tigeraid's CanuckS10 Build Thread

[tigeraid]

Well, time to let the cat out of the bag. Other than the people that already know. I was forced to sell the racetruck, and will not be racing at Delaware this year (unless I can ever find a crew who wants to race... and maybe some more money).

But I can't be without a toy, so I bought this '93 short box S-10. It's a Texas truck, with zero body rust and only minimal surface frame rust. Despite the pics the truck IS complete, it was partially disassembled when I bought it and I brought it down to bare frame+cab before putting it in my shop to work. The truck sitting on the trailer is the chassis, and the green body parts are the body. And for motorvation--LSx swap! It's a 4.8 which I bought for a song. Progress pics will continue here.


4.8 v8 out of a 2001 Silverado. Stock is 275 horsepower, but with headers and a good tune I should be touching 300. In the future I will likely do a cam swap for another 50-60 hp. Which is a ton in a ~2600 lb truck.

http://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1661196_10151839895742352_2124265542_n.jpg


Here she is laid bare in the shop. Those upper control arms are just place holders. I'm planning a Pro Touring build of this, to use in occasional autocross and track days, so it will use Afco tubular control arms, drop spindles, ZQ8 Springs, and some big brakes.

http://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t31/1492349_10151839895772352_1335329836_o.jpg


Here's my cab and chassis on the trailer. He kept the box and the fenders for another project. I got the original green body panels back...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1658440_10151839895802352_576379890_o.jpg


From this, which was a make-extended-cab project.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1669685_10151839895842352_834983146_o.jpg


Body is mint. Stay tuned!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1/1546066_10151839895897352_208642382_n.jpg


https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1553447_10151839895922352_1126521290_o.jpg

[thesameguy]

YES! That is a badass swap!

Dare I ask what the front suspension will set you back?

[tigeraid]

Not a ton, since I sell auto parts. ;). The ZQ8 springs are OE for a ZQ8 are like $80 my cost, the Afco arms are $80ea or so, swaybar is $50, etc etc

The S-10 shares its front suspension with metric cars (Monte Carlo, Regal, etc) so there's plenty of aftermarket support. I'll be using Afco aluminum oversized calipers, like $70 each, and Hawk pads.

[thesameguy]

I had no idea about the suspension commonality... very cool!

I've always wanted to cram a V8 into an Astro or S15. It will probably never happen as those trucks are vaporizing and I'm a little backed up. ;) No worries - I'll live vicariously through you. :D

[Random]

The one or two race trucks that show up every year to the 25 Hours of Thunderhill make me :). Bummer that you had to sell yours. :(

https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1/556959_517638081588216_1527381146_n.jpg

Guy down the street has a V8-powered (Magnum! :hard: ) 1st Gen Dakota which is pretty neat.

[tigeraid]

It's impossible to race circle track, even at the grassroots level, without a dedicated team. Doubly worse, if it's on a Friday night like mine was. The money was rough, sure, but I could have swung it, with a little sponsorship and some hard work. The bigger problem was Fridays. I'd work until 5:00, rush over to pick up Tara from work, rush home, rush to load up the trailer, rush to haul it out to the racetrack--just in time for Practice to be over and driver's meeting. Still yanking on my damn firesuit when they call lineup for Heat Race 1.

The drivers even VOTED this way--to race Friday instead of Saturday, overwhelmingly. So I can only assume the majority of them are self-employed or can fuck off from work at noon and show up at the track at 3 or whatever. It was a constat, overwhelming grind to try and do it essentially by myself.

The occasional track day or autocross with this truck should be much more manageable. ;)

[Random]

Or they work 4-10s. ;) But yeah, strange schedule--I just looked at one of our local bullrings and they are similar: pits open at 3pm on Friday (for a Fri/Sat weekend, though). :? Another local track runs Thursday night races in the summer, which must be really fun to get to if you're a working man/woman.

[novicius]

Very cool! :up:

What stick are you going to go with? Comp Cams HIGH-LIFT is popular. (http://www.texas-speed.com/p-1599-comp-cams-212218-lsx-cam-high-lift.aspx)

[tigeraid]

Or they work 4-10s. ;) But yeah, strange schedule--I just looked at one of our local bullrings and they are similar: pits open at 3pm on Friday (for a Fri/Sat weekend, though). :? Another local track runs Thursday night races in the summer, which must be really fun to get to if you're a working man/woman.

