2001 dodge ram 1500 4x4 5.9 360 with 193000
dropped a new rear end posi with 4:10/s
brand new 46re rebuild with shift kit and upgraded torc converter nd clutches the whole 9 yards.

i want to build the motor to as much horse i can get it to within a reasonable price. i saw the 408 stroker kit what a friend told me to get but id rather take advice from u guys so help me out. about 2grand saved! still saving..(broke) it runs nice now tho. wannted to do a 12v cummins swap but thats way to much conversion and involvement.

what to get?
what brand or type of camshaft
lifters?
pistons? flat or curves?
heads?
i wanna use original block if thers no damage. ill replace alot when its pulled

i wanna BUILD it.. thanks

 

first thing you need to do is have budget in mind. Its a dodge so its going to be expensive to build. Also depends how far motor wise you want to go. my 426 build I priced was pushing 14k. You can do a 408 kit, stay away from eagle cranks in my opinion, do a comp cam. Hughes engines has some nice kits and they are very helpful.

 

14K for a 426 build? Holy hell man. It should be half that.

OP- Best things you can do on a budget are Harland Sharp roller rockers S70037 I believe is the part #, shorty style truck headers, make sure you do the plenum fix, if your so inclined you can taper the bores of your throttle body which I think helped a LITTLE on mine...EQ heads with the big valves is another good one...all together with stock cam I'd expect a big bump in torque. Later on if you want to get into a cam change like I am... I just ordered the comp cams 20-744-9 (I think that's right.) and am still in the air whether I will swap valve springs and run harland sharp roller rockers. I am also going to do the "kegger mod" which is partially cutting down the intake runners and doing a simple gasket match if so desired. I plan to in addition, fill the dead space in the plenum somehow...

Budget of 2 grand I would definitely go for the EQ heads, fully prepared with valves and everything. Probably the single biggest gain on a 360, plus alot of people have issues with stock heads being cracked. This of course is minus a rebuild, you may find that everything is still in good shape, or that you only need rings and a clean up of the walls...

 

Do a compression and/or leakdown test before deciding what route you want to take. Don't a couple thousand dollars worth of top end work, only to find you need to rebuild the bottom as well, is rather depressing. Best to know the condition of the motor before you start.

 

2 k will get you a nice set of fully ported heads that's about it.

Forged pistons will be approx $700+
Fully dressed and ported heads $2000+
H beam rods $400+
Forged crank approx $600+
Machine shop work approx $1000+
Balance assy $400+
New fuel delivery system (return style) $600+
odds and ends say $1500

You might look at getting a built long block might be the cheaper easier way to go, they are out there and they range from 300hp to over 600hp.

Have a look around this site it will give you some ideas and prices, there are dyno sheets there as well. http://www.performanceinjectionequipment.com/

The 440 kit starts at $3500 then add the "R "block $3000+ and it adds up fast 10k easy.

 

thanks very helpful. ill do the test asap and find which route im going to take. ya i thought just top end but i know ima need a bottom end so ima save. hopefully build something worth my time.

 

Could always go the junkyard route, pull an engine get a cheap stand to put it on, break it all down piece by piece and build it up over time and budget so that way you always have your truck.

 

That list I gave you was for a built motor top end stuff.

I do suggest you look at performance long blocks or so called crate motors, I have seen them start at $3000 not that bad. Just have to hunt on the web and see what's out there.

 

exactly what im going to do i find that route easier because it still drives great i just want more performance lol

 

yea ill def do some hunting see what i can find thanks