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    1. #1
      Join Date
      Aug 2014
      Posts
      435
      Country Flag: United States

      '89 rcsb s-10 lq4/4l80e

      This is my project. It started as a '86 (later turned out to be an '87) RCSB S-10. Green. Manual EVERYTHING. Someone had cut the top for a convertible (probably back in the 90's) but then took all the convertible hardware off it. It came with a donor '89 S-15 cab (Power brakes/AC). Paid $850 for it delivered to my house...was supposed to come with a replacement windshield, but itfell over and broke in his driveway so he gave me $50 back.

      What I got for my $800:

      1987 RCSB S-10 with a running Iron Duke 2.5, about 58k miles and perfect floors...very solid body -- except for the cut roof.
      2 (supposedly) Toyota Bucket seats in GREAT shape
      Tonneau cover faded, but in great shape
      clutch kit (for the Isuzu 4 speed)
      new front calipers installed
      1989 GMC S-15 Donor cab...rusty from the bottom 8" down
      Extra set of rust free doors with power windows/locks
      Some other misc little parts.







      This was going to be the basis for my project...but we'll get to that.
      The plan was to remove the roof from the donor cab, and weld it to the green truck. And I made some decent progress on that too...





      (and now I'm going to jump around a little)



      Near the same time I was getting this, I went looking for an engine (preferred 6.0, but not locked into anything) and found a guy selling the drivetrain out of a rollover '04 Denali AWD for $1700. Went and looked at it, and when I decided I wanted it he told me he needed a deposit. I was cool with that, but he's about 2 and a half hours from my home, so I asked if I could Paypal it to him to save the trip and never heard back.

      So I hit Craigslist...and ended up with a running/driving 2003 2500HD 6.0L/4L80E 2WD. I paid $1800 for and drove it home.
      I call it the "Big Red B!tch™"

      The cluster says 17k miles, but it's been replaced. I got the original in the back seat. Title says 168k, but the guy I bought it from says it was over 200k. Only the driver's door opens from the outside. Neither of the rear doors work. But I didn't care.



      It's an extended cab, long bed. Manual everything. Hydroboost had a serious leak and the power steering quit working, but still started and ran!

      Jay


    2. #2
      Join Date
      Aug 2014
      Posts
      435
      Country Flag: United States
      So I was taking a leisurely approach to this. I've never pulled an engine out of a car/truck (unless you count aircooled VW's) and the weather was finally getting to be nice enough to work outside...and then my time table got moved up.

      Bored one day, and I thought I'd hit CL and see if I could find an uncut S-10 cab so I didn't have to weld the roof back on mine, and strangely enough, I found a roller with no bed/engine/trans for $500...I talked him down to $400 and brought it home.



      It was actually in better shape than the green one, but apparently one of my neighbors isn't a car guy and didn't like me having 3 (!) inoperative trucks in my driveway, so...

      The cops stopped by and said I had 2 weeks to get all the inop vehicles out of my driveway. So, I busted ass, and got the engine/trans/wiring etc out of the Silverado.







      I also measured my Passlock resistance value before I pulled everything out so I can start it later without NEEDING to have someone shut off the "vats/passkey/passlock" system.

      Then I pulled the bed/fender and some other small stuff from the green truck and got the green S-10 and The Big Red B!tch towed away. I hid the Red S-10 over at my GF's dad's house for now.

      So that's kinda where I'm at right now.

      Jay

    3. #3
      Join Date
      Aug 2014
      Posts
      435
      Country Flag: United States
      So, here's the plan:

      Round 1:

      Get everything in, running and driving. Drive it for a little while and work the bugs out.

      Things that will go with round 1:

      CPW Engine mounts
      Stainless works 1 7/8" long tubes
      8.5/8.6 GM rear or 8.8 Explorer rear (both can be had with Disc brakes)
      (Will come down to what I get the best deal on, but would prefer the 8.5
      from a ZR2 so I don't need spacers for the Vette wheels. 3.55 or 3.73 posi)
      Blazer gas tank that mounts behind the rear axle.
      Relocated battery to passenger side of frame.
      LS1 front brakes...IIRC 12" discs. (Either Flynbye or hi_im_sean's kit)
      4/6"-ish drop
      C-notch
      91+ GMC grille swap
      raised front leaf mounts/sliders on the rear with Caltracs (probably ZQ8 leafs or Z85 leafs with a leaf removed), OR
      3 link rear suspension.
      ZQ8 Front Sway bar
      Maybe ZQ8 rear sway (but probably not...might do the kicker shock tho)
      Quick Ratio steering box (ZQ8 or Grand Cherokee)
      Jeep Cherokee steering shaft
      LS6 valley cover
      Keeping truck accessories
      Thinking of adapting a Stiffler's Mustang trans crossmember
      Considering Sy/Ty guages but plan to build my own dash/door panels/console/interior so that's kind of up in the air.
      And since I'm a stereo installer by trade, it's getting a blow through and sub box in the bed.
      Push to start conversion
      Tubular UCA/LCA and tall Ball Joints
      Drop tag roll pan
      Smoothed front bumper maybe with fog lights

