I'm 15 and my dad is going to give me his 2003 dodge ram 1500 to me when I turn 16 and get my license it is a 5.7 litre v8 and I would like to get the max horsepower and torque while maintaining a somewhat good gas milage and I want engine, exhaust, exterior, interior, and computer upgrades so I can get the max potential out of this truck could you please give me suggestions on what parts to get and what upgrades to do to my truck.

 

What is your budget and what are your plans for the truck? Check this section out for ideas. Everything you ask is covered.

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/3rd-gen...d-how-tos-133/

 

Lol this is a very broad inquiry. It all depends if you want off road performance or street performance. not sure how many miles your ol man's truck is at, But honestly if it were me before wasting any money on performance mods...I'd just start with the basics...fluids. Front/rear difff,transfer case,transmission,engine,brake fluid,coolant. By doing this it willl give you a chance to get in there and check the condition of these critical components. Power and torque is great! But not so much on a diff or tranny that might be on its way out.

Air filter, spark plugs, belts and pulleys check with your dad and ask when any of the above mentioned items were last changed. If he can't remember then change these out. Being young and keen don't waste ur money. Youtube it and Learn to do it your self.

Front end and suspension. Put the truck on stands and check the condition of all your bushings / wheel hubs / struts / CV Axles / control arms etc.

all being said you should start with bringing this truck back to mechanically sound condition. Only at this point would it be practical to start looking into performance, interior/exterior, or otherwise. Hope this helps.

 

I am here to unfortunately **** in your wheaties as you have absolutely the worst year for doing engine performance upgrades. Best cam you'll be able to throw in there is either a comp 260 or a custom grind (either running on Superchips canned tuning) tailored to the 03 ECM shortcomings. Only way around this is either with piggy back modules or converting the computers and harness to the 2005 setup. There are still ****loads of things you can do to the rest of the truck though.

 

I think we scared him off. Kids want to be spoon fed. He wanted to hear how a cold air intake and a flowmaster muffler will give him 200 hp and 49 mpg. Lol

 

I hope he gets good info on upgrades from the lot of you. I'm going to give him some good info on proper grammar and punctuation if he returns like that.

 

Forced Induction. NOTHING wakes up a motor like a supercharger.

 

On a stock 03? Bwahahahahahaaaa!!!!

 

I didn't say how long it would last.

 

With the built in inability to tune it properly, not long at all lol