Might get a new truck ( not an S10 )

[s10camaro_ho]

1985 2wd 1/2 ton 350 th350 short bed custom deluxe



Got a few maintanence and performance questions. I saw it today, but I\'m going to take a good look at it tomorrow. I know it has headers and an edelbrock carb, but that\'s all I know. Suposedly the engine was rebuilt a couple years ago. I popped the hood and there was a small puddle of antifreeze on top of the intake. If the intake is loose or has a bad seal will that cause this? If so I\'d like to just replace the intake with an aftermarket piece. How well do the edelbrock performer air gap increase power? They also have matching cam and lifter sets. I know it\'s a vague question but how much power will the intake and cam give me? If I was going to mod it that might be it for now. Sorry for all the questions. Thanks.

[grimpuppy]

95% of the time you see water on the intake it is from the thermostat housing leaking. Only takes 30 minutes to fix and the gasket is about $1.50.

[s10camaro_ho]

Sorry I should have put this in the off topic section. I went to look at it today. The daughter drives it so I havn\'t gotten to talk to the owner. Body is pretty decent for 20 years old. It was originaly a 4.3. Bare with me on these next question I\'m still new. Are you suposed to be able to see the torque converter and flex plate from the bottom on the tranny. I looked in a summit catalog for pics of tranny\'s, and I can see how that would be normal. The oil deffinatley needs to be changed. It\'s got 10W40 in it right now. It seems kind thick though. The dip stick tube has this peach colored crap in it which is rubbing off on the dip stick. She said she has to add power steering fluid to it sometimes. So what can that mean. A leak or a bad pump? The radiator fluid needs to be flushed the mixture looks off. Kinda watery. The gas pedle is STIFF. Hard to push down...What causes this? MY old blazer was the same way. Aside from that it\'s a pretty decent truck from what I saw. I really need to talk to the owner in person and see what the story is with the engine. Any specifics I should ask. He\'s the one who rebuilt it a couple years ago. I should have got the block number, but I forgot. I think it\'s a non egr if that matters. Sorry for the long non S10 post, but you guys know your stuff.



Oh and ofcourse the gas gauge doesn\'t work, but I\'m used to that http://www.s10v8.com/images/smilies/icon_lol.gif I think it\'ll be a nice college project. It\'s not going to be a daily driver. That\'s for sure.

[Jeffyboy]

I\'ve seen some people run without flexplate covers - my truck, in fact, didn\'t have one. They\'re really cheap - like $20 for a chrome one from JC Whitney. My guess on the power steering fluid is a leak of some sort. I think if the pump would be bad, it\'d turn hard. You might fix the gas pedal stiffness with a new carb return spring attached closer to the carb so it doesn\'t stretch out so bad. I had to do that with my truck, too. Or it could be the throttle cable. Depending on the price, it might be pretty fun. I\'ve got my eye on one of those, too - I don\'t think the one I\'m looking at is for sale, though . . .

[s10camaro_ho]

Okay I\'m glad it\'s normal not to have the flex plate cover. I really need to talk to the owner. From reading the sticker under the hood it used to be a 4.3. The stearing isn\'t hard to turn at all. The gas pedal is pretty stiff. Like pushing a 25lb weight across a carpet. Just like my 89 S10Blazer. If it was the carb would it be hard to give it gas by hand under the hood? Because it\'s not. Would you call this truck a C10, or is that totally different animal? I looked for the block number so I can know what the 350 came out of. I couldn\'t find it. Also it doesn\'t have a fan showd. Is that going to effect how well the colling works.



<font size=1>[ This message was edited by: s10camaro_ho on 2005-05-05 20:43 ]</font>

[hotrodder4life]

if you are seriously considering the truck, there are a number of spots to check closely, i have an 87, and know the trouble spots. check where the power steering box bolts to the frame, make sure it isn\'t cracked, also check where the shocks bolt to the front make sure it isn\'t cracked there also, or broke loose, and where the rear shocks bolt up, also check for cracks, and the 4 wheel drive trucks was bad about cracking in the center and breaking, i have a friend who has had 4 of them do that

[s10camaro_ho]

I looked it over and the frame along with the whole truck is in better shape than my 91 S10. I\'ll deffinatley give those spots my attention when I go to see the owner. Thanks.

[hotrodder4life]

not a problem, i love my 87, i just converted it from tbi injection over to carburater it is a long bed with twin 20 gal tanks, i had to redo mine after i had a shock on the front passenger side pull completely from the frame. my dad has an 84 long bed with a 502 crate motor in it, and a highly modified 700r4 tranny. any time i can answer a question i will be glad to. i have been around motors and hotrods my whole life, and built or helped to build several very odd 1\'s.

[s10camaro_ho]

Hotrodder do you know of any good forums for these trucks? I\'ve been looking a little, and I havn\'t found anything too great. That\'s cool about the 502 700R4 combo. If I buy this truck I\'m going to look into getting a 700R4 to replace the TH350. Maybe that way I can drive other than on sundays. lol

[Jeffyboy]

On 2005-05-05 20:14, s10camaro_ho wrote:

Okay I\'m glad it\'s normal not to have the flex plate cover. I really need to talk to the owner. From reading the sticker under the hood it used to be a 4.3. The stearing isn\'t hard to turn at all. The gas pedal is pretty stiff. Like pushing a 25lb weight across a carpet. Just like my 89 S10Blazer. If it was the carb would it be hard to give it gas by hand under the hood? Because it\'s not. Would you call this truck a C10, or is that totally different animal? I looked for the block number so I can know what the 350 came out of. I couldn\'t find it. Also it doesn\'t have a fan showd. Is that going to effect how well the colling works.



<font size=1>[ This message was edited by: s10camaro_ho on 2005-05-05 20:43 ]</font>



<font size=1>[ This message was edited by: s10camaro_ho on 2005-05-05 20:50 ]</font>





If it was the throttle spring, it\'d be hard to move by hand. It must be somewhere in the cable - something might be bound up. Adding a fan shroud would probably improve your cooling, too. Nevermind the safety factor. Those blades whip around there pretty quickly.

[hotrodder4life]

havn\'t never looked on here for a good site for those trucks, so i couldn\'t recomend any, though i may do a search and see if i can find any tonight. if i find 1 i will let ya know

[s10camaro_ho]

Well I went to see the owner today. He had the wrong answer to every question I had for him. He was deffinatly trying to screw me. I took it for a drive. It was pretty pathetic. Sometihng had to have been wrong. It was very underpowered. My 2.5 5 speed S10 could have beat it in a race. Which is what I drove to this guys house. I guess even the nice looking onces can run like crap. I got back form my test drive and he starts freaking out telling me I was reving the piss out of it. He said he could hear down the street. This this has long tube headers, no cats and glasspacks. Ofcourse your going to to hear it. I looked over my truck to make sure he didn\'t mess with it while I was driving his. I left quietly. Oh well you can\'t win them all. Hopefully the next C10 I find will be better. I appreciate all the answers anyway guys.

[BrandOmatic]

lol.. some people..