Chevy S10 - $2017 Challenge and beyond

I don't know if it's any help, but I still have the Fireturd's old R-comp tires/wheels if you need them.

Ashyukun (Robert) said:

I don't know if it's any help, but I still have the Fireturd's old R-comp tires/wheels if you need them.

Thank you for the offer, but those tires are over 20 years old at this point.  Of course, I’m probably rolling on 13-14 year old r-comps on the 14” tires.  If I really wanted to be as competitive as possible, I should look for a set of 200 TW 15” tires for the challenge, and throw the cheapest 14” street tires I can find on the stock s10 wheels.

Been sick for the past week, so no work has been done on the truck, but I've been ordering parts, and getting the budget sheet filled out.  I think I now have everything that is on the S10 in the budget sheet (except for a few FMV items that may not stay), along with the budget for the oil pressure gauge.  Based on this, plus some tallying up of other items, it's getting close.  Like, I wonder how bad a straight-piped 305 TBI with a side exit exhaust sounds.

More budget possibilities:

1. Between new hose, new fittings, and FMVing the trans cooler at $14 (what i saw on a local pick and pull site), the trans cooler setup will run me about $40.  Knock $10 off that if I skip using fittings, and try to very carefully cut, chamfer, and flare the hard lines to attach the rubber hose directly, which I don't want to do - would hate to accidentally introduce metal slivers into the transmission.
2. Kind of seriously considering running one exhaust system for the trip down and up, just attaching a 90 degree bend to the y-pipe and running the exhaust out the passenger side.  Ground clearance is an issue, so it'd be tempting to use a 3" pipe, and crush it down to 1.5" x 3" where it ducks under the frame.  That's about the same volume as the 2.5" diameter y-pipe.  I wonder if the increase then decrease in cross section would have any muffling effect.  Need to find out if the y-pipe to exhaust connection has permanently rusted itself together yet.
3. I have a (Edit: 4.94, not $9, bought it on a 50% off day, just found the receipt) $9 tall air cleaner lid that should help a bit with horsepower, but I could skip.  It needs a taller air cleaner, but that part would be a budget wash as the truck needs a new air cleaner anyway.
4. The lower ball joints are going to cost me about $32.  I think they are solid enough as is for the short times in competition, but for the 800 or so mile drive out and then back, I'd rather replace them and be safe.
5. I haven't replaced the spark plugs yet, but I'm assuming they are in sorry shape like the air cleaner.  Have a set on the way that will hit the budget for a little under $13.  If the ones in the car are alright, this won't be needed.
6. Haven't been able to figure out if I used one or two exhaust gasket donuts yet, as I mentioned in a prior post.  Really hoping to find one in my parts stash, pulling $10 out will really help.
7. For additional cooling instead of the trans cooler, I've considered getting a junkyard S10 hood in similar condition as mine, doing a no-budget-swap, and using some sheet metal from the fireturd's hood (which has been hanging out in my backyard leaned against my deck for the last two years) to make some heat extractors.  I don't want to cut up my practically rust free hood for that, so need to go out to find another one.
8. Take the fireturd's starter to the junkyard for the $8 core charge.  I kind of want to keep it as a spare, but I already have a spare LT1 starter, so I should be good.  Guess I could try to sell it on CL or FB, but doubt I'd make any more than the core charge.  I thought I still had the 4.3 starter somewhere, but I can't find it.  Either it's buried or I scrapped it already.  Edit: Just realized I can’t sell it to improve my budget - I’ve already sold the Fireturd to zero.  Looks like it’ll be a core.
9. The bumper cost me $48 at a junkyard.  Could take it off and try to fashion some sort of replacement from the fireturd's hood.  I'd love to make a fiberglass one, but I don't think that would actually cut the budget down.

It's getting to the point it looks like I'll be running one set of tires for both events.  If so, need to decide if it is one of the ones I have, or if I should order something new.  Some white letter tires would look pretty sweet on the truck.

I've started feeling better, so I'll likely pull the truck back into the garage to work on it in the evenings this coming week.

I think this will be my last challenge build, until I am certain to have more space and time to work with.  This truck is going to be almost 3 years in the making, and will probably finish in the back 1/3 of the field.  Definitely going more for the party than the competition this year.  May try to time my arrival to late Thursday morning, so I can join in the parking lot build.

