Known as the Isuzu Faster in other countries, and in Chevy LUV brochures as “The tough half-tonner”, they were pretty tough little trucks. Even though we’ve seen a few here on Barn Finds, they don’t pop up as often as import trucks from Toyota and Datsun do. The seller has this 1979 Chevrolet LUV 4×4 listed here on eBay in beautiful Renton, Washington and there is an ambitious and unmet opening bid price of $15,999 and no reserve after that. Thanks to T.J. for sending in this tip!
The photos are all over the board here, with extreme close-ups and verticals (gaaaaa!), but none showing a front-3/4 shot, oddly enough. In any case, you can see that this is a fresh-faced truck, a partial restoration with new paint and new graphics, sweet!
The seller talks about why a 39,000-mile truck needed new paint, saying that they bought this beauty from the original owners in 2021 and the graphics were faded. During the process of removing the graphics, some of the paint came along with it, so that’s why it was refinished. They say that there is no rust on this Light Utility Vehicle (LUV), and I’m guessing that means no rust-through, just normal surface rust underneath. The bed appears to have a sprayed-in liner finish and it looks nice with the truck’s black paint.
We received the rebadged Isuzu Faster from 1972 until 1980 at which point the Chevy S-10 took over Chevrolet’s small pickup spot in their lineup. The seat appears to have a new cover and the door panels sure look good for being 43 years old, if they’re original. The odometer shows just under 39,000 miles, which is crazy low after so many decades. One thing I noticed is that the bright trim around the gauge cluster is fading, have any of you found a way to restore things like that? I have some similar fading on my 1980 Dodge (Mitsubishi) D-50 pickup and was wondering how to fix that.
The engine is Isuzu’s 1.8-liter G180Z, a SOHC inline-four with 80 horsepower and 95 lb-ft of torque. It’s backed up by a four-speed manual transmission and the whole combo works great, according to the seller, and has recently been serviced. They say that the 4×4 system works great, along with the manual-locking front hubs. This looks like a fantastic example. Have any of you owned one?
Not concours-spec, but tape masking/parts-store “chrome” paint/clearcoat paint, then a light buffing and unmasking has worked for me on many occasions.
Thanks, jrhmobile, I was wondering about using something like that. I’ll give it a try, thanks!
Molotow Liquid Chrome. It comes in a marker, look for it at art supply stores. Probably not durable enough for exterior use, but also highly recommended for scale modeling.
That’s a must-try, thanks, nlpnt!
Actually, the LUV existed through 1982, overlapping the introduction of the S-10. The 81 and 82 were a new body style that carried on as the Isuzu P’up in the U.S.
You’re 100% right, SkipCar! Thanks for the clarification. I meant to say this generation but neglected that part, dang.
Wow ! $ 16,000.. I’m sorry fellow car lovers, but I’m shocked
at the prices these sellers are asking now days. Shocked !!
Are they actually getting these outrageous prices ?
Would you rather pay 16k for this, which would suit the needs of what most people use a truck for, or pay 35k-50k for a new truck? Plus, I bet the seller will go lower…
Another vehicle I lost to the Ky State road Dept ,salt and brine every time we get snow flurries.
Nice. I wanted one of these when they came out but had to settle for the 2WD variant. Seems hard to believe now, the 4WD would have been maybe three hundred bucks more? It was a good little
truck until the rust took it down.
I can’t believe the rust free claim. The salt off a dropped french fry will hole the floorboard in minutes.
You can order fries without salt.
They’ll usually have to fry a fresh batch so keep it in mind if you tend to hit up fast food places between mealtimes when it’s not busy and the ones on hand may have been under the heat lamp a while.
In 1980 I was 16 years old and my first drivable truck was a Chevy LUV. It was so badly rusted at that time I remember locking my keys in the truck once and just reached up from the bottom of the large hole in the door and unlocked it.
Another vehicle I lost to Ky State Road Department salt and brine every time we have snow flurries.
What does 4×4 mean?
👀
Um…four wheel drive.
4×4 = 16
Stop it with your oppressive math, you’re making me feel marginalized!
There’s no reserve because he’s already priced it way over what it is worth.
pretty rare , at least in the rust belt areas . These and the Ford Couriers were well known for the frames breaking in half ,right where the water would drip down between the cab and bed. Of course the body would have been full of rust holes by then too…
I bought on of these brand new in 1979 while I was working as a mechanic at a small dealership in Iowa. I got it at dealer invoice so I ordered every option. It was black (no graphics) with a red interior, bucket seats, am-fm radio and A/C. It had the Mikado package. Had a lot of fun with it. My wife drove it to work on her night shifts during winter and always made it home in the snow. Aluminum head warped at about 60k so had to replace. Added a header and high flow exhaust system. Wish I still had it.
I had 2 of those back in the day … they were good & reliable trucks. As for this one, wow on the price. He’s about $8 grand too high
I had an 82 that I bought off a buddy in the body shop business. Black 4×4, 4speed, Isuzu diesel. I loved that truck!
Rust free, and most of the photos have water in the background. Zero bids.
I bought a similar 1979 Luv from a co-worker in 1984. When I think back to it being a 5 year old truck, the amount of rust was insane! It had a 3″ body lift when i got it, and Rancho shocks. I added 1.5″ lift torsion bars in front, add-a-leaf lift to the rear springs, and oversize Desert Dueler tires. The truck was great fun off-road!
Group of Auto parts stores I worked for in the late 70’s had a fleet of LUV’s (different color for each store) Tough little trucks. I was exceeding the posted limit ( by about 20) & got passed by one of the owners. He shook his finger at me, smiled, and disappeared in his red BMW. Good times.
There is also chrome foil available at hobby / crafts stores that can be used and trimmed off for pieces that are not handled ( like door trim) I have had good luck with it on dashboard trim but it’s kind of time consuming to get it looking good
I had to laugh when I saw what name the LUV was called in some countries: Isuzu “Faster”? What was Isuzu smoking when they gave the truck that name? I suppose if it had a V6 engine powering it, or a small V8 engine, it’d be a rocket with a bed.
Aluminum HVAC tape, when carefully applied and trimmed, makes a great chrome like overlay. I use it for scale modeling, it could be used here as well.