      I'm sure there's more, but that's all I can think of right now.

      Round 2 will be prettying it up, and going through the motor. Cam/intake/trunion upgrade/etc. Basic stuff.
      For paint, I'm considering GM Luxo Blue, or maybe Jetstream Blue Metallic (C6 corvette color)

      Hoping to finish out with around 400 RWHP.

      Jay

    4. #4
      Join Date
      Apr 2016
      Posts
      68
      I LUV the Dimes, good luck with the build!

    5. #5
      Join Date
      Aug 2014
      Posts
      435
      Country Flag: United States
      Thanks! I got my first in '94. I had big plans for the truck, then it started eating parts (water pump, blower motor, brakes, wiring harness in the steering column (!?) etc.) in short order, so I bought a car. My first project car was a 67 bug, but it ended up being way more work than I had time for (misrepresented in the eBay ad) and I eventually ended up shortening the body for a dune buggy body and sold all the parts off.

      Most of this is (mainly) bolt on stuff, and I will probably piddle around with it for the next couple of years, when my car is paid off round 2 will happen.

      Jay

    6. #6
      Join Date
      Jun 2013
      Location
      San Diego
      Posts
      275
      Country Flag: United States
      I hate neighbors like that. I usually try to keep mine quiet with BBQ. Whenever I know I'll be doing something like this, I fire up the smoker. A couple of ribs, some pulled pork and nobody is complaining.

      I've always liked the s10 and the blazers also. Keep it up!
      Brian

      1972 C10 - 454/TH400 - Short bed conversion - https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...1972-C10-SoCal
      1970 Nova - LS Swap - https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...Cal?highlight=



    7. #7
      Join Date
      Jul 2009
      Location
      Sackville, NB, Canada
      Posts
      166
      Country Flag: Canada
      Great project! I sort of wish I hadn't started building my 2003, I really love the 1st gens.
      Tyson
      '95 Firebird Formula: suspension + 315's
      '66 Mustang Coupe, 289

    8. #8
      Join Date
      Aug 2014
      Posts
      435
      Country Flag: United States
      I always liked 1st gens. But when I started, my first plan was to LS swap a Datsun S30 Z car, then I had decided to do an S-10, and was planning a standard cab stepside, but I couldn't find a deal on one. Now that I have the 1st gen, I'm happy with it.

    9. #9
      Join Date
      Jul 2012
      Location
      Iowa
      Posts
      399
      Country Flag: United States
      I love S10s , keep the post coming.
      Miles Boyer
      The car hobby is dangerous,if the speed doesn't kill you, the cost of parts will.
      91 V8 S10
      88 Cutlass Pro-Tour
      97 Chevy lifted Z-71
      96 Corvette

    10. #10
      Join Date
      Aug 2014
      Posts
      435
      Country Flag: United States
      Oh, guess I'll catch us up here.

      The Big Red B!tch™ and the Green S-10 are gone now. I kept the red truck, the green bed, the engine and trans from the Silverado (as well as all the wiring).
      I put the bed on the truck so it doesn't look so bad. Engine hoist and straps from Harbor Freight worked great.



      Then I decided to check out a new Junkyard I hadn't been to before. Went looking for Fender flares, bucket seat sliders and a Jeep Cherokee steering shaft. Came home with all this:



      I got flares, power mirrors (incl wiring pigtails and switch), Door harnesses (power windows/locks), door boots, bucket seat sliders, fog light switch, and a few other things. So I set off to trying to install the (allegedly) Toyota bucket seats that came with the green truck.

      I pulled some measurements from the bucket seats in the yard and made a piece of wood so I could properly locate everything.



