ok, so i went to the dyno event at weekend on the edge over in ogden utah, there was a guy there running 50lbs of boost(cant remember the turbo) on 20* timing with a STOCK headgasket!! so my question to you is this.

is it possible to do 20* on my truck? reliably?

 

doubtful... was he running head studs?

 

You could do it and it might last forever. Or the head gasket might pop the first time you get on it. With 253000 miles on your truck, I don't think it would be too reliable. You might be able to retorq your head and run 20* of timing for a little while before the head gasket goes.

 

update: i have 258k on it, and no he does not have studs, i want to do this but i dont want to strand myself somewhere

 

I'm not sure these two statements can coexist...

 

I say go for it retorq the head and let her eat I am fixing to do the same thing on my 98

 

I would say if the head has been decked flat and the deck on the block is flat it is possible. Some retorque of the bolts just to be sure they are as tight as they can be. I ran 20 degrees and 65 for a while on stock gasket and studs.

 

which is better for rpms? 18* or 20* without sacrificing low end torque?

 

I ran 17 then 20, I really liked 20 alot with twins and the fuel I was running.

 

Some head gaskets will take a lot stock, some not so much. There are lots of guys pushing 550+hp on stock head gasket and bolts. Just got to be prepared for when it fails. It might never fail on you, but it will always be in the back of your mind.

 

when i advance it will my horse power to torque ratio go down? right now im almost at 3:1 292hp 777tq