4.5LV build

[Gumby]

Another day puttering on the LV. It's starting to get a bit frustrating. It's a ways from being done, but it is to the point where it's very drivable, except we've had an epically s***ty winter here in Chicago. I fought with myself all day if I should just drive it a couple of miles to the hardware store for 7/16 bolts for the winch and for some fuel. I finally decided not to. There is tons of salt on the roads from all the snow we've had and no melting cycles to wash any of it off. The Tundra is caked with it and I rinse it off every few days. The LV also has no plates or insurance on it and it would be just perfect to be plowed into by some fool who has the wrong car for the snow.

It also has no heat.

Cleaned up a bunch of wiring in the engine compartment.
Hooked up the horn. I used a foot button since my column is missing too many parts to make that work.
Ran the air lines to the air shocks. I mounted the schreader valves in the corner access panel on the right rear. Seemed better than drilling holes in the floor and won't make carpet fitting weird.
Cleaned out the whole truck.
Ran it for about a half an hour trying to get the fans to turn on. The upper hose outlet where I put the fan switch never got hot enough at idle.
Messed around mounting the Warn Belleview winch. Decided it was too nasty and tore it down. The covers are all sitting in the parts cleaning tank. They were nasty. Sandblasted the drum. Gives me something else to fiddle with.

 

[Gumby]

The winch is cleaning up well. I decided to clear coat over the sand blasted aluminum rather than go with a color or polish for hours and have a blingy winch.

I ordered all new bearings and seals from a variety of sources. Everything south of the motor was seized.

 

[Gumby]

The only before and after pic

 

[merbesfield]

I know that having fixed all my rust and knowing how open and completely unprotected the underside is/was, I could not bring myself to drive in the salt. Water is bad enough, but salt water. I sealed most of my joints and then under coated with Raptor but I admit, it is a Sunday sunny day cruiser now.

 

[Gumby]

Looks like the motor for the winch is shot. Might have to put a 8274 motor on it. It's cheaper and will give me power out.

Big day for the LV today. I drove it to the gas station after sorting out the lights. When I stepped on the brakes I lit up one front turn signal. I swapped the green orange wires to get the back light to light up on the brake, then found a bad bullet connector on the other side.
The fan didn't come on at 230 engine temp on the scan tool and the thermal gun. I ordered a new fan switch as the fan works fine when run direct to the battery.
I need heat. I had a old aftermarket heater out of the SWB, but it really intrudes into the passenger footwell and was ugly. I have a older 40 heater box, but I don't want to cut a giant square hole in the firewall and don't have a blower motor vent in the fender. I cut the squirrel cage housing out of the old heater and fit it to the 40 box. It still needs a couple of sheet patches to make it tight, but the old heat/defrost outlet fit right over the blower inlet on the 40 box.
I flipped the motor over in the housing so the housing would fit under the glove box, and the motor points down to clear the bottom of the box.
Wired the blower motor to an old dome switch for now.
I'm out of 5/8 heater hose and the coolant was still warm so I'll clean it up and powdercoat it all on Monday. I need to fab up something to go from the big oval defrost outlets to the little 1" defrost tubes on the LV.

 

[woytovich]

I need heat...

Where is the heater blower going to draw from? ...is it that you will not have an outside air source and will only be able to recirculate interior air?

 

[woytovich]

Big day for the LV today. I drove it to the gas station

SO TELL US... how does it drive? I am very interested to get a sense of how that motor/tranny combo feels in the LV...

 

[Gumby]

Just recirculated.

Drives really nice. Way more power than an F. Good solid torque. I like it a lot.

 

[woytovich]

Just recirculated.

Drives really nice. Way more power than an F. Good solid torque. I like it a lot.

I just spent a few days driving halfway across the country in a 97 LX450. The motor seemed good but not "wow" in that truck. The LX450 is considerably heavier than an LV I think so I would expect the engine to feel pretty powerful in an LV.

How would you compare it to other vehicle/powerplant combinations you have driven?

 

[Gumby]

I just spent a few days driving halfway across the country in a 97 LX450. The motor seemed good but not "wow" in that truck. The LX450 is considerably heavier than an LV I think so I would expect the engine to feel pretty powerful in an LV.

How would you compare it to other vehicle/powerplant combinations you have driven?

I haven't got a lot of seat time in it. It seems more like an 80 in smoothness and power delivery than a 350. Its not as snappy as a 6.0 lq4 in a swb.

 

[tucker74]

I've got a DB Starters 8274 motor if you need it, yours for shipping . Can't wait to see her done -

Tucker

 

[Gumby]

I'd be a fool not to jump on that offer. Thanks!

 

[Gumby]

Found a much more appropriate early 40 heater box on the shelf at home last night so I took it in, sandblasted it and powercoated it pewter today. It looks way better.

I went ahead and powdercoated the later one too since I had it blasted.

 

[woytovich]

...so I took it in, sandblasted it and powercoated it ...

I love that... a process that would take many of us (me) a week or more to get wrapped up is done in a day... NICE!

 

[Gumby]

Got it up to speed today and found a bad pinion bearing in the rear diff.

 

[Gumby]

Test drive at speed 2.0

Replaced the third and diagnosed the fan switch this morning.
Replaced the self tapping screws holding my heater with nutserts and bolted it up.
Ran the coolant hoses.
Took the residual valve out of the front brake line.

Drove it to lunch about 2.5 miles away.

It did great. Steering is a little twitchy. Needs an alignment and the damper installed. The blower intake needs a shroud. Too much air is just blowing out around the intake hole. The left inside TS bulb quit working. For a first drive it went pretty well.

After lunch I installed some cheap carpet I got. The stuff I want is gonna run $350-500, so I got some that was $35 to try out and make a template from.

 

[woytovich]

Test drive at speed 2.0

I'm wondering how the power feels compared to a stock F/2F in the LV and also compared to the 1FZ in an 80 series...

 

[Gumby]

I never drove the LV with a stock F and not on the road with the 327. It drives much nicer than a 40 with an F.

It is comparable to an 80 series. Maybe a little quicker, but with 1964 suspension and 1970s steering and brakes it doesn't really have to be all that fast. I ran my 80 from Chicago to Ann Arbor in less than three hours once. 120+ the whole way. I just don't think that's ever going to be a concern in the LV.

 

[Gumby]

Replaced the rear u-joints today. The 80 side one was sloppy. I would of done it earlier while the rear end was out but I was shipped a front. Kinda sucks it has three different ujoints now.

Finished the rear seat area carpet.

Made a shroud for the blower motor fan. Works better now.

 

[Gumby]

Just got back from driving it home for lunch. About an 8 mile round trip. Did well. I would not call it fast. Stately is a better word for it. Lots of things to tweak, but it's reasonably reliable so far.

Got started on the list of things to fix in the afternoon. Washed it and started to wet sand it out.

Here it is at home for the first time under it's own power.