For those that have done the plenum repair, just want to confirm my parts list before I start on Friday (so I have time to get something else before then if i'm missing something). Here's what I have so far. I know not all of what i'm going to list is required for the plenum repair, but i'm doing some other tuneup at the same time while I have better access to stuff since some of these parts are 9yrs/85k miles old. Any other suggestions welcome:

For the plenum repair:
-APS Precision plenum repair kit, includes new alum belly pan, belly pan gasket, belly pan bolts, intake manifold bolts, and intake flange gaskets.
-New water pump bypass hose and clamps
-Ultra Black RTV
-New coolant
-New 180 tstat and gasket
-New throttlebody gasket, trimmed for my Fastman TB
-Blue thread locker
-3/8" fuel line disconnect tool
-New injector o-rings
-Mopar combustion chamber cleaner - 2 cans

For tune-up and other maintenance:
-New plugs
-New wires (one of mine got burnt on a header, so i'm replacing them)
-New cap and rotor
-New air filter
-New serpentine belt
-ThermoTec fuel rail wrap
-New radiator hoses top and bottom
-Remflex header gaskets
-Edelbrock header donut gaskets
-New socket head headers bolts
-New valve cover gaskets
-New valve cover breather

For modding my kegger:
-Aluminum cutting blades and bits for rotozip and dremel
-Metal files
-Sawzall metal cutting blade - fine tooth

Other:
-printed copies of 3 different plenum repair procedures (for reference)
-Chrysler service manual, Haynes manual, Chiltons manual (always laying around in my garage)
-12 pack of Laughing Lab
-digital camera (pics to be posted when done)

 

band aids , bake beans..

 

Is the APS Kit better than the Hughes??? Sorry for the [sm=offtopic.gif]post...

 

sounds like your on the right track there. Theres a couple things you dont need, but obviously your getting all the preventitive maintance out of the way. If you have an extra $70 try grabbin some new valve covers for an LA motor, they spruce things up a bit and 5 bolts saves your sanityover 10. If you are using the sawzall it might be helpful to get an adjustable blade hight/guide so you can get a little more precision from it. As far as the aluminum cutter disks....get a $hit load of them. I went through about 15 of them before I got fed up and used a 3" cutoff tool. If you get in a jam with the center plate you can try what I did which was to get the cutoff tool down to the bottom and start making cuts (they didnt cut all the way through because I didnt have clearance btwn the plate and the runners) Do that on both sides if possible.Basicly outline what you want gone, on everypart of the plate, top,side, and other side.Then I took a large 3-1/2 foot bolt cutter and shattered the aluminum on the plate. Since it is going to shatter on the line of least resistance, its going to shatter where you made the pre cuts. Then it gives you room to get in there and clean it up with a sander/grinder. I spent about 20 hours trying to cut it out precision and then i switched to the bolt cutter and it took 30 min. A little unnerving but it worked for me, just make sure you have those cuts there so it doesntshatter into the "case"

 

Gee, you really think my engine needs sprucing up with new valve covers?
[IMG]local://upfiles/9095/D1C162E289F14671AD1308185514BF1D.jpg[/IMG]
I think I prefer the valve covers I have, but thanks anyway for the suggestion.
I also prfer 10 bolt versus 5 because I dislike the Mopar valve cover gasket. 10 bolts makes leaks much more unlikely.
My intake doesn't have the center divider, it is a '99. That was only on '97 and older.

 

They are identical, I just know the owner at APS from another forum and prefer to support his business instead of Hughes.

 

There ya go...already ahead of the game. I agree about the leak thing, but it makes adjusting valves a pita. I didnt realise you had the mopars already. Have a fun time with it. Some good quality time with the truck.

 

Ya, i'm looking forward to a fun weekend. I haven't had this much good truck maintenance time in a long time (since the baby came over 1 1/2 year ago and since I started needing to be on-call with my job). I'd get a couple hours here and there, but I usually had regular maintenace I had to do during that time first (like oil changes and stuff), so this other fun stuff had to wait. This time though, the wife and daughter are going on a road trip for awhile to visit the grandparents, and to take them to Missouri so they can visit some other family. I'm also not on call this weekend. So I have 3 full days to do any project I want on the truck, plus weeknights all week long and some of next week.

I got a few other things that i'm going to be doing to the truck too, but i'll suprise you all with those when I post pics over the weekend.

 

Are these necessities for the repair or just extra stuff you're doing?

 

so what size is the cam ?