What happened to all the S10's

[bucket]

Only 2000ish Cameos made and 800 Sonoma GT's. Very hard to find.

Yep. The last SGT that I actually saw in person was about 15 years ago. It was wrecked and the guy was parting it out. I bought the entire interior and also the front sway bar.

 

[SirRobyn0]

I bought one once with a bad engine, an '86. It had spun bearings and a broken crank BUT, it's because the PO had jacked the car up by the oil pan to do an oil change and the pan was flat up against the oil pickup. But other than that one, I've had no troubles with them. This style:

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...is the Gen 1 type with iron heads. Used in '85-'86 in the front drive cars, Fiero through '88 and also the F-body through '89.

The front drive cars got the aluminum headed Gen 2 starting in '87. Yes, there were some injector reliability issues, but it was no different than ANY mpfi GM engine of the era.

Besides, the Chevy small block and big block, they are my favorite engine family. I've had a bunch, serviced a bunch and I love them.

Oh, don't forget there was a high output version of the 2.8L as well, I know the Fierro got that version. Not sure if it was avaible in anything else. It's been long enough I just don't remember, those red valve covers made me think about it.

 

[bucket]

Oh, don't forget there was a high output version of the 2.8L as well, I know the Fierro got that version. Not sure if it was avaible in anything else. It's been long enough I just don't remember, those red valve covers made me think about it.

Yes, the HO 2.8 first came in the Citation X11 and then was available in the Celebrity as well in '83 or '84. The 2.8 HO was the basis for the '85-up mpfi version. Iirc, they are identical to the last detail, other than the induction setup.

 

[RecklessWOT]

I was thinking about this the other day actually. Used to be everywhere but now I rarely ever see them.

Not only did a lot of them rust away to nothing or just plain get beat to death, they were also cheaper trucks so as they got older people didn't think of putting money into them and keeping them around. Not as sturdy or useful as a full size truck, basically people just used them up and threw them out.

Even me, I've owned 3 of them and I know for a fact that two went to the junkyard and can only imagine the third must have ended up there too (I sent the '92 S10 Blazer sport there myself and my friend I sold the '03 ZX2 Blazer to eventually stripped it and scrapped it when he destroyed it enough that he was done with it, and it was probably only 10 years old at that point), and the '01 2wd S10 pickup couldn't have lasted more than a few months/ couple years max after I sold it but have no way to be certain. Same thing, it was 7 or 8 years old when I sold it and it was just a turd, the amount of money it would've taken to make it worth keeping on the road was more than what anyone valued them at. It wasn't some cool classic truck that people wanted to fix up and hold onto because it wasn't even that old. People just figured junk was junk and tossed it out when it was all used up.

They were all pretty neat trucks, all had the 4.3, I kinda miss them all but at the same time do not really miss them one bit. There was nothing really remarkable about them, they rattled a lot and felt cheap even when only a few years old and under 100k. They weren't BAD trucks, but weren't really great either. They were just one of those "Ehh" vehicles. Same reason we don't see a ton of Chevy Luminas or similar cars on the road anymore

 

[dustyb0]

I had an s10 pu, an s10 blazer and a s15 jimmy in the 90s. Plastic crap kept breaking off in the cabs. Fuel pumps in the tanks. Computers went bad. I was a hard-core chevy guy before those.

 

[Bennyt]

I had a '95 S10 Extended Cab that I bought new and spent all my money on when I was a teenager. It was a one-off truck as it had the CPI 4.3 w/ 5speed, some of the ZQ8 suspension like rear swaybar, and kicker shock, adjustable lumbar seats, but radio delete and manual windows. With CPI injection and a 5speed, which made 190hp, added the Astro Van exhaust manifolds for another 10hp, made a a custom Y-pipe, a custom cold air intake, and an Edelbrock Cat Back which brought it up to over 200 at the rear wheels which was pretty good. It was pretty equal to the 454 SS trucks in drag races and ran a mid 14 at LACR if i recall accurately. Somewhere I have the timeslips. All the custom sheetmetal and paint was done by Scott Carpenter. He did a lot of Hot Rod magazine cars back then. He painted Freiburgers F-Bomb.

