As of March 2007 we traded the truck for a new FJ Cruiser.

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03/27/05: The discussion on what to fix first has begun. After hashing out different ideas it's come down to replacing the stock muffler and tires on our Chevy S-10 pickup. We are going to have it replaced with a 2.5 inlet and dual 2 inch outlet muffler. Both exits will sweep to the passenger side and have side by side tips. Possible mufflers to use: FLO9425502, FLO525552, BOR40348, and MAG14218.

04/02/05: We took a leftover Flowmaster and welded it up today. We cut out the stock exhaust about 6 inches forward and put the new muffer in it's place. The original hanger location is near center of the new muffler. No tips added yet. We are thinking of dumping them out to the side just in front of the passenger rear tire. Here are other muffler options you can use on your Chevy S-10: FLO9425502, FLO8425502, FLO9425402, FLO8425402, MAG14218, FLO942540, FLO942550, MAG14316, MAG14576, and MAG14616

We did a dyno run before and after. Starting with a stock HP of 147.4 and Torque 202.4. The gain of the muffler was 10.4 HP (new HP 157.8). We weren't able to get a torque read on 2nd run, as the dyno was acting up. If we do the math the gain was 1.07% over stock on the HP, so the new torque should be around 216.6?

04/09/05: The brakes have been soft due to a loose line just under the master cylinder. Tightened that up. Brakes still need the lines bled to get rid of air bubbles, but the brakes are better now. We also fixed the headlight on the passengers side. It had been pointing up quite a bit, due to it being out of it's bracket holes on the bottom. Battery tray was loose, so it was fixed at the same time. We added a Varad LED bulb to the dome light part # VARAL211LPRE.

We also added a Airaid throttlebody spacer. Part # ARD200580, which was a fairly easy install. Just don't put the short stud replacement in the front like we did. Had to pull everything back apart to get it out. It goes in the back position. The replacement studs are finger tightened then the nuts added. When you tighten down the nuts the studs will do the same.

05/06/05: The brakes have still been soft. Turns out it was the proportioning valve that was bad. Once that was replace the brakes work great. We've also been checking the gas mileage and on average it gets 16 mpg to 17 mpg.

05/18/05: The new plates are in. It's an X-Wing now.

08/17/05: We were playing with the Spectre SPT8810 custom air intake kit today. We came up with the following parts that should be used to do an air intake for our Chevy S-10 4.3L: SPT9132, SPT8705, SPT8738, SPT8668, SPT8728, SPT8772 (3), SPT8718, SPT8701.

08/19/05: We got the parts in and put it together tonight. We used part #'s: SPT9132 (P3 Cone Filter), SPT8668 (60 elbow), SPT8728 (22 elbow), SPT8701 (Universal Bracket Kit), SPT8738 (45 Elbow), SPT8718 (6" Straight), and SPT8772 (Intake Hose Couplers x3). Turns out we didn't need SPT8772 (Air Sensor Mount), as it didn't have the right hole or adapter for the sensor. Probably should have used part SPT8711 (Vacuum/Sensor Adapter Kit) to help. We are going to tap one of the pipes and add a rubber grommet to the pipe then plug in the sensor. We forgot part SPT8703 (T Bolt Clamp) to help secure the pipe and forgot to get SPT8704 (Gear Drive Clamps x3) to clamp the silcon hose.

It was a miracle to get the silcon hose adapters on the MAF sensor. WD40 helps, but don't get it on the sensors inside. Also, do not drop, bang or damage the MAF in anyway, because it ain't cheap to replace. The silcon hose we used are actually Injen leftovers we had and aren't as flexable as the correct hoses. We need to use the Gear Drive clamps to better secure all of it together. Also, each piece comes with a coupler, so you don't need to purchase them seperate.

It came out a little long. Instead of a SPT8718 we should have used a SPT8708. Right now it's buried down at the bottom of the space available.

It works, but the check engine light did come on. We haven't secured the piping yet with the bracket. We believe that the check engine light came on due the sensor not being in place. Makes a great "Phoop" sucking noise like from a turbo car. Definitly took the hesitation out of the engine.

