And it begins...2003 S-10 transformation

[black2002ls]

I have had this truck for about 7 years now. The past few years, I've had to put quite a bit of money into keeping it running and haven't been able to make any changes. I am on my 3rd fuel pump, had the head replaced, fuel injector and part of the harness replaced, and just this past weekend, I had to replace the gasket for the EGR plate on the back of the head.

With all of that done, its time to make some changes. The truck in its stock form is a black 2003 S-10 RCSB 2.2L 5 spd. I've put about 110K miles on it since I bought it. In the next couple of weeks I am going to start sorting out the suspension. I currently have new shocks, 3" blocks for the rear, new wheel bearings, rotors, and pads. My 2" spindles should be here by the end of the week. If my final interview goes well tomorrow, this project should start moving along more quickly.

The plan is to get the suspension sorted out, replace the rear axle with an 8.8 for the added strength and benefit of rear disks, find some suitable wheels and tires, then start acquiring the parts for an LSx/T56 swap.

Pictures in the next post

[black2002ls]

As it sits in stock form



The rear shocks were shot



They are getting replaced with KYB Gas-A-Justs. Not top of the line but the reviews from other dime owners were good for my budget range



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[coley]

Where s your interview at?

[Z06killinsbf]

If you need help or hints let me know! I'm 4/6'd with ZQ8 goodies.

[Sleeper]

Your not still working for wal-mart are you man?

[YALE]

You might get out cheaper with a TR-6060 out of a camaro, instead of a T-56. They're starting to show up in parts yards, or you could PM Baron.

[black2002ls]

Where s your interview at?

Highland Homes as a warranty manager, it would be a pay increase of about 2.5x

If you need help or hints let me know! I'm 4/6'd with ZQ8 goodies.

Thanks. 2/3 is as low as I want to go right now, It was what my last dime was lowered I believe. I would like to add ZQ8 anti-sway bars, though I'm not sure how well they would work with the 8.8

Your not still working for wal-mart are you man?

No, thank goodness, though I didn't make it very far out of retail. When I left, I went to sell cars, just to get out of the WM BS. From there I spent a couple of years running local bars/music venues. Now I'm an assistant at Cavender's Boot City, making about .18 more than I was making 6 years ago when I left Wal Mart

You might get out cheaper with a TR-6060 out of a camaro, instead of a T-56. They're starting to show up in parts yards, or you could PM Baron.

Any idea how big the cases are on the TR-6060? Space is pretty limited in the trans tunnel. The T-56 requires massaging the lip in the cab around the bell housing and a custom cross member.

[Z06killinsbf]

Roy Miller has some Blazers with the correct bars to get, order the brackets on eBay and call it done

[black2002ls]

Roy Miller has some Blazers with the correct bars to get, order the brackets on eBay and call it done

Wait, you lost me. Who is Roy Miller? I know the front bar works and is a 33mm, I have heard there are issues with the Blazer rear bars

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[YALE]

Any idea how big the cases are on the TR-6060? Space is pretty limited in the trans tunnel. The T-56 requires massaging the lip in the cab around the bell housing and a custom cross member.

I honestly couldn't tell you. I know the boys on LS1tech know all of that stuff, though. You might poke around and see what you can find.

[black2002ls]

I will start digging around there and on performancetrucks soon. The plan is to start with a 5.3 and work out some of the driveline kinks and build a 6.0 for a turbo set up. I plan to do as much of it myself as possible, including the harness. I should have the drop done next Tuesday, pretty confident I can get it done in the driveway on jack stands. After that I need to decide what wheels to go with and start searching for an 8.8 rearend

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[Z06killinsbf]

Wait, you lost me. Who is Roy Miller? I know the front bar works and is a 33mm, I have heard there are issues with the Blazer rear bars

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Roy Miller Autosalvage, off of 380 by Princeton. I bought both bars from them for about $20 and bought the brackets on eBay. I was up there about 3 weeks ago and they had about 3-4 4 door blazers. That's the style you want. They also have pull out motors for not too much.

[black2002ls]

Roy Miller Autosalvage, off of 380 by Princeton. I bought both bars from them for about $20 and bought the brackets on eBay. I was up there about 3 weeks ago and they had about 3-4 4 door blazers. That's the style you want. They also have pull out motors for not too much.

Awesome, thanks for the tip. I will give them a call and see what I can pick up.

[SEB]

5.3 Swap, It will have more power & prolly still get good gas mileage. I parked my old 94 GMC truck off to the side. It still runs, But its getting a 5.3 motor one of these years once I get a shop

[black2002ls]

5.3 Swap, It will have more power & prolly still get good gas mileage. I parked my old 94 GMC truck off to the side. It still runs, But its getting a 5.3 motor one of these years once I get a shop

I get 22 mpg in stock trim. I am hoping 5.3/6 spd I get somewhere north of 30 mpg.