S10 Xtreme LS3/T56 Build

[Lonnies Performance]

Copper can work harden & crack from repeated flexing & vibration, but solder is typically not easy to crack without brute force or excess movement.
If you are worried you can use stronger silver solder.

Note the Cable clamp behind the pulley & there's also another by the reservoir, plus it is connected with rubber hose on both ends to keep from putting stress on the pipe.



You could miter & weld one out of steel if you want to torture yourself... this was my original plan until I found a much simpler way.
Mine has been working fine for 3 years now, so I'm not worried.

[Lonnies Performance]

Copper can work harden & crack from repeated flexing & vibration, but solder is typically not easy to crack without brute force or excess movement.
If you are worried you can use stronger silver solder.

Note the Cable clamp behind the pulley & there's also another by the reservoir, plus it is connected with rubber hose on both ends to keep from putting stress on the pipe.

You could miter & weld one out of steel if you want to torture yourself... this was my original plan until I found a much simpler way.
Mine has been working fine for 3 years now, so I'm not worried.

[Daydream Garage]

Looking forward to any new updates with the truck?

[Lonnies Performance]

After the clutch upgrade, it was ready to support some more power...
I converted to E85 this spring & absolutely love running it.

Because of the added octane & the additional evaporative cooling, I was able to add some more timing & gained some significant power.
Interestingly, it is much cheaper to drive it per mile than with premium fuel, even with the reduced fuel mileage.

I picked up about 4mph in the 1/4 & I am still conservative on the timing. There's a lot more in it but being that the engine still has stock LS3 pistons in it, I chose to be safe & not break it. Other than oil changes, I haven't even pulled out a spark plug in 3 years.

I attempted to post some more info & corresponding pictures, but the site crashed on me twice as soon as I attach any pictures. Once it is functioning, I will post more info.

[Daydream Garage]

Thank you for the update. You must be part engineer, part mad scientist. This build is so thorough. I have a fleetside and a stepside both becoming projects in 2025 and neither will be to this standard unfortunately. If you ever feel like it, I am dying to know how you fit that tire wheel combo on the front. You gave some tidbits, but the fact you got a 305 to tuck is the most amazing part of the build inmo. You are running a positive 12 offset and then used a homemade spacer to push it back out?

[Lonnies Performance]

It's actually a 19x10.5 +22 offset wheel with a spacer.

The wheel spacer has 2 uses, both to clear the caliper & to properly center the wheel.
This is mainly because I didn't want to spend $4-6K on a high-end wheel.

I also modified the steering stops, trimmed the spindle, hub & control arms, which also caused clearance issues with the sway bar, bump steer & tie-rod to wheel clearance.

Being an Xtreme made it much harder due to the factory wheel flares making the wheel openings smaller/lower.

I am not posting my combination for fear that someone will try to duplicate & have tons of issues.
Every dimension is way below the recommended clearances & normal production tolerances are enough to make it not work.
I modified every part that I bought to make this work.

A 275-285 on a 9.5" wheel would make a world of difference with respect to fitment & safety margin.
In addition, a smaller caliper would make wheel selection much easier as well.

With that narrower tire/wheel & the correct offset, the UMI full coil over/control arm kit will likely work well for you.
Most people never even notice the tire size anyway... it's too low to see the front tread unless you turn the wheels or have it on the lift.

[Lonnies Performance]

Here is an update of the latest changes... copied from another forum since I already had it typed up.
.................................................. ...

After a long wait, my new wheels arrived.

I had a custom set of 3030 Autosport wheels made.
They are 17x4.5 1 piece billet wheels for the front & 15x10 3pc bead locks for the rear.

I ordered these for my Firebird, but with the intent of them also fitting my S10.
All worked out with the exception of a few tweaks.

Previously I was running a set of 28x10.50-18" slicks that looked like my daily wheels, but the short sidewall of an 18 had limited traction.

Since the C6 Z06 rear brakes would not clear a 15" wheel, 1st on the list was to put on a slightly smaller rear brake setup. I added a Wilwood setup designed to put drag wheels on a C6 Vette, using a factory size C6 rotor.

It is still a 4 piston caliper & 12.6" rotor.
Stopping difference is minimal during normal driving & I can swap back in about 1/2 hr. if I ever desire. I painted them to match my C6Z06 brakes.



i forgot to take pics of the rotor/caliper installed. I'll update later.

[Lonnies Performance]

As for the wheels...
They are ultra light, billet 6061 & due to the manual trans, I chose a bias ply rear tire.
They are MT ET Street R bias in a 28x12.50-15 rear & MT 26x6-17 in the front.

The ABS does not have any issues either.

Here is a picture next to a 275/40-17.



Installed...



Currently clearance is too tight for comfort.
Based on the published dimensions, they should be 12.5" at the sidewall on a 10" rim, but they measure over 13"
Fortunately, they do not hit during normal driving, but I'm under 3/4" clearance in multiple places.

[Daydream Garage]

I will run a 275/40 18 on a 9.5 with a 0 offset using the Umi suspension. Though you and zsawyer03 in instagram had stuffed 10.5's. He is autocrossing on a 315mm square setup. But I am too old to deal with the annoyance of rubbing. How many inches are you lowered front and back?

[Lonnies Performance]

I'm 2" lower than the original height when I bought it. Not sure how much it may have sagged over the years, but it still had the original springs in it.

Originally, I was about 1" lower than it is currently with more rake, but entering steep parking lots & driveways caused the front spoiler to touch the ground too often.
I built it to perform & not be a show queen, so I adjusted accordingly.

I have 3" compression travel now & adjusted the bump stops after having unexpected tire to inner fender contact during a 100mph dip in the road.
This is on the stops with no springs installed.

[68Formula]

What rate springs?

[Lonnies Performance]

I have both 650's & 850's.

The 850's do offer slightly better handling, but less straight-line traction.
I originally added the 850's to keep more cross corner weight on the inside rear tire.

After adding rear weight, the rear cornering traction significantly improved so I reinstalled the 650's.
At this time, it seems like the best compromise.

Fortunately, with the UMI kit, I can swap springs in under 1/2hr if I want to.