project drivabeater

[firewood]

Te whooshing sound you just heard was me kicking myself in the butt for not buying my former boss' 2001 V-6 S10, w/180,000 miles, for $1000.00. STUPID!

But one of my co-workers that REALLY needed a good car bought it. So God saw to it that it went to a the right place.


LOVE S10's!

[dusterbd13]

ok, its been a while. when last i spent any time in front of a computer, it ws august. my s10 had become my daily, and was up for sale along with my Mazda. the plan was to purchase a 4 door truck with an automatic as my new daily. well, life changes things on ya.

the long story is, a coworker wanted my mazda. so i sold it to her. took her 91 accord in partial trade. sold that. had a couple of offers on the drivabeater, but couldnt work out a deal. my wife and i went looking at 4 door dakotas, colorados, and frontiers. the only one that fit a rear facing car seat was the dakota, and she didnt like me for that idea, as ive walked away from two nasty wrecks. as in asked if i was next of kin in one of them, and was lucky to walk after the other one. three inches from paralyzed. so the 4 door trucks were out.

i went and looked on craigslist for a while at things that were interesting, as i had a sale just about finalized on the drivabeater. so i could get serious about finding a new daily.
i had no intentions of buying one when i went to a little buy here pay here lot in charlotte. test drove a 2002 subaru legacy GT. loved it. had great service records, and a really good price. my wife liked it, and it ahd an automatic. win, win, win. so i bought the damn thing. ironic thing is, that it went out the car lot door for exactly the amount of cash that i got for the combined mazda and accord sales. so i broke even. again, win.

so, i didnt have to sell the drivabeater. better yet, i now have a daily that is a TRUE daily, instead of the mazda which i sometimes drove, but hurt my knee and back too bad to truly drive every day. now my truck can be what i had origonally intended it to be, a work truck and a toy. i still wont be able to compete in the GRM challenge, but im slowly becoming OK with that. my family obligations come first and foremost. after all, my daughters helmets were more important than a kick ass weekend of racing in florida. i will, however, be autocrossing and open tracking this thing a lot more often than before though. anyway, expect to see some updates in the near future, assuming eric ever actually loads my build thread onto this site. ive already ordred my PFC Z compund pads, picked up my seat track making steel, and started saving for the three link and drop spindles. first track event will be at CMP on 10/7. dont expect any in truck videos or anything, as im not a baller with a videocamera. well, i have one from the 80's....

[jackfrost]

glad to hear you'll be keeping it. this is a cool project - keep at it.

[dusterbd13]

just got off the phone with sylvia at turn one. im registered for wedsday, and am the only student that day. may be hard to get action shots of the truck. i even got my lucky number: 13

on the truck front, i spent the day doing piddley stuff to it that has been bothering me for a while.
got the rearview mirror reglued to the windshield. 2.00 for glue.
got the parking brake hooked back up finally. its nice to have it again.
adjusted the rear drums
nut and bolt check
created a battery hold down for the rear mount. couldnt figure out a good way of doing it, so i cut and sewed a ratcheting tie strap to function. red neck as hell, but it'll pass tech until the next time i have the bed off.
flushed the brakes with valvoline synpower fluid. well see how it holds up in this truck on track. (i havent been counting fluids in the budget since theyre disposable)

and NEW PADS!! PFC Z compounds. made in the usa. initial impressions are that they are an impressive pad. good pedal feel, great initial bite, and very linear response to pedal input. 42 for them wasnt bad either. i also got a set for the iroc rears while i was ordering. ill add that in when i bolt it together.

sorry no pics. didnt think it was worth taking pictures of today.

new total is:1846.87

did i ever add the BFG's in?
Michael

[dusterbd13]

well, its time for an update.

first, thanks for all the positive reinforcement on me deciding to keep the truck.

on to the update youve all been waiting for:

THE TRACKDAY

got to CMP at about 7:00 AM. i let my house at 5:00AM, and had only had about three hours of sleep. i was tupid excited, just like i used to be as a little kid christmas eve. on the way down to the track, i stop by McDonalds for some breakfast that wound up plauging me teh rest of the day, if you know what i mean. also, it started raining pretty hard about half way there. liek hydroplaning on those twisty 2 lane south carolina roads. that kinda sucked, and put the fear in me for the first part of the day.

the tech guy was late, and the racers kept taking the spaces i put my stuff in in the garage. not even an apology. that is my only real cmplaint about the day, to be honest.

truck passed tech afetr i pulled my center console out (not actually attached to anything) and cleaned out my glve compartment. hardest part of tech was to dry the truck off enough to add numbers, the DE X, and my teh sticker. i was so excited when i left that i forgot a track box with my extra fluids, rags, and chemicals. so i used my t-shirt. it worked.