Busy work day today, and I'm tired from getting up way too early to take eastsideWife to the airport, but I did get the truck back in the garage.  Checked the ball joints, and had a little bit of play on the passenger side, but then noticed just the wheel moved, not the spindle.  Looks like I must not have tightened up the axle nut enough when I did the brakes.  I'm guessing after the driving I've done that the bearings are in bad shape, so I'll just go ahead and replace them at this point, and hopefully not have to worry about the ball joints.

Progress and setback.

Swapped out the passenger wheel bearings.  Haven’t had a chance to drive it yet, but the play appears to be gone.

Broke the best transmission cooler I had while trying to trim the mounting tabs to fit better.  Going to have to make some brackets out of scrap in order to fit another one.  Will have to wait til it stops raining for that, no room in the garage

Did just sign up for the challenge, so I have about a week and a half to decide whether I’ll race this year, or delay til next.  If I wait til next year, I’m not going to bring the S10.

In reply to eastsideTim :

If you don't take the S10 and still want to go, that Turbo Probe is still for sale. :P

In reply to Ashyukun (Robert) :

While tempting, I'm hitting a point where I'm trying to save some money, so a last minute challenge car isn't in the cards, unless it ends up being something I'm more interested in keeping around than the S10.

This evening, I made a basic bracket, and mocked up the transmission cooler:

I don't want to permanently mount it yet, as I haven't flushed it.  I have some "transmission flush in a can" that I'll try when it's light out and I can use it outside, with no fear of fume buildup, as I have no idea how nasty (or not) this stuff is.  When permanently mounting it, I'll cut up some pieces of old radiator hose for mounting pads to dampen vibration.

Started working on taking down the headliner, but could not get the wiring detached for the dome light.  Got frustrated with all the disintegrated foam bits falling on me, so decided to leave it to another night, after the trans cooler is dealt with.

And it's mounted and the lines are run.  Ran out of time to fire it up (too many mosquitos for me to open the garage door), but I should get that done tomorrow, and test for leaks.  I used brass fittings in the engine compartment, so if need be, I can reconnect the return line to the radiator and bypass the cooler.

Work done in the last few days:

1. Installed the Jegs electric oil pressure sender and gauge I picked up a ways back.  Installed the sender in the spot over the oil filter, since the factory sender isn't being used for anything right now.
2. Reassembled the front end pieces that I pulled apart to install the transmission cooler.
3. Re-tightened the exhaust manifold-to-y-pipe nuts.
4. Pulled down the headliner and covered myself, the interior, and the garage floor in deteriorated foam.

Took it for an (intended to be longer) test drive, and ran into two issues.

1. Occasional non-metallic scraping noise that seems to be coming from the front right.  Tended to last under a second at a time, was not consistent when it happened, could be while on the highway, or the surface streets, steady state speed, accelerating, or slowing down.  May not have been happening when I was in turns, but that may have just been because it seemed random, and didn't happen by chance, or I didn't notice.  I'll jack up the car tomorrow and pull the wheel to see if there is anything obvious I could have missed, but I'd love ideas.  One thing that I am wondering is if it is a noise from under the dashboard somewhere that I hadn't heard before, because the headliner had damped it somewhat.  Lug nuts are tight.  Since that's the side with the new wheel bearings, though, I'm guessing it is something I did.
2. Bigger issue - oil pressure numbers are bad:  About 37.5 psi at cold high idle (on the hashmark between 25 and 50).  Under normal, but I've heard for a worn engine, that is still in acceptable range.  Hot cruising at 45 MPH (either ~1300 RPM in overdrive or ~1900 in 3rd, I don't have a tach) = 25 PSI.  May be okay, considering the low RPMs.  Here's where it gets really bad: Hot idle in gear - 0 to just over 0 PSI.  Hot idle in neutral 0-12.5 PSI.  It doesn't fluctuate, just seems to settle in a different spot sometimes.

