nubuilder's '98 S10 ZR2

[nubuilder]

Early in May, I finally found the S10 I had been looking for (after 4 months of searching).

1998 Chevy S10 ZR2
137,735 miles (when bought)
extended cab (no 3rd door; 2 jump seats in back)
5 speed (what I had been searching for!!!)
push button 4x4 (not sure if manual was even available)
power windows & locks
A/C (that works too!)
cassette player

The previous owner replaced the entire cooling system (radiator, water pump, thermostat, heater core, hoses). The tires that are on it are in great shape and should last me 3-4 winters (hopefully more). It has bars in the bed for a 5th wheel hitch (will be coming out), electronic brake controller (will be coming out; might add my own later, I have a box for the Silvy so I'd only need the wiring harness), cold air intake (looks like the cheapo one off eBay that has the filter open to the engine bay heat). In the interior, the dash has obviously been removed for the heater core and I believe the previous owner cracked/chipped it in the process so that will be getting replaced, both seat reclining handles are broken (go figure; weak aluminum was used), and the carpet is stained in the back (will be shampoo-ing). The driver's door has been replaced with one that had plastic cladding (must be from a Blazer with the Trailblazer package or a Jimmy) so there are holes and tape (I'd weld them up or bondo them).


Plans
Black Bear Performance tune
Anzo 111016 projector headlights - have them
APC 403027CLD parking lights - have them
Hella 500FF driving lights (mounted on bumper - have them
HID's (highs & lows) - had them already
new OEM looking grill (possibly PTM'd minus the chrome bar)
mud flaps and floor mats (to protect it from salt/dirt in the winter)
new dash - have it
factory CD player - have it

eventually
exhaust (both Magnaflow bolt-ons)
CAI (Volant or the seemingly very functional one that someone online came up with themselves on another S10 forum)

It runs and drives great. No noises, shakes, or surprises. The tires are in great shape too!

A couple of problems came up on the way home:
1) Wipers don't work. - Washer fluid does and fuse is fine, but they don't move. I'm hoping that the circuit board in the wiper motor is shot since its only a $30 part. - I tried them latter after getting home and they worked.
2) Driver's window switch is wired backwards. - Its physically in the correct position, but up=down and down=up. I'm hoping the motor is plugged in backwards.
3) Tachometer needle is jittery. - it jumps RPMs, but seems accurate. - Is there something dirty/corroded?


Anyways, apparently he put it on eBay for $3500.


As far as body work goes, I hope to at least repaint the scuffs, dents, and small rust spots along with the tailgate. If I have time this summer, I'd like to try to get the dents popped out as best as possible. I need to shampoo the carpet and I have an air freshener in it (guy was a smoker, but he ran a ionizer in it for 8hrs; doesn't smell all that bad to me). Oh, and the 5th wheel hitch bars in the bed are coming out too along with the electronic brake controller.


Overall, I'm very happy. I gained 4wd and 40k miles less. My blue '97 S10 will hopefully be on CraigsList by this weekend.

 

[nubuilder]

PICS!!!
Just bought it! I'm not sure who that goofball is standing by it.

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Dent below gas door

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Major scratching (down to primer) behind driver's side ext cab window.

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My blue tailgate.

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Passenger side is VERY clean minus some rust right at the bottom by the fender flares.

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Small rust spot on bumper, chipped edge of the grill, crack in lower part of fender flare.

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Same thing on driver's side minus the chipped grill.

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One advantage of not having the 3rd door is that the rear pillars have speakers (4x10's). I like them. They help fill the cab much better VS just having the 4x6 dash and 6 1/2" door speakers.

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The black piece is the lower piece of the dash that has the cigarette lighters in it. The guy lost the screws for it when he replaced the heater core.

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Cassette player.

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Both trucks and that damn goofball again.

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I forgot to mention that the driver's door is sagging and rubbing on the fender. I'll have to replace the door pins and re-align it along with repainting the front edge that rubbed off.

 

[nubuilder]

So I discovered a few more things about the truck the other day.
1) The driver's door key lock doesn't work. It might be the wrong lock from the replacement door. At first, the passenger lock didn't work either, but I shot some lube in it and after sitting for 8hrs, it works now. I'm gonna order a new lock cylinder from RockAuto for the driver's side, have it set by a locksmith, and be done with it.
2) The lever for adjusting the seat backs for both seats is broken/missing.
3) The wipers are currently working, but I'm gonna order a new circuit board from RockAuto too.

