Getting ready to mod.

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armykyle1

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I just picked up a 1999 ex cab with the 5.9 magnum. It has definitely had some neglect but for 500 bucks, I couldn't pass it up. I have a modding addiction. The day I picked up my 2018 mustang gt I was ordering parts ...


So I've done a tune up, which helped dramatically. The rotor looked rough and there was definitely a few dead plugs. I've got a few other issues to fix still but I'm also trying to plan out my performance route. This will just be a truck, nothing fancy and occasionally tow a car trailer.


99% set on doing long tubes. The price difference between shorties and LTs is negligible and the LTs come with the Y pipe. I know shorties pick up torque faster, but the LTs seem to overcome that by 2500 by the dyno tests I've seen. My only concern is, will the factory harness reach the up stream 02 sensor?

I doubt I'll change intake manifolds, as I don't want to lose any torque. I may do a larger TB and possibly spacer if they actually help(still researching). The factory air box is in rough shape. The piece going to the fender is is rotting away and the filter box is falling apart as well. So I'll need a solution for that.


Next step would be tuning. I've only seen one recommended tuner on here. Is there others?

Next I want to clean up under the hood. Has anyone done an evap delete? I think I'll do away with the PCV and run a breather unless there's an issue besides fumes?
 
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Yeret

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In regards to performance, my truck at the moment has the following...

-Green Filter cotton-gauze air filter - think it was $30 maybe $40.

-modified 50mm throttle body - $100 from eBay but the guy who modified it doesn't do it anymore.

-eBay shorties - think they were around $150. I laughed at the tinny gaskets that came with them and ordered a set of Remflex gaskets, which were around $40.

-Magnaflow cat ($150), 2.5" downpipe and a 3" tailpipe with no muffler. It's loud and raw but not outlandish, just the way I like it and haven't gotten ragged by the cops...yet.

-canned 91 octane tune by Flyin' Ryan. $400, which included an X3 tuner.


Compared to stock, the truck has vastly improved power in the midrange. In fact, I've watched a couple of videos on YouTube of guys doing acceleration runs with a Hughes AirGap with no supporting mods or tuning and I honestly wasn't terribly impressed with the results compared to my truck with the factor kegger and aforementioned mods.

For the several hundred bucks you'll spend, a second-gen Ram will have vastly improved performance.
 
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armykyle1

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5.9
In regards to performance, my truck at the moment has the following...

-Green Filter cotton-gauze air filter - think it was $30 maybe $40.

-modified 50mm throttle body - $100 from eBay but the guy who modified it doesn't do it anymore.

-eBay shorties - think they were around $150. I laughed at the tinny gaskets that came with them and ordered a set of Remflex gaskets, which were around $40.

-Magnaflow cat ($150), 2.5" downpipe and a 3" tailpipe with no muffler. It's loud and raw but not outlandish, just the way I like it and haven't gotten ragged by the cops...yet.

-canned 91 octane tune by Flyin' Ryan. $400, which included an X3 tuner.


Compared to stock, the truck has vastly improved power in the midrange. In fact, I've watched a couple of videos on YouTube of guys doing acceleration runs with a Hughes AirGap with no supporting mods or tuning and I honestly wasn't terribly impressed with the results compared to my truck with the factor kegger and aforementioned mods.

For the several hundred bucks you'll spend, a second-gen Ram will have vastly improved performance.

Thank you for your reply.

It has a k&n drop in right now but it looks terrible and I don't think it's worth cleaning. So I'll look into that filter you got.

Looks like there's someone on ebay still selling the modified throttle bodies. They're a bit more expensive now, but cheaper than the 52mm ones I found.

That's not a bad all in price that you have for shorty setup. It'll be about the same for the LT setup I'll do most likely. I'll definitely be running a muffler though, since I won't be running a cat. Plus neighbors haven't cared for my last two cars lol. I had a 2015 mustang gt with catless long tubes and it was very loud...


Flyin Ryan seems to be the only tuner. $450 isn't terrible for and a canned tune and a hand held.

As long as I don't hit any major hiccups with the truck, I'll hopefully have all this done in the next two months.
 
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Yeret

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There are other tuners out there for the Magnum engines but Ryan is definitely the most reputable. Hemi Fever used to be pretty popular until people started having running/driving problems with their trucks. Supposedly, he adds WAY too much fuel, causing engines to run rich even at hot idle.

Oh, almost forgot. Make sure your intake plenum is not leaking, especially if you're going to purchase a tune. Ryan made it pretty clear when I was last talking with him that he really doesn't want you to run a tune if it is. I'm guessing its' because his more aggressive timing curve will exacerbate the knocking issues that these engines always develop when the plenum starts leaking.
 
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armykyle1

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There are other tuners out there for the Magnum engines but Ryan is definitely the most reputable. Hemi Fever used to be pretty popular until people started having running/driving problems with their trucks. Supposedly, he adds WAY too much fuel, causing engines to run rich even at hot idle.

