Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Anatomy of the DTT Stainless intake

[Gary - K7GLD]

Well, I started out years ago with my "Anatomy" series - so just as well stick with it! :-laf:-laf





Ordered one of Stefan Kondolay's grid-delete stainless steel intakes, it arrived this morning, so wanted to do a bit of presentation on it, as it was done on my own '02 truck.



Here's what came in the package:



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And since most guys quickly want to know how the welding looks, heres the tube-to-base bead:



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Not too shabby!



Here's a few more, self explanatory pics:



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The base, grid delete option, showing round-to-square transition:



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Comparison to the OEM:



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And, the manifold end comparison:



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(more below)

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Here it is, all installed on the engine:



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Quick and easy - about 45 minutes actual install time. More installed pics:



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And an over-all underhood shot to show the general effect upon appearance:



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SO, is this latest gadget just another "pretty face", or does it provide muscle to match the good looks? Judge for yourself:



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Pretty decent power and torque increase - and right in the middle of the power band, where it will see the most use - great for Rvers - and reportedly, also provides the added benefit of reduced EGT! Interesting to note that the observed power increase isn't far off what other power adders, such as the popular Smarty, provides, but at less than half the cost. Of course, individual truck power increases will depend on other related mods done to the truck.



OK, so a few comments and observations.



First, before you start, get a pair of gaskets, one for the grid-delete adapter block to manifold plate, and another for the grid-delete block-to-intake tube - the kit doesn't come with any - my local NAPA store didn't have any, or even show them in their books, so I bought some gasket material, and made my own.



Also, as supplied, there is a bracket furnished that attaches to one of the intake hold-down bolts, to support the oil dipstick - to me, it looks crappy to pull the dipstick to one side over the valve cover area, so I did a "field modification" to the provided support to allow the dipstick to simply be supported in it's original line, and under the new intake tube - you can check it out in the above pictures, and see what you think.



Looks like a good piece, and will provide driving impressions later...

 

[Bob4x4]

Gary,you might want to edit the letters in the post title



Bob

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Gary,you might want to edit the letters in the post title



Bob

YUP - alerted the moderator as soon as I posted and caught it - the board software doesn't allow the thread originator to edit the thread title - so hafta wait until a moderator does it for me... :-laf:-laf



Special apologies to Stefan at DTT for screwing up proper credit for a neat addition to add-ons for these trucks!

 

[ACoyle]

I went to bed early last night - Sorry to all. By way of explination, I just finished rewiring a "Digital Cave" for Cornell Medical.



It it about a 10 X 10 room with transclucent walls. Outside the walls all around are 11 DLP projectors that project off mirrors onto the transclucent walls. Inside the room are about 5 or six cameras. It is a giant digital reality room. Wish I could say that I had a lot ot do with it technically, but, I didn't.



Anyway, I fixed the subject line. Really nice looking gear.



AC

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

I went to bed early last night - Sorry to all. By way of explination, I just finished rewiring a "Digital Cave" for Cornell Medical.



It it about a 10 X 10 room with transclucent walls. Outside the walls all around are 11 DLP projectors that project off mirrors onto the transclucent walls. Inside the room are about 5 or six cameras. It is a giant digital reality room. Wish I could say that I had a lot ot do with it technically, but, I didn't.



Anyway, I fixed the subject line. Really nice looking gear.



AC

Thanks Andy - sorry to wake you up early to fix a screw-up - nice to have guys like you around to clean up after us! :-laf

 

[Allnew2Me]

Gary, How is the clearence above the intake horn? It looks fairly high in the pictures and I am wondering if it contacts the hood liner. The reason I ask is because I would most likely powder coat mine black and would hate to see it rub off in that area.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Gary, How is the clearence above the intake horn? It looks fairly high in the pictures and I am wondering if it contacts the hood liner. The reason I ask is because I would most likely powder coat mine black and would hate to see it rub off in that area.

Looks to be plenty of room, even tho' as can be seen, it IS taller than the OEM. I'll have to do an actual clearance measurement, just out of curiosity - but I seriously doubt any problem...



I'd bet that if a guy had a custom coated valvecover and other items, this piece would look great coated to match!

 

[TravisG]

Gary I didn't see this on the DTT website. Would ya mind sending me a p. m. and lettin me know what ya gave for it or where to find it. Nice lookin piece. Do you have to go with the grid delete? Not quite sure if I want to do that up here in the Frozen Tundra!!!

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Gary I didn't see this on the DTT website. Would ya mind sending me a p. m. and lettin me know what ya gave for it or where to find it. Nice lookin piece. Do you have to go with the grid delete? Not quite sure if I want to do that up here in the Frozen Tundra!!!