The general consensus is that getting out of the way on a Friday night is ideal for families (which makes more $$$) who then spend the rest of the weekend spending time with their families. AND not interfering with Saturday night and Sunday NASCAR races on TV.

[tigeraid]

Very cool! :up:

What stick are you going to go with? Comp Cams HIGH-LIFT is popular. (http://www.texas-speed.com/p-1599-comp-cams-212218-lsx-cam-high-lift.aspx)

Unless I find an ideal used cam, probably a Trick Flow TFS-30602001. Nice and mild, I see no reason to go bigger. The truck is gonna weigh nothing. And if I stick with a mild cam, I won't need to upgrade anything else but valve springs.

[tigeraid]

GM Performance Parts "Muscle Car" Oil Pan kit acquired:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1/1618694_10151840712997352_801485748_n.jpg


It's actually a Hummer H3 pan, which is the only pan that will clear the S10's crossmember without notching. But the comes complete with all hardware, gaskets, dipstick, pickup, oil filter adapter, and windage tray. It's a killer deal for like $150.

[thesameguy]

I have H3 wheel studs on the Fiero.

Just sayin'.

:D

[tigeraid]

:shocker:

[tigeraid]

I have found more inspiration:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hJ0kMY6rc4

(but not AWD.)

[Godson]

I could support that.

[Random]

Some possible additional resources:
http://forums.corner-carvers.com/showthread.php?t=36688 <-- S10 build
http://forums.corner-carvers.com/showthread.php?t=32149 <-- Ranger build, but some of the issues will carry over, I imagine.

[tigeraid]

Nice!

I was considering fabbing up road race baffles for the oil pan, as I've heard many horror stories of oil starvation in LS1s during road racing.

BUT... That's with f-body and vette pans. LOOK at how deep that fucking sump is, it's a good 1.5" deeper than the Vette and 3+ inches deeper than the F-body's. It also has a big complicated windage tray thing that lowers down over top of the sump. So I'm starting to think I'll be fine with just that.

I might also grab one of these for insurance:

http://www.accusump.com/accusump_tech.html

https://www.cantonracingproducts.com/getimage.php?id=24-006

[Random]

Psst. don't post that you're a first-time poster over there. ;)

[tigeraid]

Oh god dammit. I fucking hate sitting on pins and needles on a forum.

Fixed. Any other hidden gestapo rules I need to know about? :rolleyes:

[Random]

No, that was the only one. ;)

c-c is a weird/interesting place. Some serious depth of knowledge there, but they get grumpy if you go by "normal" forum rules, i.e. introducing yourself, etc. They prefer people to just register and start contributing (if they have something worth contributing or asking). :)

[tigeraid]

Opinions? The first pic is the front of the frame, basically rust free. Rear is the second pic, as the truck sat outside without a bed for a year... The bare part I just cleaned, you can see the level of rust in the same pic. Should I keep going down to bare metal and paint, or should I just used DOM16 right on the rust?

http://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/t1.0-9/10455438_10152096854077352_2414989009388338191_n.j pg


http://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/t1.0-9/10390296_10152096854122352_2536723410878261682_n.j pg

[thesameguy]

I would use a wire wheel and go down to metal, weld, and then use a chassis coating over the finished work. It won't add more than an hour of work and cost more than $20, and it'll be strong and pretty!

[Godson]

yeah, I'd get the rust off, then coat it. Do it once, do it right.

[tigeraid]

An hour my fucking ass! :lol:

And in theory, DOM16 seals rust. Done, gone, never to be seen again. At least in theory.

[Godson]

take it to a soda/sand/bead blaster...

[thesameguy]

Wait, you're just looking to treat the rust, not do anything in the area? I thought you needed to do something in that area. If that's not the case, it doesn't look bad enough that I'd be upset. If you're concerned, some Eastwood Rust Dissolver will make short work of it, then just paint over it. You can use a paint-over rust treatment, but given what easy access you have to the area you might as well do it right.

[tigeraid]

Hmph. The problem is, half the guys I talk to say DOM16/POR15 *is* "doing it right." And boy it sure would be a lot less work.

Bleh. I guess I'll just keep going at it with the grinder. I can't afford to bring it to a sandblaster, nor can I easily move the thing in and out of the shop.

[neanderthal]

I would use a wire wheel and go down to metal, weld, and then use a chassis coating over the finished work. It won't add more than an hour of work and cost more than $20, and it'll be strong and pretty!

This.

The only right way to do it.

