Project Luxury S10

[yonkerse]

That 4.3 is one dynamite motor. My brother had a 1990 regular cab, short box, 5 speed S10 for his first vehicle and that truck has been to "heck" and back. He beat on that truck like I couldnt believe, pulled large trailers, off-roaded, raced, burned out, anything you can think of! The only issue he had was it fouling plugs every so often, but that was an easy fix.

I know the truck was right around 200K when he passed it onto a buddy. Not sure where its at now, prolly still driving it!

[Jrs3800]

The one thing I can say about those 4.3's is like the old commercial " Like a Rock "....

[ChilinMichael]

Have to agree, love the four-point-three.

[wake]

how the 4.3 might not have enough snap for my tastes (seriously can that motor get any slower? i guess its faster than the 2.2L )..its a *dang* realiable motor that is no doubt..once you get its issues figured out and fixed of course

[00Beast]

My problem with the 4.3 is that it's slow and doesn't get any better mileage than a 350. My buddy (who has the silver 05 SLE) had a 96 ZR2 and it got 15 MPG on a good day. I did that regularly in my Tahoe, which was bigger and had 2 more cylinders, LOL.

[LeSabreUltra]

Thanks guys, I agree the 4.3 is one tough engine!

[rantmode]

The 'slowness' can be attributed to the stock cam. It's designed for torque which leaves it somewhat gasping in higher RPMs. A simple cam swap really wakes a 4.3 up:

http://www.streetfire.net/video/S15-Son ... 149645.htm

This is a 266 cam, which is very mild for a 4.3 on an otherwise stock Sonoma. The more aggressive cams, such as the 270, can do even better. But even this mild cam can push an otherwise stock S-truck to 60 in 6 seconds as seen in this video.

The reason I put slowness in quotes is, unless there is something else wrong with the truck, the slowness is in how it feels and not how it actually drives. That comes in part from the extremely flat power curve, there is no 'peaky' feeling and it doesn't feel like it pulls exceptionally strongly. But S-trucks like mine (not the ZR2s or Blazers which are heavier) can achieve 0-60 times of between 8-9 seconds stock which is in line with most V8 trucks offered during the time. Another part which contributes to it's 'slow' feel is the restrictor plate (easily removable) on the throttle body which I will discuss later.

Compare mine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RothgzJmlg

(as stock as I can find it, modified throttle body is only a throttle response trick and does nothing for overall acceleration, and the drop in filter and muffler do very little as well)

To a stock 5.7 fullsize of the time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uiTsw4ckOU

The difference, if any, is minimal.

It's not a race motor, but neither were the stock 5.7L truck engines of the time and both are significantly faster than any 2.2 powered S10. Both were comparable in acceleration. I once had the opportunity to drive a quad cab fullsize with the 454 engine (mid-late 90s but not sure which year) and it drove like a pig compared to my truck. Admittedly that's a lot of weight to carry around but still...454.

I never find the 4.3 to be lacking, the bottom end torque is awesome for a V6. From stock, removing a small restrictor plate on the throttle body gives the truck a very lively and snappy throttle feel. This plate was put on the throttle body blade because the 4.3L engine was also utilized in the Blazers, Jimmys, and Bravadas which found buyers in much different markets than the trucks. These markets wanted an SUV that drove like a car (think soccer mom) so the restrictor plate was added to smooth out acceleration, give it a more linear throttle response and basically make it drive more like a car. This may also contribute to some people's perception of 'slow'. Remove the plate and the throttle response is much snappier, torquey, and 'truck-like'. However the restrictor plate makes absolutely no difference beyond 30% throttle or so, so removing it makes no difference in full throttle performance.

5.7s often had this restrictor plate too but they weren't nearly as large.

I will admit that the fastest S10s are going to be those with the V8s, but the 4.3 is no slouch and can be built to go quite fast on it's own as well.

Sorry for going off, I'm not offended or anything and I hope you guys aren't either. But it's a small pet peeve of mine when people get on the 4.3 for being slow. ALL stock trucks from that time are slow, full size or not, V8 or not. The 4.3 S10 is just as slow or as fast as the rest of them, however you want to look at it.

