i am looking to build a 12 second street car. i would like a nova but they are a little hard to come by and i am on a limited budget. i have a 72 chevelle but i like to keep that as my daily driver. what do you think about a v8 s-10 or a 78-79 malibu? i already have a 350 that i can build up and a powerglide. do you think it would be a good idea?

Either one sounds like a winner to me. Except I would want a tranny with more gears and a locking converter.

Other than dealing with local smog inspections its a great idea. I sure wouldn't try it here in California tho.

i have a 355ci 96 sonoma, and my friend has a 350ci baby blazer.
another friend also has a 351c ranger, and a 308 bronco II.
i say do it. fun little trucks.
my sonoma with the 4.3 weights 3168, and its an extended cab. i will let you guys know what it weights, with the v8. i hear about 3300 or so, for long bed versions.


aaron

Had a couple of V-8 S-10's and they are awesome although I think it would be easier to hook up the malibu. The s-10's do awesome bournots though. Just not a lot of weight on the rear.

LK

I had an '89 S-10 Blazer and once parked next to one with dual exhausts and a cowl hood, so I waited for the owner to come out. It had a 350 which he said bolted right up to the trans, just had some issues with the radiator to figure out. He said he used the same year engine and as long as you hook up all of the smog equipment it should pass. You don't want to use an old carbureted engine if the original had TBI.

Used to have an '84 S-10 short bed reg cab base model with 285 hp 350 in it/TH350 and 3.42 gears. Ran a 13.58 in the 1/4 at 101 mph with a 2.16 60 ft. (had to ease out of the hole due to the 295/50 radials) Truck weighed 2690 without me, 7 gallons of gas, no spare, aluminum wheels, all steel body except the 'glass roll pan, iron headed block with aluminum intake.

FWIW they stopped doing factory carbs in '85. Yes the law states the engine has to be same year or newer than the truck and has to have all applicable smog equipment to be legal. In 1988 the 4.3 came out for the S-10 which helped simplify the ease of the swap.

Aside from the traction issues (which are cured with slicks and slide-a-links) they make good platforms....the earlier models are the lighter ones....wished I still had mine. :( I'm wanting to build one but am having trouble finding a donor truck to work with. (yeah I'm picky)

Check out http://www.jagsthatrun.com/ or http://v8s10.org/forum/ for more great info.

The Malibu would be easier to make a sleeper. They had the same chassis as the Grand National/Monte SS/Cutlass/Grand Prix. You can use diesel front and delta rear coils to support it if needed. There's boxed control arms, as well as a whole host of other perf chassis mods available.

I built a '83 Pontiac Grand Prix (same chassis) with a Cadillac 472 engine in it. Used a TH400 from a GTO, and a MOPAR 8-3/4 rear that was cut to fit a Monte, but guy backed out. It looked pretty snazzy with the MAACO paint job, but no-one suspected a 525-lbs-ft big-block!

The S-10 would be low on traction, but easier to tub. Just hide it under a tonneau cover. Engine swap is almost as easy as anything else, and plenty of swap kits are available. Your best bet for an S-10 would be a short box, standard cab. Least weight up front. There's so many aftermarket body panels for these, as well as interior from the stereo truck craze, it would be easier to make nice looking if conditon on either is not too good.

As said, check inspection laws. I had to prove the age of my engine (casting/bock numbers), and pass a sniff test, but it was not a real big deal. We don't have to worry about it anymore here anyway.