RedRam410

i have a 2003 dodge 3500 5-speed and i have no idea how much HP it has stock... some people say 245 and some say 305??? any ideas???

bdewey

the best way to find out is to look on the data sticker on the right side of the motor. It will tell the HP of the motor. All will tell build date and engine serial number.

Beeram305

I'm pretty sure that's the SO motor with the 5-speed. I think those had the same power as the california motors, 235 hp. Valve cover is the surest way to find out.

Dodgezilla

Unless it's a Cali model It's 250hp/460tq which ends up being around 190hp on the dyno...
Check the sticker on the front of the engine..

DrDiesel

My .02 235HP @ 460lbf.

RedRam410

thats the thing guys the sticker isnt on the side of the valve cover..... any other ways to tell

Dodgezilla

If it's a 5 speed then it's definitely an SO. We know that. What I'm not sure of is if the Cali model had a Cat or not. My 250 SO did not have a cat....

RedRam410

what kind of performance upgrades are best for these motors?

Dodgezilla

Oh Boy!! You know this is a slippery slope right??
Tomeygun has a 600+hp SO 5-speed
abc4yew does too but I think his is an auto.

What do you want to get out of your truck?

RedRam410

im not really sure i dont wana go outa control and spend way too much itll be a month or so b4 i can really do a whole lot.... i need a intake, gauges (thinking about getting the commander with the 140HP box), performance fuel pump....and eventually a clutch but thatll be a while. what kinda stuff did you have on yours? is it just as good as a motor as the others?

Dodgezilla

Until you go all out you will still be behind the HOs by about 50-70hp with the same upgrades. Your truck will still do great and make plenty of power though with your current mods and the ones you have planned. I did almost the same mods on mine initially. I ran the Quad Race and loved it. Throw a TST box on your truck along with that Diablo and you will be almost equal to a similarly modded HO. The TST pretty much equalizes the SOs and HOs when stacked with another pressure box or downloader. You can also add a turbo and injectors and have a screamer of a truck.
When I was done, I had a fully built DTT trans, Formula1 Flux1 injectors, HTB2 Turbo, Airaid intake, MBRP muffler, TST/MP8 stack, and of course guages. That put me over the 500hp mark and my fuel mileage was still great too.
I'm not sure where I'm going with this truck but I'm halfway where I was with the last one already...

BigDave12768

What about the 8th place on the vin? I know not all of them but if its a 6 their is a good chance its and S.O if its a C its an H.O. Another way would be go down to your local dealer and give them your Vin# They can give you a print out of all the options

Beeram305

I'm pretty sure the smarty adds more overall power to the SO's, bringing them up to the power of the HO's when on lvl 9. Granted, you should have a lot of supporting mods to use the higher levels, or you are on borrowed time.

Dodgezilla

I also forgot to mention AK RAM. He was probably one of the first SOs with the really high HP truck. Unfortunately there are no dynos there in Alaska where he is so we may never know how much power he makes....