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For Christmas, my wife gave me some money, (a lot), and told me I had to get the S10 back up to speed, no ifs ands or buts. I've had a LOT of klunking, squeeking and grinding in the front suspention and I thought the swaybrace was broken as it woggled all over Gods Creation every time I hit a pot hole or turned into the driveway, (up over a beveled curb).

Last week I took it into to be checked out.
New Ball Joints,
New Steering Knuckle
Tranny Flush
New Spark Plugs
New Spark Plug Wires
New Shocks
New Distributor Cap & Rotor
Oil Change
New Oil Cooler lines
New Thermostat
New Vacuume lines for the 4WD Lock outs

I had them do the ball joints, steering knuckle and tranny flush, $1350. The lower ball joint on the drivers side had completely blown out of its housing, and the lower A Frame was grinding on the steering knuckle to the point that it had to be replaced. The mechanic said if I'd hit another pot hole at just the wrong angle and speed, I'd have been having a really bad day. The driver side front wheel could have folded up underneath the truck.
I dropped nearly $400 in parts and on Saturday, (high temp at bout 10 AM at 41F, and snow falling by 3 that afternoon), I pulled the front tires, R&R'ed the Distributor cap and rotor, R&R'd the plugs and wires, and R&R'd the front shocks, while changing the oil.

Note 1: The Distributor cap is located on the back of the engine, under an over hanging lip of the fire wall, and under the heater hoses. Both the cap and rotor are held on by a pair, (each), of tiny little screws that can't be seen, and are designed to fall into un-reachable spaces of the engine where they can do the most amount of damage if left.

Note 2: The spark plug wires pass through a dozen different cord clamps on their way to the spark plugs. These clamps are in spaces that would give ET a hard time to reach, and are locked in place by, \"Quick Release Latches,\" which are niether quick or releasable, and are surrounded by a nest of hose clamps and sharp edges that would give Brear Rabbit a run for his money.

Note 3: The spark plugs of the Chevy 4.3L engine are only accessable by removing the front tires and going in through a filthy flap of fiberous material in the wheel well. Plug 3, is on the drivers side in the middle and points directly into the steering column making it completey inaccessable to mortal man. Luckily for me, I had the Mechanic who did the ball joints replace this one for me.

I got the front of the truck done by 3, just about the time the snow was falling and still had to do the rear shocks, and an oil change on the wife's Hyundi Tucson. I was in too much of a rush to break for lunch, and was alreay cold wet and covered in grease, so I pressed on with the wifes oil change.

Note 4: To access the oil filter on her car, I have to remove a large plastic faring un the underside of the engine. I've threated before to just take my saws-all and cut a hole to get to it, but Jo keeps shutting me down on that. I even promised to patch it up with Duct Tape, and in the fashion color of her choise, but no dice.

I get her car finished by 4 and figured the rear shocks on the truck shouldn't take too long. There was already a 1/4\" of snow on the ground, but I figured, I'm under the truck so it should be pretty dry.

Remember, that my tiny garage is my shop so this is happening in a steeply slopped drive way in the elements.

I get the truck backed in, and up on the jack stands, and the old shocks come off real easy. the new ones however, don't have the straps that keep them compessed. SO I had to jam then into place, compress by hand to get them on the bottom lug, then use a screw driver to pry the upper lug into place to run in the 2 screws there. By the time I got to this point it was dark and so cold that my flash light quit working, and I couldn't find my trouble light, so again, I was working by feel. I finally finished about 6:30, with nearly an inch of snow on the ground, starving, and nearly hypothermic. After a hot shower, and a hand full of Motrine, Jo took me out for supper.

The oil lines, vac lines and Tstat will just have to wait.

I spent all day on Sunday recouperating. Most of the cuts and scrapes are not hurting now and the sorness has abated. The truck rides smooth as new now.

_________________
Slow is Fast, Fast is Slow
Violence may not be the best option, but it IS an option

Lots of work but all worth it, How about some pictures

_________________
\"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives\"

Hard to believe, especially from a guy like me who photographs nearly every thing, but I didn't think to shoot the truck while I had it apart, but I will take some shots and post them of the really torn up parts.

_________________
Slow is Fast, Fast is Slow
Violence may not be the best option, but it IS an option

Here's some pics I took today out in the parking lot.

Front of the truck, you can see there's not much room for working in the engine area.


Here's the distributor cap, smack up against the fire wall with hoses all around.


I tried to get a shot down beside the engine to show you how deeply buried the plugs are but I couldn't fit my small camera down there.

This is whats left of the lower ball joint on the drivers side.


This is that same joint in place on the inside of the steering knuckle. The knuckle bolts to the back side of the hub and is the attachment point between the upper and lower A-Frames by the ball joints to the front wheel hub.


This is the bearing surface for the lower ball joint on the steering knuckle, it's supposed to be machined nice and flat.


Here's how the ball joint sets in the knuckle.


and finially, heres the new rear shocks, I couldn't get a shot of the front ones.


My hands are still a little sore, and the scratches are still in evedence, but at least the heavy work is done for now. Later come the brakes, oil and vac lines and T stat. But that's for another day.

_________________
Slow is Fast, Fast is Slow
Violence may not be the best option, but it IS an option

Wow, that is a huge project. Congrats on everything you did.

_________________
\"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives\"