It’s time to put the “Buhanka” V8 van to its first off-road shakedown. Tommy and Kase want to see it up close, hear it run, and see it perform at our Tumbleweed Ranch in Andre’s Pit (which is currently muddy and slick). Let’s go!
You may have seen my “Fast Loaf” Soviet 4×4 van before. David Morrow and I spent about six months last year in order to LS swap the “Buhanka” and turn it into a Chevy V8 truck underneath.
This van’s official name is the UAZ 452. It was powered by an inline-4 2.9L gasoline engine that sent power to a 4×4 system via a 4-speed automatic. Now, it has a 2003 Chevy Silverado 1500 4.8L V8, GM’s 700R4 4-speed automatic transmission, and a NP205 heavy-duty 4×4 transfer case. The axles and the suspension are largely stock.
When we first published some stories about this V8 swap, we got comments that the engine will likely overheat and the axles will explode because of the powerful V8 engine. Let’s see what happens.
This van has a 2-inch body lift and it’s rolling on old Russian mud terrain tires that are 31 inches in diameter. It has four corner leaf springs and four corner drum brakes.
David set the electric cooling fan to come on when the coolant reaches 195F, and it runs until it gets to around 185F. It works very effectively, and we had zero overheating problems during this first shakedown.
The snow is melting, and Andre’s Pit is very slick. However, the 4×4 system and the tires work well together, and the Fast Loaf is able to climb some obstacles on first try and some other obstacles on second try with some momentum. The new drive shafts do not rub, and the entire powertrain swap works brilliantly.
Thank you David! Join the video below for all the details.
Now, we will have to test it in the heat of summer.
