I had a chance to drive one with a V6 and race tires at a Steel Cities event
last
summer. I liked the low end torque but had trouble getting power down on corner
exit. I don't think the owner had limited slip. It was a lot of fun and yes, I
did have the urge to wear a cowboy hat, chew tobacco, and yell YAHOOOOO. Oh
well,
I did one of the three. The owner uses his truck to tow a fishing boat when he
isn't autocrossing. Oh by the way, the owner won his class at most of the
events
he entered. The time I drove it I came in second to him. I heard it's not
polite
to beat the owner in his vehicle (especially if you want to drive it again) 8^)
Andy Helgeson
Steel Cities Region SCCA
SOLOMIATA@aol.com wrote:
> Someone mentioned last week the S-10 (and Sonoma, Hombre) being a contender in
> HS with the ZQB suspension package. That got me interested so I went to the
> dealer yesterday and took a look at it.
>
> You can get the ZQB on any 2WD platform (stepside, shortbed, longbed, reg cab
> and ext cab). The swaybars are huge both front and rear, I'm guessing
> something like 15/16" rear with a 1 1/2" front. The wheels are 85-91 Camaro
> 16x8", a finger width test showed that a 265/40/16 Kumbo would probably fit on
> the front but the rear might need a 1/4" more offset. The front suspension is
> classic GM A-arm with camber achieved by removing the shims. The L35 4.3L V6
> churns out 190 HP and 250 ft lbs, not paretically rev happy though. There are
> 4 rear gears available; 3.08, 3.42, 3.73 and 4.11, but the 2WD L35 5-speed can
> only be had with the 3.08, the 2.2 4 cylinder got the 3.73 and 4.11. A GM LSD
> is optional for all packages.
>
> Converting a base truck to a ZQB would probably save a little money. The base
> was 13K with a $750 cash back while the Stepside Sport with one of the group
> marketing packages was 17K with $2000 cash back. Unfortunately the Isuzu
> Hombre cannot be had with the ZQB, that's too bad since it is even cheaper
> yet.
>
> A quick, low key, test drive showed that the springs and shock are fairly
> stiff, just shy of ACR like in ride quality. The fast ratio steering box was
> OK but turn-in was poor, a little toe-out would probably help that.
>
> I'm interested in pursuing this, anyone have any real AX experience they can
> share?
>
> Randy
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