History

• The Chevrolet S-10 pickup was the offspring of the Chevy Luv mini-pickup that was a rebadged Isuzu introduced in North America in 1972. The following year the oil embargo put General Motors, the parent company of Chevrolet, in a position of continuing to equip the Luv with the Isuzu inline four-cylinder. This was carried over in 1982 when the S-10 replaced the Luv.
  
  

Isuzu Power

• Between 1982 and 1985, the S-10 was offered with three engines choices. The standard powerplant was the Isuzu 1.9-liter inline four-cylinder with a two-barrel carburetor. It generated a modest 84 horsepower and 101 foot-pounds of torque. The optional engine was a 115-horsepower, 2.8-liter V6 generating 148 foot-pounds of torque. A 58-horsepower, 2.2-liter Isuzu diesel also was offered.
  
  

Engine Swap

• Chevrolet weaned itself from Isuzu power in 1985 with GM's in-house 2.2-liter Iron Duke inline four-cylinder. The fuel-injected Iron Duke was launched in 1982 and generated only 90 horsepower. By 1989, horsepower was boosted to a more reasonable 110. The Iron Duke never overcame its initial reputation as a weak and noisy engine. The engine seemed to be a work in progress over the years, as the compression ratio was increased to 9.0:1 and improved bearings and crankshaft were added to boost overall performance. In 1990, Iron Duke displacement was increased to 2.5 liters.
  
  

New Direction

• Buyers may have been skeptical of the S-10's Isuzu heritage and put little faith in the Iron Duke, but the pickup proved to be immensely popular for its overall handling, trim looks and reliability as a second family vehicle. Between 1988 and 1995, Chevy offered a 4.3-liter V6, which was the precursor to the Vortec 4300 4.3-liter V6. The smaller 2.2-liter inline four-cylinder Vortec 2200 also was offered.
  
  

Vortec

• The Vortec 4300 proved to be a nifty, durable engine with plenty of power. It was based on the popular Chevy small-block 350 that was still in production through 2002. The Vortec 4300 was simply the 350 minus two cylinders. It featured an improved balance shaft to minimize engine vibration and, later, multiport fuel injection. Horsepower ranged from 150 to 175; torque was available up to 245 foot-pounds. The Vortec 4300's little brother, the 2200, generated 120 horsepower and 140 foot-pounds of torque.
  
  

Fuel Efficiency

• The Vortec 2200 allowed the Chevy S-10 to achieve 23 mpg in the city and 29 on the highway when equipped with a manual transmission. Automatics obtained 19 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway. The Vortec 4300 achieved 17 mpg in the city and 23 on the highway when equipped with a manual transmission.