Looking to spend 5 to $6000 on truck opinions and help!

[JamesStevens]

Hey guys I am about to spend about 5 to 6 thousand on my truck and I wanted your guys input if it is a good idea + I have a couple questions to. I am thinking of getting most of the parts from PDR diesel.com

I am upgrading my truck (5. 9, 110,000km,2007) slowly overtime as I save up, I have Intake, 5 inch turbo back exhaust, ATS auto, Smarty Sr, Fass 150 with filters, Gauges including, transmission temp, boost, pyro, rail pressure, lift pump pressure. When my truck is done I see it with all the above + cp3 stage 2, 50hp ss injectors, MP-8 pressure box, twin turbos, studs (o ring's?), camshaft upgrade, valve springs? I do not plan on going past stock rpm 3500rpm. The pieces I am looking at PRD are the re-ground quick spool cam & lifter set 03 - 07 $467 CAD (all prices are Canadian) OR the new 24v 98. 5 - 07 camshaft $577. Anybody know the difference between the two other then the new vs re grind part. I am no expert but how can they make one camshaft work good on all trucks from 98. 5 all the way to 07's wouldn't the later engines require a different cam profile?? I am after mileage #1, power a close #2. I have a 07 so am looking to get rid of that in cylinder egr stuff + mileage. I am also trying to decide between there Cobra Stage 1,2,3 twin turbo kits. The stage 1 kit is HX 35/HT3b 350-600HP, stage 2 HX 40/HT3b 375-700HP, Stage 3 S300/HT3b 400-750HP. (All 3 kits are on sale for $4,398 now) Just adding up the numbers (which I know doesn't always work so chime in and let me know what U guys think I will be at) 325 stock + 50 hp injectors + 220 hp Smarty + 10 hp Exhaust + Mp - 8 stack + ?? = 605HP without the MP-8 I do not know what it would add. So it looks like the stage 1 or 2 would work, I want as fast spool as possible, but want to keep my drive pressure under control too. Opinions? It doesn't say on the site what kind of boost do these kits put out? I will need studs, do I need to O ring it too? If I o ring the head is that just a special head gasket I buy, or do I have to send the head away? If it doesn't cost to much I am going to get a 5 angle valve job done when we install everything. Sorry for the long post, so I guess my main questions are, what cam? and what turbo kit, o-rings needed and how to install them, are valve springs necessary, I don't plan on going past stock rpm, but I hear some times with higher boost pressure they are needed. When we are in there should we change cam bearings? Are they hard to change? Any feedback appreciated, and if need anymore info let me know. Thanks in advance James

 

[Shadrach]

Hey James

Since you have a 5. 9 there is no egr stuff to get rid of. With only 68000 miles on it the internals should be in excellent shape. What are your intended uses of this truck? Do you pull an RV or is this just a play truck? Doing the cam is a fair bit of work but can help keep the egt down and also with mileage, if you don't drive it like a red neck Calgarian. :-laf I went with the Stage 2 regrind from Peak Diesel in Abbotsford - talk to Harry or Mark at PDR if you prefer, both are good. Camshafts for Dodge Cummins 88-93, 94-98, 12 Valve Engines, 98. 5-2002 24 Valve Engines, 2003-2007 Common Rail 24 Valve Engines . ( The pictures on their site represent all generations of engines. ) I wouldn't worry about the cam bushings, there are 2 - one in the front and one in the rear. You would have to pull the engine to change the back one. Since your injectors are low milers just change the tips. I like DDP. I went with a Smarty Sr as well. Twins are nice, no personal experience there, but don't forget your tanny. All that new found power needs a strong trans to take it. You could easily spend 4-5 grand there also. A lot of these choices are personal but you want a balanced package that works together and good bang for your buck. Shadrach

 

[JamesStevens]

Heya Shadrach thanx for the quick reply. Sorry I forgot to include intended uses, mainly DD, but we hope to get a big RV someday (bout a 30 foot'er) I will turn the Smarty down a bit when I pull heavy trailers but I wont pull trailers very often. I try and drive nice most of the time, but some times it's hard lol. I have been looking at those DDP injectors too, I have the ATS transmission so I am good to go! Figured it was cheaper to do it first before trashing the stocker. Thanx for that link I didn't know there was 2 PRD's!! Peakdieselperformance.com and pdrdiesel.com, Choices, Choices, I like how the link U provided showed the specs of the cams (not that I really know what they mean) But I like numbers. If U like your cam I might get mine from them and the turbos from pdrdiesel.

