[flyboy367]

so does anyone actually ust thier s-10 for offroading? not that i have anything against the lowered ones, but its just not for me. my wife has a 2001 4.3 blazer and im looking for a 4.3 5-speed. she just wants a little lift and some bigger tires, i want to go suspention kit and whatnot to beat the snot out of it offroad for mine. any pics? parts? places to get them in NJ or online besides summit, jegs, jcwhitney?

 

[MuddyS10]

yep. i used to have a ZR2 that i would take thru ANYTHING. the avatar is a pic taken after some mud. i wouldnt waste money on an IFS suspension lift, but a SAS doesnt really equate with small lifts. maybe a 2" BL on her Blazer, and some 30x9.5" tires, and do a D30 SFA swap on whatever truck you find.

 

[02bluezr2]

I take mine off roading some times.

 

[2003zr2]

i also offroad quite a bit

 

[flyboy367]

i am going to do some engine work to mine when i get it, cold air kit(snorkle type) tb spacer, larger tb. wrap the manifolds, pully kit. exhaust system. she uses hers for real estate so im not gonna go overboard with hers. i think 5" is the legal height for lifts in NJ to be under tilt inspections. so im looking to go 3-5" but enough to fully drive everyday and really beat when it comes to fun time.

 

[MuddyS10]

you'll have to build your own snorkle, as far as i know there is not one commercially made for S-10;s. as far as engine mods, a larger TB, and the TB spacer is simply a waste of money. invest it in an exhaust system, to allow the engine to exhale (a better intake doesnt do any good if the exhaust wont leave faster). you can get IFS lifts, but what i really dislike is the overall weakness of IFS, and the fast that you still have the t-bars on there.

 

[flyboy367]

i found a site not to long ago when i was looking at jeep stuff. they manufature for all makes. ill have to try and find it again to post it here. considering i live in NJ and the best i can really get it is the pinebarrens or snow, should i just go body and get better shocks and tires?im planning on welding up a nice exhaust system once i get the truck, and leave the manifolds just wrap them good. the tb and spacer should help after that. what other mods are out there and relitivly cheap to boost hp? and please dont say turbo, n2o, or supercharger. these arent an option on this truck. maybe the next one.

 

[MuddyS10]

for snow and stuff like that, id get a 3" BL and some good snow tires. wrapping the stock manifolds ive heard isnt a good thing to do, as it tends to cause them to rust out and warp, due to the excessive amount of heat. the TB and TB spacer have been PROVEN to not help at all, but its your money. you could get a HPP3 or a JET chip, get the heads ported and polished and have larger vavles matched, change the cam, and get a shift kit (if you buy an auto) or an aftermarket clutch kit for a 5-speed. simply put, the TB on 4.3L engines is more than sufficient for N/A designs, and the TB spacer only works with true carb'd engines.

 

[flyboy367]

oh ok, i get ya now about the spacer. yea the chip sounds like a good idea. the port and polish will have to hold cause it will be my daily driver. as for wrapping the manifolds, if you do it right they will increase performance and never rust out. you have to clean them well then wrap real tight. do they make headers for the 4.3? i might do that and wrap them instead of just wrappin, and maybe porting the manifolds. nothing that i couldnt get done in a day since i have to go to my parents house to work (where my tools are) they dont allow it in my apartment complex.

 

[MuddyS10]

oh yeah, Edelbrock and JBA both make headers. Ive never heard anything bad about the JBA's, but you have to get the Edelbrocks ceramic coated to keep the from rusting. you could also get roller rockers, which will allow the engine to rev more freely, and in conjunction with the pulleys, that would be a pretty free revving engine.

 

[flyboy367]

that sounds good. now i just got to sell my car and find a blazer with a 4.3 and a 5-speed. anyone else with some good offroad ideas let me know

 

[basalt51]

Thought you guys might enjoy these. He is stock with the posi in the rear and kept up just fine. Other than backing in that ditch he only got stuck once going up hill in the deepest snow we found:

 

[bob393]

Pretty much only use it off road. Works fine. Lousy tires got me stuck in the mud a couple of times. Now that they are replaced it's much better. I think the light weight of the 4cyl, 5sp really helps keep it together.

 

[schlock]

http://community.webshots.com/album/71153524dGYUDL

 

[SWTexasBLAZER]

basalt51.....know this is a s10 forum, but your XJ is pretty sweet. i am about to take my g/f's mom's XJ off her hands and build a fourlink for the rear and customize the front 4 link, and lots of other goodies..including probably a 9" in the rear and a D44 up front. oh yeah and thinking about just putting the engine from my 97 s-blazer in it. may just go ahead and put something bigger in it.

 

[Blazin94_4X4]

I take mine wheelin all the time. I ordered the trailmaster 5" lift for mine which I'm picking up today.

 

[Geoff03]

why would i ever do that kinda of thing to my poor little truck.
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And obviously that was when it was stock height.

 

[Rock'n S-10]

Yea, it amazing how quickly you can go from this

To this

 

[adam728]

basalt51.....know this is a s10 forum, but your XJ is pretty sweet. i am about to take my g/f's mom's XJ off her hands and build a fourlink for the rear and customize the front 4 link, and lots of other goodies..including probably a 9" in the rear and a D44 up front. oh yeah and thinking about just putting the engine from my 97 s-blazer in it. may just go ahead and put something bigger in it.

Using available lift kits is MUCH easier on an XJ. Since they are unibody you have to know what you are doing when building new mounts and all that. Do it wrong and they WILL rip off! I've seen it.

 

[MuddyS10]

after a bit of mud....it was a hell of a lot dirtier the next day, but it uh......got washed before i could get pics.