or get a balanced Stroker kit and get the block bored out .030 over and install it all yourself for about the same amount.

 

and 400hp at the wheels isn't exactly as simple as snapping your fingers.

 

damn... thats a lil exspensive. Anymore lil hundred two hundred dollar stuff i could do to my truck to get some more ponies? without laying 2 grand on one thing?

 

a nice little "cheap" upgrade I did was add 1.7 ratio roller rockers to the truck.

You can do this to increase the intake and exhaust valve flow as it extends the time the valves are open slightly. It's acts like a "mini-cam" and will probably net you around 20-30hp.

You probably don't want to do this if you are going to add a cam to it later as the increased ratio will increase the duration of the cam beyond it's specs and you'll just out flow the stock heads. Of course you can get a cam custom ground to compensate for that, but you'll have to make sure you do all the calculations taking into account the non-standard 1.7 to 1 rocker ratio.

 

whats a cam do? how much does ponies will a aftermarket one get you? Im guessing comp cams are some of the best? whats a normal price for one for my 2001 360? Can you install it yourself?

 

can u install roller rockers yourself or do you need to have them professionally isntalled?

 

A cam is a shaft with elliptical orbs on it. It is linked to the crankshaft by a timing chain which turns the camshaft exactly twice as fast as the crankshaft. As it turns, the camshaft raises and lowers a lifter, which in turn raises/lowers a pushrod, then the rocker arm, which opens and closes the valves. Instalation ability depends on your wrench turning savvy. Expect to shell out around $250, plus a reprogram. A "larger" cam has larger lobes to open the valves faster and higher, allowing more air in. The larger the cam, the more air, therefore more power- until you "outflow" your heads, which means that then they are a resrictition and are holding back flow. Then you need to buy performance heads, a custom program flashed into your PCM, high flow intake etc.

 

They will net anywhere from 20 hp on up. However, really strong cams have an actual "sweet spot" too high for our trucks.

 

Ive got a 95 Ram...

I see jason.w put the air ducts in where the holes for the fog lights go. i was wondering what really you get out of doing that, and how much of a job it is to do. I know more air is better, but when you have more air does that mean you are going to be using more fuel which equals less mpg? also what about a cold air intake? i hear that those are bad because it lets in alot of dirt and stuff into the engine. I'm just wondering what do do with a little bit of money to get more mpg out of my truck.
(I cant really complain though because I just took a 4 hour interstate drive and got 22.3 mpg!) Thats at 65 mph and i built a nice but cheap tonoue cover out of 1x2's and a big blue tarp!