For the oil pressure, I'm going to do a little more investigation.  I haven't noticed knocking, so it could just be a very worn engine running low oil pressure.  It is also possible the aftermarket oil pressure gauge is reading incorrectly.  I am going to grab a mechanical gauge, probably tomorrow, and adapter fittings to get it to connect to the spot next to the distributor, and I'll clamp the gauge just outside the windshield - I don't like the idea of hot oil inside the passenger compartment.  It's also possible there is too much oil in the pan, and there could be some foaming, but I don't think that is it.  For some reason, the dipstick is very hard to read in this car, as the "solid" area of oil is around the top of the correct range, but there is still a considerable amount of oil on the dipstick above it, and I can't be certain I'm reading it correctly.  The engine runs a 5 qt capacity, and on the last oil change, I let it drain for about half an hour, and put a total of 4.5-5 quarts in the crankcase and filter.  I used 10W30 oil, so a thicker oil might help, but if the numbers are accurate, I doubt it would help enough to trust it under racing conditions.

If the engine is indeed so worn that it's running about 0 PSI at hot idle, then there is no way I'm driving from Ohio to Florida in it.  I'd hate to breakdown on the road, but I'd hate even more to oil down the dragstrip (or autocross course), and ruin other people's fun.  Will still go regardless, just may not be competing this year.

I've got an oil pressure test gauge and I'll be over at Toiletbird all day tomorrow if you want to borrow it.

 wae said:

I've got an oil pressure test gauge and I'll be over at Toiletbird all day tomorrow if you want to borrow it.

Thanks.  I’ll let you know - a mechanical gauge at the nearby parts store is under $20, so I’m tempted to just run over there, to get working on it quicker.  Also, this is only showing up after the engine is fully warmed up, so is probably easier to test while I’m driving.

Couldn't get the oil plug near the distributor to loosen, so pulled the sender for the electric gauge, and installed the mechanical connection there.  My nephew stopped by for some help with his truck, so I fired the S10 up in the garage and let it warm up while we were working on his F150 in the driveway.  At cold idle, the mechanical gauge reported about 38-39, so close to the electric one.  At hot idle, in neutral, it generally showed around 10-12.5, if I'm reading the hashmarks right.  Then, depending on how I read the gauge, at hot idle, in drive, it looks like 6 PSI:

However, the fact that there's so little room between the hashmark for 0, and the next one up makes me think they don't expect it to be accurate down that low.  It seems very dicey to drive 800 miles, flog it at the challenge, and drive back.  Also, I pulled the right front wheel, and from a visual inspection could not find anything that would be making the noise I heard.  At this point, i'm calling it.  The S10 isn't making it to the challenge.  Ever.  I may troll FB marketplace and CL tonight for a last minute entry, but will only jump if it's something I'd otherwise want, and doesn't need anything more than an oil change and a quick detailing.

As for the S10, I'll use it for some around town hauling duties, like clearing out my storage locker, and decide if I'll keep it for a better engine swap down the road, or sell it off.  I've wanted a hotrodded S10 for so long, that I'd probably have a hard time parting with it.  If I keep it, I'll start saving  some project fund money for an LS swap, or a turbo ecotec, or a 2JZ, or something else.  Got other higher priorities right now, though, so it'll be a while.

Regardless, I'll still be going to the challenge this year, just as a spectator.

On the scraping noise - check the clearance between the brake rotor and the heatshield. I've had a couple card end up with minor contact there that only manifests in turns or certain "high load" situations.

Bummer about the oil pressure.

Meh, 10psi hot per 1000rpm will keep an sbc alive, 6 at idle works in that equation.  If the mercedes is running good you can make a drag or autocross run in it

In reply to eastsideTim :

If I end up going the Renesis route with the DMC, I've got a freshly rebuilt supercharged 3800 sitting on the engine stand that you could put in it...

In reply to Patrick :

If I was trailering it down (which I don’t want to do at this point, even if I borrow a rig), I might be willing to chance it, but it just seems like tempting fate to make the drive.  With the hashmarks where they are, I'm not entirely convinced it is even making 6 PSI.  My 2011 entry was pretty craptastic, and I really don’t want a repeat of that at this point.  I'll make sure to bring my helmet down, but I can say you definitely don't want me to make any autocross runs.  The cones go by way faster in autocross than they do in rallycross.

In reply to dculberson :

Thanks, I’ll check and see if there looks like any interference there.  I suppose it’s possible I bent the dust shield when I was working on it.

In reply to Asyukun (Robert):

Might have to consider that.  Would need to figure out the transmission bellhousing and throttle body location, but I’d assume someone figured this out before me.  Although, an LS swap or a Japanese in-line 6 is tempting because I’d like to own something with an insane amount of horsepower.

