11 replies to this topic

[Rooinater]

well i've had it for 2 weekend's now... i just hadn't taken any pictures and posted them yet. it was a straight trade for the suzuki samurai, which i knew of at least $1500 to $2500 worth of work that was needed to be done if it was going to stay as a daily driver. The guy wanted a wheeler and i wanted a truck with space for camping gear, bikes and the ability to tow. The truck is a 1991 Chevy S10 extended cab with a factory 4.3L V6 and manual transmission. which has atow rating of around 5500lbs. It does presently have a clutch problem that is a work in progress. We fixed the hydraulic problem with the clutch. It had a jerry rigged hydraulic line that included a non-hydraulic fitting, which sucked air and did not allow the system to build pressure. Now we have to deal with the mechanical portion of the clutch problem. you press in the clutch and the clutch doesn't disengage... So we are pulling the tranny to replace the clutch with a HD Clutch for towing and remachine the flywheel. According to the guys at olympic 4x4 when people have their flywheel resurfaced on s10's it's common that it gets machined wrong by adding a step. which makes the clutch not disengage when the clutch is applied... it also just started leaking some anti-freeze at the mount for the water pump, hopefully just a waterpump replacement... in progress and hopefully will be up and going at the end of the month.

i finally decided if i was going to be needing to put money into something i needed to do it to something more practical to my lifestyle.

Edited by Rooinater, 30 September 2008 - 03:22 PM.

[3eyedwagon]

I have a feeling that you may already know my opinion on these vehicles.

They are a supremely well built vehicle, far superior to nearly everything offered around the same era.

That engine alone is enough to put up with any other problems the truck could possibly have.

In the event that it is a water pump problem; enjoy the half hour fix that it is, and spending the $45 it is to buy a new one....

Check your vin for what engine designation it is. I would assume it to be a Z code 4.3 with upright TBI, but they were sneaking a few TPI engines in around that era.

I hope for your sake, it is the upright TBI motor, as that engine has alot of free horsepower in it. There are alot of incredibly simple little tricks to get free ponies, and better mpg out of it. All are breathing related, and costs are minimal.

My most recent S10 is a 2wd ext cab 95 with a Z code 4.3, backed by a 5 speed. I've coaxed it into getting a very predictable 26mpg with 10.5" of rear tire, and a whole lot of power.

Good purchase man, I seriously doubt you will regret it.

[Rooinater]

yep, it's tbi just like my dad's 350. got any tips for performance gains? hey, where's the fun... no argument!

hopefully it's just a waterpump gasket gone bad. it appears to be leaking at the mating surface on the passenger's side or the hose mount... can't tell for sure, will have to tighten up the hose, check, then start tearing apart if it doesn't fix it. not sure on the engine designation i'll try to check when i'm up in marysville this weekend. the manual doesn't have the decifer for the vin, any idea which postion is the engine designation on the chevy. i have the factory service manuals on the way, but they won't be around for a week. the truck is stuck at my mom's house till i get the clutch working and the leak fixed... and it needs an alignment... but i can't wait to get her going. the drive from sequim to marysville was a little sketchy with a inop clutch... we got lucky with the ferry and we weren't put on the ramp...

[mtsmiths]

I had one of those that I loved dearly ... enough to ship it from Hawaii when we moved to Montana. Mine didn't look that good tho' it was GM's special 'peeler blue' paint scheme. Onliest problem I ever had with that truck was a clogged fuel filter.

Only reason I ever sold it was I needed 4WD, which is what got us back into Subarus ... in NW Montana, what else?

[3eyedwagon]

You will never hear me argue over most GM products. Alot of the early GM fuel injected stuff is really solid, and incredibly simple.

The eighth position in the VIN is the engine designation.

Engine designation Z was the only 4.3 available until 1992, or at least according to the books. I've got a stock early 1991 Blazer with a W code Vortec parked out back that would argue that point well.

The best part about these motors is that they retain most of the parts, and geometry of their big brother 350 small block.

All of the valvetrain parts I've ever ordered for my trucks I've ordered for a 350 of the same era. The cost is usually the same, and you get four spares...

All of the hop ups are really quite simple. The best advice I can offer is a throttle body spacer. It may sound dorky, and gimmicky; but they honestly do work. I've had them on over a dozen LO5 small blocks (Caprice cop cars), and a handful of 4.3s. The 4.3 actually responds better to them than the LO5. I gained 2-3 mpg out of my 2wd by installing a $90 chunk of machined aluminum. My next best advice would be to free up the exhaust any way possible. Simple stuff, I know, but it can't be overstated for that big of a v6. I wouldn't exactly worry about revamping the entire exhaust, but just replacing the stock muffler, and cat (whatever you choose to do with it is up to you:lol:) to get more flow has helped all of mine ALOT.

[Rooinater]

All of the hop ups are really quite simple. The best advice I can offer is a throttle body spacer. It may sound dorky, and gimmicky; but they honestly do work. I've had them on over a dozen LO5 small blocks (Caprice cop cars), and a handful of 4.3s. The 4.3 actually responds better to them than the LO5. I gained 2-3 mpg out of my 2wd by installing a $90 chunk of machined aluminum. My next best advice would be to free up the exhaust any way possible. Simple stuff, I know, but it can't be overstated for that big of a v6. I wouldn't exactly worry about revamping the entire exhaust, but just replacing the stock muffler, and cat (whatever you choose to do with it is up to you:lol:) to get more flow has helped all of mine ALOT.

it already has no cat it came that way from sequim, wa. plus i don't go through emissions where i live anyhow. if i remember correctly the muffler looked fairly new. i'm pretty sure it doesn't have a throttle body spacer, i was looking at some, but was curious if they really worked and were worth the effort. i was thinking down the road when i start actually getting towards the max towing load i'd get a set of headers.

