Old habit S10

Any reason you can't unscrew the shift linkage from the tailhousing, screw in a piece of steel and drill and tap that for the shifter body forward of it's existing location? An angle bracket to one of the main case to tailshaft housing bolts would provide a pretty decent structure- that was what Hurst did on my 3 speed shifter a lifetime ago

Mini-truckers unite!!!

I think you should stick with the 4-banger. Little trucks are (to me) more fun if kept light and relatively nimble. 

In reply to Recon1342 :

I'm not sure the 2.5 qualifies as light, and in stock form the truck is hardly nimble, especially with manual steering. I have no issues with it as is, aside from the transmission being a pig. I like the noise and slowness: it's honest. But I liked my red '90 with the 4.3, and the sbc is only 50 or so lbs heavier. I don't know. It is a lot of work. 

Well, I have permission and a couple willing laborers. Anything that seems this easy and has all my car buddies enthusiasticly offering to help has to be a bad idea. 

In reply to barefootcyborg5000 :

In for a penny, in for a pound. It looks like the Iron Duke weighs 375lbs vs 330 for the 4g64. My D50 really is a pretty zippy little truck.

In it for the shenanigans, whatever form they take.

In reply to Recon1342 :

The sbc is going to add 150lbs under the hood, not insignificant. But there's no reason a bit of ballast in the back would be bad. I mean, I could get the majority of that weight by just putting a proper rear end in it. I won't, but if I decide to try and make it handle down the road there are plenty of options and answers. 

I'd need headers. Or I could run manifolds. Pretty sure there's a set kicking around the compound. The block huggers currently on the engine will interfere with the mount adapters. There are plenty of answers starting around $180. So that's a point to just leaving it alone. I could still maybe keep it cheap, sub$1k, but it would be more difficult. 

Its been a while since I was hunting T5s, but doesnt the T5 you currently have bolt to the 400sbc?

Why not just buy a rebuilt kit and refresh your current T5?\

In reply to Opti :

Current trans I doubt is repairable. I'm no expert, but something is very wrong internally besides the synchros. Aside from that, it has the 60* V6 pattern bellhousing. Which is part of why finding a replacement t5 is trickier than it should be. Dad keeps saying I should take the trans out and try to repair it, but I suspect I'd run into an issue and render the truck completely dead, vs now, where it's just difficult to drive. 

Additionally, in the compound is a set of 062 vortec heads with stock manifolds. I have reason to suspect the head gaskets need replaced anyway... and I have several intakes to choose from, which would need drilled/massaged for the vortec bolt pattern but that's easy. A bump in compression and increase in flow... it is a very tempting recipe. And all the parts are laying around already. 

Since you already have the 60deg v6 t5, why not put one of the later fwd v6's in?  3400 made like 180bhp. 3500 (non vvt) made ~200.  The 3500/3900 vvt's made 220-240.

I think they are in the 300-350lbs range

In reply to Wxdude10 - Mike :

And the trans id bolt one to is already broken. The only reason I'm thinking about a swap is because I already have almost all the parts. Driveline, mounts, fuel reg, and misc hoses/hardware. I would love a sc3800, but it just isn't in the cards. 

Well, for now it seems that an odd combination of laziness and responsibility has put the engine swap firmly on the back burner. We need out of the apartment before I need a 6.6l S10. So, barring the current trans dieing dramatically, it'll stay put and I'll just keep double clutching. 
 

I did take the opportunity to pull the hood and get into the Funderbird yesterday. Man, that car deserves a chance. I'm fairly sure it still has coolant, and none of it was in the oil, so that's good. Honestly, it's another radiator repair and a windshield away from actually driving... I mean, it needs some massaging and attention in more than a few areas, but it's so close to being a somewhat real car. Maybe I find time/motivation as the weather cools. 

Little trucks are the best. 
 

that's TWO couches. At the same time. 
 

See also:

washing machines, mattresses, motorbikes, regular bikes, tables, chairs...

Also, I'm falling in love with the Iron Duke. It's just honest. It stays. 

