my first post and my first dodge
07-19-2007, 07:09 PM
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my first post and my first dodge
i just picked her up last week from my boss. was a dedicated work truck before he had it and has over 490K on the clock. good ol' 12V is still running like brand new! i just put a 3" straight pipe on it and exited it out the side of the truck in front of the passenger side rear wheel. the sound is AMAZING, though i'm not sure if it actually improved performance or not. not looking to make a crazy go-fast truck or anything, but i am going to use it to tow my racecar.
i spent all weekend cleaning it up (really wished i had taken the time to click a few "before" pics so ya'll could really see the difference) and while i was at it i polished the chrome beauty rings and painted the wheels black (they were gray before) the interior was in shambles when i got it. mainly just huge amounts of gunk buildup from whatever, like busted ketchup packets and whatever else the workers through all over the place.
i took the dash bezel off and cleaned the guages and all of the black plastics. while i was in there, i installed my AIWA cd player from my camaro (my camaro was my daily driver till i picked up this and is now under the knife for a th350 install with a trans brake) along with some new 6x9's and a boom tube 8" subwoofer. it's been alot of fun cleaning it up and making it my own.
i've already talked with my painter friend and we'll be going very simple and low-budget to get the truck painted a solid color. my camaro is white, so i'm going to do a simple single stage white on the truck. i'm pretty excited.
as you can see in the picture, the pass fender has had a run-in with the same workers that trashed the rest of the truck. i probably need to put a new bed on it too, but don't know that i want to spend the money on it. i've got less than $50 in mods/cleaning since i picked up the truck (obviously not including the initial purchase) everything that i've done to the truck has been simple fabrication, (exhaust that i did today) cleaning, or just simply bolting things back together. i'm just so glad to finally have a solid vehicle that clicks off an average of 20+mpg, can tow my racecar (that i now no-longer have to drive everyday) and is reliable.
here's some pics. any suggestions (on a low budget) are appreciated. i'd also like some info on what (if any) people are doing for air intake mods. whether it be just a simple k&n replacement filter or if people are actually fabricating there own intake systems. i need as much cold air as possible. and i've read a few times about people "turning their fuel pumps up"...what is this in reference to and how do i do it? what kind of real world performance is gained?
here's one of my camaro, though it's got a nice set of Mickey Thompson ET Drag wheels on it. they are extremely nice billet aluminum wheels and the rears only weigh like 12lbs a piece. i wished i had a good update pic, but this will give you the idea.
i spent all weekend cleaning it up (really wished i had taken the time to click a few "before" pics so ya'll could really see the difference) and while i was at it i polished the chrome beauty rings and painted the wheels black (they were gray before) the interior was in shambles when i got it. mainly just huge amounts of gunk buildup from whatever, like busted ketchup packets and whatever else the workers through all over the place.
i took the dash bezel off and cleaned the guages and all of the black plastics. while i was in there, i installed my AIWA cd player from my camaro (my camaro was my daily driver till i picked up this and is now under the knife for a th350 install with a trans brake) along with some new 6x9's and a boom tube 8" subwoofer. it's been alot of fun cleaning it up and making it my own.
i've already talked with my painter friend and we'll be going very simple and low-budget to get the truck painted a solid color. my camaro is white, so i'm going to do a simple single stage white on the truck. i'm pretty excited.
as you can see in the picture, the pass fender has had a run-in with the same workers that trashed the rest of the truck. i probably need to put a new bed on it too, but don't know that i want to spend the money on it. i've got less than $50 in mods/cleaning since i picked up the truck (obviously not including the initial purchase) everything that i've done to the truck has been simple fabrication, (exhaust that i did today) cleaning, or just simply bolting things back together. i'm just so glad to finally have a solid vehicle that clicks off an average of 20+mpg, can tow my racecar (that i now no-longer have to drive everyday) and is reliable.
here's some pics. any suggestions (on a low budget) are appreciated. i'd also like some info on what (if any) people are doing for air intake mods. whether it be just a simple k&n replacement filter or if people are actually fabricating there own intake systems. i need as much cold air as possible. and i've read a few times about people "turning their fuel pumps up"...what is this in reference to and how do i do it? what kind of real world performance is gained?
here's one of my camaro, though it's got a nice set of Mickey Thompson ET Drag wheels on it. they are extremely nice billet aluminum wheels and the rears only weigh like 12lbs a piece. i wished i had a good update pic, but this will give you the idea.
