Colton Robinson
Mechanical Engineer/Draftsman
The LUV Machine
For my EDGE project, I took a broken old 1980 robin-egg blue chevy LUV mini truck and restored it for my little sister as her first car.
The inspiration for this project was really my little sister. She has a fun and offbeat personality, with a love of cute vintage things. She was also going to be turning 16 and needing her own car soon. With my mechanical abilities, I figured I could find and build her a magical first car that would match her personality perfectly.
The truck was only $500 to purchase, but it needed some real work.
The original Hitachi carburetor was toast, and the truck required the installation of a conversion kit so I could replace the old carburetor with a new Weber 32/36 carb.
The transmission was a Th250 that was adjusted via a linkage system attached to the old carburetors throttle control lever. Since this linkage no longer existed, I needed to figure out how to build and install a new linkage.
Once the motor was running and the truck went into gear it was time to start on the bodywork. The rear drivers side corner had been rear ended and the bumper, tail light, and sheet metal had been smashed. With the aid of an oxy torch, a large hammer, a shop vice, and a tenacious pair of channel locks, I was able to pull everything off and get it sorted out. I also replaced both tail lights.
After reassembling the truck, I spent several hours doing laps around the block with a vacuum gauge and a timing light. The new transmission linkage needed to be dialed in to ensure that the transmission shifted at the right rpm, and the ignition timing and carburetor needed to be fine tuned together to ensure the best engine performance.
The project overall didn’t present any outstanding or unexpected challenges. The stubborn rusty nuts and bolts were expected, and even the worst ones were eventually coaxed loose with the aid of an acetylene torch. The transmission linkage ended up being simpler than I had feared, and the old motor and new carburetor got along fairly well right off the bat.
I find a deep satisfaction both in helping other people, and in giving new life to broken old junk. This project was a great opportunity for me to do both. A broken old truck was given a new life, and my little sister got the perfect first car.
-Colton Robinson
