88 S-10 Blazer General Info Request

The 2.8 is a little under powered, my 2.5 5 speed s-10 truck could outrun my parents 2.8 auto. The s-10's were never offered with a small block, just the 4.3L v6 which is basically a 350 chopped off and is a very popular swap.

Search for jags that run for a how to book for swapping v8's also look at s-series.org, s10forum.com, s-seriesforum.com, s10 extremists for ideas.

not really....

I own a very small, older popup that weighs 700lbs empty. Don't

it should be able to handle a trailer that small w/o much difficulty. although trailer weight doesn't always tell the whole story. for instance at work we have a RustGo portable scaffolding system. it's setup more or less like a hay wagon, has 2 axles (fore and aft), the front axle steers w/ the trailer tongue. it only weighs about 2000lbs but it tows meaner than hell. the stupid thing sways like crazy, jumps around and is more or less completely unstable above 40MPH. I was not esp comfortable towing it with my '88 K2500 on the less than smooth roads I had to travel over.

Haven't driven it much tho. The

you should be able to pick up a manual from Helm

or on Ebay. I have the same prob w/ my truck w/ it's replacement driver's door. I have my manual though.

I don't know if happy would be the word as S-trucks w/ v-8 swaps tend to get the crap beat out of them,

I presume they were sold with that combo, but the engine

nope, biggest engine was the 90 degree 4.3 V6 (which is a sb chevy derivative). but there have been literally thousands and thousands of SBC swaps into s-trucks. you can even buy complete kits.

While I am

no, the 2.8 has the small 60 degree bellhousing, the 4.3 and chevy V8's have a "Chevy" or 90 Degree bolt pattern.

no, just 2HI and 4HI, 4Lo requires a shift into neutral.

With the engine lit, it grinds a

it shouldn't grind into 4hi at all unless your front axle is stuck locked.

and it grinds so much trying for low 4WD,

to shift into 4lo you must be stopped and in neutral, and even then there may be some gear clash, but out and out grinding shouldn't happen.

HTH, Bret

That explains the total lack of space :-) I think a 4.3L V6 would be a nice, apparently easy, upgrade tho.

Thank you for your time, and for the great web links. Looks like I can find what I need to know, once I figure out what I need to know

Much obliged.

John

replies in-line

not a bad rig, by 88 that automatic was pretty well ironed out

good.......it is refreshing to see someone who knows what he does not know and has the common sence to seek advice......

that is determined to a VERY large degree by the axle ratios

the lower numeric ratios contribute to the '2.8 gutless' syndrome, the ones with 3.73's or 4.10's would probably tow it pretty well

just stay out of overdrive when towing

the 4.3 would fit (was an option), the 5.7 would take some more work, the

5.0 is not worth the effort

nope

2.8 was a 60-degree small-bell pattern, the 4.3 and 5.7's are 90-degree 'small block' pattern

if you DO decide to do the engine swap (especially the 5.7) save yourself future grief and have the 700R4 rebuilt by a good independent (not one of the chains) shop that does a lot of truck work

and save $$ by buying a new radiator without transmission cooler, and use a large external cooler out front right behind the grille

e-mail if you want a detailed list of 'stuff that makes a 700R4 sit up and talk'

park, probably.......neutral will probably grind gears if the engine is running.........the drag of the clutch packs, even when not engaged, will spin the output shaft at a pretty good clip

shut off in 'N' works best

again, you are to be commended for asking about the 'stuff you're not sure of '

no problem

If you're going to go the distance to put a 4.3 in-- don't...

it's just as much trouble as putting a 350 in, and less power.

You will need a new tranny, either way.

No need to stop the engine to shift to 4Lo. Just put it in neutral, make the shift, and shift into gear.

I do it all the time, with no problems.

For the amount of work its just as easy to swap in a 350 as it is a 4.3L. You will need to swap the transmissoin as the 350/4.3 bolt pattern is different from the 2.8. Another option is replacing the 2.8 with a 3.4 or

3.4 is the direct swap. The engine was specifically developed to upgrade the 2.8 S-series trucks.

Yikes!! Too many replies both here, and in pmail, to be able to say thanks to each one.

Hopefully, an all encompassing "Thank You" will be acceptable.

Learned a lot in a short amout of time, and I think this might be a fun vehicle once I get more familiar with it. Looking forward to learning enough to be able to give some back one day.

Well, I stopped knowing everything about everything a long time ago :-)

I am familiar with the usenet attitudes of all knowing sages, but this sure seems like a nice group so far.

I did not realize that the S-10 never had a V8 out of the box, so I am gonna leave the 2.8, maybe seek out a bigger V6 this winter. Plenty of camping time left to tow my trailer this fall and see how it works out. I guess the limit on the engine size will save me a few $$ on the hitch, as I sure won't need a class three, and if the hitch height is acceptable, a class one should do it.

There are a lot of places in the mts here in Utah to test out the 4WD, and having traveled most every decent road in my car or VW Van, I am looking forward to seeing what's down those other roads I haven't been able to take

Much obliged to you all.

John

be surprised how helpful these guys, and what you can learn just by reading posts. i cant thank the group enough for what i have learned just by reading topics and posts. so i to want to thank you all for the great learning you are and have given me.

Do yourself a favor and get at least a class 2 hitch. There are more bike carriers and the like available for the class 2 and 3 hitches than the class

2. Blazers are a lot of fun. I'm going to put a 350 in mine and do a solid front axle swap. It ought to be well able to get anywhere i want after that....