In reply to eastsideTim :

The only potential issue (one that I'd need to address if I use it in the DMC as well) is that you would need to fabricate a custom intake system for it since the TB would be facing the back of the vehicle since the blower setup was designed for transverse installation and never installed in a longitudinal arrangement in the US (there's a Holden Ute down under that ran it longitudinal with a unique TB from that I hear, but I've never seen one of those TBs for sale here...). There should be plenty of room under the hood of the truck for this though, but I know it's a challenge on the F-bodies that people have swapped in the supercharged engine for their non-SC's 3800s.

After returning from the challenge, i started cleaning out the various spare parts left over from the fireturd and the S10, and tossed a bunch of scrap to my nephew for him to haul away.  Will probably have more tomorrow.  I also picked up some headliner material, and glued it to the backing, but haven't gotten it reinstalled yet. 

The truck has made multiple trips to my storage locker this week, too, as I try to declutter somewhat.

Next year's theme almost seems tailor made for the truck.  Most of the mods I've made are period correct for the 1990's.  I'm not going to make a huge effort to keep it challenge legal, but if nothing expensive breaks, and I can find a deal on a donor with a good engine, maybe it'll make it.  I have a little over $400 potential recoup left, so if I could find a 350 TBI powered truck under that, with enough parts of value to sell it to zero, there's a chance.  I'll wait til the spring to do any looking around, though, too much else going on right now.

Ran out to the scrapper today.  With me in it, a spare tire in the bed, and somewhere between 1/2-1/4 tank of gas, it weighs in at 3200 lbs.  Without me and the spare, that make it somewhere in the neighborhood of 3000 lbs.

May have found and fixed the random-ish noise I was hearing, but since I suspect the salt trucks will be out soon, won't be certain until next spring.  The vent in the end of the passenger door for when the door is closed and opened broke - turned out it was only being held in by one screw.  I picked up a replacement at the junkyard over the weekend and installed it.  Didn't notice the noise when making a storage locker trip, but that was just a short drive.

It's a bit of a drive, but we could take an alternator with us and probably talk the guy down to $400:

https://muncie.craigslist.org/cto/d/hartford-city-94-gmc-van/7014327393.html

Or, for just a motor, here's a Vortec 350: https://cincinnati.craigslist.org/pts/d/hamilton-95-chev-350-vortec-motor/7014046397.html

I’d have to impose on you to store the danged thing 

Im thinking I may start looking after the new year, and other projects are done.

Not a ton to report on with the S10.  It's been getting the occasional use as a truck since spring, but not getting too many miles on it.  Switched to 15W40 oil in the hopes of keeping the current engine alive for now, just in case.  This update is more about the future...

I need to build (or buy) something batE36 M3 crazy at some point, and I'm leaning towards it being the S10.  LS-swapped, fender flares, ugly paint, and tire smoke.  Not specifically drag-oriented, but still capable of 11's in the quarter mile.  Not entirely sure where to start, so I need to do some research, and I won't really have the space to mess with it until the challenge is over (not to mention I might still bring this as a backup in case my planned car has problems)

Leaning towards a 6.0/4L80E, but not sure if I'd buy a complete truck, or just get a dropout.  The complete vehicle would be nice, in order to get a bunch of the little things, but not a lot of space and spare time to tear into another truck.  Other possibilities include a 4.8 or 5.3 turbocharged, and stuck to a TH400.  A slightly oversized single turbo sounds kind of fun, especially if the truck is already fast without it, then the boost hits like the hammer of Thor.  For the rear end, I'll probably start with an 8.5 GM if I can find one in a yard, since it can bolt right in, or an Explorer 8.8, but I'd probably pay someone else to do the fab work to make it fit, so it might make more sense to go straight to a 9".  Just don't know.  I have Monday off, so I may hit the junkyard just to get out of the house and see if there is anything interesting.

Of course plans may change, and I could V8 swap my Miata, or look into building a Locost or a T-bucket kit, or just buy someone else's already built hot rod. 

You could pick up my low mileage 4.3 Vortec and make a typhoon/syclone turbo set up.

In reply to bonylad :

I’m hoping to go to levels of power that a stock-ish 4.3 won’t be very happy with for very long