[tigeraid]

Because I am lazy, and because I saw a frame that had been done with DOM-16 and it looked great, I went with that.


https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/t1.0-9/10425111_10152102500812352_2325585089382841065_n.j pg


Two coats on so far. I am tentatively proclaiming it a success based simply on the fact that it is a vile, caustic substance that you can't get off anything, and require a respirator to apply. Which you can still smell through it.

[tigeraid]

Help from the obscure motorsport folks...

Has anyone seen this truck, or have more pictures of it?


http://users.gtpla.net/forum/attachments/chevy-s10-1990-pikes-peak-jpg.107535/


I literally know nothing else about it other than this one shitty pic, but it MAY have the "boxy flares" that I'm considering using for the S10 on it. Hard to tell in the pic. Anyone?

[Random]

All I've been able to find is that it was the class-winning truck at Pikes Peak in the early 90s with Clive Smith. V6 powered?

[Godson]

More than likely V6 powered in the early 90's with the way GM was running the motorsports programs. Especially Pikes Peak.

[Random]

I remember looking at some GM V6 product (4th Gen?) and having BadBob point out that they sold all-aluminum race blocks for the 3.4 (3.6?) because that's what one class of the Baja trucks used. Neat. :D

[tigeraid]

hmph. Not many results with Clive Smith. Oh well.

Maybe I can get Cam to sketch me some possibilities. :D

[tigeraid]

As per the Cam'd one. Ignore the third one. :rolleyes:

Torn on whether to use one or two. Or to be honest, just pull out the factory fenders and brace them there, ala NASCAR.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/s720x720/10590612_10152225326582352_4615589280270054092_n.j pg?oh=3620abaa881984b5fe37e973b3839b0f&oe=548F27E8&__gda__=1419141917_289372642366fa0d2ca0688c9122908 6

[tigeraid]

I have the cage kit now, but since I only have a crappy 110 welder, I have to haul the truck elsewhere to finish it. So instead I'm gonna turn my focus to getting the truck rolling on four wheels over the winter, and deal with the cage in the spring.

For the moment, cab is back on the finished frame, mounted with Energy Suspension polyurethane bushings.


http://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-9/s720x720/10441033_10152238772282352_3922359387233178994_n.j pg?oh=7a19a122c853f779e1f47d6e7353909f&oe=54A19863&__gda__=1418379224_5547accc33d85f5ef34487847f4ad0a f


Also got the engine back together and ready to go, after a debacle getting broken exhaust studs out.


Moving on to the rear end, I got 'er 50% prepped for narrowing. Had to give the ol' angle grinder a rest after that much work. DOM16 on the centre section for now.

http://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/q87/s720x720/10659387_10152238769467352_6848897127806897219_n.j pg?oh=0812caa66d9730a8a08f537368eb53e3&oe=54985405&__gda__=1418254723_1c6205033ed48d47c69c30e60635f8a 4

[Cam]

Can't wait to see the finished product!

[Kchrpm]

Please do Group 5 style.

[thesameguy]

Tough call on the styling for sure - I think I'm keen on the first one as it'd look good lowered or lifted and with a variety of wheel sizes.

[Random]

I like the box flares the best--I think the bubble flares say "Baja" too much for a track machine. :)

Once you throw a supercharger on the beast, then you can move to the Group 5 version. :D

[thesameguy]

A few years ago, I'd agree, but it seems those bolt-on flares have established themselves on street machines...

http://www.yospeed.com/events/050904_mazfest_2009_california_speedway/datsun_240z_fender_flares_racecar.jpg

http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp134/tito_12a/flares1.jpg

[Random]

Oh, they definitely have a place on cars of a certain vintage; I just don't get a road-race vibe from them on a truck. :)

[thesameguy]

Ah, got it!

[tigeraid]

Well the other school of thought is what we do to circle track cars, just yanking the fenders out and rolling them with a baseball bat, then re-bracing, like this one:

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w96/BAJAZR2/MMXtended/s102.jpg

Just radiused, and then pulled out like this:

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3580/3379338144_1c8d3228d8_z.jpg

[tigeraid]

And these are factory flares:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8008/7701288894_f5c94f10c2_b.jpg

[Random]

Yeah, I kinda like the pulled/spaced idea, too, since doing "real" box flares would likely be somewhat complicated ($$$).

[tigeraid]

Sorry for the halfassed updates. I'm crap with remembering to update build threads.

