thanks, i will most likely be keeping it an auto trans. i will have to see how the budget is when the time comes to decide if i will be upgrading pistons and rings if it is not really necessary. this is a build that will take some time so i will keep updated with how things go and there will probably be more questions along the way. right now im still in the research and planning stage but hope to get my hands on a good base 5.9 soon.