Custom Compact Chevy Truck is Everything the LUV Should Have Been

Chevy LUV may have lasted longer if they all had a wood-lined stepside bed, leather interior and a Buick V6.

While looking through Craigslist posts for Chevrolet trucks for sale, we came across one of least-known and least-loved of the brand’s trucks, even though it has a name that practically demands that we loved it. That is, of course, the Chevy LUV truck. This Isuzu-built compact truck was sold in the United States from 1972 through 1981, when it was replaced by the stronger-selling S-10.

The Isuzu Faster-turned-Chevy LUV was not popular while it was on sale, nor did it ever gain any cult following after the fact like so many vehicles from that era. If the LUV was offered in similar form to the one shown here, it would have surely sold better, even if only to surfers along the California coast.

Plum Crazy Love

There are two features of this 1977 Chevy LUV that give it a unique look compared to the rest of the compact Isuzu-built pickups. The first is the black canvas convertible top that retracts into the area behind the seat when not in use. The second is the “stepside” style bed with unique wheel flares that give this LUV a much wider-looking stance out back. The doors and the entire front end are unaltered from stock, but like the custom bed, the front end is painted beautiful “plum crazy” purple with a black grille and bumper.

This 1977 Chevy LUV also has a set of classic-styled steel wheels with a chrome beauty ring and a raised chrome center cap, along with LED taillights that run vertically along the rear corner of the custom bed.

Stunning Interior

With the top down, there really is no “inside” to this 1977 Chevy pickup, but there passenger’s area and the cargo box are both beautifully customized. The bench seat has been wrapped in grey leather, as have the door panels and portions of the dash board. A custom transmission shifter is nicely nestled into a cove in the middle of the bench seat and an array of modern white-faced gauges are nestled nearly into a wooden panel in the dash. There is also a late model sound system and a newer sport steering wheel.

Out back, the custom bed is lined with stained wood and chrome braces along with a locking cargo box that is wrapped in the same stained wood.

Buick Power

Finally, this wicked 1977 Chevy LUV truck is powered by a V6 engine from a 1979 Buick, but we do not know which engine the builder picked. That engine is mated to an automatic gearbox, with many new components in the engine bay making this a great cruiser, albeit not a particularly quick pickup.

If you love the LUV and have always dreamed of having one of the most unusual examples of the Isuzu-built Chevrolet pickup, your ideal cruiser is on sale in Portland, Oregon.

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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