Project Drivabeater

so i have a little update:

budget first:
1 inch drop coils: were 30 bucks. no longer on truck, so were down 30.
2 inch drop blocks: cost 30 bucks. so total remains the same.

went out to the Tarheel Sports Car Club autocross at Maxton airport the beginning of the month. about halfway through the day, i was turning the same times as novices in WRX's, so we were doing great. caught a lot of shit about how high the truck was from the safety steward, though.
on about my 15th run, hotlapping the piss out of it, i noticed coming off the first roundabout that i had no oil pressure whatsoever. 0, zilch, none, not even a damn flicker of the needle moving. i figured that at that point the damage had already been done, and i might as well get my last Banzi run in. had my fastest time of the day, and FTD for the novice school that run. brought it in, still running, and notmaking anynoise. figured it was probably a bad gauge or something, but decifded not to risk it. had to be drug home by my father on a flatbed trailer. turned out that i had a piece of the teflon tape i used to seal the threads on the sending unit plugging the hole in it. DAMMIT!!!!

so no money fix there. while i was underhood, i took care of the boring on the intake for the 4.3 TBI (traded a wiring harness for a dart to my machinist for the gaskets, machining, and throttle body), fixed the leaking distributor O-ring, deleted the EGR, Cruise, and extra wiring, and generally cleaned up. dunno how much weight i got rid of, but its at least 15 lbs worth of crap.

i also decided that i had coaught hell for ride height for the last time. so we went straight into the dirt for ride height. took my stock 2.8 coils, cut one full turn outta them, and threw some 2 inch blocks in the back. according to my measurements form my bbuddies 91, its about a 3/5 drop now, and handles much better than before. the UB machine UCA's accomadated this much spring drop with room to spare.
i know the geometry is suffering right now, but after i find some stupid cheap 2 inch spindles, ill go back to 1 inch springs, tall LBJ's, LS1 brakes, etc and have better geometry again.
i also had to cut the bumpstop brackets fromt and rear to have it dribvable. rides really good, and looks killer.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture392.jpg)

(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture394.jpg)

(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture401.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture403.jpg)
i have also now started on phase two, now that the chassis, ride, reliability, and safety are where i want tham. thats the part of the program where i make it look halfway decent. friend of mine donated the leftover Bondo, spreaders, spot putty, sandpaper, and primer from where he just got done doing his truck, and another friend of mine who paints cars for a living will be spraying it and goving me the paint. hes taking all the different leftover black cans of basecoat that he has, mixing them all up, and shooting it. it will be black, just not entirely sure what shade. ill have to buy the clear and a case of beer for him.

so this is my first real attempt at bodywork, and i think is coming along pretty good.


(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture397.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture396.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture395.jpg)

Michael

welcome to the 3" coil drop club. haha

1804.87 is the new grand total at the moment. 366.70 for paint, 19.26 in exhaust supplies.

 

since the last update, ive painted the truck, swapped on some 245/50/16 BFG G-Force KDW's, refinished the IROC's, and put the blazer buckets back in, alson with some interior work.

 

in the interior, i traded my black handles and cranks for some chrome, finished dying the arm rests, a-pillar trim, dash cap, bpillar trim, etc. reglued the center pod from where my hot glue didnt hold, and am planning on finally covering the headliner soon. 2.50 for fabric from wal mart. ill add that in when im done.

 

the body work was supposed to be a deal from a buddy. i was supposed to buy the clear and a case of beer. i wound up buying base, clear, tape, paper, and PAYING him by the time it was all said and done. not what i was expecting, but still a hell of a deal. just more money to get me to the challenge, which puts me out of tall lower ball joints, drop spindles, C4 vette front brakes, IROC rear disc, and headers. so i wont be that competitive. but i think i can still go.

 

i still havent got my brevada grille back from the painter. he forgot about it. thats why it currently rocks the oversprayed sonoma grille.

 

also, the rear axle in it is ****ED. so this weekend im swapping in the axle from the parts truck.