      I read a bunch of How To's on forums and they were all like "for the inside track just drill a hole and bolt in. Put a big washer underneath so it doesn't pull through."

      So, I found I had to bend the inner front tab down to kinda meet the floor and make a spacer to bolt it in.





      But I wasn't real happy with this. Seemed a little "hackish." Meanwhile, while I was doing this, someone commented in my thread on S10forum that you need the factory mounts and the brackets are just welded to the floor. So, off to the junkyard again...





      I haven't done the passenger side yet, but I tacked the brackets in place with self tapping screws for now (too hot to get the welder out right now.)

      Then I took the seats and set them on top of the wood piece so I could see where I need to locate my mounting hardware. The PO welded 1.5"x.25" flat stock to the bottom of the seat bracket, and I found I had to shift the seat about an inch to the left to center it up with the steering wheel.



      I plan to make 4 mounting tabs (also out of 1.5" x .25") and weld them to the seat bracket to I can bolt everything together like stock. I wanted to put everything in the stock S-10 location in case I change seats later I can just get S-10 seat brackets.

      So that's where I'm at at the moment.

      I need to pick up engine mounts (probably from Current Performance) and make/adapt/buy a trans crossmember to support the 4L80E transmission...if I can get the engine and trans physically into the truck I can start working on wiring (which should keep me busy for a while) and other things that I need to get an idea of clearances for. My current thought is to grab a Mustang trans crossmember from Stiffler's and make my own brackets for the frame side. But I may just mod a stock trans crossmember as many have done before me.

      Sadly, I'm broke.

      On the upside, Kia owes me about $525.

      Background:

      Kia made some mathematical errors when they determined the MPG for most of their cars in 2011/2012. In case of my car it was off by about 4 mpg.
      So they have a settlement program that reimburses the original owners for the difference. In 2012, I had 17k on the car and got $138. Now I have 126295+ miles on it, the estimated settlement this time is $525.30. Should cover a few things. I made the claim today, takes 24ish hours to get into the dealer's computer. I go to them and they verify the mileage and sign off on it. Several weeks go by and I get a Visa gift card. Looking forward to it.

      Jay

    11. #11
      Join Date
      Aug 2014
      Posts
      435
      Country Flag: United States
      I was all ready to weld the seat brackets in this weekend, but it's been 90+ all week with heat indexes near 100. Not the best time to wear long sleeves, gloves and a helmet. lol

      I will probably use some of the money from Kia to get my oil pan as well.

      Jay

    12. #12
      Join Date
      Aug 2014
      Posts
      435
      Country Flag: United States
      Well, the cops stopped by again. Apparently, the fact that the truck was out of my driveway for a couple of weeks doesn't reset the counter.
      So, I readjusted a bunch of stuff in the garage so I could push it in. Whichever neighbor keeps calling the cops is REALLY going to hate me when I get that thing running. I swear every day for 2 weeks and 1 day (how long the truck was in my driveway this time) I'm going to run it with open headers from 9:45 to 9:59pm. Enjoy, a**hole! lol

      Jay

    13. #13
      Join Date
      Jun 2014
      Posts
      160
      Country Flag: United States
      Looks like a good project. S dimes with v8s are fun i had a 89 blazer with a 350 for a little while. A lot of the G-body front end suspension is interchangable so you may want to look at control arms and coil springs from them. oh yeah open headers should let the haters know its running.

    14. #14
      Join Date
      Aug 2014
      Posts
      435
      Country Flag: United States
      Funny thing...yesterday my daily driver caught a flat. I noticed it just before I got on the freeway to go to a family dinner. I just changed my tire and found nothing but a hole. No nails, no screw heads, nothing. What I did find was a hole. With a round indent around it. Kinda like an awl, or ice pick would have. When I find out who my hater is, we're going to have a real problem.

      Jay

    15. #15
      Join Date
      Aug 2014
      Posts
      435
      Country Flag: United States
      I ordered my LS Swap mounts and GM Musclecar oil pan kit from Current Performance, and my stainless headers from Racing Innovations and Supply. I also ordered BRP's Oil Pump Pickup Tube Girdle. Will hopefully order a transmission crossmember soon. Contemplating a Stifflers Mustang Cobra crossmember, but waiting for measurements from them.
      Soon the engine and trans should be able to get out of the bed of my truck! lol

    16. #16
      Join Date
      Aug 2016
      Location
      Waconia, MN
      Posts
      113
      Country Flag: United States
      Looks like a fun build, enjoy it!
      PM me if you're still looking for a ZQ8 front bar. I have one of those and a 1-1/8" bar in my parts stash.