If you have the option of a kit made by K&N or another company for your vehicle, then we would recommend it, but if there isn't one on the market for your car or if you want to create a custom kit then the Spectre system is really a great choice!

08/24/05: We've had some troubles over the last few days. Mainly due to our own short sightness. The upper left hose going into the black plastic duct kept coming out. The truck would stall. After alot of researching only Vibrant part # VIB2774R would work. It took a couple of days to get one in and slapped it on today. Big difference.

The day before we took some time and put in the air intake bracket kit SPT8701. Also, went ahead and pulled out the SPT8738 45 degree elbow, which made the whole thing fit better. We tapped one of the pipes and added a rubber grommet to fit the O2 sensor. Final pictures of our custom air intake for our Chevy S-10 pickup truck below.

08/24/05: We've had some troubles over the last few days. Mainly due to our own short sightness. The upper left hose going into the black plastic duct kept coming out. The truck would stall. After alot of researching only Vibrant part # VIB2774R would work. It took a couple of days to get one in and slapped it on today. Big difference.

The day before we took some time and put in the air intake bracket kit SPT8701. Also, went ahead and pulled out the SPT8738 45 degree elbow, which made the whole thing fit better. We tapped one of the pipes and added a rubber grommet to fit the O2 sensor. Final pictures of our custom air intake for our Chevy S-10 pickup truck below.

09/01/05: Been checking our gas mileage on the Chevy S-10 like I'm sure everyone has been. We are averaging 15 to 17 mpg in the city/highway combined. We just got from a trip with the intake installed and averaged 21.5 mpg. Average speed around 75mph to 80mph.

11/16/05: Finally got around to replacing the stock radio, the unit had a messed up display. Stuck in a old Panasonic CD deck and MTX amp that we had laying around. Used the following parts to install it all: METPBT4N, FUSFAK4, MET992003, MET702003, MET40GM10. We've got an old box which won't fit, so the two 10" Kenwoods will have to wait till we find something that will fit. We also replaced the crappy battery with an Optima Red Top Battery OPT9022091.

11/25/05: Ok, I like the stock S10 Xtreme wheels. I hadn't planned on replacing them, but hey! We sell wheels and tires. Also, we had a two new BFGoodrich g-force KDW NT 295/35ZR18's that a customer swapped for 275/35ZR18's for his widebody Corvette.

Two tires that are the perfect diameter for the rear of the S10. Would they fit? We had to find some wheels that would work for the width. It took some time, as the bolt pattern, size and offset are not common with wheel makers. Most wheels that would work are for the older Camaro/Firebirds that are pre-1992. Rarely are they made over a 16" size. Wheels that fit the newer Camaro/Firebird's are the wrong offset at an average of +40mm. Bolt pattern for an S10 is 5x4.75 inches or 5x120.5 millimeters.

The wheels we decided to use on our Chevy S10 Xtreme are 18x8.5 American Racing Hype chrome wheels with a +10mm offset, which is about a 5 3/16 backspacing. We decided to use these, but had to test fit them with the tires mounted to make sure of clearances. The 295 tires require a 9.0 inch minimum wheel, but we did squeeze them on to the 8.5 width. Talk about a fat tire look!

Next was if they would clear everything. They do except for two screws that hold the gas tank in place. They come through the frame and had to be trimmed down to make sure they didn't contact the tire. See the pictures below. Bolts circled in yellow had to be trimmed.

Our final was the 18x8.5 American Racing Hype wheels, with a 245/40ZR18 on the front and a 295/35ZR18 on the rear. The 245's are some leftover Kumho Ecsta Supra 712's taken from the project GTI for the front. The rear's are the BF Goodrich g-Force KDW NT 295's. The result .... awesome!

01/14/06: We took an old Hidden Hitch # HIH82571 we had for an S10 and put it into place today. Had to remove the rollpan so to really be able to beat and bang it into place. If you scrub the outer frame rails first it can help, in that you don't have a bunch of road crud falling into your eyes. Be sure to wear safety glasses. We'll cut the hole later and install a plate flip.

For more about our Xtreme Shop Truck please go to SFX Performance.