Ok guys,

I'm at the point where I have to make a cam plate purchase. I'm not looking to replace my clutch yet, so I'm thinking a #11 is the way to go until the clutch goes then I'll upgrade the clutch and get a #10. What do you think?

TIA

 

Go for the #10 but be careful of the plate placememt.......a #10 on a 215 pump will fry the stock clutch easily if you get greedy with all the extra torque! ........install the plate slighty rearward of stock to detune it a bit until you can spring for the clutch.......

You can save yourself some money and grind your stock plate to a #100 profile which, IMO, is much better than a #10......do a search on "plate grinding" and look at gunracer's photo gallery as he has some good pics of #100 plate......you can either buy a boost elbow or block the wastegate off........I would suggest blocking the wastegate since you have a pyro and boost gauge to make sure you are not over boosting or running too hot.

When you get a clutch, move the plate forward a bit and get the timing advanced.....you will be impressed with the additional power increase.

 

I wouldn't block the wastegate... I got an adjustable elbow off the TDR's "basement vendor" section for like $20... My stock plate was slid full forward when i bought it, and I got 32psi that way.. I just had the #10 installed, and it hits 40... I can simply adjust it down... instead of backing out of it..which is no fun!

 

I got a 10 for sale in the calssified section. I loved the plate but got a custom plate from J.R Adkins for a little more power on the top end.
DM01

 

As you can see in my sig I've got a Banks plate in mine, and I tell you never again will I spend the BIG bucks on a plate. I have yet to install my freshly ground 100 plate, but that thing turned out so nice I will NEVER buy a hot rod one again!!. You can find pics of different numbered plates on the web particularly in the forums. A guy can copy one just by grinding his stock plate, don't like it grind, grind it to the next profile so on and so forth. Plus you can create your own custom grind that no other plate manufacturer has. True alot is said for the former Cummins engineer at TST that designed the best ones but if you "base" your grind off a hot rod plate it ain't rocket science from there just a little conservative grinding and polishing until you get to the sweet spot for YOU. I saw a post from cumminsdriver635 where he said he could "pick up stock plates all day long for 20 bucks" even at fifty each you'd have a nice custom set of custom talored plates to your liking plus be ahead in the wallet for those injectors or some other mod that is better bought than homebrewed. Basically a guy can create mass amounts of power for what it costs to operate a bench grinder and a dremel just by grinding your stock plate, FREE POWER MAN!!!

Just my .02
P.S. what ever route you take Happy Bombing!!

 

yeah i wouldnt bother with buying one, its amazing what a bench grinder and a dremel can do for you, i ground mine this weekend and its a huge increase bottom end over my number 6 i had, dont be like me and lose you stock plate and grind down a perfectly good #6 but IMO a person can taylor make there own stock plate for the type of fueling they need and save themselves alot of money

 

Canuck

If your plan is to go to the #10 anyway, then just get the 10. Thats what I did, knowing full well that I can de-tune the plate to a safe level until I perform the other mods on my list. I have the stock clutch and after some minor testing, I have the plate where I am comfortable with the power and clutch. When I spring for the clutch, then just a few screws and a bump and we're off to the races.

Don't get hung up on the plate numbers for power, get the profile you want. You can tune them 6 ways from Sunday to get the output you are looking for.

J-eh

 

do an extensive search on plate profiles on here and understand it...u'll get an idea for what kind of fuel curve u want THEN save urself the money go to a wreckers and get a stock plate out of a pump give em the 2$(if they even charge u for that) and go home grind it to what u want...u need a pyro with any plate anyhow so spend ur 200 on that

Andrew

ps i went to a big rig wreckers in my area and for ur info the same pump is used on the 5.9 the 8.3 cummins AND believe it or not those 2 dumb brazilian ford engines 6.6 and 7.8 have the same pump....its a gold mine there...i got 4 on my table at home...have fun!