I have to research how to disable DRL/AHL on this thing (Dennis (drperry) has helped me with this, but for some reason the usual tricks aren't working).


Parts to get yet (so far that is)
-driver's door lock cylinder
-wiper pulse board
-screws for a lower kick panel (I think AutoZone has them)
-door pins and bushings (driver's door)

Parts I've got (so far)
-batter hold down rubber block and nut
-reclining seat handles (both)

 

[buRRp]

PTM grill. Paint the black and chrome of grill but leave the bumper black to match the flares. Friend of mine did that to his ZR2 of the same color and it looked really good. Otherwise the mods list looks good.

 

[Bowtie2Sierra]

Congrats on the purchase. I think you will like it.

The first truck that I ordered was a '98 Extended Cab S-10 ZR2 during my senior year in high school. It was a good truck and similar to yours. I had the 3rd door, automatic, victory red paint, charcoal interior, cd, etc. Every option at the time (I think).

 

[nubuilder]

Just thought I'd give you guys an update.

I've had the dash out for about 2 weeks now. I removed mine on a Wednesday (took 3hrs) and then on Thursday went to the junkyard and pulled a dash from a Blazer (3 1/2hrs) along with a newer style steering wheel (the one with the smaller airbag). I got the dash for $75 (including all pieces minus radio and cluster) and the wheel and airbag for $50.

Here's my write-up on it.

I am waiting to put the dash in until I take care of a few things. There is a mod to extend the range of the keyless entry, I need to add wiring for 2 dash tweeters (from the Blazer I got the dash out of), and I need to run new wires for my new fog lights).


Parts for 2 dashes (only 1 dash it's self), a rubber bed mat, and a roll-up tonneau cover in the bed. Just shampoo-ed all the carpet and got 1 1/2 gallons of filthy black water out (and the carpet didn't even look that dirty!!). Currently there is no dash, battery, or ECM (about to get sent off for a tune) in the truck.

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If you look closely in the upper right portion of the wheel, there is a big spider web. Guess I picked up a new friend.

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[nubuilder]

PTM grill. Paint the black and chrome of grill but leave the bumper black to match the flares. Friend of mine did that to his ZR2 of the same color and it looked really good. Otherwise the mods list looks good.

I think I will be PTM'ing the grill, but not the chrome strip across it. I like it as an accent piece to break up all the color. The bumpers will be bed-lined/Line-X along with the flares. I just need to find out how much that will cost me.

 

[buRRp]

PTM grill. Paint the black and chrome of grill but leave the bumper black to match the flares. Friend of mine did that to his ZR2 of the same color and it looked really good. Otherwise the mods list looks good.

I think I will be PTM'ing the grill, but not the chrome strip across it. I like it as an accent piece to break up all the color. The bumpers will be bed-lined/Line-X along with the flares. I just need to find out how much that will cost me.

That will look good too.

 

[nubuilder]

On a very lengthy, hard working and time consuming note, I'm thinking about changing the color of it.

The other day I stopped by a used car lot and they had an orange Colorado sitting there so I copied down the VIN number. Now I should be able to find the paint code for that color!

The decode, from CompNine, came up with this:

PAINT,EXTERIOR,SUNBURST ORANGE MET (85U

I think this will look amazing! I'm gonna keep the flares black/bed lined along with the handles being black so it will look similar to this, but having black/bed lined bumpers too.

This truck will remain de-badged (you're welcome Tobias ) because I love the way it looks as it is (well, minus the dent and miss-matched tailgate).


I know you guys probably will say don't do it, but I think it will be a fun project to under take and I love that color. I'm only going to concentrate on the bed this summer. My goal is to get it all done. If this happens, I'll drive around all winter with a red cab and orange bed.

 

[nubuilder]

I'm continually learning new things about the truck. For instance, I found out that I have an iron front diff. Apparently the 5spd got the iron and the auto got an aluminum one (this is for all 4x4 S10's; not sure on the years though). I also have disc brakes on the rear axle (starting in '98 they did this), there is a factory engine block heater (whether it works is yet to be known), and the flange after the cat on my truck is a 3-bolt flange (they went to a 2-bolt in '00 I think; this will affect aftermarket exhaust options).

I'm learning new things about the truck all the time and I'm having fun.....which is all that matters to me. If I wasn't having fun, I wouldn't be doing this!