Increasing power on '91 GMC small pickup

I have a '91 GMC Sonoma SLE, 2.8 liter 6-cylinder, 5-speed, long bed.

It's OK at "around town" speeds, but on the highway it's just not got the power I'd like. Feels like it's straining like crazy trying to get up a hill, and passing is pretty much out of the question.

Is there anything I can do that's relatively low-cost to give this poor thing some more top-end power?

I occasionally pull a small trailer with it. Thanks Mike

Mike Patterson Please remove the spamtrap to email me.

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Mike Patterson
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Give me a budget, and I'll give you some answers. I have a 1986 S-10. So far I have: Replaced the 13 gal tank w/ a 20 gal Installed auto trans cooler Installed Edelbrock TES (headers) Installed Flex-a-lite electric fan Installed Holley 400 CFM TBI Installed Accel Cap/rotor/wires Installed Bosch platinum plugs Installed front and rear anti-sway bars Installed Auto-Meter tranny and water temp gauges Installed 2000 model wheels and tires Installed 360 degree K&N filter

I tow an aluminum bass boat that goes about 1300 lbs. and carry a tool box in the bed that probably goes 300. The stock motor is rated at 125 horses, but I figure mine is putting out over 150.

S-series.org has loads of ideas. Good luck and let me know if I can help. Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore because rough men stand ready to do violence on her behalf.

Reply to
Mark Pilcher

Thanks, I googled for about 45 minutes and never found that site.

Which of your bolt-on mods do you think has made the biggest difference in performance for the buck?

Do you have any place you'd recommend to buy these parts (like the headers or carb) or should I just look locally?

Do you think the cap/rotor/wires/plugs really makes a difference in performance?

Sorry to ask so many questions... :-)

Thanks

Mike Patterson Please remove the spamtrap to email me.

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Mike Patterson

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The Holley TBI. About $300. Performance is cumulative, however. In other words, it doesn't matter how fast you can inject an air/fuel mixture if you can't evacuate it just as fast.

These folks are usually competitive:

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When it comes to buying something, I usually shop it to death first. Look around on the web.

in>performance?

I forgot to list the MSD blaster coil earlier. Like I said though, performance is cumulative. If I could put in tons of fuel/air, get it out fast, but not have it near completely consumed because of weak spark, what's the point?

I'm happy to help. Everything I've listed with the exception of the 360 degree air filter is emissions compliant. Look at the S-series site. My stuff is mild compared to some folks. The things that made me do what I did were that my truck was paid for, it was a daily driver, but when I towed my boat the best I could do up steep hills was 45 mph. I was a rolling road-block. I could have gone nuts and dropped a 350 in it, but you're talking about changing the entire drive train, plus losing A/C, and that won't work in TX. Besides, I would have ended up with a fistfull of tickets and passed everything but a gas station. Good luck. Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore because rough men stand ready to do violence on her behalf.

Reply to
Mark Pilcher

After reading the forums on the s-series site, I think I'm gonna try to find a TBI from a 4.3 Liter in a junk yard. $300 is a bit steep for my current budget, though I -did- just put in a K&N air filter and flip the cover so it gets air 360 degrees.

Thanks again.

Mike Patterson Please remove the spamtrap to email me.

Reply to
Mike Patterson

That's a good idea.

My money tree didn't bloom last Spring, either. Another DIY mod I've read about on there was scavenging an electric fan from a Ford Taurus and hooking up a relay and thermostat for it, which pretty much duplicates my Flex-a-Lite set-up, which frees up additional horses since the belts aren't rotating a fan all the time. Good luck with it.

Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore because rough men stand ready to do violence on her behalf.

Reply to
Mark Pilcher

Interesting ideas; thanks.

But what did these improvements do your gas mileage?

DJ

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Reply to
djarvinen

Lost 1 mpg. Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore because rough men stand ready to do violence on her behalf.

Reply to
Mark Pilcher

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