 

I almost ground my Banks plate cause my bro, my dad and I couldn't find my stocker to grind and then low and behold a box from Oregon Fuel Injection labelled "Matt's Stuff" I was in hog heaven after that Now this weekend after I put my new t/con and spare Transgo prepped valve body in she's gonna get that 100 plate

The beauty of grinding is start conservative, grind, test, grind, test, grind, test and grind as needed you'll know when you hit the sweet spot! Get another plate grind it different then you'll have your weekend corvette killer I'm just soundin like a broken record here now but there are so many different views on whether to grind or buy, what ever suits your fancy. Maybe go for a ride in someones CTD that ground there own and form your own opinion, there's something to be said for the feeling you get when YOU BUILT IT and it didn't cost but pennies and have awesome results

 

yep totally agree i get satisfaction out of doing these things myself and saving my wallet on something as ridiculous as a steel plate (no offense to anyone) i get a better understanding of how it works and what im actually installing instead of blindly putting in a plate not knowing what it even does and hoping for somehting to happen because some chart said so ...do ur research first understand the plate...then ur perspective will change and u can make awise choice....get a pyro installed with the money u have

 

Well not to throw stones, but I have better things to do with my days than to spend hours at the bench grinding a plate NOT KNOWING some of the intricate parts of the lever arm travel and RPM band to design the plate for. I would say buying a plate with numbers on it gives you some level of confidence of what output you are shooting for. TST does their homework and has been making these plates longer than anyone, heck they designed them. A dyno sheet is more value to me to know what I am getting, instead of guessing. There is more to understanding the plate than just getting the profile off a picture. How far from the surface of the plate mount is the 14-1500 Rpm band?? Since the lever only travels about 3/8 - 1/2 inch for full RPM travel, small deviations make a big difference in power.

For me the $250 was worth not using up my stock plate, grinding the heck out of it for hours on end trying to emulate the 10 plate profile. 10 minutes and I had it done. Not to mention in 10 minutes its back to stock. Plus I got all the other stuff that came with, like the boost elbow and install template. The template is also very helpful in making minor adjustments to the plate position. The 215 pump is very sensitive to plate movement and just bumping it around is not an efficient way of tuning, not to mention going back to a stock position is difficult. This way with a set of feeler gauges and the template, I can adjust in small increments.

Anyhoo, each to their own. The ONLY way I would make my own is on the milling machine, not the bench grinder. The heat from the grinding process could cause the plate to become brittle or wear pre-maturely on the lever contact surface. Also a rough finish on the plate itself could cause wear on the lever arm.

J-eh

 

TO DEFEND ALL PLATE GRINDERS just jokin

First off I wish I had a 215 pump If a guy is smart and knows how to work metal you won't hurt the temper, light grinding is the key! Sure the plate will get warm but if you do it right it ain't gonna get any warmer on the grinder than it does in a normal operating engine. Took me 45 minutes during lunch break to grind the right way not hours, and believe me my plate is NOT ROUGH look in my photo gallery, mirror image, the picture DOES NOT do justice on how polished it is. However I will admit I did spend the whole evening wet sanding and Dremeling with a polishing wheel and Simi-Chrome Polish to get it like that, wife was *&^ but to make a long story short you don't just jamb the plate into the grinding wheel and then install it one must have a little pride and do it right Easy for me to spend a half a day making my new 100 plate as I already have an overpriced name brand plate already installed and the truck is operational during project 100, but like I and you have already said,

"Anyhoo, each to their own"


PS,

Just my .02 here but you can put together a custom plate and an elbow or bleed valve for HUNDREDS LESS if you wish to tackle it!

Using a grinder is just like using the go pedal, you punch it it's gonna smoke!

 

I would not condone using a bench grinder to alter the plate profile......it can be done with a small disc grinder and finished with a fine stone and a Dremel tool......proper grinding technique will not superheat the steel to the point that you will cause a change in temper.

To each there own......some like to experiment and tinker more than others.......To me, there is no substitute for a #100 profile - the #10 is a far cry from it.......it depends on what your goals are. You can be sure that some tuning will be required if you grind your own plate. I disagree that you need a dyno to tune the pump........an egt and boost gauge are important tools in getting the most from your CTD.......sometimes more important than a dyno.

If you don't want to tinker, open your wallet and be done with it........If you want big power and are interested in doing some pump tuning, make your own #100.

 

DITTO!!


94 2500 4x4 - custom(#100) plate, 3000gsk, laser cut 191 DV's, 370's, TST AFC spring, afe BHAF, MBRP 4" exhaust, BD X-converter, transgo kit, 16cm non WG housing, 16* timing, boost, egt, trans temp guages, manual lock & unlock converter switch, lukeslink, 15.0@92mph-6680 lbs


That thing must RIP CTD NUT

 

Yeah, she rips pretty good... ........Hopefully in a couple weeks I will get back to the track.......I know I have the hp to get well into the 14's.......15.0 was with a #6 plate and a no-traction 2WD launch........I don't have billet shafts in the tranny so I know I shouldn't do any 4WD launches but I think I'm going to anyway... ........these trucks launch HARD in 4WD!.......I can smoke a stock 5.0 5spd as is........