    17. #17
      Join Date
      Aug 2014
      Posts
      435
      Country Flag: United States
      I'll keep it in mind. I need to recover from the money I just spent. lol

      I decided to go with the 1 5/8" headers after doing some research. The Stainless Works Headers (at around $1000 with V-bands) just weren't cost effective for my power goals. Choosing the Racing Innovations shortys lets me move forward much quicker at around $230.

      I'm trying to collect enough parts to keep my self busy for a while...now that it seems like the weather is cooling off.

      Also, SonomaZ, liking the Jimmy ST project. Following it.


      Jay

    18. #18
      Join Date
      Aug 2014
      Posts
      435
      Country Flag: United States
      Parts are finally coming in before the long weekend!

      Ordered my Oil Pump pickup tube support from BRP on Friday, got it today.



      Ordered my Racing Innovtion headers on Friday, they came today as well.



      My Oil pan (GM Musclecar oil pan kit) and Current performance urethane motor mounts should be here tomorrow.
      My trans crossmember should be here thursday and I picked up an Energy Suspension 3-1108G urethane trans mount because Advanced had it on sale.

      I ordered a 96-98 Mustang crossmember from LMR. Hoping I can make it work. As long as it isn't too wide, I think I'll be good. I'll just have to make my own mounts. Thought I'd give it a shot, since it was very reasonably priced at $138 shipped, should have nice clearance for my exhaust. A much cheaper option (and frankly, better looking) than the G-Force crossmember, which goes for around $265. Hopefully I can find a place to buy some plate (or maybe c-channel) that is close to work. I'd like to get it this weekend. Thinking 1/8" should be plenty thick....opinions?

      Jay

    19. #19
      Join Date
      Aug 2014
      Posts
      435
      Country Flag: United States
      Now, for anyone who is interested in using the Racing Innovations headers, I thought I'd post some more pics.
      For the price, I think they're hard to beat. They actually have a 3/8" flange, the welds look decent, and they're stainless. $229.

      The only thing I think could be better (and lets face it, it's a minor issue) is the inside of the collector where the tubes come together
      could be a little nicer. But for the price I can't complain.



      You can see some of the tubes protrude out past the welds unevenly.

      The other side was better.



      And the only other minor issue was the head-side gaskets arrived with a bend in them. I'll probably get new ones to be on the safe side.



      (See the left side right by the bolt hole?)

      Anyway, pretty happy with them for the money.

      Jay

    20. #20
      Join Date
      Aug 2016
      Posts
      33
      Your gaskets should be ok, I wouldn't sweat it.

      I've dealt with the same neighbor issues before, but I don't live in an HOA situation like I'm assuming you do. I had a guy walk over to my parents house ( this is years ago) and start swearing at me about how my truck was too loud, and it wasn't right to be working in it on Sunday's. He just started swearing at me like a child ( I was 25 at the time) and wouldn't let me get a word in. Then he stomped back home and I snapped. I chased after him, got in his face, and told him that if he had just approached me like an adult, that I would have respected his wishes and made changes to how and when I worked on it. But since he felt the need to be a p****, that I could be a p**** too. From that day on whenever I drove past his house I would dump the air out of my airbags, angle the underneath of my truck towards his house, and test my rev limiter while driving by. Then I would proceed quietly past everyone else's house. The other neighbors got quite the kick out of it.
      Fast forward 11 years and I own a house with a two car garage. My next door neighbor is a young kid who is into saabs and vw's. He is always working in it in the street because they don't have a garage. A group of his friends and I were talking after they rolled in like a fast and furious movie, and they just offered an apology for the noise I might hear. It was/is seriously annoying at 10-11pm when I'm trying to sleep, but I bit my tounge and never said anything. I smiled and said "that's ok, if it gets too loud, I'll return the favor", which led to them realizing I was the guy who drove "THAT truck!" They are respectful now for the most part, and they occasionally need a tool or advice and I'm happy to help.
      If your neighbor would just have come talk to you like a human, I'm sure you would have made accommodations for them. But they chose to just complain anonymously because they are lazy or scared to talk to you. Sorry for the rant/long story. That's my pet peeve. People should just act like neighbors instead of calling the cops about everything.

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