The Un-planned Project

[StrokerAspen]

Well, I bought this little truck last June figuring it would make a nice little daily driver for me to get to work and back. Nothing too fancy just a 4.3L Vortec and a 4L60E. It was just freshly painted and wet sanded in January of 2007.

It is a 1996 ZQ8 Sonoma with a 2/3 belltech drop kit. This is what it looked like when I bought it....



Unfortunatly, on Sunday August 12 2007 I was on my way to the bank, and just a couple blocks up the street a little brown sunfire did not see the stop sign and plowed into the side of the truck.















I was able to get ever dollar I had into the truck back, and then I bought the truck back. In the mean time I needed a new truck and I decided to go a little bigger this time.

The new truck is a 2001 Silverado 2wd. We have installed a 4/6 DJM Drop kit on it so far.





BUT back to the Sonoma, we have put it all back into one piece, and we decided to go with a step-side box, and put a set of East Coast Customs Step Shavers on it.

I also picked up a 6.0L LSx Engine for the truck and plan on using a Tremec TKO-600 to change the gears. It will be more of a cruiser, and something for my wife to race.

[Fordplay0621]

Re: The Un-planned Project

Tailgates and Rolled Pans ae great looking, My S10 had the same setup and I always liked the look, Clean and mean. Just keep the bumpers off them. Stepsides or flares always look good, especially molded in.

[Agent-OO6.]

Re: The Un-planned Project

If that Truck talked,it'd say:--"Thank's,Dude ;D." So,what's going to happen to the 4.3/Vortec? I'm asking because I just bought 'an '87 Camaro(Plain-Jane,no Ground-Effects/Non-RS/No Sunroof/T-Top/Manual roll up Windows/Door Locks,ect....)which has 'an 'almost' dead 2.8(Fuel Injecters are beat,leaking Passenger-side 'Head Gasket....)in it. I'd like to leave the Car a 'six','an go with a later 4.3 Engine. Good luck with your project. ~OO6.

[StrokerAspen]

Re: The Un-planned Project

Well, for now we were planning on just driving the truck with the 4.3L in it, My wife is still in school for another 2 years, so we figured we would wait until she was done and we would continue with the project.

I am not done my current combo on my car, so that will come first, but for the cruise nights this year, the Sonoma will be a little easier on fuel, and the temptation of street racing.

[L98camino]

Re: The Un-planned Project

I really like the stepside bed, I had a '98 Ranger stepside that I got compliments on all the time. I wanted an S10 at the time, couldn't pass up the deal on the Ford. If I had bought the S10 I would probably still have it..oh well.

Are you going to leave the 6.0 stock? What kind of gears does it have, did you replace the rear end or just the axle?

Looks like a fun project, nice work so far!

[StrokerAspen]

Re: The Un-planned Project

I wont be leaving the 6.0L stock, it has high miles on it, and usually nothing comes out of our shop in stock displacement ;D on the low end, I would just bore it out and put a set of rod bolts and some forged pistons 11.5:1, fully ported stock heads, decent intake, and a nice little bump stick. At most I might do a 408ci. for it, but time will tell. As for the diff, it will stay stock for now, it has 3.55:1 gears with an open diff, all I did was replace the axle. when we go to the 6.0L and the 5-speed it will most likely be a forg 9" with atleast 31 spline axles, maybe even a spool since its a light, and short truck, but we will see.

[Freiburger]

Re: The Un-planned Project

Way to make lemonade outta lemons!

[L98camino]

Re: The Un-planned Project

Is the short wheel base a big issue with handling in the 1/4 mile? Will you stay with the leafs in the rear? Will you keep the EFI? Hope you don't mind all the questions, I've never ran a car on the 1320, but hanging out on this site has got me all jacked up to try it (when I get the Elco running)!!!

I agree with DF, way to make a positive out of a bad break!!

[StrokerAspen]

Re: The Un-planned Project

Thanks, there were alot of people that said "you got all your money out of it?!?! RUN AWAY don't bother buying it back"

As for the questions, ask away! I don't mind at all!

The wheel base is the same as the pony cars, so it wont be bad at all. a fox body mustang is even shorter, and there are alot of guys going fast in those and doing just fine. the Sonoma is the same wheel base as my car I am running now, and I am not going to put a bar in the truck, so I wont be going overly fast with it.

I am going to stick with the leaf springs. I have a friend running the ZQ8 Suspension with a set of slide-a-links, he too is running a 6.0L .030", but he is using a 4L60E Auto, and he is running mid 11's on motor with 60' times in the 1.55 range, and on the jug he is running mid 10's with 1.50 60' times (if I remember correctly) the best part is he is getting 26 mpg on the highway at 130km/h (80mph) with the A/C on. He doesn't trailer it anywhere.

I will be keeping the EFI, and probably be tunning with HP Tuners. This will also let me keep my gauges that are already in the truck. I wont have any aftermarket gauges if I can avoid it, and the shift light will be mounted in the vent in the dash.

Can you tell I have been thinking about this project for a while? lol

[L98camino]

Re: The Un-planned Project

Planning is half the fun!

I was wondering if the wheelbase was shorter on the fox body cars, and yes I see a ton of them in magazines and on T.V.(Pinks)

I've been kicking around the idea of picking up a late '70s early '80s 'Stang and putting an LS engine in it to race. I've read a few posts on LS1 Tech and it looks like a fun project. I have heard a lot of people bashing them because there is so many out there, but since there are that many there must be something to it! I have been watching Craigslist and other want ads and they can be had VERY cheap and the aftermarket support is huge.

On the S10, so you plan to keep it a street truck with occasional drag strip use? Does your wife race now, or is this something she wants to try?

P.S. My wife supports my addiction because she knows how much I love cars, but she would put up a fuss if I bought another project before the Elcamino is on the road. So, the fox is going to be in the "planning" stage for awhile!!

[StrokerAspen]

Re: The Un-planned Project

On the S-10, it will probably see alot of track time, we might have a track going up 25 minutes away from our city, and if thats the case, every weekend they are open, good chance we will be there, and probably use the Sonoma, instead of taking the gas guzzler, or having to load the gas guzzler on a trailer to take it out there. But we will have to see!

look up Tirefryin_LSX on here, he did a LS 5.3L in a fox body mustang, it has a T76mm turbo on it, and it goes fairly well for a" pounded out farm truck engine" I went for a ride in it one weekend, it was a riot!

http://www.carjunkieforums.com/index.php?action=profile;u=522

[RacerRick]

Re: The Un-planned Project

How hard is it to drop the LS engine into the S10? I can get a 5.3L LS engine for cheap and I would like to put a V8 into the S10 that will get good gas milage and still have lots of balls.

[L98camino]

Re: The Un-planned Project

Thanks for the info, the vid in Tirefryin's profile rocks!!!

[StrokerAspen]

Re: The Un-planned Project

How hard is it to drop the LS engine into the S10? I can get a 5.3L LS engine for cheap and I would like to put a V8 into the S10 that will get good gas milage and still have lots of balls.

I believe the header and motor mount kit is around $300 (shorty headers) and there is a place that will build a wiring harness for the S-10 ( I can't remember the company name right now) for around $750 which will make all your factory gauges work. You should count on buying a better set of injectors (around $335 I think), and there is a bracket to move the AC compressor up top so that you don't have to notch your frame.

Another plus, is you don't have valve covers fighting with your heater box, so you can keep the AC and Heater in the truck ;)

[fahrenschnell]

Re: The Un-planned Project

I love small trucks with big motors ;D ;D ;D





They make great smoke 8)