Ok so I have some questions that I'd liked answered

1. What does changing gear ratios do to overall peformance and what's the gain people look for?

2. If I swapped my 5.2l with a 5.9l would that pass smog(I live in California)

3. If unable to do the engine swap could I do block work to get a bigger displacement instead?

4. Would machining heads effect smog at all? If so what's the max I can do w/out it effecting smog?

5. What can I do to get the most HP out of my truck? I already have headers, exhaust, jet chip, CAI and that's about it.

6. What's a suspension composed of?? And what would you do to make a customized lift of about 5-8"?

So that's all that I have on my mind right now there will be more i'm sure of it
and I really hope someone will take the time to clear my head of the unknown mysteries I have. General info on my truck it's a 97' ram 1500 5.2l 4x4 just so yall know what I'm working with.

 

1. moves the torque curve and lets you feel like you have more power, but all it does is move it so its better utilized
2. i believe it would pass
3. yeah, you can get a stroker kit
4. i dont believe it has an effect at all
5. remove the JET chip, no personal experience, but everyone says theyre crap, get a tuner such as superchips, etc.
6. plenty of routes to go here

 

+1 on all that

for #3 i think with 5.2's the stroker makes it a 396? and the 360 stroker goes to 408

 

1. changing to a lower gear ratio will provide you with more off the line performance, makes
the truck tow better, but will slightly reduce fuel mileage.
2. Not sure. But if I remember correctly the CA trucks have 3 cats; One off each header and
another one after the y-pipe. So I would assume if you kept all three cats it would be fine.
3. You can get a stroker kit for the 318 that I think makes it a 390.
4. Not sure. I really don't think so but I don't want to lead you down the wrong path. What
I can tell you is that you don't want to bother with the stock heads because they are prone
to cracking.
5. Ditch the jet chip. Well it depends on how extreme you and your wallet want to go.
Supercharger, turbo, heads, stroker kit, bored/ported throttle body, cam, intake manifold, etc.
6. Front coils, control arms, rear leafs. Check out http://www.topguncustomz.com .
Taller coils, longer control arms, drop pit arm, leaf pack or aal, longer brake lines, shocks, and
I'm sure I'm missing something.

 

keep in mind these prices are before your machine work and labor

http://www.campbellenterprises.com/3...roker-kits.php

 

Oh ok Alright well I have Gibson headers and a borla exhaust is there better systems then this other than TTI haha I'm not too money friendly I was thinking of going with a custom true dual flowmaster exhaust but don't know if my headers are smothering my trucks HP

 

If I used that stroker kit would it still be good with the stock heads?
And would getting a slightly bigger cam effect emissions?
If you can't tell Im worried about these stupid emissions testing I can't stand being a hog on the rode anymore tho