Just bought an S-10

Picked up a 1994 Chevy S-10 SS for $400. Didn’t really plan on buying a truck but I thought it was different. So now what? I thought of using it as a challenge vehicle but the Miata is going to make it again this year. Next plan was to use it as a tow rig but I’m not sure if it would handle my car trailer all the way to Florida. Has anyone here towed with an S-10? Can it be any worse then my brother's Liberty which I used last year?

I have a friend that towed all over the northeast with an S-10 -4.3. What was so wrong with the Liberty ? I have towed with mine all over the NE as well. Works fine. Friend towed a Corvair, I towed a ZX2.

Liberty was very stable and the brakes were fine but it really lacked power. I had to get a good running start for a few hills in PA. Pulling onto a highway was not a lot of fun either.

Here is a crappy cell phone pic of the truck. I’ll take some more this weekend.

Its hard to see all the clear coat coming off the hood, dents, and rust.

are these really that cheap now?! seems like a great deal for a beater truck

Since the 4.3 Astro seems to be the low budget grassroots tow vehicle of choice, I can't see how a lighter and less brick-like pickup would be any worse.

Check the RPO codes in the glovebox. If its a real SS, that means it will have a ZQ8 coded suspension. Great for corners (+ rear swaybar, extra frame brace under the bed, spring rates and shocks), bad for towing (~2000 lbs IIRC due to the springs, be sure to check the manual before towing).

Looks like a great buy for a fun driver and parts mover. You scored it cheap, the drivetrain is pretty rugged, I see the easilly upgradeable sealed beam lamps on the front (swap for 165mm E-coded H4 drop in housings) and like I said the suspension is already set. Enjoy it!

It is a real SS. It has the B4U RPO and the truck has 3.42 gears w/ limited slip. In 1994 the SS did not get the good suspension. I believe they still used the ZQ8 RPO but I guess that means it got a bigger front sway bar and better shocks. Ride height is the same as a regular S-10 and it did not come with a rear sway bar or better bracing. There really is nothing super about the 94-95.

I already have a set of Hella E-codes left over from my old jeep just waiting to go in.

Pseudosport wrote: It is a real SS. It has the B4U RPO and the truck has 3.42 gears w/ limited slip. In 1994 the SS did not get the good suspension. I believe they still used the ZQ8 RPO but I guess that means it got a bigger front sway bar and better shocks. Ride height is the same as a regular S-10 and it did not come with a rear sway bar or better bracing. There really is nothing super about the 94-95. I already have a set of Hella E-codes left over from my old jeep just waiting to go in.

Sorry about the misinformation on that one.

Still, good score!

See you at the Challenge

I learned to drive on a '91 S-10 with the 2.8 V6 and a 5-speed. Great DD, great for short jaunts off road, and despite being one-wheel-drive (4x2 with no limited slip) it was great in the snow.

I still miss it. Enjoy your SSS10!

if your thinking challenge, check out http://www.s10planet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17252

i was building a furst gen before my knee and finances took a trip south. first and second gens are incredibly similar beneath the sheetmetal.

michael

In reply to OrangeRazor:

Odd, so did I. Man I miss that truck. So much so that I recently bought a 83 blazer to try to relive all the good times. I would have killed for a 91 blazer, 4x4 stick but this 83 was the closest I could find.

In reply to Dusterbd13:

I've actually been following your build, truck looks great!

Blown LS1

/thread/

In reply to HeavyDuty:

Nice, nice. I quite enjoyed driving mine, and I constantly keep a lookout for clean-ish examples but there seem to be none in central Ohio

i sold my ranger and got a 99 sio 2 wheel drive 4 cyl 5 speed.. not a bad lil rig.

I had a LOT of fun with an old S-10 that I basically got for free. Add a nice 355 SBC, Saginaw 4 speed, tons of cheap fun. I made lots of mistakes on the build, but had great joy with punks in thier 5.0 Mustangs. For bang for the buck, really hard to beat. Having my ladders hanging out the back, it was an extreme sleeper.

everyone needs a cheap truck.. me included. You got good one

so how hard is it to swap a 5spd trans into an auto truck with the 4.3?... I don't know why but I realy want an s10 doh...

i towed corvairs from detroit to orlando or gainesville with a '01 sonoma 4.3/5sp short cab / short box with absolutely no issues. that sonoma had the zq8 package and was dropped an additional 2" beyond that. hitch had a rise to it, LOL. the automatic has a higher tow rating, but the manual trucks came with a better diff.

Everything is better with a LSX... The little S-10 is no different.

My local auto-x club had a guy that totaled his trans am, swapped the engine and tranny into is S-10 got some HUGE tires and ran it in SM. It was a blast to drive and fast as crap in a straight line and really not that bad on course.

How much weight were you pulling? I'm guessing my trailer and Miata are going to be around 5000 lbs. Also the trailer only has surge brakes.

Pseudosport wrote: How much weight were you pulling? I'm guessing my trailer and Miata are going to be around 5000 lbs. Also the trailer only has surge brakes.

V8 corvair was about 2900 and dolly was another 400-ish, so figure about 3400 or so. no brakes on dolly.

you must have a heavy trailer if it weighs 5k with a miata on it.

I'm rounding up to be safe. Trailer is 18' maybe more and is all steal with thick wood planks. All the ones I've seen online that look like mine are just over 2000 lbs. I looked into getting a uhaul trailer but the website did not show that I could rent one for this truck. Only a dolly came up.

I have the ZQ8 Bilstein rear shocks available if you want them PM me, I also have lowering blocks.