A lot of you guys on here know what y'all are talking about. I'm open to all opinions. I'm only 19 so I really wanna learn more about what to do and not to do to the truck
A lot of you guys on here know what y'all are talking about. I'm open to all opinions. I'm only 19 so I really wanna learn more about what to do and not to do to the truck
None if you're goals are 450 rwhp. If you want more hp then you'll need upgraded rods. But you can get to 400 hp a lot less expensive, like Blind said, with a pulley, plugs,tune and cold air intake.
Your comment implies you are more mature than most 19 year olds.
When I decided to buy an HD truck I read every thread in the forum. You may not have enough time for that. But read as much as you can. Then determine what your goals and budget are. We can't tell you what to do unless you decide those things first. Then ask, we will give you good advice.
Kenne Bell 2.6 - JLP Forced Air Induction - MAFia - JLP Thunder Tube - 60 lb Injectors - Kenne Bell Boost A Pump - Afco Heat Exchanger - Walbro 255 Fuel Pumps - Accufab SBTB - Denso Plugs - JLP IC Reservoir - PI Stall Converter - Weapon X cops - Factory Tech Valve Body - JLP Comp R Exhaust - QA1 Shocks - Beltech Drop Springs - PST CF Driveshaft - Flex Form Fiberglass Leafs - JLP Shackles - Hotchkis Sway Bars - JLP Traction Bars - RotorPro Brakes - Aeroforce Interceptor Gauges - DiabloSport Predator - JLP Dyno Tune - Detroit Truetrac - Forte and Grabbers - Bogarts and Hoosiers
I've been reading a lot of threads on here. I was wanting at least 500 hp
I'm not gonna get the SC right away but in a couple of months I might. My budget will probably be around 4-5k
500 hp is a big number for a stock block. Yes, I'm doing it but not on a 5K budget.
So I have to ask, why 500? Are you going to the track? Cause anything past 425-450ish is hard to manage on the street. Unless your truck is extremely light and has sticky tires and the right suspension.
I ask because many members have spent a lot of money by being unclear what their goals were. My method was to decide where I wanted to be and not spend money that wasn't aligned with those goals.
With that in mind, I still have gone through different suspension set ups.
That I didn't know so I'm guessing 450? Do you know how much hp the stock SC has?
Now I'm unsure lol. I wanna get CAI. Would you recommend getting for a starter?
We all were, Rob. That's part of the process. Yes a cold air intake is a great way to start. But remember, you will save money if you do things once.
So, think a couple moves ahead. Ie if I plan to go with a larger crank pulley, plugs and tune (a substantial increase in power) I want to consider doing them all at the same time. Wait till you have the budget to do so. Likewise, if the big blower is the route you want to take, wait till you have enough saved to do that. From your earlier comment it sounds like getting into the 400's hp is a reasonable goal to set.
Now here's a different perspective, don't forget about appearance and handling. Both important modifications for a stock truck. Improved handling is easily achieved with Bilstein lightning spec shocks, a rear sway bar and quality tires on all four corners. And maybe you'd like to lower the stance of the truck a little. You can do upgrades a little at a time but have a plan so you don't keep redoing things.
You will learn this as you read through the information in this forum. Learn from what others have tried. Ask questions along the way.
Now that you laid it out like that, I'm just gonna wait for the blower and start off small. The shocks I really want to change. I'm not sure what a away bar is 😔
Its called a sway bar, but its an anti sway bar actually. Its a bar that connects the two sides and helps aid in decreasing body roll on corners. We have one on the front, but none on the rear. Adding one on the rear of these heavy trucks makes a huge difference. You can purchase an aftermarket one for roughly $250+ or keep an eye out for a used Lightning sway bar. They came with one stock, and the drag guys take them off for weight savings. You can pick one up for roughly $50-75. If you havent, Id suggest signing up on LightningRodder as well. Lots of parts for sale and info galore.
I think I know what it is now, I'm gonna google it to make sure. Thanks for the info Fellas, you guys helped out ALOT👌
Rob,
Ok so after reading through the posts and catching up, I still don't see where you have said what it is exactly you want to do with the truck. Only that you want to have 450-500 hp.
