If you are looking at the M1, you might also want to take a peek at some of Hughes engines newer manifolds. They just released one for our engines that supposedly outdoes the M1, although I have no idea if thats true.

 

well how much do those manifolds run because money is kinda an issue

 

If money's an issue I'd skip it or wait a little while and save up, you can drive on a blown plenum gasket for a while...
The cheapest one I see right now is $420 shipped on a another forum which a pretty damn good deal actually.

 

okay so if i get a new M1 or a Hughes one that means there is just no more gasket? that's what i am getting out of it, or is it like the gasket is part of the manifold on it?

 

Unless you are going to start throwing major money into this truck, I would pass on a upgraded intake. (IE: cam, stroker)

The repair kits that Jason and I posted eliminate the problem. It isn't the gasket's fault that it fails. It is due to the intake being aluminum and the belly pan being steel. When those two metals are heated, they expand at different rates. That hughes kit that I posted gives you a new pan made out of aluminum. That way both the intake and the pan expand and contract at the same rate.

 

okay i will probably just do the kit like laramie1997 said cuz of my money thing and it will fix the problem just as well thanks guys

 

I just picked my truck up from the shop that put new gears in for me it breaks down like this......

$944 for 4.56 gears fron & rear with install kits & an Auburn Limited slip ($375 for the auburn itself)
$77 for the front carrier for the 4.56s since the front carrier is different for the 3.55s
$350 for the gear install plus gear lube (2 times since it has to be changed after 500 miles) but the guy did put in new front wheel joints and ball joints on the drivers side, but he said $300 to staart out with and I gave him the 3.55s so he knocked off $50 otherwise it would have been a $400 bill

So all and all for a gear swap you looking at ~$1000 + the limited slip if you don't have one, and I found a local guy working out of his garage to install the gears otherwise I was looking at about $600-$750 for a gear install from 4 places that I have got quotes from.

Good luck

 

Or you could just go to a local parts store and drop $25 for a gasket set and replace the gasket. It won't last forever, but my truck has 140k miles on it and the plenum just started to leak. I'm just putting a new gasket in it because I plan on adding the M1 intake down the road.

 

you can do that, but if you ever do any kind of towing with it, it will blow really quick. Besides, it isn't like replacing this gasket is a 10 minute job. If it were, I would have never messed with replacing the plate.

 

I never said anything about it being easy, but it isn't something that blows out every 50 miles. These trucks are not easy to work on by any means, but I don't know about the hughes kit. If it were me I would make one myself out of a sheet of 1/4" aluminum rather than paying almost $200 for it.

I plan on getting an M1 or an edelbrock air gap intake for my truck to eliminate the problem all together, but for now I'm just spending the $25 and putting a new gasket in it and I do lots of towing with my truck and I'm not worried about it. It will probably last me another 50k miles without a problem