I have only been the proud owner of a 1stGen CTD for about 8mo's. now, but am loving every minute of it. Especially when I fire her up in the appartment complex every morning. Just the sound gives me a big ol grin every time. Anyway, I was wondering what kind of mods would I have to perform to be able to compete with the later 2nd and 3rd gens including Ford and Chevy. Now I got a lift and 35's so I am already at a setback performance wise, but I get tired of the guys in newer trucks looking at me like I drive a dinosaur and ain't got nothing on them >. Even the 94 drivers think I drive an antique even though it is a 1 year difference and body style change. So I would just like to squeeze some more performance out of her so I'd be able to hold my own and make em think twice. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Smaller turbine housing, bigger injectors, and some pump tweaking. Do searches on POD, VE pump, and 16 cm housing, you'll find lots of info. DTR member Old Smoky recently pulled 450 rear wheel HP, so the power's in there, you just have to get it out.

 

Wanna has it right! REAL easy to get 1st gen power up to and beyond 2&amp;3 gen stock power. Like he said POD's, 16cm^ turbo housing,slight pump mods <br> Go for it, If you think they couldn't beat the smile off you now... just make these changes and see how big your smile gits!!!

 

Nascar Mark got to 300RWHP for less than $1000 so it can be done. Right now my numbers are stronger than the stock, '03 Powerstroke, '03 Duramax and the '03 Cummins. The first thing you need to do is start with gauges egt and boost then go from there.<br><br>BTW Winr I escaped form Rochester NY in 1969 and was born and raised in Albany NY.<br><br>Good luck and have fun.<br><br>Bob

 

Big Blue,<br><br>I am in the same boat...only been about six months for me...but somedays I just like to turn the radio off and drive with the windows down just to hear that sweet sound.<br>I have been on the fence with the bombing bug...this is my daily driver so fear compromising longevity...but since I can't sell my truck I might as well keep it and just give er...so you go first and let me know how ya make out...I may be right behind ya with the bombing!!!!! ;D

 

Performance mods vs. out of pocket expense (excluding labor):<br><br>AFC pin adjustment: $0 HUGE pants' seat impact<br><br>Fuel adjustment screw: $0 (haven't touched mine)<br><br>Cut or removed air filter box (and performance filter): $0 (to $70)<br><br>Turbo housing: $60 to $150 for 12 WG to 16 NWG housing. I just put on a 12 WG housing and am very happy so far (flatter torque curve to lower rpms). Lots of other happy responses to the 16 and 14 NWG swaps.<br><br>Timing advance: $0 helps lower top end EGT's and improve top end efficiency.<br><br>3k rpm governor spring: $15 Same torque (e.g. fueling rate), higher rpm = more horspower. (haven't done)<br><br>Injectors: $500 eases the strain on the injection pump/ ups fueling. (haven't done) (DDIII's are actually a little pricier, as they are apparently &quot;discontinued&quot; for our trucks)<br><br>So for short money you can do a lot. In fact, I just realized that the most expensive &quot;performance modification&quot; I have made is the K&amp;N filter [undecided].<br><br>You will, however, also need to spend $200 on gauges before doing anything, however. I almost forgot -- think of them as a necessity rather than performance mod . . .<br><br>If you are careful with these mods, I think it is safe to say that none of them will reduce the life of the truck.<br><br>

 

As the engine is set up for emissions over life expectancy from DC, wouldn't it be safe to say that most of these mods would increase engine life in regular day to day driving conditions?

 

Alright Craig93, I see how you are. Are the new guys always the guinee pigs around here. Anyway thanks for the help all. I appreciate the advice and anymore that you may be willing to give me. I have a question about a few things though. First off, I have heard that the Getrag is a weak link [undecided] and was wondering if that was due to lack of lubrication and eventually breakage or is it just an inherently weak transmission ???. How much will it hold up to as long as I feed it proper lubrication? The following setup is what I am looking at working towards and was just wondering if the old 5 speed can handle it. As far as exhaust and turbo's go I am looking at a 16cm NWG and would like to do 4&quot; exhaust. If I got a 16 housing from Piers what downpipe would I be able to get for it to match up with one of Rip Rooks kits. And is the exhaust install something I could handle on my own. Also thinking about POD's. Will those work out allright with the turbo/exhaust/filter setup I have. By the way I do have boost and EGT gauges but EGT is post turbo. Thank you for you all's time. And don't worry Craig93, I will keep you updated as to how the experimentation is treating me.

 

From reading old posts, it seems like the Getrag isn't as bad as it's made out to be. They don't seem to like towing heavy loads, they're noisy (so what), and they like to be overfilled by a quart. If they aren't towing heavy, they seem to be able to handle a lot of power. The 16 cm housing is a direct bolt-in, no downpipe mods required. I'm not familiar with Rip's kits, don't they include a downpipe?

 

Big Blue...once I/we decide to start this, it will be interesting to see how our mods, as we apply them, effect the performance....I offer you nothing but encouragement. I am going to try and determine which order this should be done in....I am sure it is posted somewhere back there...<br><br>Good luck!

 

i would also like to know how each of these mods. affects fuel milage. we are running 90 miles a day at 70-80mph and getting 19mpg. more power would be nice as long as milage didn't suffer to bad. those of u who pull trailers regularly how has the power upgrades helped with milage when towing??

 

Advancing the timing helps mileage. The airflow mods help mileage. The added fuel only hurts the mileage if you drive faster.

 

Of the last 70k miles, I have been BOMBED in some way and with 300+ to the rears I am still running the tired old Getrag that gets a bad wrap so often, as well as the stock clutch. Yes, it growls and whines a little but nothing I cant live with.<br><br>As for fuel mileage, I have to say that it really hasnt changed at all. I am still getting a steady 18-19 normal driving. I think this has to do alot with the added fuel giving you less pedal effort, or not working the engine as hard to maintain a certain amount of speed. At 70 mph in 5th gear with 3.54 rears, I have about 90% more pedal left.<br><br>These old irons can be turned up quite cheap and easily with healthy gains. With only 150 bucks on a 16 housing, a high flow air filter, exhaust mods and a tweeked pump, I turned 222rwhp last year in Dallas.