Project Luxury S10

[LeSabreUltra]

Thinking about changing directions a bit. I still want to do all the stuff above but I'm wondering if I'll hold off on that for a while and start saving up for this.

http://www.wynjammer.com/ALM1115/GM_S10_4_3__V6.html

It's not cheap, but the power gain would make me very happy.

This guy's truck was more or less the same as mine before he added the s/c. This is what it can do now.



iLike.

So right now I'm debating between doing the stuff above or pinching pennies for the next few months until I can afford to do this...and do it right. Beyond that, I probably wouldn't do a lot else power wise, because I still need my truck to be a reliable daily driver. Even so, this power gain would have me right at 220 rwhp (or about 260 at the crank) and couple that to a light truck with the 3.42 gear ratio...

5-6 second 0-60 times wouldn't be out of the question. That's pretty good for a V6 truck.
.
.
.

[ChilinMichael]

That's pretty darn fast.

[wake]

2600 DOLLARS ? IMO it be cheaper to just through a V8 in there..may be a lil more work but sweats easier to come by then money sometimes

[LeSabreUltra]

Unfortunately V8 swaps aren't particularly cheap either, with all the extra parts and fabrication required to make them work properly with the small S10. The cost for a custom A/C mount and system alone is $550! (and I need my A/C, this is my daily and it gets pretty hot down here. ) I could go further down the list of stuff needed but it's quite long, and pricey. Most guys over on the S10 forum recommend having 5k set aside if you're planning on doing a V8 swap in these. I was somewhat surprised to learn that but it's true. This ends up being cheaper. Of course you can do more with a V8 which is why serious S10 modders go with them, but I'm not looking for a track star. Just a stink quick daily driver.
.
.
.

[00Beast]

That video is epic. I'd totally do that!!

[Jrs3800]

Dan... How well will the trans tolerate 300+ Ft Lbs....

But I agree with ed on this one... I'd Soo want that charger

[LeSabreUltra]

Don, from what I've been reading they can handle the added power pretty well. The only thing Wynjammer does recommend is a shift kit to extend the life of the clutches. I would most likely invest in that to preserve my trans. But seeing as how it's a babied 67k mile trans with a huge cooler and Dex VI...I feel confident that it can handle it pretty well, especially with the shift kit. Plus I tend to drive like a grandma anyway.

But yeah guys, I think I'm gonna set a goal and save up for it. It's gonna take a LONG time though, lol! I hope to have it in by the end of spring next year. That's of course assuming something huge doesn't break on one of my cars.

You guys might have to watch out if we play around on the interstate again next year at SEBF.

Oh and I love it when the guy says "*shoot*!" at the end of the first acceleration run in the video, lol. Within a few months I hope to have the same reaction.
.
.
.

[Jrs3800]

Be careful with that statement... I may have the M90 The van if you keep it up...

[00Beast]

Don, it's the same 4L60E as any other truck, SUV, F-body, etc of that era.

[crash93ssei]

I think that $5,000 for a V8 swap is absolutely ridiculous.

Engine mounts are less then $100, good headers are about $300, your stock radiator will work fine for a 300 hp 350.

You can buy an older 350, in good shape for a couple hundred bucks, throw in a cam and a set of Vortec heads for another $400 or so and you have got an easy 300+ hp.

If you wanted to take the easy out, you could throw a good carb on top of that and only spend a couple hundred more on a good used carb and a new Vortec style carb intake.

I have done two V8 S10 swaps in 4X4 Blazers, which are much more difficult to do because of the front diff and driveshaft, and came in right around $1,000 each total. Both are / were daily driver ready.

I would really like to know where they think $5,000 is what you need for the swap. The only way I could imagine that number is if they had somebody else do all of the work. Everything that is bolted to the front of your 4.3 is a direct bolt on to a 5.7, or any small block Chevy for that matter, including the A/C brackets. Everything just moves forward about five inches or so, so you don't have room for the horrible power robbing belt driven fan


Honestly, if I were you, I would research deeper into what it would actually cost you to do a V8 swap and compare that to the $2,600 price tag on the S/C.

A supercharged V6 is absolutely cool, no doubt about that, either way you go I think you would be happy

[LeSabreUltra]

Thanks a ton for the advice, I really appreciate it. I've thought it over a lot today (and will continue to).

To be fair, the 5k estimate was for the current "hot swap" in the S10 world, the 5.3. It doesn't play as nicely with the S10 as the 5.7 does.

In the end I just don't know. It will definitely cost me more than 1k because local junkyards (what few there are) are not a viable source for a complete engine, so it will have to be bought online and shipped. I also have no experience or tools for an engine swap, so I would need to call upon my mechanic friend (who has bills to pay, so I have to take that into account) and probably buy an engine hoist.

The only other thing is that I hate to get rid of a babied 67k mile 4.3 for a 350 with an unknown history. In addition, it would have to be a 96 or newer Vortec 350...I don't even want to get into the nightmare of trying to deal with anything older than that according to what I've read...and no 5.3's either for the same reason. The former is all to do with wiring, the latter more to do with the fact that it just doesn't line up well.

If I did the V8, to help offset the additional costs mentioned above I would not go with an aftermarket cam. 255 hp + whatever the headers would give me as well as the K&N intake I currently have (it will bolt right on to the 5.7, so cool) is all I would need, and pretty much all I would get out of the S/C as well.