Ford 8.8 pre-narrowing:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/1461005_10152423198587352_6331525647931068114_n.jp g?oh=b76374ecd4b5bb4ab7a03bb4ed2a9b8d&oe=54F9DB68&__gda__=1427715128_0d5227682f70d65b2a2e5e202f49420 a


Ford 8.8 cut 3" to match the S-10 track width, tacked in place:

http://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10850021_10152423199902352_3801685463424582383_n.j pg?oh=9118e39e3a31bd40a66170254348fd8d&oe=5505F8AA


Will post completed pic after the diff rebuild is done.


Frame has been completely coated with DOM-16 and looks great. Cleaned, stripped and painted the floor with NAPA industrial grey.

http://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/s720x720/10690192_10152423167577352_7285905198963313185_n.j pg?oh=38c746ff9867932645c4cc91067cc591&oe=55028D13&__gda__=1425961196_7ce93173280e73212292504b7af1438 7


Brand new lower control arms in place. Waiting for the much fancier UB Machine tubular upper arms to be made, should be here in a week or so:

http://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/q85/s720x720/10731093_10152423167502352_6158897788213142216_n.j pg?oh=33a24a6d33a9b2a225874d30b6e2ce9a&oe=54FA63CC


Belltech 3" drop springs installed. Unfortunately, the leaf spring sliders I originally planned on are incorrect, so I just hung them with the stock shackles for now.

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/q84/s720x720/10847984_10152423167622352_3328268345053099570_n.j pg?oh=76faf76944bd3ad3277c0be02868a42d&oe=55007280&__gda__=1426241030_9bcffe713f445d6133e5036cb6dfa49 5

[thesameguy]

That floorpan looks great!

Did you decide on the fenders?

[tigeraid]

Hell no. That's months away. Rolling and ready to weld in the cage is my goal for the winter. :lol:

[thesameguy]

It's a fine goal, didn't mean to rush you. ;)

[KillerB]

I like the bolt-ons.

[Godson]

It's a fine goal, didn't mean to rush you. ;)

Bullshit... :D

[tigeraid]

Well I took the plunge.


http://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10858410_10152446100957352_5260987384060574991_n.j pg?oh=ca6cf3ed8ff6b777783bed14be09b5ba&oe=55006A06&__gda__=1429927440_cfbd911747fb577225197b65f55d558 1


90% less eighties-ness now. Will fabricate the dash in its entirety, either with tin or sheet aluminum (depending how pricy that is.)

[thesameguy]

Do aluminum... it can be a little pricey but the result is well worth it. You could also just graft in some other car's dash - I'll bet one from a Coolerado or something would stuff in there without too much effort.

[tigeraid]

Interesting thought. Might have to do some measurements...

I was going for weight savings though. ;)

[Godson]

Do aluminum... it can be a little pricey but the result is well worth it. You could also just graft in some other car's dash - I'll bet one from a Coolerado or something would stuff in there without too much effort.

I highly doubt a colorado dash will fit. It is a MUCH wider vehicle. I say mock up a dash with cardboard, then do it in aluminum. You should totally use a MyChron for instrumentation though.

[Kchrpm]

iPad dash. DO IT.

[Godson]

Ummm...mychron would handle the vibration better...and give him a better screen size.

[thesameguy]

But cost twice as much! Mychron is a really expensive piece of hardware. You could build the world's sweetest dash out of Autometer stuff and still save a bundle.

I don't think the Colorado dash would be an issue - absolute worst case you just section it in the middle or the glovebox and the problem is solved. Of course, you could also just steal a dash from something else - like maybe an Ion? I think it'd be cool to have a center pod in a truck.

[Godson]

But cost twice as much! Mychron is a really expensive piece of hardware. You could build the world's sweetest dash out of Autometer stuff and still save a bundle.

I don't think the Colorado dash would be an issue - absolute worst case you just section it in the middle or the glovebox and the problem is solved. Of course, you could also just steal a dash from something else - like maybe an Ion? I think it'd be cool to have a center pod in a truck.

Never said it was cheap. Just said it was better. :)

[tigeraid]

I am vaguely considering a digital Racepak-ish setup. Guess it just depends on budget and finding the parts.

[tigeraid]

Awwww yiss. Ford 8.8 short axles re-drilled for Chevy bolt pattern. Rear end going together now.


http://blinkerfluid.org/gtr2/index.php?dir=Odds%20And%20Ends/s10/&file=10389064_10152528323602352_754415195538747037 0_n.jpg

[thesameguy]

Wait, aren't both 5x4.5?