Oh, almost forgot. Make sure your intake plenum is not leaking, especially if you're going to purchase a tune. Ryan made it pretty clear when I was last talking with him that he really doesn't want you to run a tune if it is. I'm guessing its' because his more aggressive timing curve will exacerbate the knocking issues that these engines always develop when the plenum starts leaking.

That makes sense. Sucking in hot air and oil from the intake Valley is all bad. I'll be getting a new TB gasket this weekend and cleaning it. While I have it apart I'll check the plenum. If it's leaking, I'll do the plenum kit with the machined aluminum piece.
 

dapepper9

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Sean at hemifever also cant or doesn't rescale the tables for timing and fuel adjustments above 4800rpm which is where the tables stop on an untouched pcm. Ryan figured this out some years back and i myself recently did as well. Even though i have the software i run Ryan's tuning and for good reason.

Longtubes are a good choice. Shorties don't pick up tq faster, that's a myth. That originated from the only off the shelf shorty headers having significantly smaller primary tube diameters than the available longtubes. Small primaries promote early tq BUT so does increased tube length. I now recommend the ProTuningLab longtubes as that's the cheapest option and best bang for buck. 1-3/4 primary which is pretty perfectly suited to an engine of this size and the tube length ensures you don't lose any tq.

Also, highly recommend an intake manifold. People have complained about tq loss for years but it's negligible under the curve and peak actually rises when supporting mods are included and tuned. Doing all that and keeping the keg doesn't go further with tq production either, before that is argued. The keg simply can't keep up with airflow much past stock. The 2bbl m1 like i have or the Hughes Airgap are both quite effective at keeping tq loss down to converter stall speed range so you'll never notice it. They also make 20-25whp over a keg which is noticeable. Even though i have the 2bbl, some tax time im buying a Hughes airgap. Not because it's better or anything but so i can run a 4bbl throttle body, shorten my overall intake package for clearance with my Extreme Velocity airhat and still retain tq vs going to the 4bbl m1. The 4bbl m1 is not recommended in a ram, it DOES reduce tq and you'll have better drivability with the keg until you start getting into a more serious heads/cam setup.

Other than that, the throttle bodies are a good choice. Hipotek and Brian Whitely have good pieces. Brian is probably the one on ebay you saw.

Other things to note, if you wish to avoid doing head work a cam is kind of a waste of time. There's another tuner out there that has "developed" a couple profiles for stock heads intake and valve springs but it's no more than a basic rv cam albeit on a narrower LSA. He was all secretive about specs for a year until he got his truck on the dyno to show it off but I'd already guessed the specs to within polishing variance months prior. It's not magic as is being advertised. In the end you're better off with a 1.7 ratio roller rocker. Cost is slightly higher by about $50-100 but it won't cost you:
Fluids
Gaskets
Fuel sync at a dealer or scan tool rental
Wideband 02 for proper a/f tuning
The extra cost of tuning
You also won't have any problem with questionable cam bearings that SHOULD be replaced during a cam swap.
 
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armykyle1

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5.9
Sean at hemifever also cant or doesn't rescale the tables for timing and fuel adjustments above 4800rpm which is where the tables stop on an untouched pcm. Ryan figured this out some years back and i myself recently did as well. Even though i have the software i run Ryan's tuning and for good reason.

Longtubes are a good choice. Shorties don't pick up tq faster, that's a myth. That originated from the only off the shelf shorty headers having significantly smaller primary tube diameters than the available longtubes. Small primaries promote early tq BUT so does increased tube length. I now recommend the ProTuningLab longtubes as that's the cheapest option and best bang for buck. 1-3/4 primary which is pretty perfectly suited to an engine of this size and the tube length ensures you don't lose any tq.

Also, highly recommend an intake manifold. People have complained about tq loss for years but it's negligible under the curve and peak actually rises when supporting mods are included and tuned. Doing all that and keeping the keg doesn't go further with tq production either, before that is argued. The keg simply can't keep up with airflow much past stock. The 2bbl m1 like i have or the Hughes Airgap are both quite effective at keeping tq loss down to converter stall speed range so you'll never notice it. They also make 20-25whp over a keg which is noticeable. Even though i have the 2bbl, some tax time im buying a Hughes airgap. Not because it's better or anything but so i can run a 4bbl throttle body, shorten my overall intake package for clearance with my Extreme Velocity airhat and still retain tq vs going to the 4bbl m1. The 4bbl m1 is not recommended in a ram, it DOES reduce tq and you'll have better drivability with the keg until you start getting into a more serious heads/cam setup.

Other than that, the throttle bodies are a good choice. Hipotek and Brian Whitely have good pieces. Brian is probably the one on ebay you saw.

