GRIZZ’s English 2001 S10 Extra Cab 4.3 V6 Truck

[Just call me Sean]

Yeah those tailgate handle surrounds will break if you look at them funny. I broke a new one trying to install it.

[Palf70Step]

Yeah, thosde tailgate handle surrounds are in bulk stock in most auto parts in the states. They doo tend to die out quickly.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Just call me Sean

Yeah those tailgate handle surrounds will break if you look at them funny. I broke a new one trying to install it.

They are a very crappy design.

Weak or compromised from the outset.

Along with the side door handle and some other plastics, were it a VW it would last 50 years without compromise.

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Yeah, thosde tailgate handle surrounds are in bulk stock in most auto parts in the states. They doo tend to die out quickly.

And at $5.00 a pop, someone is making money.

[Grizz1963]

.

So back to phase one of the S10 ownership.

Still on the first cleanup, finding flaws, surprises the good stuff.

After washing the truck, it was onto the wheels, I know they are kinda well past their best by date.

Still good at 5 yards, and the tyres need replacing, despite having loads of life in them.

For illustration, I will post only pics of the drivers side front wheel. It was possibly the worst.

Before washing.



After washing



And after a few hours on the set.

Polished, detailed, done.



Also note, there is a full sized Cragar S/S wheel with like new Kumho tyre.

Needs to be washed, polished, detailed.



Can you say Hovercraft?

Truck on blocks



Front view of the UFO



Working in the cold is kinda less fun than summer, but getting my hands on this truck and getting to know it, seeing flaws, possible issues to address in future, priceless.



Coffee time.

.

[Grizz1963]

author="@joem83"


https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...code=undefined[/quote]


As for the Facebook offering of AC Schnitzer 18” wheels.......... they are scruffy and need some work and seem to have been refurbished before, looking at the chipped paint and some nasty kerbing rash.

Probable needs at least two new tyres.

I would fit them yesterday


Pity they are in Wakefield, at 180 miles that is some distance to get them down here to Kent at the price.

[Grizz1963]

More about getting to know the S10

On Sunday I spent another couple of hours getting even deeper into the grooves, under rubber seals, and behind stuff, lifting, probing, brushing and washing the whole truck again.

This was quite interesting as I found so much more grime, moss, green mould to remove.



After the wheels and going over the whole truck a second time, it was on to the tonneau cover.

It looked good as it was.



But using the Auto Glym product to revive and feed the vinyl gave decent results.

Midway through polishing and buffing.



Job done.



And nicely showing the result the next morning.



After all this I reversed down the drive in order to get the Galaxy in for a quick wheel wash as it was parked over the road in some mud.

So a few cleaned up pics.

Front end, obviously.







This is possibly my favourite angle or view of the truck.



Lastly, went food shopping yesterday, and stopped at the independent locksmiths en-route to have a spare key cut for the truck.

Ouch...... £14.50 which I think is steep, but needed to just get on with it, as it is a brand specific blank, and driving around to find a saving on that, costs money too.

These guys know me well though as they have cut spare keys for all my American vehicles.

Never understand why people lose keys, especially spare keys, surely you store them in a safe place.




Need to start marketing the wheels and tyres and finding replacements.

.

[Grizz1963]

So after a few days of serious rain, cold and wind, today dawned with rain.

Eventually by 10.30 I managed to get out and start on cleaning up the load bed of the truck, as well as the spare wheel.



The tyres tread, like new.



Once I got going, the info exposed showed these are ream American made wheels.



Cleaned up nicely

Rear end.



Still bloody cold out at 3’C but no rain or wind at this point.



And done.



Coffee, followed by getting onto the external plastics, using Auto Glym products, opinions will differ, progress continued.

Bumper before.



After



Front end, sorry for the sun glare.



Discovered another added extra, the chrome grille inserts are also non standard. More value? Maybe.



And after cleaning and polishing the interior plastics, I was really happy.

Suicide door?

Only one.



Last job for the day was to get back to the carport and garge.

Been a few days of not getting down there.

Managed to do a load of little connected jobs, including packing some stuff in some of the cabinets after sorting the shelves and identifying the load of keys.



More packing and sorting down there tomorrow.

.

[Grizz1963]

What have I bought? Rixtrix reckons I may have lucked out a bit on spec sheet.

Feedback so far..........

G80 and ZQ8 are posi track rear and sport suspension
G80 is the LSD, nice.
ZQ8 is a code and a trim package, so your truck is a ‘ZQ8’
They had a factory lowering kit, around 2in or so, springs and leafs. A tighter steering box and some other nice things. The Xtremes got the same setup but got a body kit and some badges.
This is kind of an aside since you're curious about rpo codes, but the guys who have the super sport S10’s look for the B4U code. SS trucks were the first to receive the ZQ8 suspension in 96 until they stopped the SS in 98. The ZQ8 then became its own trim package so to speak
That is the rear end. I think the codes that start with G are the gears for the rear. Not 100% but I think that's what it means. And G80 is a locking or semi locking rear end if I remember right.

