To anyone familiar with the plenum gasket repair (The Hughes Kit) on these... What else should I replace/repair/inspect/clean while in there?
Water Pump
Timing Chain Set
Thermostat
Hoses

What else? Plugs, wires, cap&rotor are pretty new, although I installed platinum plugs, which I've since read are not a good idea with these engines, so will probably replace those.

Thanks in advance for any shared wisdom/experience.

 

List looks good. Might add an air filter though, and PCV valve. Get a double roller timing set.

 

Not familiar with the "kit" other than its an aluminum plate, make sure you get the by pass hose, its not worth monkeying with, slice it and remove the intake.

 

You can get by without getting that expensive kit. Most likely you just need shorter bolts that hold the plenum plate on. The stock bolts are too long and bottom out which lessens their clamping force on the plenum plate.

 

Yeah, I considered that as well as I read (and believe) that the shallow bolt holes are the cause. Still, I think I will sleep better with the assurance of the thicker, more rigid aluminum plate in there.
My dad had a Superbee which the metal pan on the 727 would just always leak, no matter how hard we tried. Since then, I have a phobia about mopar gaskets leaking when bolted down under stamped steel.

However, I think you have just made me give thought to how expensive that kit really is and so I think I'll buy an ebay cheepie and put together the collection of other gaskets and bolts, myself.

Thanks for the advice!

 

Thank you! This is the kind of advice I appreciate!

 

I like hughes and what they offer for these motors but the kit is expensive for what it is. I've always bought ebay kits, never had an issue, they usually come with bolts and a gasket, though I opt to swap it for a known fel pro, mahle, whatever the local parts store happens to have on hand that particular day, just to make sure its of suitable quality.

 

This. ^^

Hughes charges a premium price for their kits, and I didn't like the gaskets that came with it..... Bought a Fel-Pro set. Intake was still clean six years later. (Mopar PCV valve as well.... they are actually the correct flow rate...)

 

I think I've read hundres of pages about the magnum plenum, the "end-all be-all plenum thread", the "post your plenum gasket pictures" thread, etc.
All info there pertains to trucks.
I hate that I have to ask this because I feel like the plenum topic horse has been beaten to death, but it's super frustrating that there's next to nothing on youtube or even in this forum about doing the plenum gasket repair on Ram VAN.

Anyways... My question: Is there anything fundamentally different about doing this job on a van? Is there anything that I do/don't have to remove that would differ from the truck instructions? There's no VAN-specific write up for this anywhere, is there?

Thanks for any input!

 

It's actually EASIER on the van, as you have MUCH better access to the engine. Procedure is going to be exactly the same as it is for the trucks. Only difference is where you are coming in from.