I know nothing of 2.2, 5-speed S10's... learn me, please? :)

Specifically this little fella:

linky dinky doo

slow as poo, gets worse fuel economy thanthe V6 versions. Great start for a V8 swap.

I had a 2000 Sonoma stepside Reg cab 2.2 5spd and 3.73's (other option was the 4.10s). Was not quick. Got a BEST of 24mpg on hte highway.

The 2.2L pushrod is a tough little engine but in the S10, these things can't get out of their own way.

I always thought a boosted EcoTec swap would be cool, but the V8 swaps are pretty well worked out at this point too.

The 2.2s do have remarkably low compression but even with forced induction I doubt you're going to be able to make something that's fast.

I think everyone just takes the quick route and slaps a 350 in it.

"The vehicle has reached it's maximum velocity."

its also note worthy that the 4 cylinder trans wont bolt up to a v8, only the v6 trans will.

edizzle89 wrote: its also note worthy that the 4 cylinder trans wont bolt up to a v8, only the v6 trans will.

Would a Quad-4 bolt up?

Mine was an automatic but it was a giant turd. With the addition of 235/75/15s it was great in the snow but you had to have room too wind it up too highway speeds.

petegossett wrote:

edizzle89 wrote: its also note worthy that the 4 cylinder trans wont bolt up to a v8, only the v6 trans will.

Would a Quad-4 bolt up?

i wanna say the 4 cylinders had the 60 degree V bolt pattern?

NickD wrote: The 2.2L pushrod is a tough little engine but in the S10, these things can't get out of their own way.

The GM 2.2l I4 engine: all the technology of a pushrod, single cam V8, and only half the performance (I think I heard that here some time ago)

Mine wasn't THAT slow. but definitely not fast. It would hit the 98mph speed limiter and stay there all day. but it was pretty light. I've thought a Solstice GXP swap would be awesome in one of these.

In reply to Bobzilla:

I wonder if it would be lighter than the Iron Duke even with the turbo, intercooler, etc.?

petegossett wrote: In reply to Bobzilla: I wonder if it would be lighter than the Irod Duke even with the turbo, intercooler, etc.?

Probably. the 2.5 was iron block and heads IIRC, the 2.2 was iron block, aluminum head. So all aluminum head/block would be lighter, so you have the room in weight for hte turbo and intercooler.

I thought I read somewhere that the 3800SC set up longitudinally would bolt to the 2.2 manual RWD gearbox - not sure how accurate that is, or if the box could handle the increased torque. But I always thought that would be a fun setup in a 1st gen S10.

And if you like red I can make you a deal on a 94 ! Throw in a 4.8 ls for the right price too.

The 2200 has a habit of needing a timing chain every 100 k or so, it stretches and retards the cam, really slows it down. The engine in a good state of tune should move the 3200lb truck around ok, they make a good amount of torque down pretty low. Also, I couldn't kill one, so there's that.

I always thought the 2.2 was faster than the carbed 2.8. Never could figure out why they put 5th gear in those things.

rather inexpensive?

I have no idea where OP lives, but I found this one locally that looks good?

Sorry for the lack of response to all of the replies, I was at work, of course. I appreciate all of the info, escpecially concerning durability and swap-ability.

I can't seem to work any sort of racing into my schedule but I still like to fantasy build stuff for funzies.

I know the front is basically G-Body, so roundy round parts are the hot ticket there, but what fits the rear? With the Ranger the 7.5" rear end can be swapped out for an 8.8 from an Exploder for 3.73 gears, LSD and 31 spline axles.

Is there an 8.2 or 8.5 donor that fits under an S10 with no cutting? Is there some other rear end I should be looking at? :)

Any bolt in sway bar donors?

Hypothetical CAM type stuff.

Front is G body spindles and arms but it's narrower so steering and sway bar stuff is different, I think some of the Blazers got big swaybars, don't quote me on that though.

When I looked into this a while back I recall reading that the Exploder 8.8 actually fits, kinda, the spring pads are something like .25" farther apart than a S truck and it's really too wide (run Crown Vic wheels), but it will bolt in there and run with the right u joint, driveshaft even works if it isn't lowered past some point. I think some S10s did come with the 8.5 but they're really rare, even the blazers mostly got the smaller axle (which isn't that horrible, same as 3/4 gen F body).

Some of the extremes had the beefy rear end and posi I believe but there expensive. 8.8 can fit without much trouble. So can v8s. If your tall you want an extended cab. V6 ones are better than the 4 but why stop there when you can have a v8 ?

Regarding the engine swaps you were all talking about above: GM used a lot of the "same" engine in both FWD and RWD, but the two don't mix well. The external differences between 3.8 RWD and 3800 FWD are significant. Same goes for 2.8/3.1/3.4, 2.5, 2.3, etc.

But fortunately, there are still a zillion options out there. The 5 speed in that era is likely the NV3550 which won't like V8 torque, but it will take some abuse from a hot V6. The factory 7.5" rear axle will pop before the trans will. Later on, some S10s started getting the 8.5", but to the best of my knowledge that was only the ZR2 option which were all 4x4, lifted, and V6.

I always wanted to drop a little diesel in one. OM606 maybe. Gobs of torque, 175hp with an easy bump to 225, you could probably get high 30s MPG.

The 7.5 diff is not that bad. Lot's of G bodies, Camaros and swapped S10's with decent power and 7.5's that don't grenade. The S10 is pretty light, and there are lot's of ratios available making it a workable diff. even for a V8 swap. There's aftermarket for that motor, and a factory rocker arm (if I recall) 1.5 to 1.6 swap. TB, cam, exhaust, and a little off the head would smarten that motor up.

In reply to curtis73:

The NV3500 should handle a mild small block ok, GM used it in the half ton trucks behind the 350 and later on the 4.8.