i was out on track just as the rain was letting up. all over the freaking place, as those G-Force TA's suck in the rain driving normal, let alone on track. looped it in turn 14 on the second lap due to oversteer. rest of the lap, it was in understeer pretty hard. while in the classroom session, it quit raining, and the un was starting to dry the track out. next session was still quite tail happy. i learned a lot about threshold braking and throttle steer.

the track dried out pretty quickly, and i was able to start turing up the wick. the front and rear suspension worked beautifully. i tweaked my tire pressures a few pounds to get the truck more neutral. the front suspension with the UB Machine UCA's and other crap worked beautofully, except coming through the kink at 85MPH. it bottoimed out pretty hard through there, cauing some pretty funky characteristics. the rear uspnsion was more than adaquate. very controllable and predictabl, just like the front. did get a little hop later in the day, but by them i was really getting to know the truck,m as well as learning to drive it right.

all i all, i was thoroughly impressed with the truck on track. it id a hell of a lot better than i hought, and has a lot more in it than i have in me as a driver at this point in time.

the aftermath of the track day is pretty far reaching.
1. i sprang a leak at the weep hole in the brake proportioning valve. that has yet to be fixed.
2. the suspension is about where it needs to be. im putting my 3-link and coil over plans on hold, as well as the plans to box the rear of the frame. i will however, still be installing the PP tall LBJ's if they ever actually get produced. definately be going with 2 inch spindles and back with my 1 inch belltech coils.
3. the brakes suck pretty hard. lots of fade. the PFC pads do ok, and have a lot of grip for a long time. the plan is currently to pull the splash shields and add my C6 Z06 cooling ducts. long term has the IROC rear discs, a 4 wheel disc prop valve, and LS1 camaro front conversion. or C4 vette. dunno yet which ill use.
4. i need work on safety items. the stock seatbelts do nothing to hold you in place. they are quite scary, aspecially when you nose it into a sand trap at full brake, and they never lock up. seats are jsut as bad, with absolutely no lateral support. so, ill be fabbing a harness bar, and possibly putting the APC buckets back in, possibly running the CRX buckets i hav laying behind my CRX. depends in what seats wind up where.
5. i ned more power. getting lapped by a spec E30 twice on the same lap is embarassing. short term is the 4.3 TBI i have and long tubes that i have. long term is a 3.4/3500 hybrid MPFI V6.

so, that brings us up to date on the drivabeater in a real, tested kind of way. it is what it is. i really dont know how far ill take thins thing, as it already met all the goals i initially set for it while remaining on budget. i also now have an 89 CRX Si with a high compression mini-me and hardrace bushings as a track car once i finish up some wiring and details. the CRX should be easier on consumables, as well as more competitive and cheaper to run. but then again, im the guy in the truck. always have been the guy in the truck.

michael

[f1shman]

I'm glad to hear you got some good track time Michael, sounds like you had fun with it! Your new to-do list doesn't seem that bad considering everything you've done to the truck so far. Keep it going!

[railin93]

i have an 03' s10 that shows the same vibration as yours...mostly mine is when it's cold from sitting but it doesn't do it all the time...i just attribute it to driveline pinion angle at that speed plus the balancing of the driveshaft...mine is also only sitting about three inches off the ground so that might be an issue...have you tried looking into pinion shims for the rear to gain or lose angle?...might help a little...this is the only s10 outta the three ive owned that has done this and it's a pretty sparatic thing so it's gotta be something in the steering, driveline, or rearend balance...

[dusterbd13]

so, budget first. i dont know if anyone is keeping track but me, but im trying to be thorough and honest abou how much is invested in the truck as it sits in any govin stage. hence the reason that some things that were subtracted come back later. like the 1 inch coils (30). im not keeping a running talley of how much total ive spent on the project, cause then id cry.

anyway
brand new BFG G-Force TA tires. still had the nippies on them. guy said he drove about 10 miles before selling the car. 200 off craigslist. size 245/50/16
DJM 2 inch drop spindles. paid 40 bucks and my stock spindles and control arms. had 20 in my spares, so total of 60.
new brake prop valve: 7 at pull a part

new total: 2143.87

anyway, since the last update ive had another track day. i had swapped out the leaking prop valve before the event, along with fresh valvoline synpower brake fluid. no brake fade time out. vey firm and confidence inspiring pedal throughout the day. iyt was a great day. i was able to keep up with a C6 Z51 for about 3 laps. by keep up, i mean i caught him in the braking zones and turns, and he smoked me on the straights. i also lapped a BMW M6. at the end of the day, my instructor wanted to solo me and move me up to DE2, but i was not ready for it. nest time out, i probably will.

the only issue with the day is an odd injection problem im having. the truck lays down after really hard turns. theres a thread on here about it, so i wont go into detail. makes my lap times really suck. i also had another off track, and was reminded about my less than adaquate seatbelts.