Last edited by wannadiesel; 07-20-2007 at 04:52 PM. Reason: ad removed
07-19-2007, 08:34 PM
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First off, Welcome! And congratulations on your new rig! The only thing you need to know is to look in the 1st thread on this site "the STICKY" Everything you could possibly want to do is in there ,alot of times with pictures.i.e cold air intakes.Ive only been on this site since about Nov. and let me tell ya,you came to the right place cause the guys on here know their 1st gens,and can answer any ? you come up with.They have helped me huge with alot of different issues.As they told me when I first got here,they will help steer you down the slippery slope,Im well on my way down and LOVIN it ! ENJOY!!!!!
07-19-2007, 09:28 PM
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Great job on cleaning it up. I know how dirty a work truck can get cause I was a landscaper for 2 seasons.
One thing that isn't in the sticky is telling the need for a pyro and possibly a boost gauge. Then tune it to know end.
I know your truck is gonna look great in a couple of years. That Camaro tells it all. But my question is, which is gonna get the bigger share of the money pit?
Jon
One thing that isn't in the sticky is telling the need for a pyro and possibly a boost gauge. Then tune it to know end.
I know your truck is gonna look great in a couple of years. That Camaro tells it all. But my question is, which is gonna get the bigger share of the money pit?
Jon
07-19-2007, 09:42 PM
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haha, the camaro. it's already one of the quickest 305 powered street driven cars in the nation that's still naturally aspirated. it's been 12.31 @ 108mph. i'm planning on spraying the car once the new trans is in till i can get the funds for a larger motor. staying sbc, but i'm wanting to go with a 383ish cubic inch motor with a set of Brodix IK200 cylinder heads. it should run low 11's/high 10's on motor, and then i'm hoping to spray DEEP into the 10's. remember, i want to go fast on the cheap...going with a sbc in a lightweight camaro is about the best way to do it.
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07-20-2007, 07:20 AM
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WOW your interior is AWESOME compared to what mine looked like.. Yes mine was also an old work truck when i bought it...
Congrats you will love the old beast
Congrats you will love the old beast
07-20-2007, 07:43 AM
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welcome to the world of mechanic friendly diesels.you will find that the truck is kind-of like your camaro,basic and fun to work on.ck out the site and find the pump turn up section.it took me about 15-20 mins. to gain a lot of power just in the pump.its easy to do,just read and follow instructions.YOU WILL BE SMILING! get a boost and pyro though to not hurt the engine. mine has 531k and still strong,so get tinkering and blow black soot baby!
07-20-2007, 11:55 AM
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mw66nova, You did a good thing by going to the straight pipe on the exhaust! I have towed with my 93 and the first thing I did was gauge it up. I noticed a 200 degree drop in my EGT (exhaust gas temp) by getting rid of the muffller and the kink over the rear diff.
07-20-2007, 04:46 PM
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yep, working map light 
honestly, i might have a solid 6K in my camaro, so if you can tell me how to get into the low 13's without trashing the trans/diff with $3K, please tell me i don't want to race it though honestly. i really just want a reliable tow vehicle.
what kinda real world power will you see by turning up the pump? i'm a little concerned about the possiblities of runaway while adjusting it after reading the sticky. also, i'm concerned that an increase in EGT's could hurt the engine in the long run...
honestly, i might have a solid 6K in my camaro, so if you can tell me how to get into the low 13's without trashing the trans/diff with $3K, please tell me
i don't want to race it though honestly. i really just want a reliable tow vehicle.what kinda real world power will you see by turning up the pump? i'm a little concerned about the possiblities of runaway while adjusting it after reading the sticky. also, i'm concerned that an increase in EGT's could hurt the engine in the long run...