 

pics:











 

 

and some pics of parts for after the challenge:

50 dollar hedman long tuibes:



c6 Z06 brake cooling ducts: 14 a pair from GM



IROC rear disc. 50 bucks, with caliper rebuild kits, metal lines, and a five gallon bucket. lots of extra bolts were included free!!



 

and lastly, my new axle:

I see no pics!
I thought you were getting rid of the cop truck a few months back. Glad you didn't.

just got off the phone with sylvia at turn one. im registered for wedsday, and am the only student that day. may be hard to get action shots of the truck. i even got my lucky number: 13

on the truck front, i spent the day doing piddley stuff to it that has been bothering me for a while.
got the rarview mirror reglued to teh windshield. 2.00 for glue.
got the parking brake hooked back up finally. its nice to have it again.
adjusted the rear drums
nut and bolt check
created a battery hold down for the rear mount. couldnt figure out a good way of doing it, si i cut and sewed a ratcheting tie strap to function. red neck as hell, but it'll pass tech until teh next time i have the bed off.
flushed the brakes with valvoline synpower fluid. well see how it holds up in this truck on track. (i havent been counting fluids in the budget since theyre disposable)

and NEW PADS!! PFC Z compounds. made in the usa. initial impressions are that they are an impressive pad. good pedal fel, great initial bite, and very linear response tpo pedal input. 42 for them wsant bad either. i also got a set for the iroc rears while i was ordering. ill add that in wen i bolt it together.

sorry no pics. didnt think it was worth taking pictures of today.

new total is:1846/87

did i ever add the BFG's in?
Miuchael

well, its time for an update.

first, thanks for all the positive reinforcement on me deciding to keep the truck.

on to the update youve all been waiting for:

THE TRACKDAY

got to CMP at about 7:00 AM. i let my house at 5:00AM, and had only had about three hours of sleep. i was tupid excited, just like i used to be as a little kid christmas eve. on the way down to the track, i stop by McDonalds for some breakfast that wound up plauging me teh rest of the day, if you know what i mean. also, it started raining pretty hard about half way there. liek hydroplaning on those twisty 2 lane south carolina roads. that kinda sucked, and put the fear in me for the first part of the day.

the tech guy was late, and the racers kept taking the spaces i put my stuff in in the garage. not even an apology. that is my only real cmplaint about the day, to be honest.

truck passed tech afetr i pulled my center console out (not actually attached to anything) and cleaned out my glve compartment. hardest part of tech was to dry the truck off enough to add numbers, the DE X, and my teh sticker. i was so excited when i left that i forgot a track box with my extra fluids, rags, and chemicals. so i used my t-shirt. it worked.

i was out on track just as the rain was letting up. all over the freaking place, as those G-Force TA's suck in the rain driving normal, let alone on track. looped it in turn 14 on the second lap due to oversteer. rest of the lap, it was in understeer pretty hard. while in the classroom session, it quit raining, and the un was starting to dry the track out. next session was still quite tail happy. i learned a lot about threshold braking and throttle steer.

the track dried out pretty quickly, and i was able to start turing up the wick. the front and rear suspension worked beautifully. i tweaked my tire pressures a few pounds to get the truck more neutral. the front suspension with the UB Machine UCA's and other crap worked beautofully, except coming through the kink at 85MPH. it bottoimed out pretty hard through there, cauing some pretty funky characteristics. the rear uspnsion was more than adaquate. very controllable and predictabl, just like the front. did get a little hop later in the day, but by them i was really getting to know the truck,m as well as learning to drive it right.

all i all, i was thoroughly impressed with the truck on track. it id a hell of a lot better than i hought, and has a lot more in it than i have in me as a driver at this point in time.

