Chevy S10 "pep"

On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 08:32:06 GMT, wrote something wonderfully witty:

An engine swap.

Yeah, what he said. There is no replacement for displacement. If you only want a small increase, you can switch to synthetics (all around), new exhaust and the standard other tweaks. No matter what you do to the 4 cylinder, it'll be pretty low on power unless you go big bucks exotic like turbo etc.

Big Chris

Actually, s'what I was thinking. I was thinking either a turbo or engine swap. I am pretty sure he'd rather go the turbo route... but just in case, what kinda engine size do you think we should be looking at? He's going to be aiming for 300hp (not rwhp).. in that general area.

-Mike

I also have a S10 4 cyl that is low on power (98) Cost will probably outweigh anything you do other than another unit. I travel in the flatlands mostly. Jim

Hi!

Ack! It's still hard for me to believe there was ever a four cylinder S-10...but they seem a lot better with a manual tranny than they do an automatic.

In any case, the easiest thing to do would be to sell or trade that truck for another with a (4.3L) V6, which makes quite a difference obviously. You could also swap the engine or maybe even the tranny, but another truck is a lot less bother than that.

William The Guesser

On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 15:16:20 GMT, wrote something wonderfully witty:

The easiest swap in the world, a GM crate motor with an S-10 V-8 conversion Kit. Checkout

for tips and tricks & a complete selection of GM performance motors. Most folks going this route use the ZZ4 crate motor which is 355hp. However, the 350/290 motor part #12499529 is an outstanding deal at $1599 that is only a little over $5.00 per hp. Great deal and should work very nice in an S-10.

Now if you want something that will WOW your friends & neighbors get the ZL1 RamJet Limited Edition Fuel Injected ZL1 454 @ 510 ponies you'll rule the known universe in that S-10. Or just show the world you are totally insane and pick up the complete Carb to Nuts ZZ572/720R Deluxe Race Engine part #2498827. That 720 hp will set you back only $20.00 per rompin stompin pony power. Ye-ha baby thats the freakin ticket. Or numerous freakin tickets as the case may be.

On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 17:04:30 GMT, Mike Levy wrote something wonderfully witty:

It really isn't all that hard. Checkout

plenty of info from folks that have been there done that.

On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 19:38:31 GMT, "jimnluna" wrote something wonderfully witty:

Nah you can do a complete V-8 swap with a brand new GM crate motor rated @ 290hp for less then $2500 bucks. The engine its self is only $1600, then you have the conversion kit which usually includes the new mounts, radiator, and headers. Doubt you could do a Turbo for that.

On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 23:29:09 GMT, "William R. Walsh" wrote something wonderfully witty:

Without a doubt that is the easiest answer to the problem. More then likely the cheapest as well. However, the 4.3 is only what about

190hp? Gimmie some displacement. A 350/290 is $1600 plus $425 for the V-8 swap kit. Not to bad if you can turn a wrench or two.

Hi!

At the risk of sounding--shall we say--troll-like, all of this sounds really nice with impressive numbers and all that, but it certainly begs the the question *why*?

The 4.3 is a nice solid motor that is well matched to the abilities of the truck itself. I routinely trailer with mine and carry heavy stuff in the bed and while not always the fastest (just because of the way I drive it) it does get me there and back safely and with plenty of power to spare should I need it.

For an old S-truck with a broken motor, maybe a V8 conversion is the ticket if for some reason the rest of the truck is worth keeping. I don't know about that. But for a newer truck it seems kind of pointless. I do have to wonder if you can even maintain all the accessories (A/C, power steering, etc...) on a V8 equipped truck...I don't think I've ever seen one with a great deal of stuff under the hood except the engine and alternator.

William The Guesser

all you'll get for doing that is a useless little truck that can't make a turn at more than 10 MPH. extremely fast, but useless.

-Bret

We all need to keep in mind that the truck will also need a transmission to go along with the engine, no matter what engine is dropped in. The 4 Cyl. engine likely uses a different bellhousing bolt pattern than the V-6 and V-8 engines do...

Pretty good stuff, Zomby. I appreciate it a lot, bud. I'll be sure to send him there & go over a couple things. More than likely, he's going to want to go the cheapest route... which *I* think will be an engine swap. How much can the stock tranny handle though? Or is that just crap & we're going to hafta look at a diff. tranny guaranteed (ie: wont' fit?)?

-Mike

You can put a 3.1L nearly plug and play as a replacement. A bit more work and you can put a 3.4L in there, though the 3.1 still probably beats the

3.4L

Big Chris

Any URLs?

-Mike

On Sat, 05 Jun 2004 00:08:08 -0400, Bret Chase wrote something wonderfully witty:

Are you in an argumentative mood Bret? Because if you are I would be more then happy to prove you wrong. A mini-truck can be made to handle at Sports car levels. All depends on what your goals are. The original poster wanted more power. I gave him an option that provided an answer to that question.

On Sat, 5 Jun 2004 00:48:44 -0500, "Big Chris" wrote something wonderfully witty:

Why bother with that when you can do the 4.3 as well. Or if you have a wild hair up your ass the 3.8 Supercharged Engine. All depends on your goals.

On Sat, 05 Jun 2004 04:29:15 GMT, wrote something wonderfully witty:

The stock tranny isn't going to make the grade. He'll need to look for a replacement. Chevy auto's are fairly easy to come across though.

I was just over at the auto hobby shop last weekend and there was a guy doing a complete drive train swap from a totaled `95 Vette into a

2000 S-10. Going to be sweet.

There are probably some ways to punch up that Iron Duke that he has in there now, but he isn't going to get all that much out of it for the time & expense. Do you know what he is trying to accomplish?

Back in the 80's I tricked out a `86 base S-10 with a body-kit, some graphics, a really sweet paint job, lowered suspension & a really nice set of wheels & tires. The truck looked awesome, but couldn't get out of its own way with that Iron Duke & manual trans in it. Looked fast as hell though, I just didn't race anybody so my secret was safe :).