Ben's Pimpin' Purple S10

[bennelson]

I've already got a manual steering box handy. Mwha ha ah ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!

[spacemanspif]

Originally Posted by bennelson

I've already got a manual steering box handy. Mwha ha ah ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!

Hot damn! Now you're cooking with fire!

Out of curiosity, how easy is it to turn on an S10? I had one in my Monte with the iron block/alum head 5.3L and no AC and if I was driving slower than 15mph it was almost impossible to get the wheels (225/60/15) to turn. I assume it isn't so hard with skinny tires and a 4cly under the hood?

[Smurf]

Driver's seat is worn out, as it seems like they always are on S10s. The driver's seat tilt is broken, and replaced by a Vise-Grips left permanently in its place. I saw some used bucket seats on Craigslist I am going to try to get and install. And I think the joke is on the seller, because I've really been looking for a new pair of Vise-Grips!

Same on my S10... except I provided the ViseGrips!

That is a very good looking truck, and it looks like much of what you would want to do to it is already done. No rust, new paint, lowered, tinted. S10's of that vintage, in Wisconsin, are rarely steel anymore. After ONE winter of light driving in my S10 here, it started to rust out the top center of the rear wheel fender lips.

This truck doesn't impact your Supertruck build, does it?

[bennelson]

No, the supertruck was slowed by a number of things, including just being busy trying to earn a living, pay a mortgage, and figure out how to pay for health insurance.

I did specifically get an EXTENDED cab with the idea that I COULD do the conversion on this truck if I wanted to. I still have to mate up the diesel engine to the transmission and do a few other things before I even thing about anything else on the project.

[bennelson]

How low is too low?

This much. This truck is lowered from stock by 6 inches. Unfortunately, it was NOT done with drop spindles...

I found that out the hard way, when I LOST a BALL-JOINT while driving!

See the full story HERE.

What followed involved a tow-truck, a ticket, two days worth of work, and a new set of springs.

[bennelson]

The two days following dropping my truck flat onto the road were spent replacing the lower ball joint and returning the truck to stock height with new springs in the front and removing the lowering blocks in back.

Here's the second part of that story.

The Lowdown on Getting Jack’d Up

[Daox]

Its always an adventure with you Ben!

[brucey]

Hey dont feel too bad about improper modifications. I knew a guy who lowered his S-10 with some 2x4's on the back and a torched/sawed front springs.

[bennelson]

2x4s - as in WOOD 2x4s!?

Yipes.
Although I do have to admit that I HAVE used wood in the early design and testing phases on both the electric car and motorcycle....

But all those were eventually replaced with metal parts. Really. Hmmm. Yeah, pretty sure.

[brucey]

Yea, fairly certain they weren't even pressure treated wood either. Just the new construction framing garbage 2x4 kind.