the aftermath of the track day is pretty far reaching.
1. i sprang a leak at the weep hole in the brake proportioning valve. that has yet to be fixed.
2. the suspension is about where it needs to be. im putting my 3-link and coil over plans on hold, as well as the plans to box the rear of the frame. i will however, still be installing the PP tall LBJ's if they ever actually get produced. definately be going with 2 inch spindles and back with my 1 inch belltech coils.
3. the brakes suck pretty hard. lots of fade. the PFC pads do ok, and have a lot of grip for a long time. the plan is currently to pull the splash shields and add my C6 Z06 cooling ducts. long term has the IROC rear discs, a 4 wheel disc prop valve, and LS1 camaro front conversion. or C4 vette. dunno yet which ill use.
4. i need work on safety items. the stock seatbelts do nothing to hold you in place. they are quite scary, aspecially when you nose it into a sand trap at full brake, and they never lock up. seats are jsut as bad, with absolutely no lateral support. so, ill be fabbing a harness bar, and possibly putting the APC buckets back in, possibly running the CRX buckets i hav laying behind my CRX. depends in what seats wind up where.
5. i ned more power. getting lapped by a spec E30 twice on the same lap is embarassing. short term is the 4.3 TBI i have and long tubes that i have. long term is a 3.4/3500 hybrid MPFI V6.

so, that brings us up to date on the drivabeater in a real, tested kind of way. it is what it is. i really dont know how far ill take thins thing, as it already met all the goals i initially set for it while remaining on budget. i also now have an 89 CRX Si with a high compression mini-me and hardrace bushings as a track car once i finish up some wiring and details. the CRX should be easier on consumables, as well as more competitive and cheaper to run. but then again, im the guy in the truck. always have been the guy in the truck.

michael

but then again, im the guy in the truck. always have been the guy in the truck.

Amen. My circle of friends are all cars and I'm the guy with the suv on the track. I'm glad things worked out for you. Brake upgrade was one of the best things I did!

so, budget first. i dont know if anyone is keeping track but me, but im trying to be thorough and honest abou how much is invested in the truck as it sits in any govin stage. hence the reason that some things that were subtracted come back later. like the 1 inch coils (30). im not keeping a running talley of how much total ive spent on the project, cause then id cry.
 
anyway
brand new BFG G-Force TA tires. still had the nippies on them. guy said he drove about 10 miles before selling the car. 200 off craigslist. size 245/50/16
DJM 2 inch drop spindles. paid 40 bucks and my stock spindles and control arms. had 20 in my spares, so total of 60.
new brake prop valve: 7 at pull a part
 
new total: 2143.87
 
anyway, since the last update ive had another track day. i had swapped out the leaking prop valve before the event, along with fresh valvoline synpower brake fluid. no brake fade time out. vey firm and confidence inspiring pedal throughout the day. iyt was a great day. i was able to keep up with a C6 Z51 for about 3 laps. by keep up, i mean i caught him in the braking zones and turns, and he smoked me on the straights. i also lapped a BMW M6. at the end of the day, my instructor wanted to solo me and move me up to DE2, but i was not ready for it. nest time out, i probably will.
 
the only issue with the day is an odd injection problem im having. the truck lays down after really hard turns. theres a thread on here about it, so i wont go into detail. makes my lap times really suck. i also had another off track, and was reminded about my less than adaquate seatbelts.
 
after the event, i decided my christams present to my sister in law is going to be to go pick up some family heirloom furniture from richmond, VA. with the previous suspension, this would have been 6 hours of hell, as it was bottoming out over almost any road irregularity due to my cut coils. driving to work was painful, and i couldnt imagine going 6 hours. so i decided to take my saturday and swap some parts. i had scored a set of DJM drop spindles a while back, and still had my belltech 1 inch coils on the shelf. should have made for a roughly 3 inch drop, where i was at roughly 4 with my cut coils.
 
i finished up putting it together a little whiloe ago. its at a roughly 3 1/2 drop, without having moved and settled. so im happy. and there is a heck of a lot more travel up front now. the tires slam into the inner fenders before the LCA's contact the frame.
 
