Hello, I am now the proud owner of a 1985 Dodge Ram 150 Custom with the sb318. I am super new to Dodge/Mopar and thus know NOTHING. I have been a diehard Pontiac/Chevrolet man all my life. I, in fact, stumbled onto the opportunity to buy the Ram when buying an 92 s10 turned out to be a bust. But im very happy with the truck. Just have a few questions about Dodge/Mopar that hopefully the peeps of DodgeForum can answer at their best..

1) what makes the ram 150 "custom" trim different from others?

2) what are the usual beginner upgrades performed on these trucks? (just a few bolts..not looking to overhaul anything..has low miles)

3) any drawbacks/negatives to these trucks?

 

i don't think there is really any just bolt on performance upgrades for these trucks. i installed an electric fan on mine and the only difference i have noticed is it warms up quicker. no noticeable performance or gas mileage increase.

i can not really think of anything negative except for just the basic age of the wiring which can sometimes lead to bad connections. i have put nearly 10,000km on my 81 in the last 7 month with almost 0 problems.

 

gotcha. sounds like your truck has been reliable. and an electric fan makes sense. thats now on my list. i am making preparations to perform my usual vehicle AC and Smog delete. i NEVER use AC. grew up without it. windows down kinda guy. and i've also noticed that aftermarket parts are NOT cheap for mopar. i was looking up intakes manifolds and WOW. not looking for 500 horses out of this truck. maybe 250 or maybe more to the wheels. long tubes are in my future though.

 

i used an electric fan assembly out of a 1996-2000 dodge caravan. i picked it up for $30 at the local junkyard. if you do get headers you should avoid hedman brand header. apparently the flange on them are about 1/16" thinner than every other brand i have seen. 1 of the things i want to do to my truck is a new cam and lifters. i think it would be the biggest bang for my buck in a carbed truck. the main thing is finding the time to do it while keeping the down time as small as possible.

 

I'm not certain that is the case (Headman Headers) with all their headers. I personally use a set of their Elite headers and have been nothing but pleased. Thick flanges, exact fit, and ball & socket ends. That is not to say that their cheaper sets do have the thinner flanges but that is the case with all the cheap headers.

Stay away from Summit brand or the "cheap" headers (Hooker or whomever else) they have fitment issues and they often have warped header flanges so make certain to put a straight edge on them before installing. Also use a thick dead-soft type header gasket.

Other updates\upgrades:
Headers w\dual exhaust

4bbl intake & carb (with factory AC you are limited to the Edelbrock Performer unless you don't mind mod's to the mounting of the AC compressor) Also don't go overboard on the carb size..a 500 CFM will do fine with no other updates.

Ignition upgrades - good tune

The sky is the limit if you have the time and money...

 

these are actually the headers i had planned to get lol http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-G9042/

maybe if i can swing threw a boneyard or find a set on craigslist for cheap, then ill go with some other set. that is strictly a price driven choice. i have shorty headers on my firebird and wanted to give long tubes a shot without throwing in too much money, ya know. i am most definitely going to have a true dual set up...wouldnt seem right without one lol

I am not familiar with ignition systems or carbs. i know a small amout about carbs but nothing about tuning it and what not so i already know this will be a task. i know brand of carb is a personal preference but...which brand of 4 barrel is easiest to tune? holley, edelbrock,...carter?? and yea, im only going up to about 500 cfm or a bit higher. not too high at all

 

I have the Jegs brand headers and they fit well. I am happy with them for the $108 bucks I paid for them. When it comes to carbs, ^^^ what he said. No need for a big carb for these little motors. Small 4bbl and headers really wakes a 318 up.

 

im not very tech savvy when it comes to carbs. ive dealt with mostly tbi's and tpi's. did have a 86 grand prix that had a 4 barrel but i was ALWAYS lost when messing with that thing. i either always had it too high or too low. it leaked too somewhat. i dont quite understand the tuning and all..but 500 cfm or a little more is about as big as ill go. i havent ever tinkered with an ignition system either.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-G9042/ these were the headers i had planned on getting. never had long tubes and thought id try these for starters. i have shorties on my firebird now and they are awesome.

as far as a cam goes, ive read that the cam out of a 340 works wonders but they are rare. i retrieved the specs of that cam and have tried to match them up with something aftermarket but havent gotten that close.

 

my comments arent posting

wow, well that posted...wonder whats the matter here. tired of typing like 2 paragraphs worth of stuff and it not posting. ill try once more......i think 500 cfm or a bit more is about all ill go up to. not real tech savvy with carbs though. the tuning stuff gets me. im used to tbi's and tpi's.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-G9042/ these were the headers i wanted to use. they are fairly inexpensive compared to (i know the price you pay is the quality you get). just looking for something over stock manifolds.

as far as a cam goes..ive read that the stock cam from a 340 was ideal but very rare so i retrieved, what i hope was the correct, specs of the cam and have tried to match it up as close as possible with an aftermarket one.

any interchangeable parts that i can pull from a 2nd gen ram?

 

i think 2x1972 said he had these on his truck
http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS+Performan...30082/10002/-1

the engine out of a 2nd gen is suppose to bolt in to these trucks but i am not sure about the transmissions. parts wise i don't think anything is interchangeable. when i do dig into my engine i am hoping to install an RV cam.