Other things to note, if you wish to avoid doing head work a cam is kind of a waste of time. There's another tuner out there that has "developed" a couple profiles for stock heads intake and valve springs but it's no more than a basic rv cam albeit on a narrower LSA. He was all secretive about specs for a year until he got his truck on the dyno to show it off but I'd already guessed the specs to within polishing variance months prior. It's not magic as is being advertised. In the end you're better off with a 1.7 ratio roller rocker. Cost is slightly higher by about $50-100 but it won't cost you:
Fluids
Gaskets
Fuel sync at a dealer or scan tool rental
Wideband 02 for proper a/f tuning
The extra cost of tuning
You also won't have any problem with questionable cam bearings that SHOULD be replaced during a cam swap.

I probably won't get into the engine unless there's some type of failure.

Is it worth upgrading the coil? Looks like this is the factory coil on this truck.

Also, does anyone have recommendations for plug wire organization? Found a couple kits but 60 bucks or more, I want to make sure they'll line up right on the valve cover bolts.
 

dapepper9

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^^yes. Use the money you were considering using on a coil and spend it on plug wires. Good wires go a long way in terms of longevity and reliability. The best you'll find are FireCore and they run around $100. From there the MSD Superconductors or Taylor Thunderbolts are pretty good and significantly cheaper. At the least the summit wires are better than factory and not costly at all
 
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armykyle1

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Coil wires are good. I just need an organization solution for them.

Thought I had a transmission issue, but the TV cable is sticking make the transmission thinking I'm going WOT.

Truck has a bad master cylinder. So that will be replaced in the next few days. Then I'll be able to fully assess the brakes.

Once I get that done, I'll move it to my house. That's where the headers and other modifications will start. I can't seem to locate good gaskets though. Most aren't in production anymore.

I'll also be installing a cheap CAI since the stock airbox is jacked up. Should be here Friday.
 

dapepper9

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Wire organization the David Freiburger special works great. If you're unfamiliar, it's ziptie wire looms.

Exhaust gaskets your best options are either Remflex or no gasket and copper RTV. Either works great. ARP 612-1000 bolts, they're 1" long vs 3/4" like most header bolts. The bolt holes are plenty deep enough for the longer bolts and using them gives you an extra 1/4" of thread engagement and you can use a lockwasher with em. They also have a nice small 3/8 12pt head that's easy to get a wrench on compared to a 6pt

Cai you can do whatever you want. 14x2/14x3 are pretty popular. But they all perform close enough to the same that any difference can be attributed to testing variance.
 

jessyj

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Remflrx gaskets are the best that I have used.Also I used Champion plug wires on 1 of my trucks, they fit good and seem to work in all weather conditions.
 
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armykyle1

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Remflrx gaskets are the best that I have used.Also I used Champion plug wires on 1 of my trucks, they fit good and seem to work in all weather conditions.

I've tried finding the remflex gaskets but no luck. Maybe I'm not searching correctly lol.
 

Tray Burge

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I still love that body style, it was the first Ram body style I fell in love with, but then, age makes no difference to me in vehicle styles if they're classic.
 
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armykyle1

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Got the headers today. These are DNA brand sold by protuning lab. The quality looks decent, the welds are good, much better than the price reflects. I've seen BBK headers with worse welds. Hopefully fitment is good as well. I'm debating on wrapping them as well. I also got my $58 CAI the other day. If the stock airbox wasn't falling apart, I'd still use it. Once have have everything under the hood cleaned up, I'll begin the install of these parts.

The master cylinder was leaking, valve covers are leaking, PS is leaking and it's a mess. I hate working in dirty engine bays.

20190117_182510.jpg
 

Yeret

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I'll second the Remflex gaskets. The box says you don't have to retorque the bolts since the gaskets crush under torque and then expand, placing tension on the bolts. The guy who installed the headers advised me to do so anyway and I figured it would be a sage thing to do anyway but me being me, I never did. 1+ year later, no leaks. I'll never use anything else.

I never did read a headers review that recommended using the gaskets that come with them. The eBay headers I bought were no exception, LOL. The Remflex gaskets were at least three times thicker, maybe more. They're sweet!

As far as the air intake goes, I used to use a 10x2 open-element air cleaner. It looked sweet but it was a real PITA keeping the K&N filter clean since I live back on two miles of gravel. I ended up going back to the factory airbox and dropped in a Green Filter air filter. In my opinion, there was no real difference in performance. Plus, the airbox made for a handy relocation spot for the IAT sensor.

And in regards to plug wires, I'm currently using a set of Davis Unified Ignition LiveWires with a matching cap and rotor. They're a bit expensive but really good quality. They snap onto the spark plugs with authority and you gotta give 'em a pretty good tug to pull 'em off. You also get a huge tube of dielectric grease, enough to do a full tune-up several times easy. You also get a nice selection of colors. I chose red because, well, plug wires look good in red, LOL.
 
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