Contact Stefan Kondolay, either thru this board, or:



Diesel Transmission Technology - DTT Performance Diesel Transmission and Power Accessories



OH - forgot to mention, no, the grid delete is an optional, extra cost piece - and guys driving in colder climates might want to keep their grid heaters - we get cold here in my area too - but really don't drive the truck much then, so not enough an issue to keep the grids.

 

[HookMeUp]

Gary, thanks for the writeup. I "manufactured" a new bracket for the dip stick tube for mine to bring it under the arc of the intake tube. Looks much better! When are you going to get a chance to tow the RV? We go out the first weekend of May over a route we have traveled before. Has a couple of hills and would like to see the EGT difference.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Gary, thanks for the writeup. I "manufactured" a new bracket for the dip stick tube for mine to bring it under the arc of the intake tube. Looks much better! When are you going to get a chance to tow the RV? We go out the first weekend of May over a route we have traveled before. Has a couple of hills and would like to see the EGT difference.

We'll be taking an RV towing trip down to the Lodi/Manteca area of N. Central California - leaving about the 20th or so of May - travel down Hwy 395 to Reno, then 80 West thru Sacramento and 99 south - about 1500 miles round trip, lots of mountain driving both in Oregon, and the Sierra. Very familiar with that route, towed that way lots of times, and also familiar with the usual EGT and climbing ability over various grades. I'm betting I'll have all the power I had with the previous Smarty/Comp combo, but lots less EGT now without the Smarty- but we'll see...



As to the oil dipstick bracket with this setup, I sure like it LOTS better this way than with what was originally supplied - it's certainly no harder to do the minor "massage" to make the dipstick tube fit in this location than it would be the other - and LOOKS lots better and more "finished" to my eye. Using the SS bracket material DTT supplied makes it blend right in visually, but could benefit from a LITTLE bit heavier material when done the way I did, altho' it seems entirely adequate for strength as it is - if not, I have plenty of strap iron around to do it heavier, if needed.

 

[Tom W]

Gary,

I can't read the chart. What are the numbers?

Thanks.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Gary,

I can't read the chart. What are the numbers?

Thanks.

HMmmmm - shows up fine for me?



ANYWAY, a 40 ft. lbs. torque and 30 HP gain at 2300 rpm - and actually a pretty steady improvement starting below 2000 RPM, extending up to where few of us would spin the engine in normal driving.



For the record, I really don't think there's any great magic involved here - any more than the power increase I got when going from the OEM exhaust to Rip Rook's 4 inch setup - just a significantly less restrictive flow path, and one that eliminates the sharp curves and scattered bumps, wall roughness, and obstructions of what the OEM gave us.



BUT, it's always nice to pick up a significant power increase in a PASSIVE mod, one that requires NO intrusion into other parts or systems on the truck - and works all across the power band - rather than a limited RPM or vehicle speed range, as some others do.

 

[paulb]

Nice looking piece. One note on the dip stick re-location... On a 3rd gen with a PPE dual fueler, you have to relocate the dip stick. I wonder if DTT was thinking ahead, and just made one bracket that would work for everyone...



Paul

 

[Stefan Kondolay]

I will be changing the bracket to the style like Gary built.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Gary, How is the clearence above the intake horn? It looks fairly high in the pictures and I am wondering if it contacts the hood liner. The reason I ask is because I would most likely powder coat mine black and would hate to see it rub off in that area.

Did a check on my truck, and get a good 1 inch clearance between the tallest point on the intake, and the underside of the hood - plenty for my truck without any underhood pad/soundproofing - probably closer but still clear hoods that do have the pad...

 

[FTwardoch]

Gary, let us know if you gain any mpg with this beauty. Not sure if you're anal like I am and hand calculate every tank mpg but I'd sure like to know. By the way, why did you delete the grid heaters... ... ... ... ... ... being an Oregonian like you, we get dang cold weather here!

Stephan - if you see this - is the price the same to keep the grid heaters?

 

[Allnew2Me]

Thanks for checking that Gary, it sounds like it has plenty of room. I was kind of hoping that you would say it was too close so I would have at least one good reason not to buy one of these!

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Gary, let us know if you gain any mpg with this beauty. Not sure if you're anal like I am and hand calculate every tank mpg but I'd sure like to know. By the way, why did you delete the grid heaters... ... ... ... ... ... being an Oregonian like you, we get dang cold weather here!

Check the lead of this thread, and the pics, and you'll see it is a grid-delete - yes, the adaptor block that replaces the grid heater is extra, buyer decides which style - and yeah, gets cold here too, but don't drive the truck much in the Winter, so went for the delete option...