Hello everyone and thanks in advanced!
I just bought a 1985 regular cab short bed 2wd S10 that I'm planning on swapping in a LQ4 6.0 LS engine and I'm wanting to run a single turbo .
This will be a street truck and I'm wanting something in the 500 to 700 HP range .
I'm wanting it to be reliable and have the ability to daily drive it (even though I probably won't)
I'm planning on running low boost 7-14psi.
I'm strongly considering a bed mounted turbo and intercooler location to help with the limited space under the hood.
I'm completely new to turbos and ls swaps but have been trying to do a bunch of internet research.

I have a complete LQ4 6.0l engine with all wiring , computer and factory exhaust manifolds.
I'm going to have a mechanic that has done LS and V8 swaps on s10 before do all the work for me . He has also done performance turbo work in the past both on diesel trucks and street/strip cars . He is going to rebuild the donor engine before we swap it .

I have started a build/parts list that I have came up with after doing a lot of research .

I wanted to see what everyone here thought of my plan . Any suggestions? Am I in the right direction or completely missing stuff ?

Any help or suggestions would be awesome !

Engine
6.0 LQ4 , stock bottom end

Forged pistons with appropriate dish for 8.5-9 to 1 compression
Forged rods

Arp head studs

GM multi layer steel head gaskets(called MLS)

Sloppy Mechanics Stage 2 Camshaft - Kit
Includes PAC 1218 Springs, Seals, Gaskets and Pushrods

Stock heads, decked just enough to straighten them

60 lbs Mototron injectors

400lph walbro fuel pump in fuel cell

Turbo Setup
Single bed mounted running low boost (7-14psi)

VSR Cast 7875 .96ar dual v band Turbo

Turbosmart Gen V 44 to 50mm(?) wastegate

TiAL 50 blowoff valve

AEM 30-4350 Tru-Boost Electronic Controller/Gauge

Ebay / VSR 31x12x3 Intercooler

Cold and hotside piping , diameters ???

Transmission & Torque Converter

4L80E Transmission, preferable built

Large trans cooler

Stall converter with good efficiency with from 3,000 to 3400 stall. (yank, precision industries, circle d)

 

I am just a keyboard racer, but Don't build the motor,get bigger injectors, I assume alot of folks here will say get a T6.

Should be a fun truck, look forward to seeing what you do with it.

 

Do you already have a 4L80E? If not you might do a comparison to a Th400 and see what makes sense for you cost wise, especially when talking about the full package including converter.

 

I've read that these bone stock iron block LS engines can definitely handle the boost I'm wanting to throw at it . I am wanting to rebuild the engine because I'm guessing it has over 200k miles on it , so I figured I might as well make it strong in case I want to upgrade to more boost down the road . I may end up just rebuilding back to factory specs and forgoing the forged internals if budget is getting out of hand.
What size injectors would you recommend?
T6?

 

I do not have the 4L80e yet. I've did some research and thought it might be the transmission that would fit my needs the best .
They definitely aren't cheap compared to the TH400 . The main reason I wasn't considering the TH400 is because of no overdrive. I had a TH400 in 90 454ss and it was a super strong transmission but the truck was kicking out some pretty high rpms at interstate speeds . I always wanted to put a Gear Vendors overdrive unit on it but I couldn't get over the price tag of them things. I plan on running 3.73 rear ratio on this S10 and would like to have overdrive to help keep the rpms down on the highway. I'm not looking for good mpgs, just to keep unnecessary strain on the engine at a minimum when just cruising on the highway.

 

My turbo project is still on jack stands so I am not the one who should answer any questions. I would look for 80 minimum 100 lb injectors would be my choice. T6 = bigger exhaust side. A 78/75 will choke a 6.0 before you max it out. I went back and reread depends on what generation vsr turbo. I think the newer ones are better that the old?

 

I'm still on the fence on what turbo I should go with . Hoping to get some more suggestions

 

Agree with above. I wouldn't rebuild the engine. Go through and clean it up, gap the rings and stab in a new cam, lifters, pushrods, springs, oil pump, and timing chain. I would be thinking T6 turbo, Borg s475 or so. I would also be looking at powerglide for trans. Or a TH400 as a fall back. But the PG would be my first choice.

