Re: Project S-10?
 

Very cool, I gotta soft spot for the s-10's. Funny thing is, all of mine have started out just like yours. Economical puddle jumper. One thing leads to another and all of a sudden you have two projects:) ( or more! )
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Re: Project S-10?
 

I did good with my silverado, I've had it almost 6 years and I've only added a grill guard and fender flares, but I can't seem to leave this one alone. Parts are "so cheap" for it, it's hard not to....

Re: Project S-10?
 

Hmmm, sounds familiar. It's all good though they are incredibly fun trucks.
If you decide to lower it 2-1/2 and 3 is perfect. I used to drive mine all year round.
And we get quite a bit of snow.
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Re: Project S-10?
 

It's already down 2" with spindles, thinking about also adding a 1" spring up front and 2" blocks in the rear. I like a little bit of rake.

Just ordered a set of 94-97 mirrors. Goodbye Dumbo mirrors...

Re: Project S-10?
 

Great truck. I really like what you have done with it.

I sooo miss my S10 pickup. I have a S Blazer, but it just isn't the same.
I keep thinking about picking up a 4 banger like yours(they are relatively cheap here), but I need the 4.3 with some of the towing I do.

Re: Project S-10?
 

The previous owner never had the "over the rail" bedliner bolted down snug so it rubbed against the top of the bed. Even after I snugged it down the top still warped in the sun and you could see all the rub scratches underneath. So I ordered a set of top rail protectors which easily covered up all the old scratches because they hang a good 1/2" more over the outer bedside. I touched up any scratches that were down to metal before I put them on.

Re: Project S-10?
 

I got off early Friday and headed to the local pick n pull. They only had first gen and 94-97 pick ups so no grill or front bumpers, but I did score what I really wanted to... an under the rail liner for $35! It's not perfect, but looks pretty good. I already scrubbed it once, but it needs a couple more good cleanings.

I'm going to have to tape off and spray the top of the front bed panel, it got pretty scraped up from the old liner, but that can wait.

I'm also going to trim down the tailgate cover and get a tailgate top protector. The piece on it now also warps in the sun exposing a lot of scratches.

Re: Project S-10?
 

Finally, I got rid of the "Dumbo" mirrors and installed a new set of 94-97 truck mirrors. I think they look a lot sportier and cooler :D

First pic is old mirrors, the next two are the new ones.

The only pain in the ass thing, and this could be because I bought aftermarket and not OEM mirrors, is that the bolts were different sizes. The ones on the old mirrors were a good bit bigger. I thought I could swap the studs from mirror to mirror but no dice on that either. I had to go to lowes and get washers and nuts ( :lol: ) OEM mirrors might share the same bolts from 94-97 and 98+, but I don't know.

Also, the actual mirrors are a little "loose" (the actual glass part). They jiggle a little on bumps. Not too annoying, but the OEM mirrors did not do that. I guess, what do I expect for $30 for the pair?

Re: Project S-10?
 

I have ordered a new bumper, grill, and clear front signals. I hope to get that all on next weekend. This beautiful weather here can't hold out too much longer...

Re: Project S-10?
 

How hard was it to install the interior like you did. minus the power stuff.

Re: Project S-10?
 

If you read my posts, I was pretty thorough. If you use 94-97 seats like I did, you need to drill one hole for the "inside back" hole. The other 3 match up. You also need to grab the seat belt buckles. For the 98+ buckets I think the seatbelts are integrated and you still have drill the one hole. That's if your truck had a bench seat like mine. If it already had buckets, the leather ones should bolt in. The console was easy too. I just cut a hole for the shifter, trimmed the back of it about an inch to clear the hump in the cab, and drilled 4 holes to screw it down. Two using the factory metal brace under the console part and two more where the cup holders are.

I love the upgrade. The stock split bench was hurting my back, the new leather seats are much more comfy.

Re: Project S-10?
 

Ah yeah, the S-10 fan clutch. Mine took a dump in 2001 with only 11,000 original miles on it. I was on my way from So Cal, to Austin, Texas to cover Texas Heatwave for Tailgate. I was only 6 miles from home, and just kept on going.

Today the truck has 70,000 miles and I still haven't fixed it. I almost did when I installed a new Mexican made alt.

The colder weather is coming, maybe I'll do it next spring.

I would like to swap in a tach cluster, I've always wondered what kind of R's the 2.2 is turning... on second thought it might be depressing.

Re: Project S-10?
 

Well, I think I'm finally done until next spring when I may drop her a little bit more.

I finished up the bed today. I got the new tailgate cap on. I cut the top off of the old tailgate piece and reinstalled that. I then cut the top off of the old bedliner where it went over the front of the bed and put that on as well.

Re: Project S-10?
 

I also finally cleaned up the nose.

I bought a new bumper on fleabay to replace the dinged up one. It's got 4 coats of spray bomb Victory Red. I painted it a few weeks ago when it was 75 degrees out. I put a couple coats of wax on it, I hope it "holds up."

These little trucks are so easy to work on. The grill literally pulls right out. I swapped the Bowtie and the 11 clips onto my new Grill.

I removed the old bumper, swapped the air dam after cleaning it up a bit, then put the bumper on, aligned it, and tightened it down. The grill just literally pushed right into place.

While it was off I also installed some clear lenses with Amber bulbs.

I love it. This is how I wanted it to look 2 years ago!

Re: Project S-10?
 

Truck looks great. I had a 98 that I bought new. It was a reg cab, 2.2, 5 spd, but the dark green w/tan interior. My grille did the same thing right after I bought it. It was replaced under warranty and then faded out again. I sold the truck to my dad about 18 months later with 55k miles on it. Never had any mechanical issues. Funny, the 98 had the newer grille, but the older mirrors. The newer "dumbo" mirrors came out in 99 and I wanted them. Oh well, every one is different.

That truck rode really well. It was nice and smooth on the highway, just didn't have any power. I wish I had known about those mods back then. I couldn't top a hill on the highway in 5th gear with the a/c on. I later bought a 2001 Sonoma ZQ8 4.3/auto. Big difference in power, but it also sucked down the fuel.

I sometimes think about picking up another 2.2 for commuting purposes. I have a 4-cyl Nissan Frontier currently. It's a great truck and consistently gets 24 mpg no matter how I drive it, but not as much fun to mod as an S10.

Again, that's a nice little commuter you have there. Thanks for sharing.

Re: Project S-10?
 

Thanks!

It actually does ride/handle pretty decent. With the leather seats it's quite comfy. I drove it from SC to PA to NY then back to SC, over 2,000 miles back in May and my only real complaint is that I REALLY wish it had cruise control!

I also really like how quickly the 4 bangers warm up now that it's winter. I only have a 20 min drive to work and the truck is warm after about 5 minutes. My Z71 is just getting warm by the time I get there. There's also a 10mpg fuel difference between the two.