Thread: Project LQ4 - V8 S10 - Sold.

Congrats on not doing the work. I've started to get that way on a few things.

My rationale is simple. If it'll take me two days of real work vs less money than I can earn in the same time. It seems like a good thing.

Originally Posted by SgtMarshal

oooooh, sweet, cams are awesome.

I'm pretty excited. The one I picked was recently tested by Richard Holdener and is a favorite of the Sloppy Mechanics followers. It goes by many names but they are all essentially the Elgin 1840P. Jegs had it 10% off so I ordered it from there. Backordered till near end of the month, but I won't need it soon anyway. I'll order the PAC 1218's when I actually need them or if eBay has a sale.

6.0L CAMS: WHAT WORKS BEST? - YouTube

Originally Posted by BillBoost37

Congrats on not doing the work. I've started to get that way on a few things.

My rationale is simple. If it'll take me two days of real work vs less money than I can earn in the same time. It seems like a good thing.

Exactly. My buddy works (or worked) at a transmission shop and his only job for many years was removing and installing transmissions. I just let him do what he does. My time is better spent (mathematically) doing what I do.

Will you need to pull the engine to get the cam in?

I don't think so. I'm trying to remember if I made the center bracket in the core support removable. If I did, the swap won't be too bad. If I didn't, the whole front end will have to come off.

bump stick time.

Originally Posted by Scottydoggs

bump stick time.

Well... Like... Eventually.

Originally Posted by SgtMarshal

cams make everything better, cant wait to hear some sound clips

Probably going to be a while. I just snagged it since it was on sale. Google "Sloppy Stage II" for a pile of info, tests and sound clips.

Okay guys and gals, here's a late summer update:

The truck is still "on the road." However, it's hot here right now, my regular job has picked up, and my wrenching attention has shifted to my wife's Regal. At one point this truck sat so long, the converter drained. :shrug: Life has been busy. I'm not sure where I left off but as of right now, I have the (mildly ported) 243 heads assembled with the PAC 1218 springs and the "sloppy stage 2" cam on the shelf waiting for a good time to install.

In the meantime I have been playing with the trans tune. Really trying to optimize for that higher stall converter. Thanks to Scotty for reminding me about the Bluecat trans tool. A couple minutes with that and this truck is a whole different animal. I tweaked the settings based on what I have and right out of the box, it was really good. After I got a little more aggressive with the TC unlock it was even better. I still need to make it shift out of 1st a little sooner. Then it will be PERFECT.

Not sure if you guys remember, but a while back I tried my hand at rebuilding the power steering pump... Apparently I do a better job rebuilding transmissions than I do rebuilding PS pumps. Here we are a couple years later and my little S10 whines like an old Ford pickup. I think this time I'll just spend the coin and slap a new unit on.

Other than the PS pump, all is well. This old rig keeps taking what I give it.

its funny how a few changed files changes the whole way the trans feels and works.

Originally Posted by Scottydoggs

its funny how a few changed files changes the whole way the trans feels and works.

I think the torque converter lock/unlock is what I got the most out of. Personal preference I suppose.

Got the new PS pump in today. Pretty straight forward. I knew what I was in for. It's so tight in there, I have to pull the alt with the bracket and leave the bolts in the holes. Otherwise there's no room to get them on. Think about that next time you're looking under the hood of a GMT800.



Took it out for a test drive and it still whines. Only now it whines on acceleration and is quiet while decelerating. Old one was quiet while accelerating and would whine on decel. I thought I had it fully bled, but I need to play with it some more. Might even try vacuum bleeding. I'm so tired of screwing around with power steering pumps.

I absolutely LOVE that you are still updating this thread.... I'm currently LM7 swapping a 2002 Blazer and a 93 Chevy C1500 5spd

Unfortunately the 98 GTP is gone

Have fought a few of the pumps on the 3500's and here's my take aways.

Put vacuum on it for a few minutes and walk away. Remove vacuum, put cap on and turn lock to lock 5 times each direction. Start up and let it idle for about 1 minute turn off. Turn lock to lock another 5 times. Reapply vacuum for a few more minutes.

Usually that is the trick to silence. Hope it helps.

Originally Posted by GTPkirmet

I absolutely LOVE that you are still updating this thread.... I'm currently LM7 swapping a 2002 Blazer and a 93 Chevy C1500 5spd

Of course! There's always more to the story than just the build. It's a never ending process of tinkering and improvement. At least that's how it goes for me. Do you have a build thread for either swap? I'd be happy to answer questions or help in any way I can.

Unfortunately the 98 GTP is gone

Hey, we all move on at some point. I sold mine a few years ago as well. I'm happy to have owned it though. When I bought that car all I knew was oil changes and basic maintenance. Look at me now. Rebuilding transmissions and writing tunes!

Originally Posted by BillBoost37

Have fought a few of the pumps on the 3500's and here's my take aways.

Put vacuum on it for a few minutes and walk away. Remove vacuum, put cap on and turn lock to lock 5 times each direction. Start up and let it idle for about 1 minute turn off. Turn lock to lock another 5 times. Reapply vacuum for a few more minutes.

Usually that is the trick to silence. Hope it helps.

It's funny you say that. Yesterday I did something very similar. Vacuum pump. lock to lock, run engine etc... I think I may have it now. Another drive this afternoon will confirm. Thanks for looking out Bill.

After something drives you to the point that some of the noise in a ps system can, you share that info.

Well, the Cardone pump went back. I grabbed a reman unit from the local parts store. Figured that would be easier if there was another issue. Seems to be good so far. Hadn't been driving the truck much lately. Last time I took it out, I almost plowed through a storefront like an old man through a farmers market. The vacuum booster gave up the ghost. I just now had a chance to change it out. Wasn't as bad as I anticipated. A good pre-game plan and 24" extension and I was done in a half hour, not even pushing it. She stops good now.

Finally fixed my pulsing headlight issue. I thought it was a bad ground or some weird electrical gremlin related to the swap. Nope. I googled "S10 pulsing lights" and got a pile of results. Apparently this is a common issue on 2nd gen S-10's. Something about the voltage reg not sensing the voltage correctly. I ran a jumper from the "D" pin on the alternator plug to the 12v stud on the back and wrapped it in cloth tape so it would blend in. Easiest fix ever. Took longer to find a pigtail to scavenge the wire from than to do the actual fix.

Looks like a supercharged alt lol

Originally Posted by ItHurtz

Looks like a supercharged alt lol

Whatever you want to call it, seems much happier now.

I spent the morning changing the spark plugs. Probably should have done that sooner. Like, When I put the engine in, but I been dreading the process so I just put it off. Shrug. There's a good possibility that they were the original plugs (AC Delco 12567759 / NGK PZ TR5A 15 Laser Platinum). Still firing "fine" at 162k miles. They looked decent also. All clean and dry, but that gap had opened to about 0.060" Take a look at the picture and tell me what you think.

It took more time to do the #8 plug than the other 7 combined. At least now I know it can be done without pulling the engine or cutting access holes. Sausage fingers need not apply. Only room for skinny hands. Even still, I decided to go with a platinum plug over copper. I don't want to do it again anytime soon.

Upgraded the intake. Full 4 in.


Compromises had to be made elsewhere.