Ok, So I have the Hughes plenum fix in my cart. Is it really better to buy their Intake gasket and bolt kit? I can get the gaskets a lot cheaper elsewhere and dont know what the difference is in their bolt versus the bolts that I are already on the truck.

Also, while doing the plenum I am replacing the valve cover gaskets, cap and rotor, and wires. Can anybody think of anything else on the top eng of the engine that I should be looking to replace while I am in there?

 

You cannot re-use intake bolts. Just the way they are designed.

If you can find GOOD quality gaskets and bolts cheaper, go for it. (Fel-Pro)

 

OH! Forgot to mention that I am also ordering the magnaflow cat 23285 to kick everything else off. Summit racing recommends band clamps. Has anybody else used these? How many would I need?

 

I believe you should get the cat welded in. Don't use band clamps.

Get the gaskets and bolts cheaper elsewhere.

 

I do not have access to a welder :S Else I wouldnt even be asking Would the stainless steel band clamps be a good alternative?

 

I went with the Mopar Performance intake gasket kit and bolts. They were 12 dollars more expensive than the hughes kit but I am pretty stuck on MP.

 

im taking my magnaflow cat to get welded in once i do my plenum fix. all my parts should be here tomorrow and hopefully i can do the fix next weekend.

i also went with the hughes bolt kit

 

When I installed my new cat 2 years ago. I took it to a cat shop and they welded it in place for me for only 20 bucks.

 

I keep looking at other threads about the plenum and such and I cant see that there isnt much to doing the hughes plenum fix. Remove the throttle body and get things moved out of the way, then remove the intake manifold, take off the plenum, replace with the hughes plate and gasket, replace the intake manifold gaskets, torque the intake bolts, put the throttle body back on, and done.

 

That's about the size of it. Not to terrible looks worse than it actually is. Just be careful of the hose that goes from the water pump to the intake. It likes to break on ya.