[Rooinater]

Only reason I ever sold it was I needed 4WD, which is what got us back into Subarus ... in NW Montana, what else?

which is why i found one in 4wd... i couldn't live without it. some of the places we bring the bikes to go camping can get fairly primitive and sketchy. not to mention i'll be needing to use it to go snowboarding and i don't like getting out to put chains on... as soon as little roo is sold i'll be suby less for awhile. till my dad sells his '86 wagon.

[3eyedwagon]

i'm pretty sure it doesn't have a throttle body spacer, i was looking at some, but was curious if they really worked and were worth the effort. i was thinking down the road when i start actually getting towards the max towing load i'd get a set of headers.

The throttle body spacer is definitely worth the money. I've used a fairly wide variety of them, and have found that as long as it is a 1 incher with twist, it will work great. A definite solid investment as the gain in mpg has paid off all of mine within the first year.

Another tip I would highly suggest is to roller rocker that motor. I've done it to two of them now, and it is seriously the greatest improvement to any 4.3 I've ever made. The only reason I didn't mention it earlier is because it is expensive in relation to many other improvements. If you are looking to go as far as headers, this may be something you want to check into. I attribute my roller rockers with making my engine last this long. I have seriously run this engine very hard for over a hundred thousand miles, often pouring WAY too much nitrous into it. The roller rockers have made the engine roll so much smoother, it is actually noticeable in every aspect of performance. The engine even starts easier.... just a bump of the key, even after sitting for a month, and it just rolls so easily; it fires right up. From the sounds of it; that would be a project for later down the road, but, one I would highly reccomend. They just respond so well too it. Also, if you choose to roller rocker it, you can play with duration a little at the same time. That'll give you even more power. I've gone as high as 1.8 duration in the rockers, and found A TON of torque. I'll find my part numbers for you, as there are very few roller rockers that fit under stock 4.3 valve covers.

[Rooinater]

The throttle body spacer is definitely worth the money. I've used a fairly wide variety of them, and have found that as long as it is a 1 incher with twist, it will work great. A definite solid investment as the gain in mpg has paid off all of mine within the first year.

Another tip I would highly suggest is to roller rocker that motor. I've done it to two of them now, and it is seriously the greatest improvement to any 4.3 I've ever made. The only reason I didn't mention it earlier is because it is expensive in relation to many other improvements. If you are looking to go as far as headers, this may be something you want to check into. I attribute my roller rockers with making my engine last this long. I have seriously run this engine very hard for over a hundred thousand miles, often pouring WAY too much nitrous into it. The roller rockers have made the engine roll so much smoother, it is actually noticeable in every aspect of performance. The engine even starts easier.... just a bump of the key, even after sitting for a month, and it just rolls so easily; it fires right up. From the sounds of it; that would be a project for later down the road, but, one I would highly reccomend. They just respond so well too it. Also, if you choose to roller rocker it, you can play with duration a little at the same time. That'll give you even more power. I've gone as high as 1.8 duration in the rockers, and found A TON of torque. I'll find my part numbers for you, as there are very few roller rockers that fit under stock 4.3 valve covers.

for now i won't be changing out the rockers, even headers would be awhile down the road. i've got to get the truck driving, then finish the toyota, then i can start looking into major mods for the 4.3L. simple stuff like the throttle spacer i'll do now, but nothing major till i'm done building the toyota.

[3eyedwagon]

for now i won't be changing out the rockers, even headers would be awhile down the road. i've got to get the truck driving, then finish the toyota, then i can start looking into major mods for the 4.3L. simple stuff like the throttle spacer i'll do now, but nothing major till i'm done building the toyota.

I figured that was the case. If you want simple mods for improved towing performance, and getting more out a gallon; I would make that spacer my number one priority. They are by far the best return per dollar bolt on piece. I've found that the AIR RAIDS by Powerade are the most complete setups. They are the best about containing all the hardware, as you will need some specialized bolts for everything. Other stuff depends on which air filter system you have. If you have an air cleaner like a normal carb; there aren't really many things to do to it. Just slap in a K&N, and go. Or put together a cold air intake setup on the cheap. But, if you have the larger, box style air intake system that takes a flat filter element; there are quite a few improvements that can be made to that system.

[Rooinater]

I figured that was the case. If you want simple mods for improved towing performance, and getting more out a gallon; I would make that spacer my number one priority. They are by far the best return per dollar bolt on piece. I've found that the AIR RAIDS by Powerade are the most complete setups. They are the best about containing all the hardware, as you will need some specialized bolts for everything. Other stuff depends on which air filter system you have. If you have an air cleaner like a normal carb; there aren't really many things to do to it. Just slap in a K&N, and go. Or put together a cold air intake setup on the cheap. But, if you have the larger, box style air intake system that takes a flat filter element; there are quite a few improvements that can be made to that system.

it's got the std carb style with the scoop next to the driver's head light and a round filter element. i slapped in a k&n the day after i brought her home. i'll start looking into spacers, so at least an inch with a twist for a spacer, i'll start looking around.

[Rooinater]

well all the clutch parts finally came in and the clutch and tranny are back in the tuck. i still have to adjust the 4wd linkage, install drivelines, refill tcase and tranny, replace water pump, replace thermostat, flush and replace antifreeze.... then an alignment...