In reply to barefootcyborg5000 :

I will spend a dollar at the pic-a-part this weekend and see if any S10s are stick. Pic-A-Part has a 91 and two 92s. Tearapart has a 94. All of those have T5s if manual, correct? Is 93+ World Class and worth waiting to find?

In reply to matthewmcl :

I don't think there's any difference that I'd notice between the variations. As long as 5 gears, 2x4 and not locked up, oh and also not 4.3l as most of those used the NV trans which won't do at all. 2.5 and 2.8 are both good. Might work out as we're heading north in a couple weeks... fingers crossed! 

As opposed to looking for a transmission, why not buy a second similar truck from which to steal the trans?  A rotted or wrecked model could provide you many parts to steal and you could sell the unused bits on once you're done.

In reply to Loweguy5 :

Not a bad thought, but chances are slim of finding one. Out here they don't rot. I did see one for sale a bit ago, but it was way worse than mine and had the wrong engine.. I'm in a fairly small town with few donors, and if a haul something in it would likely cost more than just finding the parts I really need. Also, apartment life means I can't store it at home, and hauling another pile up to my folks place is probably less than ideal. 

One of the 92s, the 91, and the 94 are all gone already. I found a 99 (that's NV1500 by then, if manual). The 92 is manual but 4x4. I also found a manual 84 (82? fuzzy now) that had a T4, and not the T5.

In reply to matthewmcl :

I figured it was a long shot, but thanks for checking!

Im gathering parts for the little truck. It has a few issues I can fix with a little elbow grease and very minimal cost. I get employee pricing at the local GM dealer and they still make most of the parts. I have a stack of ACdelco ignition parts, and a TB service kit. Also grabbed filters and fluids, and I'm certain I have unmetered atmosphere getting into the intake. I need a diff cover gasket. Gonna do a proper once-over and give the thing its best chance. I'm confident. 
 

I believe the trans is getting worse, but I have no idea of the state/level/quality of any fluid that may or may not be inside, so I best start by making sure it has a full measure of synchromesh. As it is, I'm getting quite good at driving around the issues. Made a goodwill dump today and I've been driving it to work all week.
 

The mileage is nowhere near what it should be. I haven't done the math, but I'd guess it's barely into double digits based on how much it burns compared to my accord. But, it does what I ask it to. And it just feels right to drive. This old truck is quickly becoming a good mate. 

In reply to barefootcyborg5000 :

I'm making a JY trip next weekend. I'll see if I can find anything transmission related. I'm pretty certain the local yards have a couple of S-10s and blazers.

In reply to Recon1342 :

Might be a good reason to visit my sister. Idaho falls is out of the way, but not by that much. Would have been easier if they were still in Mountain Home, but anyway. 

No pics to show, but I finally got a little love put in the S10 in the form of air filter, sparky bois, cap, rotor, wires. And a PCV because $1.66. 
 

For all the folks who don't like where GM put the distributor on the SBC, get over it. Those are cake. Try one on the 2.5. So much worse. But it's done now, and hoping the ACDelco parts actually last. The old stuff was as bad as I've seen. 
 

Also scored some tires on the cheap from work. Which is good, because I need tires. But installing them necessitates rebuilding the front end so I can get it aligned and not waste the new jimmys. RA says if I buy all the things it's still under $200, so that's not too bad. Breathe some life into the old truck. 
 

Got to do something about the smell of gas, and lack of catalyst, and suspected vacuum leaks. Time is just so tight. Onwards. 

Fuel smell identified and now fixed. 
 

hoping that also fixed the piss poor fuel economy. The original hard-flex-hard line is long discontinued, so I used a combination of proper fittings and injection-rated hose. No more leaks and now I can haul the engine I bought. Progress. 

I went hunting for this thread via your profile. Why dos it say S-10 sold? Should I be sad? Here is a photo from an S-10 I saw in a parking lot, recently, in case you wanted inspiration. It had the look of a well used, well cared for tool. Pretty awesome.