'87 s10

[Steve'87]

Oh what the hell...
My 1987 S10 4x4. A hot rod it aint. Ex-Qwest service truck, it came rock stock with no options other then heavy duty springs and a block heater. It does have a factory AM only radio, wow! I have to say, it's in great shape for a service truck. It's got the "wonderful" 2.8L, 5 spd, 4.11 gears, and factory size 205/75/R15 tires







The improvements I have done, Replaced the steering column with a tilt unit, which also added intermittent wipers, replaced the bench seat with buckets and custom center console, painted the grille and wheels black, added driving lights, added skid plate from a blazer, had an aftermarket stereo, but I took it back out to put in the GMQ. Have another one to put in it. Picket up a set of factory aluminum wheels with a nice set of 235/75/R15 snow tires. Will eventually put a set of all terrains on the aluminums, and the snow tires on the steels. Put a Grant steering wheel on for a little more leg clearance. Got a free canopy for it off craigslist, also picked up a rollbar, but haven't decided if I'll put it on.













It aint fantastic or fast, but it'll get me where I want to go.

[Steve'87]

But this little truck is not DD material for me. I am 6'7" tall, and I have chronic back and neck pain, and driving this truck every day was making it alot worse. So I started looking for another Panther for a DD for 7 - 9 months out of the year when were not buried in snow. People ask me the old worn out question, "How can you afford to drive that car??" Well, it gets 4-7 MPG better then the S10, and has all the creature comforts I could want, and my back and neck pain virtually disappear when I drive it, how could I NOT afford to drive this car?

[Steve'87]

Oh yeah, the size difference between factory 205's, and optional factory size 235's.

I put the bigger snow tires on, and I get better MPGs, go figure.

[Gsmagnum]

I am 6' and fairly heavy. At work, the "loaner" when my work vehicle needs more than an oil change is a regular cab 4wd S-10 V-6 Auto and it is not comfortable to drive in the least. I am surprised that at 6'7 that you aren't hitting your head on the roof.

[Steve'87]

. I am surprised that at 6'7 that you aren't hitting your head on the roof.

I am. There's actually a wear spot forming on the headliner.

[Steve'87]

I am going to look at selling or trading this truck for a full size, probably extended cab 4x4 Chevy or Ford sometime in the future. The S10 just isn't practical for me. And it only gets 16-18MPG's? I might as well have a full size for that.

[BGoins12]

Nice... S10s are some damn reliable little trucks. I had a '97 I sold a while back with 218,000 miles. The 4.3 in it was rock solid.

Oh, and I am uber jealous of your rust free truck. All S10s (and Rangers) around here are rotted to the core.

[Steve'87]

Nice... S10s are some damn reliable little trucks. I had a '97 I sold a while back with 218,000 miles. The 4.3 in it was rock solid.

Oh, and I am uber jealous of your rust free truck. All S10s (and Rangers) around here are rotted to the core.

That they usually are, I frequently see them around here with 200K, 300K, and at least one that I know of that has 400K on it. My Uncle has a '95 4cyl. that has 250K on it, and he's thinking of rebuilding the motor because it doesn't quite have the power it used to. (Not that 4cyl. S10's have much power to begin with...)

And I was very surprised at the condition and miles (118K when I got it) of this truck, for being a service truck.

[Brandon]

Not a bad looking truck. My opinion I like the 2.8 better than the 4.3. The 2.8 has nothing for power but for a dependable long lasting motor I would get the 2.8. Ive seen so many 4.3 that was knocking or ran like shit come into my scrap yard. Ive seen a 2.8 Jimmy that had 260K but needed a timing chain. Not bad. Didnt fix cause it was beat to death.

[Steve'87]

What's funny is the 2.8L in my truck is the "HO" version of the engine. The "lopo" was discontinued after '85.

[Pirate]

But this little truck is not DD material for me. I am 6'7" tall, and I have chronic back and neck pain, and driving this truck every day was making it alot worse. So I started looking for another Panther for a DD for 7 - 9 months out of the year when were not buried in snow. People ask me the old worn out question, "How can you afford to drive that car??" Well, it gets 4-7 MPG better then the S10, and has all the creature comforts I could want, and my back and neck pain virtually disappear when I drive it, how could I NOT afford to drive this car?

I used to own a nice 2000 Ranger 2wd. I ended up selling a perfect-running truck with a 3.0 and ice-cold A/C....simply because I had to drive the thing with my head bent down to see out of the damn windshield. After wondering why my neck was in constant pain for about a month or two, I finally figured out that the truck was the cause....