Keep em comming!

 

[johnnyboy_10138]

If milleage is really your Number 1, and you plan on spending that much money, your best bet is to just dont do anything because you may never see that kind of return from fuel savings.

BUT... . I think you were like me. You want more power, and are just trying to reason with yourself why you should get more parts.

 

[Rams-n-Hogs]

James,



The stock 325 engine puts about 280-285 out at the wheels. If you are only going to 90 hp injectors, twins aren't really necessary. You could go with an S300 based 62 charger and get close to the same results as twins with better spool up. If you decide in the future to go with bigger injectors, you can always add a second charger. Studs are a good idea. O-rings aren't really necessary, unless you really want to pull the head. The MLS head gasket, which is what you have, works fine for the range you want to be in. To answer your question about o-ringing, yes you have to have the head machined. They cut a groove in the head and lay a wire in it, which clamps down between the head and the block when you put it back together. You will need a different head gasket for this. My personal opinion on this, is to leave the head on unless you blow the head gasket, and do what you need to do then. As far as the cam, that is a matter of preference. Honestly, when I was at that power level, I didn't see much difference, although now that I have twins, I think it makes a difference. Don't expect a mileage increase from any of this. As far as the MP8, I don't really see any difference HP-wise with mine, although I have heard other guys say it made a difference in theirs. I think the programming in the Smarty pretty much takes care of it, now, though.



A stage 2 CP3, 90hp injectors, S300 based charger, and Smarty will probably get you to the 500-550 range.

 

[Shadrach]

James here's a little history for you. PDR was started by a man named Piers. It was originally know as Peirs Diesel Research. Two of the other main guys there were Harry and Mark. After a while he sold it and went to work for BD. Several years later he started another company and called it Peak Diesel Performance. Harry came and joined him and Mark stayed at PDR and now runs it. Piers ( whose last name is also Harry ) has now gone back to BD ( he likes the research part ) and Harry now runs Peak. All three of these guys know their stuff.



BTW if you plan on getting an RV make sure you get an exhaust brake and please don't be one of those ( how shall I put this politely ) " morons " who travels at ridiculous speeds with his trailer in tow because he has the power to do so. Shadrach

 

[JamesStevens]

Hey guys thanks for the replies. I called Mark today when I was at work and he said I would be happier with the spool up of the stage 6 twin kit (S300/K31) they support 400 - 600HP. I explained I didn't want any turbo lag, so he said these light quicker. He also said I just need Studs, no O rings so that's good (thanks for that info Rams-n-Hogs). He also said I didn't need any valve springs, these twin kits support up to 60 psi boost, somewhere I read that valve springs are a good idea when running 60psi + boost, opinions anybody.

Thanks for the background history Shadrach, I was wondering what was up with 3 big performance shops all in BC. Mark did sound like he knows his stuff, and I kept him on the phone for quite a while. Don't worry 98% of the time I drive real nice 103km/h is THE sweet spot on my truck (1800rpm) and I have hauled many heavy trailers, and I drive even more conservative then. I know I will never get my money back out of this truck, I can live with that. I am the guy that will spend bout $6000 to get 2 more MPG. I want to make it as efficient as I can. Most of the research I have done suggest that I should gain about 2 from the cam, and not lose any with the twins, opinions?

 

[Rams-n-Hogs]

I guess it all depends on the cam, but I didn't notice any mileage improvement with mine. As far as the twins, a small set like your considering, probably won't hurt. The only problem you'll have, is all of this stuff makes the right foot very heavy. It should be a good setup once you're done.

 

[JamesStevens]

Sounds good, I am still considering but think I will end up going with the S300/K31 just wish I new which cam was best for mileage for my 07. I want to keep the stock valve train.