Here's the guinea pig S-10...
Here's the guinea pig S-10 that will receive all the performance upgrades. Look at her sitting there all innocent-like - she won't be like that for long.
Your truck isn't fast right now. In fact, it's such a sad excuse for a four-wheeled machine that all the neighborhood's Hondas are blowing your doors off. We all know that second-generation S-10s come from the dealer with shamefully weak 2.2L engines that are definitely lacking in the performance department. Thankfully, there are a number of companies that make performance parts to give this platform a much-needed shot in the arm. We've worked hard to find just the right parts to keep the embarrassment to a minimum from now on. We teamed up with some well-known manufacturers of performance parts to use all their little tricks to squeeze out any ponies we could. MagnaFlow Performance Exhaust makes an excellent after-cat exhaust system; this will remove the spent gasses a lot better and provide a nice rumble. Feeding the after-cat will be a new set of tubes by way of a header from Pacesetter Performance Products. We contacted MSD for some coil packs, an MSD box, and the company's own plug wires; this will make the ignition much more efficient so the motor will burn up all the fuel we give it. Sportruck Specialties handed over a set of performance pulleys to free up on the parasitic load of the accessories and in turn free up power. The company also supplied an air intake and a bored and honed throttle body to increase the air going in, and topped it all off with a reprogrammed ECU to tell the truck what to do with all this new information. Don't let your pride get in the way of making a call to these companies. Consider the alternative: bowing your head in the Four-Cylinder Hall of Shame.
1. This is a peek under the...
1. This is a peek under the hood of our bone-stock 2.2L four-cylinder S-10. Not only will our engine upgrades add some power, but the overall look of our engine bay will also be drastically improved.
2. The first step is to remove...
2. The first step is to remove the fan shroud. During this step, we also removed the stock intake, since it will be replaced.
3. Next, we need to remove...
3. Next, we need to remove the A/C pump so we can get to the header and throttle body.
4. With the A/C pump out of...
4. With the A/C pump out of the way, there is plenty of room to access the stock header. There are eight bolts securing it the cylinder head and two bolts securing it to the down-pipe that leads to the truck's exhaust system.
5. This is the Pacesetter...
5. This is the Pacesetter header for four-cylinder S-10s. It includes the header itself as well as the down-pipe that will allow you to run the exhaust rearward.
6. Swap the factory manifold...
6. Swap the factory manifold with the Pacesetter header. Make sure to scrap all the original gaskets and carbon deposits off the head before installing the new gaskets to avoid any exhaust leaks.
7. Replace the factory piping...
7. Replace the factory piping running from the header to the cat with the Pacesetter down-pipe.
8. After the header is installed,...
8. After the header is installed, you can move onto installing the exhaust. This stainless-steel after-cat exhaust system from MagnaFlow Performance Exhaust is designed specifically for four-cylinder S-10 applications.
9. Begin installing the MagnaFlow...
9. Begin installing the MagnaFlow after-cat system by removing the bolts holding the exhaust to the catalytic converter.
10. Remove the factory exhaust...
10. Remove the factory exhaust and the muffler to make room for their shiny new replacements.
11. Using the same bolts,...
11. Using the same bolts, install the first section of the exhaust by bolting it to the catalytic converter.
12. Hang the new muffler using...
12. Hang the new muffler using the factory muffler hanger and line everything up. MagnaFlow builds its exhaust to exact factory specs, so this part is a no-brainer.
13. Once everything is aligned,...
13. Once everything is aligned, you can tighten all the bolts up and double-check the muffler to make sure the last section is ready to weld.
14. Our favorite part of the...
14. Our favorite part of the course was the welding.
15. This is the Sportruck...
15. This is the Sportruck Specialties bored and honed throttle body compared to a stock throttle body. Due to the enlarged opening in the throttle body, air will flow faster, and once coupled with all our new stuff, it will provide more power underfoot.
16. Simply install the new...
16. Simply install the new Sportruck Specialties throttle body as you would the original. So far, we have the new throttle body, the exhaust, and the header all buttoned up.
17. These are Sportruck Specialties...
17. These are Sportruck Specialties polished power pulleys, which are a little smaller than stock, but make a huge difference when the truck is running. Why? They have less drag, or parasitic load, on your engine and free up horsepower.
18. Along with the new pulleys,...
18. Along with the new pulleys, you'll need to replace your fan belt. Because all the pulleys are smaller, the belt has to be shorter to maintain enough tension to keep it from slipping.
19. Remove the old pulleys,...
19. Remove the old pulleys, but keep those bolts; they will hold on the new performance set.
20. Use the factory bolts...
20. Use the factory bolts to reinstall the new lower pulley. You will want to use Loc-Tite or its equivalent on the bolt threads to ensure that they don't back out later on. Torque all the bolts to factory specs.
21. This is Sportruck Specialties...
21. This is Sportruck Specialties polished alternator pulley - nice and shiny just the way we like it, since it's visible from above. There's nothing like getting a little bling for the buck.
22. You can now reinstall...
22. You can now reinstall the A/C pump and the belt so that you will be able to bolt up the intake to all the right mounts.
23. This is probably the most...
23. This is probably the most famous of Sportruck Specialties creations: the 2.2L four-cylinder intake and filter.
24. Install the first part...
24. Install the first part of the intake tube along with the bracket that will bolt up to the A/C pump.
25. Next, we'll bolt the mount...
25. Next, we'll bolt the mount on the intake to the A/C pump.
27. Last, we'll install the...
27. Last, we'll install the second half of the intake tube. You'll want to adjust the whole intake now to make sure that it's routed correctly - away from anything that moves or can damage it - before you tighten up all the clamps in the system.
27. With the air filter, our...
27. With the air filter, our finished product will pack more punch and will give those Hondas a run for their money.