Likely buying a Duke motivated S10 after work. Manual trans, RWD.
Is there any potential for anything? Have I consigned myself to a boring truck? Should I start looking for donors immediately? Did the Fiero guys ever find a way to breathe life in there?
The only way to get more power is to replace with...I dunno...a washing machine motor, leaf blower engine, E36 M3 like that. The Iron Duke is what it is. Malaise era at its' worst.
I mean.... they run poorly for really really really long periods of time. So you got that going for you.
What are you doing, dropping it on your foot or driving a vehicle propelled by one? Either way, it's going to hurt.
bobzilla said:I mean.... they run poorly for really really really long periods of time. So you got that going for you.
So essentially, you're saying that it could be a potentially endless source of pain? Trying to see how that's a plus. 
Y'all are filling me with optimism.
Slip in a 60 degree V6 (should be a bolt in, right down to the transmission bellhousing) or an LS motor and don't look back.
Ha ha ha ha - iron duke engine. Like 73hp?
Back in the 80s the Duke was run in IMSA GT and ARCA cars so there has to be something to them.
In reply to 06HHR (Forum Supporter) :
A'la Dusterbd13's 3.4 swapped Miata? Not the worst idea. I'm not a fan of v8 swapped dimes. Something about preferring to do things the hard way.
60deg V6 all the way.
I thought Iron Dukes were fast as in 'hauls the mail'.
L5wolvesf said:Back in the 80s the Duke was run in IMSA GT and ARCA cars so there has to be something to them.
That was a totally different block called the Super Duty. For a while, after IMSA GTU and the NASCAR Dash series went away, you could buy complete, 300hp Super Duty's for less than $2,000 all day long.
I ran an Iron Duke in my SCCA ITB Fiero. There are some incredibly rare Holley pieces, an intake manifold and a TBI, that increase hp about 35-40 percent. The other thing to do is port the head, and especially take out all the flashing left behind from a very old casting.
I wastched some S-10's at Langley Speedway absolutely dominate a 4cyl truck race, so there is potential there, but good luck finding all the 40 year old pieces needed to make it happen now. If it were me, I'd drop in a 2.0L turbo Ecotec motor, have almost 300hp, and get almost 30mpg around town, and well into the 40's on the highway.
In reply to John Welsh :
I see what you did there
I'd be looking for a solstice/sky donor. 2.4/5-spd swap. 170hp and torque. add turbo for extra stupid.
To be clear, current living arrangements dictate that the current drivetrain stays intact and operational for the foreseeable.
Not looking for a racecar. Would hit with the lowering stick, add rear bar, tweak front with the standard fare.
Still on the fence. I'd hate to drive the hour to see it and not bring it home.
The beast:
Note the parking brake. The common failure is the ratchet mechanism on the pedal fails. 1st gear is "park"
The Duke was developed by Pontiac in the 70s because they didn't have anything at the time other than the P350 and P400. GM corporate dictated that it could be used across the board, so it was cast with the GM Metric/60-degree V6 bellhousing pattern.
It's a lump. Aftermarket upgrades don't exist. Heads suck. You can try to use forced induction, but it will hit a wall fast with the tiny intake ports.
But... it will give a slant six or even a Cummins 4BT a legit run for its money in the longevity category.
It has been a long time since I really did much with boxy S10s, but here is what I remember. Dropping in a 60-degree V6 is not just a bolt-in. Crossmembers are different and there may be mounts/pans to make it easier, but it's not like replacing a 305 with a 350. The good news is that the 4-banger frame is a bit easier to drop in an SBC or LS. More pan options that fit without getting a "conversion" pan. The downside there is that you have to do an SBC or LS transmission behind it.
Iron Dukes were offered up to 110hp, I think after they went EFI. They called them "Tech IV" I gotta think you could push one to a not-hateful 125hp without too much effort.
I mean...shove enough boost down any engine and it will move right? Lets see though...I used a S10 clutch in my RA29 Celica with the SRT-4(ish) engine, Jeep Liberty bellhousing, and MA5 Colorado transmission(same as a solstice aside from not having a remote shifter and a diff 3rd gear ratio), so you likely have some easy swap options if that transmission is an Aisin design.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
This would be the "low" tech IV.
TBI for the win? The system doesnt scare me at all, and confident I can keep it going and repair whatever may fail.
Maybe I get lucky and find another NOS torsen diff for cheap.
If I had to choose between an Iron Duke and a 60 degree V6, I'd go iron duke all day long, and twice on Sunday. At least you don't expect much out of half a 302, whereas the idea of a V6 is appealing, until you try to stuff the truck in 5th gear, and it slows down.
I hate GM 60 degree V6 engines. I merely dislike iron dukes.
In reply to Streetwiseguy :
That's funny. I don't have experience with any GM 6's aside from old TBI 4.3s. I've heard nothing good about the 2.8, but the 3.4 FWD units always seemed like cockroaches.
If I ever do swap it, I'm particularly fond of the Duratec 4s, but I don't know what trans I'd need (Miata maybe?) or if I'm feeling flush and difficult maybe a wankel. Life is a canvas.
Eh. I have a smaller amount than asking in my pocket, and I usually start lower than that. As long as the truck isn't rusty, we should be good. I have pretty good knowledge of 1st gens, a place to park it, and an understanding wife. It'll hopefully be a good stuff-hauler and maybe give me motivation to fix up my dirt bike since I'll be able to haul it around now I don't live on the edge of town anymore. So, how bad will it suck? I think we're about to find out. In a few hours that is.
The Duke in an s10 is a fine motor. It's not fast at all. We had one for years and I learned to drive stick on it. It is probably a better engine/truck combo than the newer 2.2L S10s. I also had a 84 Fiero with the Duke as my first car.
The Fieros had Fiberglass cam gears that would strip at around 130K miles. I don't remember if the RWD truck engines had those.
Do not under any circumstance attempt to modify an Iron duke for HP. It simply doesn't work and isn't worth it. Accept it for what it is or swap it.
The ONLY 2 Iron duke modifications worth persuing are a "Super Duty" engine if you can find on, or a Mercruiser 3.0L swap. With the Age of Mercruiser 3.0L engines/boats it's likely you can find a bad boat for cheap. These engines had ~130-140HP and turned a bit more RPM then the Duke. They should be a near drop in replacement for a Carbed S10, and probably could be converted to run TBI or a Megasquirt in a EFI s10.
It is a truck. The ol 2.5 is a total anvil. A leaky, gear-whiney anvil. The US equivalent of a 22R powered Toyota. I'd just do maintenance and feed it gas, tires, and oil.
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