[tigeraid]

Explorer is 5 x 4.5, S-10 is 5 x 4 3/4.

[thesameguy]

Interesting! I did not know that!

[tigeraid]

ffffffffffinally. Ford 8.8, narrowed, freshly rebuilt, 3.73 posi, mocked up in the CanuckS10. Measuring up u-bolts now.


http://scontent-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10615322_10152601285507352_5080169779134230497_n.j pg?oh=d630433a009ae12e7cb48376d418aa36&oe=5587AD00

[Cam]

You're taking your goddam time! Get on with it already! ;)

[tigeraid]

I was gonna do the differential myself but then one of my customers who runs the powertrain lab at Fanshawe College offered to do it for free "in a week or two", to teach a class. That was 4 months ago....

And I'm STILL waiting for upper control arms from UB Machine to be made, so the front end can go together. If the damn parts were ready this thing would be rolling on 4 wheels and ready for a cage. :p

[tigeraid]

Stock S-10 rotor with the friction surface removed on the lathe, turned down to just the hub:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/11037002_10152672149407352_5453061357490516923_n.j pg?oh=77f7897db7421655423f0848ae2d8ea1&oe=55B0885D&__gda__=1437416504_166ba3ea2a3de413b46956037fd95db e


And the 12" LS1 Camaro rotor slipped over top!

http://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/11082438_10152672149097352_3556776636375339049_n.j pg?oh=3ec7d636591a52f5e7cde4787520f6b7&oe=55B6822B&__gda__=1436592718_a5d93a1f379fcb10fdebbc9b1e60885 d

[Random]

Enough remaining stud length, or are those slated for replacement as well?

[tigeraid]

I'm going to attempt to carefully tap those out and put longer ones in, yes. Some S-10 guys have ended up cracking the hub when using a press, so I'll have to be careful.

[Godson]

if they did that, I'd say they did it wrong.


Pop it a few times with a hammer.

[thesameguy]

If using a press, you need to have a die like a socket that fits snugly over the back of the stud. I would probably not use a hammer. It looks like those rotors were turned down pretty aggressively. The same thing was done on my Fiero, and one hub cracked in two places - one on removal of a stud, and in another on installation. I ended up having new hubs made with a lot more meat on the outside to prevent that from happening.

http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/fiero_newhub.JPG

These won't crack. ;)

[tigeraid]

Aaaaaaand I cracked one. :mad:


1165

[tigeraid]

The difference in knurl? .001 to .004.... :rolleyes:


So I guess I gotta cut down one more rotor. These studs are pretty much my only option, dimension-wise. I'm gonna use this hub to test install methods... I did that one by drawing it through with a nut and an impact gun. I'll see if I can just manually tap one in without cracking it.

Failing that, I'll start with two new rotors, install the studs, THEN cut the hubs down.

[novicius]

Oof, bad luck. :smh:


:popcorn:

[thesameguy]

Leave as much meat as you can around the perimeter. And you are using something other than a hammer to put them in, yeah? I bought the $25 Lisle stud installer which worked like a charm.

[tigeraid]

That's all the meat I can leave, though, for the Camaro hat to fit over.

I was actually thinking a stud installer would be HARDER on it than carefully tapping with a hammer. Guess I'll try both on the test hub.

[thesameguy]

You could always have the machine shop that's taking the friction surface off enlarge the size of the stud hole. 00x would be hard, but maybe you could find a "much" larger knurl?

Oh, and I almost forgot: The rotor->hubs that came off the Fiero had a totally different stud than the rotor->hubs I bought to replace them. I was a little surprised, but I guess when you're making disposable parts like rotors you're not going to be bound by wheel stud knurl specs. Points being, a) maybe order a different brand of rotor to start with, and b) double check that hole when you get another set!

[tigeraid]

Tapping it in definitely didn't work. I think I'll just try another set and put the studs in first.

[Godson]

See. I was sitting here wondering why you cut them down before the studs.

[thesameguy]

My machine shop wouldn't touch them with the studs installed. :shrug:

[tigeraid]

Picture-less update: with trying to sell the house and all the S-10 is buried under a mountain of furniture and wall art, so I haven't gotten much done. The new set of front hubs, studs installed FIRST and then cut, look great and are ready to go. Caliper brackets being made. Slowly but surely...