My New-to-me 1996 2500 4x4 automatic CC Longbed. RED.

So, after viewing hundreds and hundreds of posts on this site, and letting a few ideas rest on my brain, here is what I have as short term goals for this truck. I "had" to bring it to the shop immediately after buying it to get the ball joints and the track bar done (i know i screwed up and didnt get the kit). The axle seals were also done. The truck now has 221k miles on it. Very smooth after putting a set of kuhmo 265/75r16 on stock chrome rims. The truck is original aside from a dropdown steel bumper with integrated reciever. This is my daily driver ( 120 miles a day), I DO NOT want to race anyone, and I occassionally haul heavy loads. I live in sand, lots of it, and I DO go offroading.

What I want to put on this truck in no specific order as-of-yet are:

AFE STAGE 2 CAI (iS there a prefilter bag for this, and do i need it?)

AFE INTAKE TUBE

5" SS STRAIGHT PIPE (looking at magna flow) (has anyone fit the black afe 6" tip on a 5" pipe?)

A SPRING KIT (DONT KNOW WHAT BRAND OR #, any suggestions?)

BANKS BIGHEAD (anyone done this?)

ISSPRO (PYROMETER, TRANNY TEMP, BOOST) (should I get mechanical guages, anyone whos actually done the work themselves have a suggestion??? any links so i can see pics of how the install went) (putting this on the triple pillar)

steering box brace (i want a brand name and model that will work with dual dampeners, anyone?)

DUAL rancho steering stabilizer kit

rancho 5000 x4 (anybody for a better model/make?)

hellwig rear sway bar kit (do NOT have a rear sway installed presently)(roadmaster costs too much)

airbags for the rear (hellwig?)

borg steering shaft

front sway bar bushing and link kit (napa?)

owens aluminum cab and box boards. (adding LED bars to the whole 117 inches! both sides, and below the tailgate) (anyone done this setup specifically?)

front tow hooks (anyone found a stock oe kit?)

front foglights (campatible with all the other bolted on crap ive listed?)

new brake lines x4 (should i bother with SS? anyone?)

new drums (over spec right now) brands anyone?

Right now I am getting about 20MPG, this is going to be my daily driver as long as I can keep it working, and if anyone has any better suggestions for getting mileage or a smooth ride out of it, please share! (tranny was rebuilt at about 130k miles seems to be working OK) $$$$$$

 

Kdp, gauges, read, read, read. 4" is pleanty. Look into a tc and vb for the trans.

 

What is a vb? and what make/model would u suggest? Has anyone heard of jasper transmissions or used one? Thanks

 

Don't need the AFE intake tube, stage 2 kit should come with everything
Yes you should get a prefilter bag, just took mine off and there was TONS of crap stuck to the bag itself
for springs, you're going to want to go with Carli or Kore, preferably Carli. You'll want shocks too, Bilstein 5100's are what you want. Just put some on mine, love em.
For guages, you NEED a fuel pressure guage. That's a priority. They make a pod that fits on your steering column, that's where mine is.
Don't need the dual stabalizers unless you lift it a bunch, otherwise they'll actually make the ride harder.
hellwig sway bars are great, just ordered one.
Energy suspension makes front greaseable sway bar bushings, look em up on ebay, cheapest there.

That's all i got.

 

IF I do get the springs installed, does this affect mileage if you do not hit that rpm range? basically, i dont go over 2300 rpm right now... thats 70mph for my truck. The springs ONLY affect performance IF you rev to the higher rpm correct? am i understanding the purpose of the springs, aside from having an exhaust brake installed? Also, when I said air intake tube, i meant the manifold, is that what you were referring to? Or do you mean that the afe bladerunner does nothing?

 

Governor springs let the pump continue fueling to higher RPM's They really don't affect economy at all, imo. I see 4k every day and still pull down about 20 in summer and 16 in winter. As for the exhaust brake, you need upgraded exhaust valve springs to hold the extra pressure--keeps the exhaust valves from kissing the pistons under heavy e-braking. The governor springs are not required for the e-brake, the valve springs are. Just trying to be clear on that. IMO, a fuel pressure gauge is not a MUST HAVE on a 12 valve, though it is a handy tuning tool. It's more of a must on 24 valve equipped trucks.

 

ok. so the valve springs come in sets of 6 OR 12 right? and i HAVE to get atleast the 6 exhaust valve springs to get the ebrake installed right. what are the intake springs for? and what/where are the governor springs for?
obviously, im new. explain it to me please.

 

Valve springs, set of 6. Not "required" but highly recommended. Its much safer to uprate them, as stated g1625s stated before.
Governor springs raise the rev limit. Available in 3000, 4000, more RPM. Above 3000rpm, uprated valve springs are needed.



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Im trying to understand though, when someone says GOVERNOR spring kit, does that refer to the valve springs, both intake and exhaust springs, or is that something else? a gsk 3000 is an aftermarket intake and exhaust spring set yes or no?

 

Governor springs are in the injector pump. A 3000gsk is for the injector pump, raising your rpm limit to ~3000rpm. Above this, your valves can/have a tendancy to "float". That's where stiffer valve springs come in; they aid in keeping the valve closed and close quicker. Valve springs serve the same function for the added pressures induced when using an exh. Brake.

 

That's pretty much got it Rogan

 

Thanks Rogan! Now, the gsk3 or 4 kits are going to fit on a stock pump right? So if you have a p7100 then you no longer have the issue with the gsk correct?

Also, for a 96 with auto, IS there an exhaust brake that can be added safely?

 

correct, they will be fine in a stock pump. The truck will be a little more responsive, as well.my 96 auto did just fine with 3k gsk and a Jacobs exh brake.

 

You'll probably want to bump up your pump timing as well. 16 - 16.5 degrees advance is good for a '96. You'll see '98s going a little higher advance due to the fact that they retard the timing a little internally at higher rpms. The timing advance will definitely help your highway mileage a little bit.

Don't waste your time with the Banks stuff--mostly it's a waste of money. With the valve springs, a governor spring kit, an appropriate fuel plate, advanced timing, and a good 4" exhaust system, you'll be in good shape regarding the engine.

You mention doing a lot of offroad time in the sand, so it might be worthwhile to do lockers and Mag Hytec transmission and diff covers. I know a guy who has temp senders in both diffs and the transfer case wired to a switch on a separate temp gauge (he has a dedicated one for his transmission which you should definitely have regardless of anything else). He can monitor all the fluid temps by switching between senders.

For reliability purposes since it's also your daily driver, don't overlook the boring stuff like your water pump (if it's still the stock one at 220k+ miles, it's on it's last legs), the exhaust manifold (on the 12 valve engines they'll shrink over time and could break an ear off the head), hoses and belts, etc.

 

I ran 3k gsk and a #10 fuel plate, with a 35psi elbow and it slipped my '96s auto trans (stock). I swapped to a five speed trans and it became a whole different truck!
i wish i had an exhaust brake on my '01, as well as a programmer. I'll probably end up doing a p-pump swap in the spring, however...