Thinking about doing some major overhauling.

[04ram-eatsfords-shitschev]

okkkk... so this is my first post. ive read up on a few posts and im hoping to get as much feedback as i can. I have an 04 dodge ram 5.7 hemi, im looking to do some engine upgrades. im looking into a top end overhaul. i just found a site, xvmotorsports.com and they seem to have come up with a decent intake manifold design, just wondering if anyones had any experiences with that. also im trying to decide on what cam i should go with. throttle body, etc. ALL suggestions are welcome. money is kinda not a problem. I plan on putting a vortec supercharger in it this spring, so those of you willing to help me out on deciding what to go with on your experience, please keep that in mind.

 

[Redtruck-VA]

Kyle,
Welcome, glad to hear you have a good budget to get everything done. First there is a lot of information posted here so take some time and do some researching. Recently there was a post on the XV manifold http://www.ramforum.com/f50/intake-xv-manifold-3314/
If you plan on major chnges in the spring which isn't that far away, you might study up on what you really want to do and set your performance goals. Then start collecting the parts and when you are ready, do the install. Don't waste your time or money on parts that don't support your final goal. Good luck..

 

[04ram-eatsfords-shitschev]

Thanks Greg. I guess that manifold is outta the question aha. I agree it looks cool! Im kinda new to the whole upgrading to performance parts with my ram and was just looking for some advice. I'm still unsure if I want to run boost or all engine. Any pros or cons? I read that thread where buddy was trying to install and tune that 210 cam in his 03 and it kinda inspires me. I'd like to do something with mine that no one or not many ppl have done before while keeping a streetable truck.

 

[KGBIGCOUNTRY]

Welcome here, are you going for a street/strip truck or just strip or just street? Heads, cam, headers, verter you will be around 4 grand after its said and done (thats including fluids and misc parts).

 

[Redtruck-VA]

Thanks Greg. I guess that manifold is outta the question aha. I agree it looks cool! Im kinda new to the whole upgrading to performance parts with my ram and was just looking for some advice. I'm still unsure if I want to run boost or all engine. Any pros or cons? I read that thread where buddy was trying to install and tune that 210 cam in his 03 and it kinda inspires me. I'd like to do something with mine that no one or not many ppl have done before while keeping a streetable truck.

Kyle,
Don't go by what the 03 guys are doing as we have the ******* model. Your 04 can be tuned much more easily than a 03. Although with that said anything that works on a 03 will certainly work on a 04. So if you like something from a 03 by all means go for it. But you really need to decide what you want your truck to do for you at the end of the day and have a performance goal before throwing parts at it...

 

[KGBIGCOUNTRY]

^Very true

 

[ramhunter9]

Welcome to RF , these gear heads will help ya out .

 

[truckin151]

Welcome to the Forum!!!!

What truck are we talking about here? a Quad cab or a Reg Cab? 2wd or 4wd? Knowing that is a huge step in getting some suggestions as far as a cam goes and where you want your powerband to be at. Reg cabs like the mid to top end power, Quad cabs like the lowend to get them up and going quicker.

Also knowing what your ultimate goal is for the truck is a must as well. I built mine to be a street strip truck and have thrown quite a bit of cash into it to get it the way I want it (still not done with it) and love the way it drives now. But I have planned out my path fot it for about 4yrs now, picking up parts along the way to all help support the things I wanted to be added to it.

Problem with throwing a supercharger on it is going to be A.) running a safe amount of boost so you dont blow the engine. Stock internals can handle between 6-8psi anymore and you are flirting with hurting something so unless you are rebuilding the entire bottom end as well I wouldn't go much more than that. And B.) having your transmission hold up to the extra power. After about 400-450rwhp they start slipping and then completely go soon after.

If you want to get some really good gains I would start with:
Cam
Heads
Headers
Ported TB
Good Intake
Free flowing exhast
Caltracs
Circle D Torque Converter (based on the cam)
Shift kit OR new Valve body
Auburn LSD or DTT
Gears - either 4.10's or 4.56's (again base it on your power band goals)
Some nice WIDE tires
DSP / Trinity / SCT Superchips stack w/ a custom tune

Add all that up and that will give you one hell of a ride with no boost needed. But a hell of a lot of out of pocket $$$$.

