Mike isn't afraid to let his LS1 engine point out the weaknesses in the ZR2's drivetrain. During a particularly hard romp session on the dunes of Silver Lake, Michigan, Mike spit out the ZR2's stock 1310 series CV-joint-equipped front driveshaft. Rather than just replace it with a production ZR2 driveshaft, Mike built a longer shaft using a custom front output flange he made for the NVG233 to accept a 1350-series CV-joint-equipped driveshaft. Since the upgrade he hasn't had anymore driveshaft failures, but now he has blown up the front differential. The part we don't understand is, how has the rear driveshaft lasted this long with the stock 1310 U-joints?
The Corvette upgrades on this ZR2 don't stop under the hood. Passengers now sit in full-power leather seats from the same car that donated the engine. These seats aren't what we'd consider bolt-in, but Mike was able to make them work by using the lower half of the original S-10 seat mount with the upper half of the Corvette mount. Mike completed his ZR2's Corvette theme by installing the Corvette steering wheel into his truck while retaining a functional airbag. Even with the engine swap Mike has kept all the factory gauges functional.
All ZR2's use the 811/42-inch ring gear 10-bolt with 30-spline axles and a Gov-Lok differential. Mike's truck rolled off the assembly line with 3.73 gears but he plans to exchange those for 4.10s and an Eaton E-Locker now that he's running the 4L80E with its higher first gear (2.48:1) than that of the 4L60E (3.06:1).
If you're getting psyched to drop an LS1 into your own S-10, keep in mind that even with a 5-inch BDS suspension lift and custom engine mounts, Mike needed to rework the LS1's aluminum oil pan to snake it around the IFS crossmember and front axle. Mike started with an LS1 Camaro oil pan and cut away everything but the pan rails. Then he welded sections of aluminum plate together to form the new pan to "fill the hole" under the engine.
Depending on the terrain, you'll find 33x12.50R15 BFG Mud-Terrains, 285/75R16 Goodyear Wrangler AT/S, or 33x14.00 sand-paddle tires filling the space provided by the 5-inch BDS lift kit that Mike put on in his own garage. Mike mounted the Goodyears on 16-inch Pontiac wheels to use as snow tires during the Michigan winters. The Mud-Terrains get used everywhere else and the paddles are swapped on when Mike plays in the dunes.