hey guys to start off my story i made the mistake of letting a "friend" borrow my truck. ever since i have been getting grey smoke out of my stack. when i get on it i will have the usual black smoke then i will get a trail of grey smoke then back to black smoke again. i work at a repair shop and pressure checked my radiator and it didnt hold pressure. it dropped a few pounds in a couple of minutes. i guess it could be worse...

soooo im looking at doing a head gasket. ive searched and havent come up with much so thats why im writing this post. whats the best gasket to get and should it be a marine? while the heads off, i want to take it to a machine shop and get it tweaked for power. whats the best mods to do and is it even worth it???

also are bigger studs something i should look into?? i am planning on pumping it up to 400+ hp eventually


my second problem-- ever since i bought my truck in ohio i have to hold the pedal down about an inch in order for it to start. there is no way that it will ever start without me holding the gas pedal down. does this mean i need a new lift pump????


i want to get my truck reliable and fixed before i do any more power mods as well as before winter comes..... thank you for reading this long post.


beachboi

 

i'd start by idling it up some (no less then 750 in gear w/ ac on) and bumping the timing to 15 or 16*....if it smokes after that then you have other issues

 

my idle is already at around 750 in gear with a/c on. so are you trying to say that bumping the timing will alleviate the gray smoke??? is it possible for the pump timing to slip???