pump up an s 15?

[Rockski]

alright, ive got a stock 1988 s 15 sierra clasic, and i wanna put some more muscle under the hood. anybody got any ideas/sudgestions of what i should do here. i wanna get the most power i can, but i also want to keep it fairly simple for now

sudgestions?

[CalgarySS]

I am assuming that your powerplant is a 4.3 liter V6.

First make sure your truck is in a perfect state of tune.

I would recommend starting with a full exhaust build. If you are buying it piece by piece, make sure that each component will be compatible with your end goal.

Headers
y-pipe
cat delete
2.5 inch test pipe
2.5 inch straight through muffler (magnaflo, dynomax ultraflo,etc)

Check s-series.org for specifics on your build.

[Rockski]

sorry its the 2.8

[Kenny_boy]

If you want to spend some money and do alotta work, There should be engine mounts for a V-8 350 to put in that bad boy, one of my buddies did it to a S-10 and I think it should also go with a S-15.... but correct me if I am wrong

[IggyB]

S-10 and S-15 are mechanically identical.

Least expensive and easiest HP increase would be to find an engine/tranny combo out of a later S-10. After 92 or 94 they went to a port injected ? engine which put out just under 200 horse.

Or buy my 89 with 4.3 and rebuild it at leisure. Hard to go wrong for 400 bucks:D

[CalgarySS]

2.8 eh?

That changes everything.

I would recommend the sbc route then. The swap can be completed in a long weekend for less money then it would take to make the 2.8 less pathetic.

The good thing about the the swap is that it uses the stock 2.8 liter motor mounts.

You are already one step in the right direction.

Here is a fairly detailed progression of the swap on my race truck.
http://forums.s-series.org/viewtopic.php?t=17611&highlight=

[CalgarySS]

Or you could purchase Andys truck for 1000 dollars.

http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.php?s=&threadid=56968

[method]

drop in a 400 sbc. not nearly as hard as it sounds.

[theken]

buy a 4.3l with the vortec heads and drop it in, thats the swap I am doing right now but I am turbocharging it

[Rockski]

well ive already got the truck before i posed the original message, so im not gonna pick up another truck, but i think that dropping a 350 in it might be a grand idea, can anybody give me some guesimates on the prices for the crate engine and the moror maounts and everything i would need, (i would need a new transmission as well wouldnt i)?

[theken]

you would need a tranny and a rear end, you can get a decent 350 complete anywhere from like 500 to 5000, look around and see what kind of power u want, use 400 tranny, or if you want to spend some extra money on a computer controlled one I have a 4l80e but you need to buy a stand alone tranny management system

[Rockski]

thanks
where might i find this stand alone tranny management system?

[theken]

i believe it is jet performance makes them just do a search on whatever u like to use and search for transmission controller
they are a bit pricey

[Rockski]

ah gotcha

[CalgarySS]

Don't even think about the swap until you check out this website.
http://v8s10.org/forum/



Here are the questions that I ask everyone who is thinking about this swap.

Will this be a daily driver?
Are you mechanically inclined?
Do you have access to an engine hoist?
Do you have access to a garage?

As far as parts go....

Here is a rough cost breakdown of a typical S10 with a V8 swap.

1- $100-$500 eighties s-10 with blown motor and body in moderate shape.
2-$100-$200 for a used Transmission (th350 and PYP shifter set-up)
3-$400 exhaust. This is possibly the most valuble part of the truck. $200 dollar Hedman headers, dual mufflers etc.
4-$150-$300 engine mounts/V8 rad and e-fan ( normal V8 swap parts)
5-Unknown value motor

=$1400 plus value of motor and installation time.

You allready have the truck so you can subtract $500 from my estimate.

These trucks take around this much to build, with some new parts and some bargain parts.

The motor is the big variable.
150hp to the wheels, it is a stock rebuild=$300 motor.
250hp to the wheels, it is a great performance motor=$1200 motor.
300hp to the wheels, it is a aluminum headed race motor=$2000+ motor.

[Rockski]

where can i get all the rad equipment i would need?

and can say a 383 fit in? (is that even right)

also i was wondering what happens to your donor trucks, im looking for some exterior pieces to stop mione from leaking when it rains.... and some body pieces would help greatly...

could a stock hood fit over top of the 350?

[dieselpower91]

383 is externally the same as any chevy small block 267-400

Its just a stroked 350. The stock hood should fit over a small block, its no taller than a stock v6 I think. Depends on what intake and carb, and if your using a carb spacer, what air cleaner etc.

[CalgarySS]

Originally posted by Rockski
where can i get all the rad equipment i would need?

and can say a 383 fit in? (is that even right)

also i was wondering what happens to your donor trucks, im looking for some exterior pieces to stop mione from leaking when it rains.... and some body pieces would help greatly...

could a stock hood fit over top of the 350?

I would recommend looking for a rad that fits with in the confines of your rad support. This is referred to as the "forward position" in all the V8 swap books that I have seen. This gives you as much room as you need for accessories and a good mechanical fan.

A stock corvette rad is idea, but rare in the junkyards.

As for exterior parts, check out Pick-your-part and Bucks. They have reasonable prices and a good selection of S trucks.

As for the hood. A low profile air cleaner is needed to clear the hood. A blazer/jimmy has more clearance than our trucks.