while .

[bigguy69]

I like this truck