on to some pics:
DE sticker

 
Old uspension vs new:

 
installed, removed the splash shield for brake cooling

 
new tires

 
new prop valve

 
back on thr ground, and i got me brevada grille back from the painter and on
 


 
lsatly, i started yanking the interior tonight for some cleaning, painting, and fab work. the goal is to put my APC seats back in properly and where i fit well in the truck. also going to build a harness bar so i can run some 5 or 6 points. i pulled the carpets to make my life easierm and really like the look of the floor pans. now im thinking about putting bedliner down and calling it a day. leave all the rest of the plastics in after theyve been modified to look right. kind of a street/track hybrid look.

 
thanks for looking. and if anyone wants this truck, ill trade it for a fairly rust free, fairly complete 64-66 elcamino. i have a new bad idea for a street/track/daily musclecar in a shoestring budget.
 
Michael

for the stock belts, i learned a trick from the auto-x guys.

- jerk the belt so it locks
- suck in your gut
- jam it into the latch

the belt stays locked in place the whole run.  works great for auto-x...might be uncomfortable for a track session.  try it out when ya get a chance.

my belts actually dont ratchet shut. ive got replacement stockers on order.

ok i was going to send this via PM, but some where along the lines the poster(s?) name changed

first off, congrats on the little one i became a dad this last may 3rd and over the last few months ive learned that the phrase "parenthood is the best and toughest job you will ever have" is true, but totaly worth it

2nt couple of questions about your truck i like the steering wheel, it looks like it bolts right up the to stock holes, is it a factory wheel? your gauge panel for the speedo could you by chance do a diagram for the idiot lights

nice looking truck, im in a 88s10 blazer but looking to snap up a first gen extended cab p/u soonish, while im more into raising a truck, i do like the ideas you guys come up with(and now i really want a bravada grill :p )

for the stock belts, i learned a trick from the auto-x guys.

- jerk the belt so it locks
- suck in your gut
- jam it into the latch

the belt stays locked in place the whole run.  works great for auto-x...might be uncomfortable for a track session.  try it out when ya get a chance.

That's what I do, though I still need better seats. There were a few turns I could have taken faster had I been able to stay in my seat. lol

well, im toe orginator of this thread. harley moved it over from the old board for me.

as far as the gauge panel goes, i really just sat down with a factory wiring diagram and figured out what color wire went to what warning light. then i figured out if it was trigered by power or ground. went to radio shack, got some LED's that would fit in the houseing, and wired accordingly. i used the clored LED's that matched the indicator color. id suggest not doing this. they are dim as hell.

the steering wheel was there when i bought the truck. its an older model grant wheel. the guy used a 2 inch spacer and adapter kit from grant for install. the splines were worn out from where he didnt put it together properly, so now its got some shop made shims and such.

hope that helps.
michael

so, while at track on the 23rd, i asked some people to take some pictures for me. people i didnt even know. i gave them my e-mail address, and hoped for the best. the guy who sent me pictures is named david dannunzio. it was really cool of him. he made mention in his e-mail that the light was wrong and that the pictures werent that great. if you ask me, they are freaking fantastic!!
 
anyway, take a look. youll ntice some chassis flex as evidencd by the body line, some serious tire squish, and a very minimal amount of body roll. so i must be doing something right.
 
im the guy driving, and the passenger is my instructor, who also happens to be my father and the guy that taught me most everything i know about wrenching and driving. its a wonderful bonding experience to hang out with your dad, build and hammer on cars, and then talk about things to cook and how to make your marriage better. i just hope that i can be half the dad to my daughter that my father is to me.
 
on to the pics!!!
 







 
that porsche was ungodly fast. he passed me a few times like i was in reverse.
 
michael

Awesome pics man. Truck looks really good.  First time on the track with the truck?

2nd open track day, multiple autocrosses.

Very nice pics.

im the guy driving, and the passenger is my instructor, who also happens to be my father and the guy that taught me most everything i know about wrenching and driving. its a wonderful bonding experience to hang out with your dad, build and hammer on cars, and then talk about things to cook and how to make your marriage better. i just hope that i can be half the dad to my daughter that my father is to me.
 