Also Ed, I don't know why your friend's mileage sucked unless there was something wrong with his truck. I don't get 15 mpg unless I'm sitting around idling a lot. I routinely get 22-24 mpg on the highway during trips. Additionally, a ZR2 is going to be slower and have worse mileage because of the lift, larger tires, and heavier weight.

[/rantmode]

Truck is still fine, will be doing the 3rd and final oil change this coming weekend.
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[Jrs3800]

There was a few years in there that they made a 4.3 HO.... This sucker was interesting.... 200 HP and 260 Ft Lbs... Later on they went to the CPI 4.3.... The runner set up of the old 4.3 HO's were different... Great low end grunt and the funny part is that it would jump up and run too... I couldn't imagine having that motor in an S10... Or even better yet the Turbo 4.3

[LeSabreUltra]

I would love forced induction...or a cam...or a 5.3/5.7 swap :D
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[99bonnieSE]

Mr LesabreUltra... long time no see LOL



Trucks coming along nicely. Love it man.



BTW, i'll PM ya about the blazer.

[Bing]

I can speak first hand about the HO 4.3. I ordered a 98 back in 97 with a 5 speed and the sport suspension in black. Basically I ordered what would have been an SS, but I had a 5 speed.

Loved that truck, with the posi rear end it could light em up through 2nd gear. Fun for me, but bad for tire wear.

[LeSabreUltra]

Thanks guys!

Mine is basically an SS as well, except a different step away. Same gear ratio, engine, transmission, and limited slip rear...but I'm missing the sport suspension. Oh well. It's a snappy little truck.

Other updates, replaced all four shocks. Rides like a new truck now...which came in handy for my trip.

Well, as some of you know, this past weekend I took my truck down to Louisiana for a brief visit. While I was there I had the opportunity to visit the places I remember visiting before in my youth with this truck. Here's some pics:

To start with, here's my grandparents' house. It's not ours anymore. This is the first time in over four years that the truck has been back here. It was really neat seeing the truck back with the house again, brought back a lot of old memories.



Next up, here's the boat launch where we used to go every summer with my grandad to go crabbing on an island about 6 miles off the Louisiana coast. The boat was a giant offshore monster of a thing, about 25 feet long, that dwarfed the little S10 (twice as tall!)...but it never had any problems or complaints towing it.



I can remember riding back in the bed of the truck (or in one of the jumpseats if it was raining) all the way down the long, narrow country road for about 20 miles to the boat launch. It always seemed to take a long time to get there because my grandad drove 10 under the speed limit (even when there wasn't a boat behind the truck) but I didn't mind because I got to enjoy the ride longer, and the swamp scenery around me. Speaking of which, here's a part of that road:







I didn't know which picture I liked best, so I put up all three. The tall bridge in the background replaced the one the truck is on, with it's much lower drawbridge that was always being opened and forcing cars to wait, including us several times. I don't think my grandad was alive to see the new bridge, so the old one and the old road in the foreground is the one I'll always remember.

This is also taken on that road:



Speaking of drawbridges, here's one of the many present in New Iberia:



They're all over the place. Waterways are a major source of shipping around here.

Lastly, here's what's left of the dealership where my grandfather bought my truck brand new off the lot in 1995. This service department sign is the only one left. Musson-Patout has since moved to a much larger dealership closer to the highway.



What remains of the dealer badge:



It was a really special trip to take, and I'm glad I did. I took the truck around the old places I remembered as a child and it felt like I was in a time machine, just like old times. This truck's been a part of my life since I was 8 years old, and I hope it will be around for a huge portion of the rest of it.
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[LeSabre in Buffalo]

Sounds like a fun time! Glad to see you're able to keep that truck going as well as it is.

[wake]

Looks great Dan!

glad those new shocks are working for well for you!..have you jumped anything with it yet?

[BonneMe]

Should've taken the sign...

[99bonnieSE]

Just out of curiosity, How is that CB antenna mounted? I've been looking for different way to do mine...