https://www.motortrendondemand.com/deta ... _ons8bj64/
Yeah I started looking over at the new site. Not a ton that I haven't seen on Youtube which is no surprise since I am not a subscriber.
This build was interesting. I agree with it for what they were going for. Just a fun burnout/strip truck. They put a mini-spool in the tiny 7.5" rear and it held. The spider gears are the weak link I think (which the mini-spool eliminates - while also eliminating any kind of handling), probably followed by...axles? Pinion? Who knows. It is a notoriously weak rear end.
But anyway, they built this like you may have done 20 or so years ago. Started with a junkyard 96 Vortec 350 (i.e. L31) and did a bunch of work to it which really amounted to a cam and valve springs. You really see the difference between the LS stuff and the old stuff with this build. This was the height of small block evolution but look at the work involved for what they claim was 375 hp (crank, mind you). You don't have to do basically any of this stuff on the LS to go fast, and I don't know that a 5.3 LM7 is really that much more expensive than an L31. And this engine will not take boost like an iron LS. Also, notice the clogged cooling passage. They pretty much had to take the top end apart and freshen it. Compare that to Sloppy Mechanics and the difference is stark. It moves the extremely light S-10 well enough (I'd be shocked if it was over 2,800 lbs) but in any kind of real car, it's just not enough power.
HRG: Budget Vortec swapped S-10
Re: HRG: Budget Vortec swapped S-10
100% of the 7.5s that either I've blown up or people I know have blown up were due to spider gear failure.kevm14 wrote:They put a mini-spool in the tiny 7.5" rear and it held. The spider gears are the weak link I think...