after the event, i decided my christams present to my sister in law is going to be to go pick up some family heirloom furniture from richmond, VA. with the previous suspension, this would have been 6 hours of hell, as it was bottoming out over almost any road irregularity due to my cut coils. driving to work was painful, and i couldnt imagine going 6 hours. so i decided to take my saturday and swap some parts. i had scored a set of DJM drop spindles a while back, and still had my belltech 1 inch coils on the shelf. should have made for a roughly 3 inch drop, where i was at roughly 4 with my cut coils.

i finished up putting it together a little whiloe ago. its at a roughly 3 1/2 drop, without having moved and settled. so im happy. and there is a heck of a lot more travel up front now. the tires slam into the inner fenders before the LCA's contact the frame.

on to some pics:
DE sticker


Old uspension vs new:


installed, removed the splash shield for brake cooling


new tires


new prop valve


back on thr ground, and i got me brevada grille back from the painter and on




lsatly, i started yanking the interior tonight for some cleaning, painting, and fab work. the goal is to put my APC seats back in properly and where i fit well in the truck. also going to build a harness bar so i can run some 5 or 6 points. i pulled the carpets to make my life easierm and really like the look of the floor pans. now im thinking about putting bedliner down and calling it a day. leave all the rest of the plastics in after theyve been modified to look right. kind of a street/track hybrid look.


thanks for looking. and if anyone wants this truck, ill trade it for a fairly rust free, fairly complete 64-66 elcamino. i have a new bad idea for a street/track/daily musclecar in a shoestring budget.

Michael

[jackfrost]

I love that you can run track events one weekend and then go pick up furniture the next. true multi-purpose vehicle.

[dusterbd13]

the origonal goals were to build a truck that handled good, stopped good, hauled stuff, and was able to be dalied if the need arose. i have met all these goal, and surpassed them, all while on a very strict budget.

[dusterbd13]

so, while at track on the 23rd, i asked some people to take some pictures for me. people i didnt even know. i gave them my e-mail address, and hoped for the best. the guy who sent me pictures is named david dannunzio. it was really cool of him. he made mention in his e-mail that the light was wrong and that the pictures werent that great. if you ask me, they are freaking fantastic!!

anyway, take a look. youll ntice some chassis flex as evidencd by the body line, some serious tire squish, and a very minimal amount of body roll. so i must be doing something right.

im the guy driving, and the passenger is my instructor, who also happens to be my father and the guy that taught me most everything i know about wrenching and driving. its a wonderful bonding experience to hang out with your dad, build and hammer on cars, and then talk about things to cook and how to make your marriage better. i just hope that i can be half the dad to my daughter that my father is to me.

on to the pics!!!









that porsche was ungodly fast. he passed me a few times like i was in reverse.

michael

[796spdbu]

Thats so awsome bro!! Congrats on surpassing your goals! The quality time with your father is great. I love your build!

[MonzaRacer]

Dang son, looks to me like all you need is a little more sway bar in the front and your truck is hookin'!
As for me dress it up a little, like ,maybe look around for some Extreme parts to snazz it up, but otherwise looks awesome.
Big issue with that gen Elco is tire/wheel space.
Heck keep it up looks great. I hope mt Caprice and Monza look half as good on the limited budget I am working with!

[syborg tt]

It's amazing what a little S10 can do at the track.

These trucks are so overlooked, I think it was Hot Rod that suggested the first Gen s10 as a awesome low buck project.

There are so many wheel combo's that fit on these truck that for nearly nothing you can have an awesome Friday Night Car show cruiser or like you've proven a fun track car that you can actually use for your everyday commute.

Nice work. I look forward to building a 2nd gen with my daughter when she get's a little older.

[bonecrrusher]

I see CMP stamped on those track pics.... how much was it to run there? Im up in Charlotte.

[dusterbd13]

i have run the track a number of times at different price points. call sylvia at turn one motorsports. usually be the cheapest way to run.

you dont happen to be with qccc, do you?

[montessaj]

I was reading through this thread, and like you, I have a "driverbeater" S-10. Mine is a 1991 and is also a 2.8 5 spd. My question for you is where did you get the front sway bar for it? I don't remember reading that in your post. Also, I noticed you did the Jeep steering shaft upgrade, how did you like that? Are you currently running a rear sway bar, if so where did you get it from?

Andy

[dusterbd13]

front and rear are both from a late model 4 door 2wd blazer. some of them came equipped with the same sway bars as the zq8 trucks. 33mm front and 26 rear

thesteering shaft really didnt make much if a difference except in clearance. lots of extra clearance

[Z06killinSBF]

Hey man very cool looking at the track. Nice low stance. Much like my old 82 but with different wheels and grill.

[bonecrrusher]

i have run the track a number of times at different price points. call sylvia at turn one motorsports. usually be the cheapest way to run.

you dont happen to be with qccc, do you?

I have been to a few QCCC events, I've been rolling around Metrolina Corvettes this year. I've been to Autofair, Cars & Coffee up @ northlake, local shows, and did the long haul Power Tour last year... I plan on doing it again, as well as the Maxton Mile this year!