V8 S10 Blazer Steering Stabilizer Install (Ep.14) 

I've had 3 S10s, 2 ZR2s, and the only thing I have ever done that made the steering feel "good" was the Flaming River U Joint. It's worth every penny and takes out all the slop, and provides more solid steering feedback. That rag joint is toast!

As I said before, on my car, the minute I got rid of the rag joint, the car stopped wandering and all that you mention. You can keep your shaft, just machine a piece of T6 Alu with air craft grade bolts and you're set.... oh, loctite as well.

Many years ago, I had an '85 S-10 Blazer... It did have a steering stabilizer from the factory. Even though you did that DIY alignment (for Toe-In), I'd recommend a full alignment to ensure the caster/camber is within spec...

Ahhh Old Chevys... They're a never ending project!!! That's why I love them,

Did same repair to my son's 79 Bronco. Pretty straight forward.

Ugh, I hate bump steer! Glad you're trying to correct it. Keep up the great work!

I would have gone with skinnier tires. Less pull on the front end and more p.s.i. on the ground. You've done some incredible things to this lucky little Blazer. Good on ya.

You know if you use 1999-05 Blazer spindles/ lower control arms, you can upgrade to dual piston calipers. And the different sway bar will clear your tires. We did this swap on our 85 4X4 pickup. Stopping is 40% better.

I love how you don’t give up. Giving me motivation on my project! Thanks!!!!

You're so meticulous and knowledgeable and this has been such an interesting series to watch. Thank you for a great channel.

Just wanted to say I love all your project videos and I think you have a great narrative voice and you explain what your doing in such a great way I can fallow what your doing. Keep up the great videos

Great videos, great rebuild, I had an 87 s10 4x4, it had 200,000 on it when I bought it,the guy b4 me,had replaced and worked on almost all of the front end it worked great, I had to do a few things to the 2.8v6, but it was just minor stuff carb gasket, tuning distributor, everything worked great but then along with all those miles the 5spd decided it didn't get any love,so had to do an overhaul on that, I needed to sell it,but I know the person that bought it and other than a bit more rust he's still driving it!

You can cut way down on bump steer by toeing the tires in a bit more, not a lot just slightly more toe in than spec. After a couple days run your hand across the front tires to make sure they aren't feathering

I really need to watch ahead before commenting 😁 you always address my suggestions in the next video.

Cool project; thanks for sharing! :) I don't know how much off roading you do but have you ever thought of converting this to AWD? I've done the swap and it's not hard. You'd have the traction of a GMC Typhoon which would really let you get that v8 power to the pavement and would also help you to navigate slippery road conditions. Best mod I ever did.

In my experience with Jeeps a steering stabilizer just masks the actual issues in the steering and suspension system, definitely what I would call a band-aid part.

Very informative video. Much appreciated

He's back yes!!!more s10 videos

i like the way you solve things, great videos

I had the same problem with a K5 blazer. I replaced everything I could, and had a professional alignment. It was unfixable, I lived with it until it died.

Thanks for having this problem, lol, gives me new places to look for why mine does the same thing.

I enjoy your videos. Thanks again

You can get taller lower ball joints that help with bump steering a decent amount although they will lower the front a little

On my 00 s10 I cut up a jeep and chevy steering shaft and made a chevy shaft with the jeep u-joint. Works great and haven't had any problems.

Caster is my guess given the tendency to tramline.

you are awesome. your overhauling is very clean.. 👍 & subscribe

The extra engine mass and shifted weight distribution can screw with stock suspension geometries and spring stiffness; you've a lot more weight hanging in front of the axles with a 350 than a 2.8 V6. If your ride height remained the same after the swap, something other than the springs must be compensating for the extra 200+ lbs up front.

Great video! I’m gonna get one for my 2000 GMC Jimmy! Thanks

I don't know the part numbers, but I know that I've seen some people just cut the rag joint section out and replace it with a steering ujoint. I think it's 1" DD x 3/4" DD, but it may be 3/4 x3/4.

thing to consider too is frame could be bent a tiny bit causing the bump steer as well.

At 7:40 I can see those u bolt brackets sliding up and down that rod with the very bad oil leak on it.

I've got a '91 that exhibits the same issues, bump steer and tramlining, and it got downright frightful on an icy highway. I'm about ready to paint a white strip down the center and call it "skunk." I've done some adjustment to the steering box, but I'm going to upgrade/replace the rag joint before exploring that any further. Adding a damper (which I thought was going to be replacing a missing one) is just one step I plan to take. I got the guard off, and there is no place for the business end on the drag link. According to "chitlin's" most of those trucks were supposed to have one. Led astray again. I can't see how they can justify $65+ for an add on bracket made out of stamped metal, so it looks like I'm going to be making one. The other issue I'm trying to resolve is a pop/jerk when it's in 4x4. Nearest I can tell, it's not a chain drive transfer case (231-c). Even if it was, it doesn't exhibit the slack that you would find with a stretched chain, so ... With that ruled out, can anyone give me the most likely place to look for the problem??? ... ?

I just got a new remanufactured steering rack for the A6 I've been working on getting back on the road. The new unit has the same casting number as the one I turned in for a core charge, so it was nearly identical except for the fact that they filled in the hole where the damper went, and now on the new unit there is no place to mount the damper from the old unit. I'm not sure why they did this, the damper was still good.

