Hey yall, I want to improve my horsepower in my 01 ram, I guess i only have about 285hp right now and want a bunch more.. Was thinking maybe better ignition, pistons and heads but where would I find them? Is there anything else I could do to it?

 

It all depends how deep your wallet is! A good start is fixing the plenum, headers, and highflow exhaust.

 

How did you add 40 hp to a stock 245 hp motor? Assuming you have a 5.9

 

Unless you install a monster cam and/or build the engine to go well past the stock redline (5200RPM), or you intend to spend a lot of time knocking around at low RPM/high load on mountain trails above 8,000 feet, an ignition upgrade is pointless. Just run spark plugs appropriate to the engine and its application, and only concern yourself with the ignition system if you have evidence that it's missing at the extremes of its operational range.

 

Find a good 5.9 core engine to rebuild, purchase a 408 rotating assembly and some better cylinder heads along with a cam upgrade and you will certainly gain the power you seek.

 

Search small block magnum build on Google and you'll find plenty of builds that are built for higher horsepower, you'll find out what helps for our motors...on the other side I also vote on a 408 stroker, better heads, and a performance cam. All depends on how much cash you want to throw at the truck.

 

There are a set of 2.02 heads in the User Classifieds here for a good price. Check them out!

 

For the amount of money youre gonna spend do a stroker motor.
Otherwise a good cam, set of heads, an M1 intake manifold, headers, and other required goodies are the way to go.

 

M1s are non existent (try to buy one) and the Hughes Air Gap flows just over a ported Beer Barrel and not worth the coin...Results of a recent comparison will be making the rounds, you can see them now on the Dakota R/T forum.

Work on the exhaust first.

 

M1 intakes are still available in the used market. I came across 2 used M1 intakes here locally. The first one, I missed due to indecisiveness. The second one that popped up on my local craigslist I went ahead and purchased, as it was complete with injectors, adapters and throttle body.