I did a ton of suspension mods with modified control arms, watts link rear 9" and it handled incredibly well and road raced it at Buttonwillow and Willow Springs streets track and many nights on Mulholland.

It was a fun and fast truck that got me into trouble more than a few times. I sold it in '97 or '98 but always wondered what happened to it.

 

[Camar068]

isn't the S-10 frame highly sought after for various conversions? When I see one for sell these days that's the first thing that comes to mind...and they normally sell quick as well.

 

[idahovette]

Got a 91 long wheel base rolling frame with a straight cab and front clip with a good running 2.5, 5 speed, new clutch, for sale. It is a definite project, no bed but almost all the rest of it is there. Some assembly required........ make offer???......please??!!

 

[SirRobyn0]

Yes, the HO 2.8 first came in the Citation X11 and then was available in the Celebrity as well in '83 or '84. The 2.8 HO was the basis for the '85-up mpfi version. Iirc, they are identical to the last detail, other than the induction setup.

I had forgotten about it becoming the mpfi. I did think in my head that it was first in the Citation but was not sure enough to post it lol. We had a mid-80's S-10 in the shop the other day. (Keep in mind I manage the shop and the only times I turn a wrench anymore are on the old rigs or if the guys get over whelmed) Well being it was a 85 it was older enough for me to take it. Was hoping it would have the 2.8 but no it had the 2.5 4 cyl. Not that I have anything against the 2.5, I just was hoping for a 2.8. The last 2.8 I can remember working on was a Fierro. I worked briefly at an independent tire shop after I left Firestone, but before I went to work for Goodyear..... So probably nearly 20 years ago.

 

[Dooley]

A few years ago my immediate family had 7 at one time., Wife, two adult children, and me.
1991, 92, 93, 95, 96, 98, and 2000.
We had owned other years since 1985.
The Teal 95 had the CPI engine.
While we no longer own any of these I still have a S15 Jimmy and a 02 S10 Blazer for a run through the woods/briars berry picking vehicle.

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[bucket]

A few years ago my immediate family had 7 at one time., Wife, two adult children, and me.
1991, 92, 93, 95, 96, 98, and 2000.
We had owned other years since 1985.
The Teal 95 had the CPI engine.
While we no longer own any of these I still have a S15 Jimmy and a 02 S10 Blazer for a run through the woods/briars berry picking vehicle.

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Posts like this make me feel more normal.

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[78C10BigTen]

Posts like this make me feel more normal.

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And to think i was gunna ask if you had a set of iroc wheels...

 

[bucket]

And to think i was gunna ask if you had a set of iroc wheels...

There's probably a dozen sets or so. Had a set on the S10 too.

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[Cuba]

Was thinking earlier, 10 or 15 years ago those little S10 pickups were everywhere, people would 350 swap them all the time. Then it's like they all vanished from the roads and marketplaces and I see 10 square bodies for every S10 now. Did they have a lot of spots to catch road junk and rust out, or what?

I still have 2 here.... 1 being an s10 blazer. The pickup is my DD. 86, with 2.8... I recently had to overhaul the trans. It was such a pleasure to do, since it was all original. Seals just got tired & hard. It's just under 200k on the clock. Blazer is an 89 4.3, my baby. My mobile truck for mostly automotive. Needs a ton of body work sadly, living in the rust belt. Over 300k on the original engine. Was my DD until recently. Had her since 04 I may have to scrap her soon. Just too much rot. Keeping lots of parts from her though.

 

[Cuba]

All this trash talking about the 2.8 v6. Yeah the early ones kinda sucked, but the '85-'89 MPFI (gen 1 and gen 2 both) were damn fine engines.

Mine is still going strong. Just under 200k on the clock. Im not getting it either. Granted, not as strong as the 4.3.... but no complaints. Haven't had to touch anything but maintenance... she's over 35 yrs old!