I had the same problem with my 96 when I bought it but about a month later of dealing with that crap I got the frame looked at before I bought anything and found out my frame was bent just a little on the front passenger side, so I had them fix the problem which helped some with the bump steer not much, so I literally change every part that you did (minus the steering stabilizer) but I also changed my upper and lower control arms an now it drive's like new, cannot even tell it had a bump steering issue at all. But you might want to take a better look at them control arms partner might be twisting with time or just wore out maybe.

How did you mount a camera underneath the vehicle? Trying to diagnose something on mine and wanted to do that

You convinced me to get this kit for my 85. Out of curiosity did you ever find a source for a drag link with the hole for the stabilizer?

Awesome video! I recommend you get a light bar for your cherokee/blazer. I put one on my 2004 Baja and its insanly useful in low light conditions aswell as fog/blizzards. Have a good day!

As always, great video! Now if we can just convince you to splurge on a new quarter panel...

Having same issue with mine . You can buy outer tie rod ends that correct the height of the tie rod

I know what you are talking about on that, just ordered me one

You should try replacing your sway bar bushings and links ik this can cause some slight movement back and forth on the road this will also improve ride quality

I would like to see you put A/C in it...

Dang dude, by the time your done you'll have replaced everything on the blazer. I have a blazer but it's a 01.

Lower tire pressure looks like you have them at max cold pressure, 32-37 psi would help let the tire take some more shock. Also kinda looks like wheel bearings are kinda worn as they jar or walk a little bit when you’re turning during the drive test.

I have changed shock absorbers that doesn't want to expand at all ,while brand new,and even after actuate them by hand in their working position. As i know only gas shocks expand since one chamber's surface is bigger than the other( no rod on one side) so the pressure/surface ratio is greater on one side of the shock,wich expand it. oil shocks doesn't. If you want an accurate alignement,simply use the center of your 4 wheels to create a line parallel to your car (while taking in consideration the diferennce of track width between front and rear),and then adjust the front toe in according to this line.

Something to look into on the S10 is the center link. Heard a lot about the after market parts being the wrong geometry and causing wandering. An AC Delco unit is supposed to fix the issue.

So you had the frame mount, then the center link must of been replaced before? Edit: bummer on the wander, cause that's all mine does, no bump steer. was hoping it would fix it. I could tell it didn't fix the wander b4 you said just by watching you drive, lol Good luck!

If the steering is loose... there is an adjustment on that new gearbox that you installed.. I found that out years ago.

You should get your camber/caster adjusted

You need to build a new bumper

I too am facing suspension woes.

NIce video , Why do youtube mechanics refuse to take their cars to a pro for alignement ? because DIY ? or what ?

Without reading all the replies, they changed the design a bit. They no longer use a spacer on the drag link side bracket.

What were your torque specs for the bolts on this aftermarket item? Please and thank you

Whats the part number for that? I have a 89 s10 blazer 2 door, just received mine and doesn't have the u bolts and the bracket in box. Thanks

How well does damper work off-road?

I hope you're not using those snow tyres in the summer The wear and the noise would be horrid, best to have 2 sets of tyres for your area, the snow tyres and the summer tyres... it's a lot safer that way and more economical to drive in the summer.

Thanks for the follow up! Did you ever find a fix for that annoying door handle return spring on the drivers side door panel??

What size tires do have on there?

What size tire you running?

Help me put a v8 in my s10 blazer? Love the videos they inspire me to do the same except mines is 2wd

What happened to front left fender and bumper?

Where did you order it from?

Excessive amount of thread locker but i dont have a problem lol

Not sure if you have found the intermediate steering shaft yet, but you should check into Chevy Astros as well. They have what you are looking for.

What no new shocks and springs?

Do a solid axle swap

My truck tends to tram line a lot, but is that more so the fault of the vehicle or the road, can i get rid of it at all?

Get everything as tight as you can and start adding negative caster. You won’t have a good time with the stock spec’ caster and big tires .

You looked at everything and replaced anything on your front steering the one thing you have missed or neglected to mention that you looked at was the actual bushings on your upper control arms that attach it to the frame. I had the same issue that you're describing with your Blazers Big Brother a Tahoe and can tell you those upper bushings on mine were trashed and I ended up replacing both upper control arms and a majority of the sloppiness went away.

I have a 4x4 s10 blazer and the frame mount for the shock isnt there why?

Are you gonna fix the body damage?

Spray the underside of that chevy with some bar and chain oil. Keep the rust at bay,

So after all this time and work isn't it just easier to buy a newer vehicle, if you ever did this again?

Wondering is rag joint

Why even keep the front sway bar? I dont think it would make a very big difference on the road, and it would be a huge upgrade if you ever travel off the beaten path

Dude! Caster lol

You should really need to get some spacers for the front of blazer so you don't mess up you new tires

could u activate the traduced version of ur videos?

you need a alignment your camber and caster is out of spec

What part of NJ are you from?

Where is the s10 blazer videos? :/ continue!!!!

Just buy an xj steering shaft for like 40 bucks honestly

Jack it up and drop it

Where did you buy?

Is that a fiero steering wheel?

that rag joint is way too sloppy , you can buy a rebuild kit for under $20.00 , takes like an hour to do , should improve steering till u get a solid shaft

Can you help me rebuild my blazer

Get a real alignment already. Caster is very important in how your vehicle feels.

Dude you need to save that old oil and coat the frame, steering and rear end in it to prevent the rust. If you got an actual alignment you wouldn't be chasing demons because the aliement shop would tell you what the problem is.

If you want to sell it. Let me know. 😊

completley paint undercarriage to prevent rust

I bet the box has a crappy rebuild..

you should just try and do a rack and pinion conversion gear boxes suck ass