Fact: First sold in North America from '72 as a badge-engineered variant of the Japanese-market Isuzu Faster. Production of the first-generation ended in '80.
Let's be real about it, money is tight any way you look at it these days. So, what does one do? We can't just stop paying our bills or quit eating, and once all those realities of life are taken care of, there seems to be less and less cash left over each month for any fun. Perhaps the answer to this daunting problem is right in our own backyards and garages.
We're talking about a low-buck, budget project. All those poor, forgotten minitrucks you see rotting in yards and fields as you drive by and think to yourself, "Man, that truck could be SO cool with a bit of love" are where the action is. The reality is with a bit of sweet-talking, you could probably take one of them home with you for a measly couple hundred bucks. Now here's the part where we can save a few bucks and keep this project on the cheap from start to finish. By nature, we minitruckers tend to be "junk" collectors. Most of us probably have boxes full of old parts we've collected over the years that are too good to throw away but aren't quite cutting-edge anymore like old 'bags and valves, wheels and link kits, assorted fittings, and stuff like that. Realistically, a cool ride to cruise around in doesn't have to break the bank—it will just involve smart shopping and creative wheeling and dealing with some of your buddies!
Follow along with us as we drag an old forgotten Chevy LUV out of a field and have a crack at building a cool daily beater or parts-chaser to cruise around in without having to sell one of the kids.
1. Case in point, our long...
1. Case in point, our long forgotten LUV...
2. .. has been sitting out...
2. .. has been sitting out here in a field...
3. ...for the past 17 years...
3. ...for the past 17 years since the engine seized.
4. With the help of a 4x4...
4. With the help of a 4x4 and a chain, we were able to drag the truck out of the field for our first clear look at it.
5. Before heading home, we...
5. Before heading home, we stopped off at our neighborhood carwash for a quick cleanup with the pressure washer and a can of engine shampoo.
6. One can of engine shampoo,...
6. One can of engine shampoo, 5 bucks in change, and one grumpy carwash owner, cleaned up engine bay cleaned great.
7. This will make for less...
7. This will make for less of a mess pulling out the old engine.
8. The bed and interior had...
8. The bed and interior had junk all over from sitting out in the field for so long, but not so much a couple hours of vacuuming and cleaning wouldn't fix.
9. The bed and interior had...
9. The bed and interior had junk all over from sitting out in the field for so long, but not so much a couple hours of vacuuming and cleaning wouldn't fix.
10. The bed and interior had...
10. The bed and interior had junk all over from sitting out in the field for so long, but not so much a couple hours of vacuuming and cleaning wouldn't fix.
11. With a quick look around...
11. With a quick look around the garage, a set of 1/4-inch port bags, a pair of shocks, a couple of four-link bars, and a header for the donor engine were rounded up.
12. Speaking of the donor...
12. Speaking of the donor engine, we have that too; it comes by way of another long lost project that was also sitting out in that field.
13. It's a rebuilt Mitsubishi...
13. It's a rebuilt Mitsubishi 2.6L with a Weber carb and a five-speed transmission.
14. Although a set of old-school...
14. Although a set of old-school Porsche alloys is the end goal, these chrome Pathfinder wheels are going to have to do until then.
15.Looks like we'll be on...
15.Looks like we'll be on the hunt for a new bed, as the damage on the driver side of the bed looks to be in too bad of shape to even attempt repair. Stay tuned as this LUV is whipped back into shape right here in the pages of MT as we keep things cheap and classy.