Hello, Im new to this forum and to Mopars in general. I just inherited my 97 ram from my Grandfather, and would like to plan some mods in the near future. Its only got 68K miles on it, but I need to do some PM work to it. My plans are to change all fluids, tuneup, alignment, CD player, etc. My questions are what are the best repl parts? Mopar? Aftermarket? I want to improve performance but keep most of the fuel economy that I have right now. I plan on using synthetic10W30 oil in the engine- checking the Intake plenum as you have stated that its a problem, changing rear diff fluid to synthetic, flushing trans and cooler, flushing cooling system, brake fluid and power steering fluid and inspecting the front end. I plan on keeping this truck for a long long time, and hopefully keeping it from rusting. Also is the stock thermostat a 200-205 degree unit? Seems a bit hot to me. I also want to put some type of a limited slip in the differential, is the OEM Sure-Grip any good? Also I was told NOT to use Armor-all on the dash? Right?
Thank you for all the info.
-Anthony

 

Welcome!

No armor-all on dash, correct. Been proven to cause cracking.

I believe the stock thermostat is a 195. But I could be mistaken on that.

The factory LSDs are not that great. Get an Auburn or Detroit. Look around the forums, you will find many posts related to that subject.

Thank you for searching before posting! Most people miss that.

 

If you want better gas mileage, go to autozone and get the edelbrock pro-flo air cleaner to replace the stock "Cold air" kit. it got me an extra 2 MPG (over the K&N inside the stock box). It only costs 26 dollars at autozone, but it lists at 18.99 in summit. Get it from summit and get summits cap/rotor/wire package for like 47 bucks.


http://store.summitracing.com/partde...p;autoview=sku
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...p;autoview=sku

Some other easy things are MSD ignition/coil
Fastman TB
Headers

THe above three will cost you abouta grand total.

Those are the best things you can do without getting too caught up. Going to a junkyard and searching for some of the blue top injectors with F1TE-D9A stamped on them would net you some HP. THey are 24# injectors. I have them and i still get the sticker MPG of 14 (actually 14.5 city). Haven't driven it enough on the highway to get HWY MPG.
--Dan

 

In my experience this is a myth. Unless you can show me the scientific "proof." I've been using Armor-all for all of the 100k miles on my interior and not a crack anywhere.

 

Several people here swear that using it on their dashes caused them to crack, or at least helped them crack, as it isn't designed for the materials our dashboards are made of.

I'd heard it by so many people, here and elsewhere (several claiming personal testimonies), that I thought it was common knowledge. I guess I may be incorrect.

 

+1

my truck is pushin 200k with armor all every week, flawless dash.

 

Cracking dash problems are caused by inferior resin used in the plastic in the dash and overtorquing the bolts used to hold in the dash right under the windshield.

Best 3 modsfor me so far are the 1.7 rr, the fastman TB, and the SCT tuner.

 

What brand 1.7 roller rockers? My dash is mint right now- even through 10 FL summers. Grandpa always used a windshield cover, and so do I. Im thinking of using a 185 degree T-stat when I drain the cooling system. 195 is a little hot to me. The SCT tuner, huh? I'll have to check it out. Ive got the FAST one for the Tahoe- totally awesome IMO. Now will the 24# injectors work with the OEM PCM without a reflash/tuner module? Thanks for all the info guys- now if I can keep it from rusting away here in OH I'll be in business!