More

GU6 = 3.42 gears
G80 = POSI limited slip
L35 = v6 4.3l vortec
M30 = 4spd overdrive transmission
ZQ8 = Sports suspension package


Thanks for the help.




YES..........


I know it is a repeat quote.


Just found this information, further to what we know.


Seems the S10 fans out there call this a ZQ8 truck.



Chevrolet S-10 and GMC Sonoma

The ZQ8 option suspension package comes standard on the 1999-2003 S-10 Xtreme and 1996-1998 S-10 SS models, but was also available as a sports package on either the S-10 or GMC Sonoma. The package included a total lowered ride height of approximately 2" over stock (1.5" from suspension, ~0.5" from shorter tire diameter), thicker front sway bar (33mm), rear sway bar (23mm), quicker ratio (12:1) steering box, upgraded Decarbon or Bilstein gas shock absorbers, and a frame brace. Some ZQ8 models were also equipped with a frame to axle "anti-hop" shock.
The lowered stance was achieved using front coils with a different spring rate, and a 3-leaf rear spring pack.
Wheels and tires were also upgraded to 16" x 8" cast aluminum rim with 235/55/16 Goodyear Eagle GA tires. The Xtreme package used a different style rim than a standard truck equipped with the ZQ8 option. There are 2 versions of "ZQ8" wheels - 1996-2000 (also standard on 1996-1998 SS trucks), similar in design to 3rd generation Camaro wheels, and 2001-2003 (also used on Blazer Xtremes from 2004-2005), which bear a resemblance to an IROC Z28 wheel. Another variation among different models was in the center caps. S-10s and Sonomas used a grey center cap with the exception of the 2002-2003 S-10s, which featured a chrome center cap.

[roboticjunky]

I forgot when I hear ZQ8 wheels. I think of this one, which was probably the original wheel for your truck.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by roboticjunky

I forgot when I hear ZQ8 wheels. I think of this one, which was probably the original wheel for your truck.

And that is really nice.

If I could find a full set here, sensibly priced, I would have them on the truck.

I like 5/6/7 spoke wheels.

Simple, plain, easy to keep clean.


Have a video of an S10 in the snow.

[quote author="@joem83" source="/post/2651747/thread" timestamp="1610054322"]Well, as it's snowing up here (oop North)
Have a S10 in snow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIQ7Xs0LvKw
[/quote]

[Grizz1963]

Some more useless information......

Whenever I buy cars one of the first things I do is to check the MOT status, followed by the MOT history.

When the S10 (as yet unnamed) came up for sale, and ticked all the boxes, with the added bonus of being an extremely low mileage example, I was intrigued.

So on getting the registration number from the advertiser, as it was actually blanked out, I got straight online to check the history.

Below is its whole life, laid out in MOT tests, and confirming mileage.

To be honest, on inspection things like the gas and brake pedals show almost no wear, upholstery is complete, intact, clean as are floor carpeting, dash and interior.
The underside, shown before, again shows not much more than a few surface rust stains, possibly indicating a cosseted life and dry storage when not in use.


Some years there was not even a MOT test done and the mileage between tests was limited to 100’s and 2013 to 2015 it did 78 miles.


Looking at advisories, and reasons for Failing the test, most were either based around being an Import or small things like a fog lamp not working, tyres rubbing the chassis (lowering possibly to blame?)

Reading needs to be done bottom up, to get chronology right.










Had an interesting observation from a Facebook group about the door handles on my truck, Chrome vs most in black plastic.

Did a previous owner have=ve a chrome and bling thing going?

No idea, but happy to benefit from it.

So yesterday I refitted the rubber mats I got from mate Ricky for the Blazer

I like that a lot. Functional Rubber.



I also remembered to take a pic of this little switch on the side of the dash, marked fuse box.

Anyone got any idea what it could be for, before I flip it and destroy something?



Chilly outside the last week or two.



Anyway, I carried on sorting the carport storage out, three areas created to empty the storage caravan into.

1966 Chevy C10 stuff
Rezin Rockit stuff
Italjet 50cc scooter stuff.
Miscellaneous stuff.

Like steering wheels and columns



Rediscovered the rubber mat from the C10 on the caravan floor.

Going to cut and trim this to fit in the rear of the S10 to aid protection.



Eventually called it a day at some point when light started to fail.

Few more bits to unpack and identify today.

Caravan found a new home within 5 minutes of offering it to mate Darren, as another ,ate, Ross is restoring a Bedford CF Camper that needs stuff like refrigerator and Porta-Potty.





