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How is this for a donor. A little on the expensive side eh? Don't those eXtreme things come with a LSD and quicker steering rack?

Just curious here more than anything.

Ebay Extreme

Dont tell the rest of the guys here but I paid $2000 dollars for my donor. Denfinately not locost but I felt it was new enough and low miles enough that I could drive it forever.

Word of caution before bidding/buying it,,,,Find out the extent of the suspension damage. Factor in the cost of another transmission (manual) and then talk to the stalker/super stalker guys to find out what else you could use or need.

I realized after I bought mine I couldn't use the suspension bits...so my build cost went up. Also figure out what exactly you will need or could pull from the donor and what you would have to purchase seperately. Each extra drives up the cost of the build...

Had I been more patient I could have saved money or gotten a more suitable donor...but this one landed on my lap and danced for the full $20 dollars worth (dont tell my wife....just a joke in case she is reading this)

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I'll keep an eye out for you!

To err is human...
I am more human than most.

As far as donors go it's a bit expensive for my taste and budget, but if you think it is worth it, then yes it would make a great donor.

I am using the steering knuckles and rear axle from a blazer which is same as an s10, and they fit perfectly with the book chassis. Give me a few weeks and I'll post up plans/dimensions for A arms that fit between the book chassis and the s10 steering knuckles.

The only downside to my running gear is that it is quite porky and could use some lightening, which I eventually plan to do. The 1300 lb locost definatly doesnt need knuckes that are built to strength for a 3500 lb pickup.

Its got some goodies though - alloy wheels, LSD - adding those later to a vanilla S10 would cost some money.

i used to own an xtreme, and i'm also using the knuckles and rear end from an S10, not all of them come with an LSD.

I'm trying to keep an open mind here in the planning stages and I'm looking at all options. I was browsing the Brunton Stalker webpage and saw this list they have of donor parts from the S-10:


What about the pedal box, master cylinder etc. Can those be sourced from the S-10?

If you are looking at an Extreme, the V6 will be the 4.3 and not the 2.8 60* V6 motor. The 4.3 is heavy, a cut down SB. The wheel ends as mentioned are also very heavy. Just the knuckle and disc W/O the caliper will be 47 to 50lbs each, depending if it has ABS or not. This make for a high unsprung to spun wt ratio which could be helped with a light wheel tire combo and aluminum calipers. The plus side is the a lot of SB chevy speed parts will fit the 4.3 motor.
Dave W

both knuckles weigh 45lbs togethor with calipers I'd say. I got mine shipped to me, and they were around 50lbs shipped if I remember right.

The S-10 based Superstalker sure seems capable (based on their actual autocross results) despite any existing unsprung weight penalty.

I must admit I am being drawn to the dark side where thoughts of a GM V6 powered seven seem rational.

It also helps that an integral part of my Mopar 4 build, the Jeep Liberty/Wrangler (2wd 2.4L) NV1500 tranny now goes for about $800. I have seen viable S-10 donors at that price point and I can no longer ignore this option.

RebelGT
You are correct, I should have said 50Lbs per each set of knuckles, Also if you are looking for LSD, you have a lot better chance of finding one if the S-10 has a V6, Vs a 4cyl. Less then 6% of the 2wd S-10 and must of those were the SS models which was 3 to 4% of all 2WD during their production. The SS also had the Hi output motor, but it would be a lot easier to find a 4x4 as a donor. The Stalker is will proven combo, My vote is for the supercharged 3.8 take no prisoners build. DW

Just thought I would pass this along, saw this in my local (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) paper, no affiliation w/ the seller:

CHEVY 1991 S-10, 130,000 mi. Standard V-6. RUNS GREAT. Rough body. $545/ offer 319-447-1115 message


--JOsh

RESURRECTED

I just picked up a blazer Xtreme from a buddy for $500. It's a 2002, open 3.42 rear, automatic (blah), whatever. I put new front brakes on it, new tires, plated it, etc, and have about $1400 sunk into the thing. I've picked up flooring, lugged the dogs around, and more.

But this is not destined to join the rotation of cheap vehicles at our house. I've looked and looked and it doesn't seem like anyone has bothered with using the torquey 4.3L v6 for a build. It has to be lighter than the small-block from which it descended, right?

I know we've got heavy components here, but staying with the 'Locost' philosophy, I'd like to get as much as I can from one inexpensive source. Chassis clearly be larger than book size and I'm thinking I just need to find a transmission. I'm not worried about some extra heft - I saw a WCM S2K today and it was a little on the small side. Also, that Subaru rear end just looks silly.

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www.indybillsbackers.moonfruit.com

I just got a ride in my brother's Super Stalker he just finished.

IMHO, it suffers from both high unsprung weight and too little suspension travel, resulting in a very harsh bumpy ride on the street. While it may be the fastest thing on a smooth track, day-to-day driving isn't fun if the road is less than perfect. This was with 23lb tire pressure and shocks set full soft. It bottomed out frequently, and while cranking the shocks harder will keep it off the stops, it'll add to the harshness.

There's no substitute for generous wheel travel.

(My brother then drove Kimini over the same bumps and was shocked at the difference in ride. That's what 6" of suspension travel and low unsprung weight can do for comfort - and road holding.)

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Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://www.midlana.com/
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Kurt that doesn't sound good at all. Too bad, it's a lot of effort. I'm guessing unsprung weight, people seem to disregard that too much.

Bottoming the suspension is bad, especially in the long run. Stiffening may not hurt the ride, because the bottoming part is extremely stiff! Does his car have at least 4" travel? I think fixing the bottoming would be a big help. You can take a hard ride in a good seat, but the bottoming gives impact loads...

I wonder how much S10 rear axles weigh, I have a feeling they use lighter ones in the UK.

I've been wondering how a Stalker would fare on some of our tracks in the Northeast. You just can't rely on smooth pavement in these parts.

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Judging by the pic in your sig it looks like 3" of upward travel would put your tire into that fancy carbon bodywork. (or did you drop it down into shar car mode for the shoot?) Do you think it ever really compresses that much? I'm no expert but I'll bet it has more to do with unsprung weight than travel.

I hate driving a vehicle with a heavy stick axle on bumpy roads.

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