Wow, very comprehensive list, I like it!

I will check out both of those sites, thank you so much guys.

BTW, already done alot, this week alone I have done the TB clean + new gasket, new airhat gasket, TPS mod .63>.71, and 180 degree thermostat.
Im pretty sure the water pump was replaced 20,000 miles ago, I will have to look at my documents, but its probably worth doing again if I am in there.
Just put on a new exhaust and replaced the plugged cat (probably caused by this).
Truck sure sounds alot better, just need to do this final thing and hopefully be set for awhile

 

I just did mine about a month ago. It took me two days but I replaced my water pump and related hoses. It wasn't that bad, I do recommend the DIY section because of the pictures. I got all my stuff from rock auto.com. They have good prices and they are good quality parts.

 

if your confidence is high, it's a 4~5 hour job at the most. think it all the way thru and have all the parts you'll need on hand so you dont have to make parts runs. I highly recommend the felpro gasket, forget the mopar one as it sucks. I went thru 2 of them and they both leaked. the felpro was the only one that held up long term. I also had the APS kit on there as well. the intake bolts are reuseable, the plenum bolts are not. if you get a plenum kit, new bolts will come with it. I highly recommend 2 things... change the bypass hose to a new one and swap the t-stat to a 180* one. Read thru the DIY writeup 1st to see what your going to be doing... the intake weighs about 20~25 lbs at the most, it's not that heavy.

when you refill your cooling system, get distilled water for the refill. this will helpensure that sludge will not develop... or take a long time to anyways. I posted a pic a couple of years back of my rad cap after 6 weeks with tap water in it. looked like dirt stuck to the top of the cap... a brand new cap.

 

Give your self a whole day for the job.
If your engine is really dirty take it to the car wash first.
Take lots of before pics if you have a digital camera.
Use masking tape to label all the connections and spark plug wires.
Make sure you have a good scraper, lots of rags and at least 3 cans of brake cleaner.
Consider replacing cap and rotor while your in there if they are old.
Change oil and filter when your done before you start it the first time.
The Chrysler kit for this is fine just make sure you torque everything properly.

Good luck

 

Felpro gasket, but I definitely want the reinforcement kit right?

Does rock auto have a reinforcement kit too, or will I have to get that from Hughes? Cant seem to find it on the website.

 

http://www.apsprecision.com/under products, engine parts, billet plenum plate...

http://www.hughesengines.com/partDet...p?partID=11698 the hughes kit.

the problem with the gasket is the stock plate is steel and the manifold is aluminum, they expand and contract at different rates causing the gasket to weaken over time and ultimately fail. dodge changed over to a metal gasket but this one does not seal as well either. the felpro gasket has worked best for a few memebers here who have tried it, myself included. the aluminum plenum kit just matches the intake manifold material so they both expand & contract at the same rate.

 

Someone posted a way to figure if you have the leak by feeling for vacuum and not, any1 know how?

 

Theres a method in the manual to determine if you have a leak, but you need a vacuum guage, I think its worth the positive ID to pull the TB and clean it while you are at it.
Even if you dont clean it, remove the airhat, disconnect the 3 sensors, disconnect AT cable, and slide the whole assembly over.
You should be able to do that in 15 minutes.

 

Anyone recommend the APS over the Hughes or vice versa?

 

i think its pretty much the same product. i ordered mine from hughes on a sunday night and got it on about thursday or friday. someone posted their experience with aps was not as quick, but i don't remember who it was. anybody ??