What is your purpose going to be for the truck? (Daily Driver, Weekend/Car Shows, Street & Track, Track only) <-- can be a mixture, for ex. my truck is a fully built longblock truck that is Weekend/Car Shows, Street & Track use
What do you see as your final goal/outcome for the truck to be?
Wanting to change your Supercharger & wanting to have a certain HP # can be too entirely different process's & requirements to get to your final goal.
From what I can gather from your posts...it sounds like you drive your truck daily, want it to have a better stance, & have some more HP to be fun...the 450-500hp number you threw out was just that...a number off the top of your head based upon what you had read/seen before in threads.
If I am correct on this...daily driver truck that will have fun on the street & maybe see a track day every now & then that you want to have more power to be more fun then I see the following in your future:
Suspension -- do a 2/3 drop...most common way is to change shocks out to L-Spec Billsteins, get some drop coils for the front (obviously 2 inches), and drop shackles in the rear (I used JLP on the 2nd setting).
Power -- 6# lower pulley, NGK TR6 spark plugs (have to change & gap plugs properly when doing a pulley change), dyno tune that isn't too aggressive (should give you dyno #'s of 350-400...trust me, the seat of the pants feel you will get will put a smile on your face). Upgrade MAF to BA2600.
Note --> when you change the plugs, do an intercooler cleaning & after your done putting it back together, install an Oil Seperator (L&S is the one I would go with now...pay the $ for it)
Traction -- Long Bar traction bars and figure out the best rubber for your tires for where you live. Obviously if you do a track day here and there you want to pick up a set of slicks n skinny's...without breaking the bank you can probally find a used set for sale on the boards of some A/R Baja's with slicks n skinny's because someone wants to upgrade
Cooling -- Honestly almost all CAI's do the same thing & so it really is based upon looks...many people like the JLP CAI for its looks & its actually a Cold Air since its enclosed. Upgrade your intercooler fluid tank & overflow tanks (hold more fluid on intercooler & radiator side). Dual pass heat exchanger is a good thing or even a Killer Chiller is an option to look into. Your stock clutch fan will be fine so no need for an electric fan just yet.
Monitoring/Gauges -- Boost Gauge, A/F Gauge, and either single or dual aeroforce interceptors
This is how we will tell you what we think, what most of us do or have done, and how we will help spend your money!!! Hard part is for you to decide on what your gonna do first...its all based upon how much money you have & what you want to spend. Prioritize & then go from there.
Last edited by oki916; 04-08-2014 at 12:44 PM.
I think where I got confused is seeing some people that have lightnings or HDs with 500-600 rwhp. Maybe I mixed things up.
My truck is a daily driver. For now since everything is making more sense to me I just want something to have fun with as a starter like the plugs, pulley, and CAI. Then once I start gettin the hang of performance parts ill do more stuff to it
Once you do the pulley and tune the truck will really wake up. If you like to hear the whine of the blower then the CAI really allows for that too.
Mods=L&S Oil Sep, Blackwood trim & mirror caps, Navi ant' base, E-brake pedal, CAI, C&L Intake & Plenum, 95mm MAF tube, SBTB, 170 T-Stat, Predator+RWTD custom tune, 8# lower, PG Ti900.7 amp, JLA XR570-CXi & Stealthbox, FTVB, Finned Trans Pan, Line of Fire LED, J-Jent Grille, RotorPro Dimpled & Slotted rotors, LED taillights, chrome door strikes, billet locks & coat hangers, ChickenEars Engine Billet package #1&2+door sills, Metco billet aux idler bracket & pulleys, LFP E-Fan, Xenarc HID heads, clear corners, Roush HID fogs, Bedrug, L' 3rd, Kenwood DDX-7017 DVD+TV+Sirrius+RevCam, Lotek dual pillar pod with AutoMeter boost gauge & DynoJet WBC, fog switch mod, UPR billet window switches and door locks, FAST overlays, LFP 58" bars, Hotchkis TVS, Bilsteins, DblG Panhard, Cervinis Cobra R hood, BFG T/A KDW 2 tires, Hawk Ceramic pads, MGP caliper covers.