You'll probably need Pac 1219 springs with the SS2 cam.
You'll want more injector than the 60s.
Skip the boost controller for now and just get it going on spring pressure.

 

I was just thinking that rebuilding the engine would be good insurance since the milage is unknown. I have heard lots of people just add cam and boost to engines with over 200k and run them for a long time . I may end up going that route and use the money that the rebuild would cost on better turbo components . I am only going for modest power levels by today's boosted LS standards (500-700hp)
I'm now looking at a Summit s475 that's pretty affordable. Seams like others have been happy with that turbo on 6.0s .
As for the transmission, I really would like to just put a TH400 in it but worried I'll miss overdrive when I'm on the highway . I know it's not good practice but sometimes I like to exceed the posted interstate speed limit by 30 to 40mph .
This won't be a daily driver but it's something I would like to be able to take on trips that may be a couple hours from home . Do you think my rpms would be way up there at 80mph with 3.73 gears? Sure would be nice to just use a TH400 , much cheaper have a built one versus a built 4l80e

 

Ok so reading about these s475 turbos and they sound like a solid choice for my LQ4 6.0
Any difference in the Summit brand versus the Borg Warner ?
Borg Warner Air Werks S400SX4-75 / S475
Or
Summit Racing SUM-260050 S475-T6

 

I thought that I should expand a little on my expectations, conditions and experience of my build in a little more detail .
I've been reading as much as I can about turbos but I really don't know anything about them other than I want one . I love the sound of turbos spooling and the blow off valves.
I could build this engine n/a and get the power I'm wanting but dollar per hp, im thinking turbo is the way to go. This won't be a dirt cheap budget but don't want to go crazy either. If it ends up costing more, it will just take a little longer to complete and I'm ok with that.
The main purpose for this truck will be street use . If I ever take it to the strip , it will be just to see some numbers so I know how quick it is . There is a road course track a couple hours from me that I would like to drive the truck to and do some laps on also. I will be setting the suspension up for handling in the curves because I live in the Ozarks with lots of fun curvy roads. So I'm kinda going for a part stop light racer part pro touring set up .
I want this to at least be fast enough to gap new stock mustang gt's from stoplights . I really would like it to run right with or a little better than stock hellcats . I also still want to be able to drive this truck around town all day . I do want a/c and heat.
Turbos can be done under the hoods of these trucks with LS swaps but space is super limited .
That's why I'm thinking bed mount is the way to go. Hooking up is always a concern with trucks and especially light trucks like the s10. I'm planning on relocating as much weight to the rear as possible and rear mount will help with that too.

I have thought that I have made up my mind on what turbo I was going for several different times. I think it changes daily now, lol.

At first I was looking at the Holley universal STS single remote kit for 6.0-7.0 engines but it seams a little expensive ($2,400) once you factor in all the pipe and blow off valve that's not included.
Since all the plumbing will have to be fabbed , I think it would be cheaper and easier to just buy the components separately and get exactly what was needed.
I was trying to stay under the $700 mark for the turbo itself.
I would be lying if I said I haven't been enticed by the things I've read about sub $200 ebay gt45 turbos but I would like this to be as reliable as possible.
As of this moment , now I'm thinking a S475

 

Those gears and 3.73 would be spinning pretty high. Nothing says you couldn't run something a little more highway friendly though.

#ad

 

With the S10, you're going to be limited on tire height to an extent. I'd say 28" max. For street duty, maybe less than that. If it's me ( and it aint) i'm targeting a 3.00-3.25:1 gear ratio. Makes the TH400 way better with a 3.00.

 

It might just be me and my experience, but the stock bottom end engine seems to last FOR EV ER. It's the ones where people "did what's right" and rebuilt them that they blow up all the damn time. I've got several friends in the camp. SBE ran great for a long time and made 1500hp. Got greedy or messed up and grenaded SBE. "Did what's right" and rebuilt or bought a built crate engine. Never runs consistently again. That's the reason I wouldn't consider a rebuild at all unless I wanted 1500+hp.

