1995 Camaro LT4/4L60-E into 1988 2wd S-10 Blazer

If you want to install an LT1 into your S-10 Truck. the S-10 V8 Conversion Manual has information that will help you.

The owner of this Blazer went out and purchased an LT1 out of a wrecked 1995 Camaro, thinking it was like any other small-block V8. The LT1 engines are significantly different than the "conventional" small-blocks, and are more difficult to install into the S-10.

As this book was going to print, we had been following the Camaro LT1 swap into the Blazer. This swap is a lot of work, but the experience and knowledge gained from this swap carry over to "normal" small-block S-10 V8 swaps, and made it possible to improve the refinement and performance of the V8 swap.

One of the goals of this swap was to use the Camaro LT1 exhaust manifolds so as not to restrict the performance of the engine. Also, the air-cleaner ducting had to be efficient, again, so as not to restrict the power of the engine. The engine should be able to put out it's full rated 285 "net" horsepower. In magazine numbers, it would be more like 375 "gross" horsepower.

Also, the cooling system had to function so that the engine would not overheat in hot weather while the air conditioning was putting cool air into the passenger compartment.

As you can see from the above photo, the LT1 swap looks quite good. What the photo doesn't show is how much work, skill and money was involved in completing this swap.

The radiator was moved forward to where the a.c. condenser used to reside. An aftermarket a.c. condensor was installed in front of the radiator (see page 10-14 in the S10 manual). The air cleaner is from a 1993 S-10 with the 4.3 CPI V6. The rubber elbow attached to the throttle body is from a 1LE Camaro (the "1LE" elbow doesn't have the noise cancellation tube) and was trimmed about 3/4" to improve clearance from the Ford Taurus cooling fan. Two 3-1/2" x 45° rubber elbows (from Stealth Conversions) join the air cleaner assembly to the LT1 MAF sensor.

The Camaro LT1 exhaust manifolds required notching the frame on the passenger's side, and installing a modified Ford F-150 steering shaft (see page 7-28 of the manual). In addition, the engine is offset to the passenger's side by 1" to improve clearance between the exhaust manifold and the steering shaft.

The owner opted to mount the LT1 engine computer onto a 1995-1998 S-10 coolant recovery tank, because that is where the computer is mounted on 1995-1998 S-10's. Mounting the late model coolant recovery tank into the older truck required custom brackets, and modifications to the inner fender panel. In addition, the heater hose fittings on the heater core required shortening, and heater hoses required rerouting.

The point: If you want to install an LT1 into an S-10, you must understand the nature of the swap, and how difficult, expensive, and time consuming it can be. More info about this swap is in our V-8 CONVERSION MANUAL FOR CHEVY S10 TRUCKS