1986 chevy s-10 blazer
 

I KNOW its not a bonnie but
i am looking to buy a 86 s-10 blazer has been sitting in the guys yard for a few years. new $1,000 tranny, rebuilt engine. he bought it for his son but his son is on medication and cant drive.
Problems: realy realy rough idle, it stalls out a lot. when you press the gas and let off you hear this low muffled rattle. also he said rear break cyliner leaks. theres a bunch of body rot, and the interioir needs a heck of a lot of duck tape. so my question is how much would you pay for this? I got him down to 225. wondering if its worth it considering how much it will cost to get running (any ball park figures?)
thanks JVV
i know its cheap and a pos but its all i can afford i need a car to get to school and work

How much? I i would ask like $200 for it. It needs some pretty detailed work.

how much do you figure it would cost to fix up? make run smooth, brake cylinder?

Is that carbed or TBI? I can't remember.

Gutless 2.8 TBI

don't plan on towing anything with it, the old 2.8 just didn't have it
they run good tho..

mine had 411's from the factory :twisted:

I'm guessing 86 is before the 4.3L?

yes sir

good motor just under powerd

Re: 1986 chevy s-10 blazer
 

Ok, all roads lead to vac systems on these motors. Vac leaks would explain both the brake problem and the rough idle. If the rear brakes are leaking fluid, then they probably need replaced too.

Fortunately, most of this relatively easy to fix...just need a lot of rubber vac tubing, check valve on the body vac and reserve tank, and probably a check valve on the brake booster too. Brake cylinders are easy to replace on the 10-bolt drum axle...messy, but hey, cheap to work on.

It is also possible that the "rebuilt" transmission isn't right. If the rough idle only happens when the automatic transmission is in gear, then you may have a problem with the torque converter or pump on the THM700R4. (Disregard if it's a manual transmission)

The S10 is an easy chassis to work on and if the frame is straight and not rusted out, it's worth about $200/250. It will be cheap to insure too.

Upgrades: Find a wrecked 1993 or 1994 F-Body V6. It's the 3.4L 60degree V6 and it's long block is a direct replacement for the 2.8L/3.1L 60 degree V6. Next step down would be the 3.1L from a late 3rd gen V6. The "I Gotta Have Power" option is a 305/350 V8..which in carb or TBI trim is pretty cheap to come by (but you'll need the transmission, conversion motor & tranny mounts, and electric fans on the radiator...all pretty easy to come by)

Replacement bodywork is also pretty easy to get.

So, if you don't mind getting dirty on the weekends, a beat up S10 isn't a bad choice.

Initial guestimate...$100 to $200 to fix the major problems and get it road worthy. Everything else is a "do it as you can, when you can" kinda thing

Re: 1986 chevy s-10 blazer
 

And I would suggest against the 305. The minimal power increase is not worth the gas it uses.

Re: 1986 chevy s-10 blazer
 

On a tight budget, sometimes you take what you can get. A 305 with a better cam and induction added later is not a bad combination. Easy to come by and capable of out powering the 2.8L V6. Finding a 350 TBI from a Chevy C/K is a nice find...nice displacement, pleny of power in stock trim, usually found with an oil cooler already on the block, and in most cases at a really cheap price...Vette and F-Body 350's command the highest prices at salvage yards, where-as the common variety V8's are more plentifull and cheaper. People just fixate I guess.