We all have vehicles in our past that we wonder about – could I have rescued it? Of course, in most cases, it’s easy to wash your hands of a needy project, but I do wonder about an old Ford Courier pickup I discovered that had apparently been converted to 4WD specifications. This conversion was popular in the same time period these light-duty trucks were roaming the Earth, with both the Courier and the Chevrolet LUV used as the baseline for a compact trail beater, often with beefy components underneath. This Chevrolet LUV listed here on Facebook Marketplace has an Isuzu powerplant and 4×4 equipment, and is offered for $4,750.

Thanks to Barn Finds reader Lothar… of the Hill People for the tip. There were numerous aftermarket companies that got into the business of converting 2WD trucks to 4x4s, and among the companies focused on the LUV were Wolverine and Downey. Now, of course, you could buy components off-the-shelf and do this work in your garage, and to this day those components can still be purchased if you wish to take your LUV or Courier project to the next level. However, as with all things involving pedigree, finding a truck that was modified by one of these companies in-period is the way to go. I love the bed net – such a cool period touch.

The Courier I chased for a while was a massive project, with rust in all the wrong places, in addition to being neglected for decades. I wanted it solely on the basis of attempting to preserve what may have been a desirable and limited-production aftermarket conversion, but I had no proof – for all I knew, it was built in someone’s backyard with no regard for build quality. This LUV strikes me as being assembled by an aftermarket 4WD specialist, but the seller does note that the longtime owner “…never finished (the) project,” and that it came out of an estate – so anything is possible in terms of how it was concocted. If anyone knows how you call tell if a professional aftermarket company performed the work, drop a note in the comments.

The LUV utilized an Isuzu-sourced powerplant in its first generation, dropping the reliable 1.8L four-cylinder into the LUV’s light-duty chassis. This is a good engine, even if not particularly powerful, ringing in at 75 horsepower and 88 lb.-ft. of torque. There was also an Isuzu diesel engine that was used a few years later, even more gutless at 58 b.h.p. Still, they were durable and dependable little cruisers, which likely explains why they still appear in West Coast junkyards like any other Corolla or Accord – many of them are still being used, and we’re hopeful this cool 4WD conversion project is one of them.