Last day of vacation today, got stuff done, just not as much as I would have liked to, due to really miserable weather.


.

[Grizz1963]

.

School of YouTube


I will be changing the yellow indicator lenses for clear as soon as I can get hold of a pair.

Amazon is out of stock currently.

Looking at the front end of the truck it was not immediately apparent how to remove the lights

So following the masters advice ( @pauly ) I headed for YouTube to see how to do it.

https://youtu.be/x1Eyr_UVktA


I do love technology at times, makes life. Lot easier.


.

[Grizz1963]

Time for a laugh......

I sold this Ford Galaxy MPV to make room for the truck.

This was just one of many dipchits trying it on when I sold the Galaxy.

Worth a laugh, or if it was you....... 🖕

[Grizz1963]

Got a parcel this week from “Doc” on UKGSER with another ally lampshade and some other switches and this wall mount handle.......

I think that with a bit of editing, it would work nicely on the front bumper, just to butch it up a bit.

Yes, I am cutting the tow ball tab off on the underside.



.Thanks Doc.

[Palf70Step]

You ever get brave enough to flip the toggle on the fuse box cover?

Seems to light for a kill switch.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

You ever get brave enough to flip the toggle on the fuse box cover?

Seems to light for a kill switch.

Hell yeahhhh..... I am an African after all.


Actually went out in the dark last night to see if it controlled any lights, like rear facing fog light, under dash or even under floor neons etc.

It works......


Flicked it and all the dash lights and gauges died. Including the mileage records and gearshift (auto) indicator.

But the motor started...... weird.

The micro switch has two positions.

So maybe it is an immobiliser that somehow turns off the truck after a few meters, despite starting.

[Grizz1963]

Well......

What a way to end your week.



This was in America, not the U.K.

Absolutely sucks

[Grizz1963]

And so the carport has almost come to completion.

Stuff like the lighting still needs to be done, but it is a dry working space.

Also unpacked the storage caravan and moved all the stuff into the cabinets, and got rid of some stuff.

Next trick getting the caravan ready for collection included this.

Zero miles, but a lifetime out in the elements.





Ultimately resulting in this.

Space.






At the point where I walked away from this in the late afternoon chill, I felt really pleased with the result.

It has exceeded all my expectations.

.

[Just call me Sean]

When you flip the switch and the gauges die, does it record mileage as you drive?

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Just call me Sean

When you flip the switch and the gauges die, does it record mileage as you drive?

I did not want to drive into the street, in case the truck died 10 yards down the road. I live rurally and people drive crazy down here.

And it is freezing here at the moment, I did not want to push it about if it died.

To answer your question, the mile-0-meter turns off too, so one assumes it does not record.

[Grizz1963]

So...


Good news.


Whatcha think gang?






.

[Grizz1963]

So back to the white truck posted earlier.

It seems to be an American spec model Extreme.

Side repeaters on mine, are not on it.

It is also the donor of the clear lenses I have wanted from day one.

And yes, clear side repeaters may be a problem, it’s a European thing and the conversion kits are made for the American market.

So the solution will be to find a set of clear side repeaters from something European that will fit the hole.

Challenge? Yes, possibly.


.

I have bought the clear indicator lenses off the owner who is going with smoked front lights and lenses.

£25.00 included postage which sounded like a sweet deal to me vs finding and importing a set from the USA, getting posted tomorrow so hopefully fitted by next weekend.

The one has a small scratch that I will tackle with a bit of rubbing compound to clear off.





Pretty chuffed today.

[Grizz1963]

Needs clear side repeaters not orange though.

[quote author="@zeberdee" source="/post/2652217/thread" timestamp="1610290715"]Hard to tell from your pics , but the side repeaters look like they could be ford ?
MK3 Escort , MK4 Transit kind of era ??

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/322533049013[/quote]


Spot on.


I Think.....


30mm base



Hole drilled is about 20mm to maybe 22mm to let fitting through.




I th9nk it is very muchm80’s Ford.

Need to find a pair of replacements.

Ideally oval items.

[Just call me Sean]

It just seems to me that someone put in the switch to keep the mileage from being recorded.

Don't Volkswagens have oval side marker lights? Like the Jetta?

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Just call me Sean

It just seems to me that someone put in the switch to keep the mileage from being recorded.

Don't Volkswagens have oval side marker lights? Like the Jetta?

Not done a road test to see if it changes if you drive a few miles with it.

Will test it sometime out on the road.




Went out early to just check the fittings as there are so many different types and tabs.



Opened one to see what the bulb looked like.



Then ordered a set of “London Taxi” side repeater lenses.
I will have to edit or trim the fitting tabs though to ensure a flush fit
(They are Ford Transit items)



Back to work today.....

Hmmmmmm....