 

I will be lowered 3" / 5" and be running
18x9.5 275/35/18 tire and wheel combo , 25.58" overall diameter

 

Any chance of modifying the floorpan to fit a 4l80?

 

That's actually the transmission I was originally planning on using . I've heard both ways on the floorpan mods to make them fit on these first gen S10 . One guy on a s10 swap group was telling me that he just had to beat on the trans tunnel a little with a hammer to get it to fit. I wouldn't be opposed to that . I really would like overdrive but a built 4l80e is pretty expensive. Even factory used ones aren't real cheap around here.
I'm considering a th400 mainly for cost reasons .

 

I recommend place the turbo near the engine and choose the smallest possible turbo to support the desired power.
In this case I recommend S366 borg warner turbocharger for this application.
You can successfully 650rwhp (750BHP) with S364 for example. No reason to go larger than necessary unless you plan to turn up past 700+ rwhp. The larger the turbo, larger wheel mass, the slower the spool: better for street cars to use the minimum mass wheel.

Key to reliability is a full OEM pcv system, use a Supra Twin turbo PCV valve and OEM Supra turbo PCV route.
Next key to reliability is a fully OEM engine internals, do not rebuild as you cannot replicate OEM quality from 2002+ engines Chevrolet. No matter what 'they' tell you.

Heavy Iron engine is not recommended for your application (pseudo daily driver).
Instead the ideal engine is 2005-2007 L33 5.3L Engine. It is an aluminum block and will shave 120lbs from the front of your truck which will make a hell of a difference. The L33 can also support up to roughly 1200rwhp in a daily driver application on alcohol fuels IMO.

Do Not Trust anybody that wants to rebuild an engine for a reliability application. Wrong mechanic, sorry.

You will want to rebuild the 4l80e/THwhatever your self or purchase a unit from "clinebarger" (Chris Linebarger) do an internet search for him. There is no local transmission shop capable of properly setting up the 4l80e, very weak odds less than 1%.

I recommend PAC1218 springs with Sloppy Stage-1 Camshaft, which is fine to 750BHP and will suite the correct turbo choice (S364 or S366 series). There are dyno results and video and build thread available of this combo in dyno results section of this site.

As for putting the turbo away from the engine, is not recommended without extensive knowledge of fluid mechanics and experience with plumbing and diagnostics related to oil and air fluid flow. The heat energy component of exhaust gas is in part responsible for rapid turbocharger 'spool' due to increased kinetic energy and volume of heated exhaust gas and the farther from the engine it must travel the more dependent on insulation and plumbing thickness and planning it will become, and even more sensitive to the mass of the turbo's wheels. Furthermore the plumbing of, capture and return of OIL related features may create some headache which you will want to avoid if new to turbos.

 

I don't buy this. The 4L80E has been around for 30 years and is based on architecture dating back to the 60's. You really think any competent transmission shop still in business can't handle a transmission used in all kinds of vans, fleet trucks, etc.?

 

LOL good 1
The first thing you learn about automatic transmission is to NEVER have them built by a transmission shop.
Just like rebuilding the engine. Except more difficult in many ways due to correlating modification with end result as hydraulic passages and moving parts can dramatically alter behavior unlike in engines where it just pumps air more or less while shrouded in oil film.

That is car performance 101 my friend.


Have you ever built a proper 4l80e or any kind of automatic transmission for daily driving application?

If you build one, even just one time, I think you would understand.

The modifications required are not well known or in any books.
For example I met somebody local with an aftermarket block 6.xL LS application, spending money like water when he met me and I explained nobody can build the 4l80e properly.
He did not believe me at first. So we went together to each local transmission shop, I brought a list of necessary modifications and one by one each local builder completely utterly failed to understand, interpret the necessary mods, and most were even unaware of all the general fixes implemented by Sonnax. They just don't deal in those aftermarket, performance parts.

And these are people that build perhaps 10 4l80e transmissions per week I might guess. They see more 4l80e in a week than I do in a lifetime I bet.

So no, do not take your 4l80e or any transmission to a local place. The only place to get a 4l60e is (700r4l60e.com) and the only place to get a 4l80e is clinebarger. Jakes is a potential option but his volume is so high and customer service so low I do not recommend.