at first i they said it had the 4.3. then i popped the hood and found a tiny v6. then looked at the emission sticker and felt so disappointed. but, these trucks move around pretty good with the 4 banger dont they? v6 is only that much better right? anyway, i am just looking for a reliable a2b car right now, tempo is showing its age. want something i can jump cities in without thinking twice <not cross country just yet, just city to city tops.>

I had a 85 Jimmy with the 2.8. I put a set of Edlbrock Headers, a Full Dual Flowmaster exhaust and i rebuilt the carb........ The biggest peice of crap i ever owned!!!! Those 2.8'* have to be the worst engines that GM Evercame up with. The 4.3 is a MUCH better engine. I agree... the trucks are nice, but i must warn you, those engines give you problem aftee problem. I agree with that Small block V8 Swap though.... My Uncles did that to a 95.... THAT THING IS A BEAST!!!!!!!!!!

the 2.8 can definitely be sluggish at times, but if you get a good deal on it, go for it.

V8 swap ftw!

Beyond the rust issues that seem to inhabit pickups, the 2.8L 60-degree V6 is a kinda weak motor, but the truck is kinda light. Milage on the one you are looking at is a bit on the high side.

Know issues with the whole 60-degree V6 family: Oil pump failures and Rod Knock. The 60-degree V6 is an even fire motor with all sorts of odd ofsets in the crank to keeps the firing order of 1 cylinder every 120 degrees of rotation...makes the crank a bit on the weak side.

On the plus side. Motors and parts are plentifull and cheap. The 60 degree V has a long production run and relatively few changes. A good replacement motor is the 1993-1994 3.4L RWD Long Block (Iron Heads) You'll find them in F-Bodies and a few other base model RWD cars. It'* a direct replacement for the 2.8L and 3.1L motors in RWD cars and trucks (GM even sold it in crate form as an upgrade to the 2.8L *-10 motor.) The only identifying features are a grid pattern cast into the exterior of the block to stiffen the water jacket and "3.4L" cast into the block. Avoid all FWD motors..the starter is on the wrong side and the GenII motors have completely different aluminum heads. Dead V6 F-Bodies are your friends for junkyard parts

Induction: 2bbl carb really sucks. TBI sucks too..but not as bad as the carb. MPFI is pretty good for this motor (approx 120hp stock) and can fit all the motors. It has a batch-fire injector system with distributor and a pretty simple ECM. SFI with coil packs is better, but not all the blocks are drilled for the crank and cam position sensors.

Axle: Common GM 10-bolt small ring on leaf springs. Slip a 3 series gearset in it with a limited slip diff and it will run quick and a long time. (3.23 ratio is a good choice for the truck with a 5-speed, it will feel quick and still get good gas milage.)

All-in-all, the *-10 isn't a bad starting point for basic transport with some room to play with it later.

Considering the aftermarket body parts you've already described, I doubt it will ever be used as a truck, so who cares if it has a weak engine? Other than the potential built in problems, it should be fine for a commuter.

yeah, im not going to be using it daily as a truck, but will use it if i need it, which wont be too often. just need reliable transportation. regarding the motor shortcomings, as long as it gets out of its own way, and can pull stuff around when needed <not too often>, i will be happy. just want it to last till i get me some 3.8liter boostage . thanks guys for a fair assesment. when i get money <income tax time>, i will see what i got, and post pics if i want to pursue any further.

I had a 92 s10 2.8/ 5speed. Very durrable! Truck had 220k on the clock when I sold it. Still ran great.

02-14-07_1556.jpg

finally took a picture of it. i cant stop thinking about it.

she said she would take $1250 for it, but that would limit the work she will be doing to it. but its all stuff i could do myself

EXACTLY!

I owned a 88 2.5 4X4 and a 93 4.3 4X4. There'* a reason there'* no 2.8 in there... They were crap. If it'* a 2.8, every day you turn the key and it starts is a good one.

Just my 2 cents. Here me now and believe me later.