looking for cheap performance upgrades for 86 s10

[s10owner99]

i have an 86 s10 with the 4banger in it and i was wondering what i could get just to get a little more power out of it without putting in much money cause i plan to drop in a 350 a few years down the road so i dont want to put much money in it now

[ctesla]

Originally Posted by s10owner99

i have an 86 s10 with the 4banger in it and i was wondering what i could get just to get a little more power out of it without putting in much money cause i plan to drop in a 350 a few years down the road so i dont want to put much money in it now

Welcome to AF!
the "four banger" is the stock 2.5L "Iron Duke" that GM/Chevy/Pontiac shared for years, and actually saw some history in Army Jeeps.
so besides delving into S10 and pick-up forums, check with Pontiac Fiero enthusiasts as well.
and when you say "much money", do you have an exact amount in mind?
and what is your mechanic skills: novice to wrenchhead/motormaniac???

the "least" expensive, is not usually the easiest, nor the less labor intensive job; as the least expensive "bang-for-buck" (borrowing Camaro's slogan) mod would be -
yank the head, get it milled, maybe a mild pocket port, strap it back on with new gasket, and watch her RUN.
HOWEVER; not only is this time consuming, and more advanced, but sometimes, it isn't condusive waiting for the headshop, while they're twiddling their thumbs, laughing while you catch the bus....
SO-
spend money on what are regular scheduled maint. items, and spend just a little more for an upgrade.
EX: $14. for cap and rotor at AutoZone; or $25. for brass cap and rotor at NAPA or CarQuest. $18. for plug wires, or $40. for Moroso or Accel 8mm wires.
and since money is ALWAYS an issue; instead of ANY amount of money for higher dollar plugs; buy $0.99 Autolite plugs, and use a dremmel or grinder, and partially take off the grounding point, exposing the electrode to the center of the combustion chamber; in effect, "making" your own SplitFire/RapidFire/V-Groove whatever you would have bought $4-6-10. dollar sparkplug.
I think that 2.5L used a Autolite #24-26 or a #124 Resistor plug.
you could go with a Autolite #666; there again, depending on mileage of the truck, and do you do mostly stop and go traffic, or high speed highway travel.

there are a multitude of ways; but one of the least expensive upgrades (if you only want to spend $5-10 per month)is every ten to twenty tanks of fuel; top off with a good premium gasoline.

hope this helps,
ctesla
phoenix renovations

[radsterz34lover]

I know of a very strange yet cheap upgrade that is good for about 25 horses in the 2.5. A friend of mine is using an inverter and an electric leaf blower for extra horses in his 87 s-10. simply plumb the outlet of the leaf blower into the throttle body, and plug the leaf blower into the inverter, and voila instant mini turbo. not enogh boost to hurt the engine but enough to add some power. I advise at least 89 octane fuel though.

[BlazerLT]

Originally Posted by radsterz34lover

I know of a very strange yet cheap upgrade that is good for about 25 horses in the 2.5. A friend of mine is using an inverter and an electric leaf blower for extra horses in his 87 s-10. simply plumb the outlet of the leaf blower into the throttle body, and plug the leaf blower into the inverter, and voila instant mini turbo. not enogh boost to hurt the engine but enough to add some power. I advise at least 89 octane fuel though.

although it works when you are playing around on the dyno (yes, I saw the movie). It doesn't work in real life.

http://videos.streetfire.net/iPlayer...D-A1AD23CA9564

[radsterz34lover]

Originally Posted by BlazerLT

although it works when you are playing around on the dyno (yes, I saw the movie). It doesn't work in real life.

http://videos.streetfire.net/iPlayer...D-A1AD23CA9564

I did not know that there was a video of such an idea, but thanks for the info. My friend thought while being slightly intoxicated. It does work, though it not an extremely powerful upgrade. He has recently upgraded to a commercial grade gas powered leaf blower, which has made a bit more power, about 30hp, over stock.