MCIntoDarkness
Member
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2014
- Posts
- 81
- Reaction score
- 13
- Location
- Mississippi
- Ram Year
- 1998
- Engine
- 3.9L Magnum V6
Hi,
So, just like the rest of you here, I've reached that time where I am now starting to have to throw parts at my truck from time to time. I will be getting a nice chunk of change in December, and I'm looking at taking some of that money and using it to bulletproof my truck.
I'm 17, and this is my first vehicle, and instead of spending $30,000 on a new one, I'd rather make this one be nice and reliable for at least the foreseeable future. I'm planning to spend around $4,000 and this encompasses aesthetic mods and performance. Obviously, the priority is making the truck as mechanically sound as possible first.
For starters, I have a 1998 Ram 1500 with the 3.9 Magnum. It's got right at 130,000 miles on the ticker. It's been fairly taken care of during it's life (belonged to my grandfather before it made it to me), and in my time owning it, it's got a oil change every 5,000 miles with Castrol High Mileage Synthetic GTX 10W-30 and one quart of Lucas Oil Stabilizer. It's paired to a automatic transmission that was replaced with a rebuilt one around 7-8 years ago. I know the first place I'm starting is with the plenum. I am going to get the Hughes kit and have the plenum fixed. When I run the truck above 65-70mph, I will ALWAYS get a CEL for a misfire on various cylinders. I feel like this is possibly related to the plenum.
Outside of the plenum, I am rather lost. Are there any other areas I should look at? I was planning on replacing the distributor cap, rotor, plugs, O2 sensor, and plug wires when I fix the plenum as well. I was thinking about a cold air intake system and a new catback exhaust system. The truck squeaks like crazy when the suspension is being worked, but I just put brand new shocks all the way around, and it doesn't feel like it's going to fly apart at high speeds. Steering pulls a tad to the right, but it's nice and responsive.
On the beauty side, I was looking at getting the truck repainted in a silver/grey metallic and leaving it at that. I just replaced the front headlight housings, and will be picking up some new bulbs soon. I have LED lights in mind for the rear to. The truck needs new tires all the way around, and I have some options. If I have the truck painted, I will also have a new bed liner sprayed in. Also looked at picking up a new set of rims, and maybe a new grille if I have any spare change left over. On the inside, I was looking at maybe adding carpet to the floor and replacing the dash. Add some seat covers from Coverking and call it done.
Are there any upgrades for the 3.9L that you guys would recommend?
So, just like the rest of you here, I've reached that time where I am now starting to have to throw parts at my truck from time to time. I will be getting a nice chunk of change in December, and I'm looking at taking some of that money and using it to bulletproof my truck.
I'm 17, and this is my first vehicle, and instead of spending $30,000 on a new one, I'd rather make this one be nice and reliable for at least the foreseeable future. I'm planning to spend around $4,000 and this encompasses aesthetic mods and performance. Obviously, the priority is making the truck as mechanically sound as possible first.
For starters, I have a 1998 Ram 1500 with the 3.9 Magnum. It's got right at 130,000 miles on the ticker. It's been fairly taken care of during it's life (belonged to my grandfather before it made it to me), and in my time owning it, it's got a oil change every 5,000 miles with Castrol High Mileage Synthetic GTX 10W-30 and one quart of Lucas Oil Stabilizer. It's paired to a automatic transmission that was replaced with a rebuilt one around 7-8 years ago. I know the first place I'm starting is with the plenum. I am going to get the Hughes kit and have the plenum fixed. When I run the truck above 65-70mph, I will ALWAYS get a CEL for a misfire on various cylinders. I feel like this is possibly related to the plenum.
Outside of the plenum, I am rather lost. Are there any other areas I should look at? I was planning on replacing the distributor cap, rotor, plugs, O2 sensor, and plug wires when I fix the plenum as well. I was thinking about a cold air intake system and a new catback exhaust system. The truck squeaks like crazy when the suspension is being worked, but I just put brand new shocks all the way around, and it doesn't feel like it's going to fly apart at high speeds. Steering pulls a tad to the right, but it's nice and responsive.
On the beauty side, I was looking at getting the truck repainted in a silver/grey metallic and leaving it at that. I just replaced the front headlight housings, and will be picking up some new bulbs soon. I have LED lights in mind for the rear to. The truck needs new tires all the way around, and I have some options. If I have the truck painted, I will also have a new bed liner sprayed in. Also looked at picking up a new set of rims, and maybe a new grille if I have any spare change left over. On the inside, I was looking at maybe adding carpet to the floor and replacing the dash. Add some seat covers from Coverking and call it done.
Are there any upgrades for the 3.9L that you guys would recommend?