u figure rate per hour at the shop i just got layed off from was 87.54 so it gets pricey quick

 

I was quoted at $325 plus tax just for the labor. That did not include the hughes kit. It would have been around $460ish for labor and the hughes kit to be installed.

I did it myself and saved a bunch of money! Just take your time and buy a repair manual and look for do it yourself directions online.

 

Damn. I'm not willing to spend $325 on labor. $200 at the most. I would love to do it myself I am just not confident about doing it. It seems like I have to remove alot of stuff and I'm afraid I won't put it all back together the right way. I do want to learn how to work on my truck though so I guess I could learn alot by tackling this job. The Hughes kit should come with a nice instruction manual too right?

Any pointers for me if I do it myself? any special tools or supplies I should get before hand to save me trips to advance in the middle of the job?

 

Also what other stuff should i replace while i'm in there? Im already going to change plugs, wires, and distributor cap. can anyone provide a list of tools, and a list of things i should replace while i have access to it during the plenum fix?

 

unless an intake bolt breaks off, its not too bad. you do have to strip a lot of parts off the top, so its critical that you stay organized and label all your parts - no matter how simple they seem at the time. get a roll of painters or masking tape and a sharpie and some plastic ziplock bags and don't be afraid to use them. the only special tool you need is a cheap torque wrench and a 3/8 fuel line disconnect tool ($5 plastic one is fine).

search and read all the posts and pictures from people that have done it before. there's some on here with pictures intact, and some older ones with lost picture links.

allow a couple of days in case of difficulty, and have an extra vehicle to drive to the parts store. depending on where you live, try to get inside out of the cold or rain or heat so its not unpleasant.

the damn fan can be the toughest step, search for the s-shaped tool recently posted for holding the fan pulley.

while you have the intake off, replace dist cap, rotor, and wires. they'll never be a better time.

here's my pic's, but i was also doing water pump, timing chain, and front and rear seals - so the front of the motor is stripped also.

some other links to diy are included...
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...ater-pump.html

 

i found the job was fairly easy to do my 2 front intake bolts did snap off i was able to get 1 out with heat the other was broken off flush and had to be drilled and heli coiled .the plenum bolts are said to be to long so i ground the tips down a bit (the tips arent threaded)i did not use the hughes kit .i not care for the cork gaskets that came with the felpro kit i got from napa but used them anyway with good a amount of ultra grey silicone .the job took total about 6hrs from start to finish .(im a professional mechanic with the tools to do the job,it will take someone with less experience a good bit longer). a digital camera will help you with visual references of how things were routed and where hoses go .labeling also helps a lot .you will need an inch pound torque wrench ,some razor blades a scraper a 3m scuff pad helps.some form of cleaner like brake clean ,fresh oil and filter ,a bucket to drain coolant into a socket wrench with a short and long extension ,some wrenches ,a whole lot of patience .the intake bolts are cheaper from dodge than at napa they were 1.45 ea at dodge when i bought mine about 2 wks ago.

 

Torque wrench! You'll need a torque wrench. Also, be sure you understand inch pounds, foot pounds, and the difference between the two.

Read the shop manual as you go.

I had more money than guts. I let the shop do mine.

 

12 inch pounds in a foot pound.

 

Ok well ive looked all around after posting into this tread and ill do it as soon as i get the money, i never really heard of it till about 2 weeks ago and didnt know it was a serious problem. So its gonna get fixed before the end of the year hopefully. Did you notice any differences in the engine?

 

I noticed some MAJOR differences after doing mine. Now, bear in mind, I also did the kegger mod, dist cap/rotor, and plugs. After all was said and done, (and the oil pump changed.... but, that's another story....) The truck ran better, smoother, more power, less ping, shifted better, held gears better, and was overall just much more pleasant to drive.