I did an search and came up dry. I'm sure someone has asked this before so sorry if this is a duplicate. I have a 97 ram 1500 5.9L Magnum 2wd auto 166k miles that is bone stock. I was looking for some feedback as to what mods work the best. I am on a budget so I would go for the least expensive mods first. I am interesting in performance mods for the engine as I think I have an idea on what I will do as far as wheels and tire, etc. Thanks in advance.

 

are you sure you want to dump money into a 166k mile engine?

 

I am looking for advice. Do you think I will be wasting time and money? I have searched the forums and seem guys with mods done to higher mileage engines.

 

personally i wouldn't invest money in a high mileage vehicle, but thats just me. i'm not sure how much your looking at spending but check out fastman throttle bodies, 14" round air cleaner, and do a search for headers to see which ones match what you want. you may also want to check if your plenum is leaking.
how much are you looking to spend anyway?

 

I plan to keep this truck a while so I guess to start with up to $500 and then planning and budgeting in steps for the larger upgrades. The engine runs really well for it's mileage, and the truck is paid for so I want to try and work with what I've got.

 

Fastman TB: $235 shipped plus core charge
Edelbrock Pro-Flo: $19 (or) 14" round air cleaner: $30
Cat-back exhaust: $250 - $550 (depends on what type of kit you'd want)
Flowmaster SI/SO: $260

so $525 would cover a TB, Cat-back, and a better air intake. take a look around at some old posts and do a little searching to find what may work best for you.

 

I will look into a few of those things. I have been seeing how most people on this site post their setup in the signature line. I have been researching some of the components that I see common between trucks. Thanks for giving me some ideas.

 

dude where do u live round here you can dual exhaust from front to back for under 5 bills thats with headers and y go si/so y not duals or even si/do... and personally i made the mistake of doing mods before my plenum and it just made my plenum worse thats what id do 1st and formost after that flush all fluids and do all gaskets use syntec oils then work on the fastman and exhaust just my opinions .....

 

You should never do performance mods until you know the truck is in tip top shape. Take that 500 and buy a Hughes or APS plenum reinforcment kit, a new double roller timing chain and oil pump, and swap out all the fluids in truck: oil, tranny, transfer, coolant, and differential. heck I've even flushed the brake lines and the powersteering pump.

 

mine was 167k, now its turning 190.