So I really don't know yet. Long term, a 350 would probably be a better option. I'm just worried about screwing myself over in the short term.

But what I would do for that V8 sound...
.
.
.

[Jrs3800]

Dan thats the reason I did not swap the 5300 LS4 into the van... It was cost prohibitive... Would have been a lot of fun... But expensive... The L26 was the way to go for me..

You know, I think if you kept the boost levels down a bit you could make reliable power with that 4.3...

[In_da_boondocks]

How much power can the stock transmission handle?

[Jrs3800]

I'd say conservative.... 300-310 Hp and 320-330 Ft Lbs

[LeSabreUltra]

To be honest, I haven't completely given up on the V8 swap yet. Really I'm having a hard time deciding. Thankfully, it will take a long time to save up before I can do either, but still. I tallied up all the parts and other stuff needed to do the V8 and it's not much better. Cost could be anywhere from $2000-$2600.

Here's what's running through my mind, pros and cons of each.

Supercharger:

Pros - simple installation, won't need any help or require my truck to be down for any period of time. Virtually guaranteed to be installed, and running perfectly ready for a test drive in less than three hours, and I won't have to modify anything on my truck to make it work. Virtually no chance of running into unforseen problems. No wasted parts. Will give me the same amount of power as a stock 350 swap. And the whine will be nice.

Cons - will be somewhat more expensive than a 350 swap. Possibility of an error in tuning causing my engine to run too lean and cause engine damage. Eventually in the future the manufacturer will stop producing these superchargers and stop catering to their owners. I plan on keeping this truck indefinitely, so everything I do to it is done with longevity in mind. Who will rebuild my supercharger in the future? At some point it will need a rebuild. Perhaps then I could do a 350 swap, when this truck is no longer my daily?

350 swap:

Pros - V8 sound. I would love to have that. Better overall in the long term because 350 parts will always be around. Less chance of an error in tuning (as far as fuel ratios are concerned). Easier to make more power in the future if I ever decide I want to. I would be installing a more or less stock engine (I think that's a pro for longevity). If everything went well, it would be a few hundred dollars cheaper than the supercharger. I could gather parts over time to fix things up right, for example buy the engine early and then tear it down/clean it up and make sure it's in top shape before installation. I think that's a pro because I prefer slow progress over one huge step way on down the road, if you know what I mean. I'd like to work on it over time so I have motivation to complete my dream.

Cons - difficulty of installation. I would not be able to do it by myself. Probably will run into problems at some point. My truck will also be down for a while. Could run into unforseen costs. I would have a perfectly good 67k mile 4.3 that I traded in favor of a 350 with an unknown history, and possibly (very likely) more miles.

What would I prefer? A V8. The ease and convenience of the S/C install is making my mind flip back and forth a lot, though. Anyway that's what's on my mind.
.
.
.

[LeSabre in Buffalo]

Tough call. The 350 will gladly run regular, while the SC will need premium. The fuel mileage of the 350 won't be anywhere near what you're getting now. Well, it'll drop with the SC but highway will be close or better than where you're at currently.

Also, making power on the SC is a pulley and re-tuning. Making power on the 350 will potentially be lots more work installing parts once it's in the truck.

I like the visual impact of the supercharger. There's nothing like opening the hood to find a supercharger looking back at you. The 350 will be less obvious.

[00Beast]

My V8 Tahoe (5.7L) got 16 mpg. I'd bet that S10 would maybe lose 1-2 mpg most. That's a big motor for that little truck, it won't need much fuel to move it.

[crash93ssei]

Actually, V8 S10s are known to get BETTER mileage then with the stock 4.3

[bonnevillain]

HOLY *shoot*!! that's fast.. that tach pegged like nothing. I can tell his truck isn't exactly like yours though, his exhaust sounds like it's opened up a good amount.

[LeSabreUltra]

All good points. And yeah, it's true from what I've read that several owners of V8 S10s report better mileage after the swap. Depends on what you do to it, of course.

I thought we were pretty close in mods, but I went back and checked his stuff and yeah you're right, he's got more than just an aftermarket muffler and no cat (or cats, in his case) he's also got true duals. His exhaust is a little more open than mine.

So for better comparison, here's an otherwise bone stock S10 with a charger. Guy says he didn't floor it until the tach hit 3k. D: Still looks like he managed a 6.something 0-60 time once the wheels stopped spinning.

http://videos.streetfire.net/video/Supe ... 645012.htm

Pretty clear that this mod will give me traction issues. I think one of the items I will invest in after that is some larger (wider) wheels and some new rubber. I think Cragar SS wheels would look nice on my truck.



I might be content to just stick with the base s/c, for exactly what Don said...good reliable power. That would put me right at about 260 hp/360 tq at the crank. That's enough for me.

Something else sort of new. I found my old digital camera and rescued it from dissolving in some strange chemical. It was a bit like starting an old junkyard car trying to get it to work, but eventually I got it to work right and take pics again. It dies if I try to use the zoom though. Oh well. This is part of the whole pinching pennies thing, between this and my camera phone, I should be set for picture taking until after the s/c.

Yes, it is very dirty. I just wanted to test out the old thing and it looks like it works.











This is why I will never lower my truck. Aside from it being retarded, I like exploring in it too much. I have covered so many new places in it, with just the little compass on the dash. I don't need GPS!
.
.
.