The Chevy S 10 Throughout The Years
Living with the utilitarian Chevy S 10 has been a fact of life since its introduction in 1981 as a 1982 model. This compact pickup lasted as the top small truck in Chevy's stable of vehicles for 22 years until it was replaced for 2004 by the Chevy Colorado. Today, there are still countless numbers of the little truck on America's highways and byways.
Classified as a compact pickup truck, the Chevy S 10 also appeared in GMC colors as the S 15. It replaced the Chevrolet LUV, which was nothing more than a rebadged version of the old Isuzu KB. In the early 1970s, owing to the effects of the Arab oil embargo and needing to add some fuel-efficient cars and trucks to the lineup, Chevy began to concentrate on finding ways of doing just such a thing.
The S 10 emerged as a result of that effort, making its debut in 1981 as a 1982 model. What was really great about the S 10 was that it also came as a sport-utility vehicle (SUV), appearing as the S 10 Blazer in 1983. That particular model was a 2-door version, beating Ford to the SUV market and lagging just behind Jeep, though no manufacturer thought to add 4-door models until 1990.
General Motors, the parent company of Chevrolet, has featured a number of compact pickups since 1982, with the SUV versions being around in 2 or 4-door skin for over 25 years. The S 10 itself is a favorite of do-it-yourself mechanics, particularly its early model years, which were relatively easy to work on.
Engines in the Chevy S 10 have been of the 4 cylinder and 6 cylinder variety for as long as it was around. The initial 4 that was offered was a carryover engine from the Luv. Back then, the 84 horses the engine offered was considered fairly good, along with the 101 pounds-feet of torque. Again, for 1982, there was not much complaining from a public used to truly mundane engine performance due to environmental engine controls.
Chevy also offered a 2. 4 liter V6 optional engine from the start and through 1985. It had a 2-barrel carburetor that helped to up engine outpower to 115 horses and added 148 pounds feet of torque to the mix. This gave the little truck a bit more off-the-line power. There was even a diesel engine from '83 to '85, though its 58 horses and 98 pound-feet quickly doomed it to irrelevance.
Over the life of the S 10, Chevy continued to offer both 4 and 6 cylinder plants and also worked to add more horses and more torque as the truck matured. Originally offered with a normally-aspirated fuel-feeder setup, Chevy eventually tossed the carburetor for variants of a fuel injection system, including sequential port, multi-port and throttle body set-ups. The Chevy S 10 also featured 3 and 4-speed trannies in the first generation (up through '93) and even a Borg Warner manual in 5-speed dress.
The second-generation S 10 that ran from 1994 up through 2004 added to the fun, with even more 2-wheel or 4-wheel drive models, larger and more powerful engines and even an SS package with a hot 4. 3 liter V6 engine that put out from 180 to 195 horsepower. It had lowered suspension, 16-inch wheels and other cosmetic changes and was only available in a regular cab version. It was discontinued in 1998.
The Chevy S 10 is still a ubiquitous sight on the roads, highways and trails of North America. It was an extremely popular little truck, and came to be thought of as a vital part of Chevy's effort to bring reliability and economy to the truck segment in the company's lineup. As a chord in the Chevy 'Heartbeat of America' theme's music, it played its role well. - 21396
Classified as a compact pickup truck, the Chevy S 10 also appeared in GMC colors as the S 15. It replaced the Chevrolet LUV, which was nothing more than a rebadged version of the old Isuzu KB. In the early 1970s, owing to the effects of the Arab oil embargo and needing to add some fuel-efficient cars and trucks to the lineup, Chevy began to concentrate on finding ways of doing just such a thing.
The S 10 emerged as a result of that effort, making its debut in 1981 as a 1982 model. What was really great about the S 10 was that it also came as a sport-utility vehicle (SUV), appearing as the S 10 Blazer in 1983. That particular model was a 2-door version, beating Ford to the SUV market and lagging just behind Jeep, though no manufacturer thought to add 4-door models until 1990.
General Motors, the parent company of Chevrolet, has featured a number of compact pickups since 1982, with the SUV versions being around in 2 or 4-door skin for over 25 years. The S 10 itself is a favorite of do-it-yourself mechanics, particularly its early model years, which were relatively easy to work on.
Engines in the Chevy S 10 have been of the 4 cylinder and 6 cylinder variety for as long as it was around. The initial 4 that was offered was a carryover engine from the Luv. Back then, the 84 horses the engine offered was considered fairly good, along with the 101 pounds-feet of torque. Again, for 1982, there was not much complaining from a public used to truly mundane engine performance due to environmental engine controls.
Chevy also offered a 2. 4 liter V6 optional engine from the start and through 1985. It had a 2-barrel carburetor that helped to up engine outpower to 115 horses and added 148 pounds feet of torque to the mix. This gave the little truck a bit more off-the-line power. There was even a diesel engine from '83 to '85, though its 58 horses and 98 pound-feet quickly doomed it to irrelevance.
Over the life of the S 10, Chevy continued to offer both 4 and 6 cylinder plants and also worked to add more horses and more torque as the truck matured. Originally offered with a normally-aspirated fuel-feeder setup, Chevy eventually tossed the carburetor for variants of a fuel injection system, including sequential port, multi-port and throttle body set-ups. The Chevy S 10 also featured 3 and 4-speed trannies in the first generation (up through '93) and even a Borg Warner manual in 5-speed dress.
The second-generation S 10 that ran from 1994 up through 2004 added to the fun, with even more 2-wheel or 4-wheel drive models, larger and more powerful engines and even an SS package with a hot 4. 3 liter V6 engine that put out from 180 to 195 horsepower. It had lowered suspension, 16-inch wheels and other cosmetic changes and was only available in a regular cab version. It was discontinued in 1998.
The Chevy S 10 is still a ubiquitous sight on the roads, highways and trails of North America. It was an extremely popular little truck, and came to be thought of as a vital part of Chevy's effort to bring reliability and economy to the truck segment in the company's lineup. As a chord in the Chevy 'Heartbeat of America' theme's music, it played its role well. - 21396
About the Author:
Andy Zain is the admin of Chevy S10 Forum , a place where fans and owners can get the right information for tuning, customization and general discussions on anything about Chevy S10. Get the information you need when you visit Chevy Truck Forum
posted by X - Men @ 2:24 AM
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