I envy you Michael.

nice!  looks like you had a blast.

great job on the s10 so far. would u mind doing a recap on parts so far? theres lots of reading on ur build lol i have an first gen s10 too so very interested in this build!

so ive decided to keep the truck for a while longer. the major kicker was my father's talk with me. He was the inspiration for the truck in the first place with his comments of "you can't track a truck" and "the only thing youll do in track is manage traffic. you wont pass anything"
 
when i told him of my plans to sell it to buy an el camino project, he was les than thrilled to say the least. i cant say exactly what he said due to language filters, but the gist of it was "theres three reasons not to sell. 1. its paid for. 2. it does everything well. you can track it, daily it, work it, and drive it to the cruise in. 3. the damn thing is a hoot on track, and i loke seeing it pass stuff it shouldnt."
 
he makes a lot of sense sometimes. hopefully ill be half the father mine is.
 
so, now that im convinced to keep it for a while longer )at least until i get the jones for another project), i have some work to do. the truck is no longer capable of competing in the GRM challenge. im over budget, under timed and funded, and have way too many parts and pieces to make it more fun. that doesnt mean that the penny pinching, budget stretching, innovative, use what other people are getting rid of nature of the build is going to change. im still a father and homeowner, and still employed as a social worker. whinch means that im still broke when it comes to play money.
 
to that end, i have some plans.

1. redo the interior. right now, its multicolored, hot, rattley, noisy, etc. looks OK in pics, but im not happy with it. really isnt a place i want to be for any length of time. plans are to swap out the blazer buckets for some trans-am seats from a 4th gen. they look better as far as shape, seem to be more comfortable, the upholstery isnt destroyed, and i got them for 25 bucks. the also seem to have a good bit of bolstering to them. ill dye the covers black before they go in, and make sure the plastics match. im also dying the carpets black, finishing the headliner, mounting the center console, and hunting down the rattles. i already have material to recover the headliner, a factory console mounting bracket from a dakota, and the carpets dyed. used the last of a can of dupli-color fabric dye. ill let you know how it holds up.
im also considering changing from the pewter accents to a brushed silver to match the bezels on the autometers. may draw the interior together some more, and break up the all black theme just enough to look good. what do y'all think?




2. fix the wiring problems. some of them were inherited from previous owners, some i created. the list includes. but is not limited to, getting the autodim mirror and overhead console working again, making the oil pressure, volt, and fuel gauges work consistantly, and finding the reason my fuel pump is cutting in and out. i also plan to finsh removing all the extra wires from the harness, cleaning and repairing connectprs, and doing a wire tuck.

3. brake upgrades. the truck stops great. i really dont know why i want to do this, but i have C5 corvette calipers, rotors to turn into hubs, LS1 camaro discs, a gutted combination valve, and a complete, ready to go rear disc setup from a 85 camaro Z28. might as well use em, right?

4. some sort of stripe or something. iv always wanted something with performance graphics, so why not do it on this one? my thought is something like an AAR 'Cuda strobe stripe from the grille to the taillight, above the body line.

5. ive also been wanting to get into computer tuning and EFI stuff. it interests me to no end. so i bought a 3.4 camaro SFI engone off craigslist for 75 bucks. ill be installing it with a tweaked '7730 ECM, custom wiring, and a self done custom tune. ill also use the headers i have, build a cold air intake, and try to make it look as factory as possible. my biggest concerns are wether it will need a rebuild, and what colors to paint stuff. the engine bay will be semi-gloss black, and im considering doing the motor cast iron gray with black bolts and accessories. accessory brackets cast iron, headers black. but i dont want too much black on this thing. needs some other color, somewhere. what do you think?





lastly. i installed some new seatbelts. ones from a 92 four door blazer it perfectly, and work really well when you nose it into a sand trap. cost 25 bucks, so we'll actually asdd that into the build total right now. the rest when i get there.

michael