Hey guys Im pretty new to this site but can easily see there is quite a wealth of knowledge here. Well, I have a 1994 ext. cab s10 that I had swapped a 350 crate motor into about 3 years ago with a fuel system off a 90' silverado. Needless to say, the TBI setup is not too efficient and is really holding the motor back. I came across a torn down 5.3 with only 2000 miles on it that was taken out of a 2000 tahoe (I think) that was used for a electric motor project. It has aluminum heads (I dont know which ones) and I plan to do some porting on them. From what I have a read a LS6 intake seems to be a pretty good upgrade from the truck intake. The motor has a few things missing such as 5 of the 8 injectors so I was thinking of upgrading to bigger ones. I am a student at Wyotech and will be taking a high performance power trains class soon and plan to do the swap then and can get it tuned in class by an instructor. Basically I'm just looking for opinions on what to do to wake up the motor without spending too much. My dad has a slightly modified gmc typhoon so I know it wont launch anything like that but my goal is to eventually beat him in the quarter mile (he's running mid 12s). Oh yeah, I got it for only 500 bucks! Couldnt refuse. Thanks for any help.

 

Whereabouts in Wisconsin? Minnesota here, so howdy neighbor! (Cheese head )

I am in the same boat as you right now swapping in an LSx motor into my Sonoma. Sorry to say but you're basically looking to start over from scratch. There will be very little you can re-use from your current V8 setup with the proposed new one including the fuel system, wiring harness, radiator, transmission (will need at least a spacer or custom torque converter) and a few frame modifications.

As for the LS6 intake, great choice! Be careful before buying one though and research into what all needs to be changed, modified or altered to make an LS6 intake fit on a truck V8. I remember seeing something about the serpentine setup on the truck getting in the way, but perhaps you could swap to F-body accessories anyway and gain a little radiator clearance since the truck accessories sit out so far. Just a suggestion.

With the LS6 intake, worked over heads, matching camshaft and a good exhaust system you should be able to get the little lightweight S10 into the mid 12's pretty easy. The problem will be lack of traction.

 

InchUp, thanks for the input. Indeed traction will be a major factor and i am pretty set on swapping a ford 8.8 posi with 3.73 (Yes i cant believe i am going to put anything ford on my truck), but that seems to be the easiest and best option for me. I plan to add some cal-tracs and some drag radials or slicks so im hoping i can get good traction out of it. I have the complete fuels system and computer for the new 5.3 im putting in it so i know i have lot of work ahead of me. One thing i noticed is that on my current fuel injection setup, the throttle body cable is on the driver's side versus the passenger side setup that came with the new 5.3. Is there any way to adapt it over or am I going to have to go to an electric throttle body setup? Right now i am running a 700r4 but i plan to go to a manual but am not too sure as what to go with in that scenario either. Maybe i should just not spend any money on my truck and just buy the typhoon and modify that.

 

Think of it this way. The 8.8 is just there to get the S10 in the same ballpark as Mustangs, then beat them with their own axle. I too had a Ford 8.8 with a Traction-Lok differential and 3.73's in my Sonoma before the big lift. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, "I cannot tell a lie"; I absolutely loved that differential. Easy to drive every day, traction when I needed it. It's a no compromise mechanical locking differential much like GM's "G80" mechanical locker. Ford makes some pretty good axles but that's why they're all gas hogs compared to GM, the axles yield terrible parasitic losses because they're so heavy.

I know if you go to electric drive by wire you'll have to snag the pedal assembly from the donor vehicle and swap pedals. Beyond that, I believe it's all in the wiring which I totally suck at. Google Current Performance wiring, based down in Florida. They've made 2 harnesses for me now and do some great work.

 

Why not just get an 8.5" 10bolt? No conversion parts neccessary since they came in the S10. They came in the second gen S10's with the 4.3H.O. (vin code "W") with a manual trans. They also came in the ZR2's, but the width on those makes them not a direct bolt in. One of my friends ran his S10 into the 10's with a 1.51 60' using the factory 10 bolt rear with a 3.73 gear (changed the ring and pinion), stock gov-lock, and stock axles. He was using Cal Trac's and 235/60R15 Mickey Thompson ET Street Radials when he ran 10.64@126mph with the 1.51 60' time.

 

That is a definite possibility. The ford 8.8 has 31 spline axles and the chevy 8.5 has 28 spline I believe? Correct me if Im wrong. The reason I was set on using the ford 8.8 is that its basically a direct fit and can find one with 3.73s in it already. People have told me that it would just be a better option, but hey, if that chevy 8.5 is holding up in a 10 sec. truck then its gonna be plenty strong for my application and i definitely wouldnt mind keeping a chevy rear-end.

 

cant wait to see the end results on this I'll be watchin...

 

should be pretty fast

 

Zippy, this Ford 8.8" VS Chevy 8.5" debate has been beaten to death numerous times. I'll just clue you in and let you know that the 8.5" never wins, I've seen it lose every time though I battle for it since I've used both axles in two different S-truck builds. I like them both since both have their pro's and con's, but for best bang for the buck the Ford 8.8" comes out ahead for brute strength per dollar spent.

The "fact" that all high output 5-speed S-trucks got the 8.5" rear end is complete bullshit and I can't believe the mis-information from S-based websites still continues to flood into other forums. I'm not saying you (Zippy) are to blame...I know how it goes. You hear it from somebody and you repeat it a thousand times. In reality, only a handful got the 8.5", most of which were 4wd (non-ZR2) instead of the commonly thought-to-be 2wd 8.5". The 8.5" did appear in 2wd's, 4wd's and ZR2's of course no doubt...but finding one in a 2wd and 4wd is so rare it's almost a myth. If one does find a junkyard 8.5" from a 2wd, it'll cost a fortune as well. I'd also like to add that not all ZR2's got the 8.5", just the newer ones but it doesn't matter anyway because the ZR2 stance is much too wide for a 2wd. I look under hundreds of S-trucks and SUV's a month at work and I have a very good eye for what I see and what I don't see.

The Ford 8.8 has it's 8.8 inch ring gear obviously, accompanied by 1.32" diameter 31-spline axle shafts and huge 3-1/4" diameter axle tubes. It's good enough for just about anything a 2wd S-truck can throw at it, including big block power and drag slicks. All one would need is a Trick Flow cover with main cap supports to prevent the ring gear from walking around, and C-clip eliminators and you'd be good for a long time. Explorers got the thick 31 spline shafts and large axle tubes for strength, whereas the Mustangs and Rangers get the puny 28 spline shafts and thin wall tubes for weight savings. The weight savings is not worth the loss in strength, believe me - been there and broken that. From the factory the 8.8 can be found with 2.73, 3.08, 3.27, 3.55, 3.73 and 4.10 ratios. The GM 10 bolt from the S-truck is stuck with 3.08, 3.42's or 3.73's from the factory.

The Chevy 10 bolt has it's 8.5" ring gear, 30 spline 1.31" diameter axle shafts and small 3" tubes in trucks before 2005/06, however the S-truck version of the 10 bolt only has 2.5" diameter tubes for S-truck weight savings like the Ranger and Mustang. The axle tubes neck down from 2.75" diameter at the housing to 2.5" diameter the rest of the way to the brakes. The main problem with that axle is housing flex and bent tubes when using leaf springs. The physical material of the differential and ring and pinion set add up to about 2/3rds that of the Explorer 8.8. See for yourself.

 

ls6 is probably the way to go if you want a 12 sec truck, but you can still make great power with maybe less money by sticking to the truck intake. A 5 speed would be a fun truck to have and you wouldn't have to worry about blowing up a built 4l65e down the road.