 

[04ram-eatsfords-shitschev]

It's an 04 quad cab hemi. 4x4. And ultimately I'd like to run a supercharger. It already has a volant CAI, tbs, flowmaster cat back duals, and a superchip cortex. Id like to build my internals to run a flexible boost. My goal is to have sleeper truck I guess u would say. It's got a small lift, and already has a nasty wide set of rubber on aftermarket rims. Most guys up here jack their trucks sky high cuz it looks cool but in the end they still have their stock 5.snore (5.4) and can barely turn over the tires they stick under it. I was looking thru xv motorsports and they have a lot of stuff I can use for my build it's just Id like to get ppls opinions and knowledge before I start swiping my credit card ya know? Aha. My brother supercharged his tundra and it rips. So I guess I'm doing this all to represent the hemi nation and well... Family rivalry is always a factor as well. Any ideas are greatly appreciated. I'm kinda in a learning process as I go with technical mechanics stuff. Juggling this project and my third gen Camaro ls1 swap. My garage is full put it that way haha.

 

[KGBIGCOUNTRY]

I would say fordged pistons and connecting rods to hold the higher boost apps along with heads and a boost cam. Inertia Motorsports
Motors
Camshafts
Give him a call or shoot him an Email and he can peice together a well balanced kit.

 

[truckin151]

Ok, see now we are getting somewhere. With a big HEAVY truck like yours, you need more lowend to get your truck up and moving.

A supercharged Tundra is going to have you beat for a while unless you do more supporting mods since they initially have more power than the old hemi's and better gearing and then adding a Supercharger on to that... well you get where I am going.

If I had a truck your size and that bulky, I would start by adding a set of 4.56 gears to get your truck up and moving easier (and give you a few more mpg). Ditch the TBS all that thing is good for is a paper weight. The flowmasters would have to go too, all they are good for is sound, performance/flow wise they suck. Get a set of longtube headers installed and a better muffler.

Then start specing the supercharger you want out, find out where it starts making its power and find out where its peak range is at and get a cam made to fit it or one that is a good match. Upgrade the heads to help with the added flow from the supercharger. Keep the SC3865 but pick up a SCT tuner so you can tune the thing (superchips wont do it) and then you can stack the two so you get the engine tuning from the SCT and the trans tuning from the Superchips.

You are going to be looking at a lot of cash to keep up with the tundra though.

 

[KGBIGCOUNTRY]

Could also look into spray if you want it to stay competly sleeper under the hood. Its not to hard to tuck everything neatly and out of place and your average joe wouldnt notice it.

 

[EJM05]

Could buy a SRT 10 and go from there?.... Just a thought.

 

[AF_Hemi]

these guys are all right on with their suggestions. if someone says something that isnt tested and true, you'll have several of us correcting them.

looking forward to your build


i think the guy you mentioned about putting the 210 in the 03 was me?

 

[04ram-eatsfords-shitschev]

Yeah Aaron it was you! How's it running now or did u end up switching it out in the end? That was an inspiring thread. It's nice to see someone as persistent as u to kinda pave the way for the rest of us. Would u recomend that cam for my application?
Like I said in previous posts, I want to run a supercharger on both my vehicles, but obviously cash isn't THAT extreme yet. Id like to get about 500ish hp while still maintaining a reliable street friendly machine. I'm very interested in hearing everyones advice. Pros and cons for running boost. Again, I'd like to run a supercharger but if I can get that kind of power without it, I'm open to suggestions. I'm still young and need a direction! Aha.

 

[AF_Hemi]

i'll be honest---im not sure if it would or wouldnt be a good cam for that truck, especially because of your plans to supercharge. typically, for the boosted apps, you'll want a more mid-range cam because you're up in the rpm band so quickly because of the extra boost. i'll leave that answer to someone more experienced on superchargers.

yes, i stuck with the 210. not sure which thread you're talking about, but i think its the one that wrongfully ripped into Sean (hemifever) and doubted he or anyone could get this thing tuned. He got it nailed pretty quick. its by no means perfect in regards to A/F ratio and fuel trims, but it runs great (and although the numbers arent perfect, they're still at safe levels) There is no surging at low speeds, and no attempts to stall ever. I actually think the torque converter helped a little because of the higher stall. The rpms raise a little more (2800 stall) than they used to with the stock 'verter. Having a bit higher rpms before it starts moving (roughly 1k or 1200 or so) helps keep it in check.

 

[04ram-eatsfords-shitschev]

Yeah that was the thread. That's awesome tho. At least it works! Does it have a rough idle? I love that sound. Makes it sound like a real American muscle machine. I'm thinking about picking up a set of gears now that it was mentioned. I can't believe I haven't thought about that before. With the 4.56s do u notice any top end loss? Or would it even matter what gears I go with for a boost app. I don't want my lifted ram with mud tires on it built to go 200mph (pavement pounder), I just want it to have a lot of get up and go! I don't want to be going down to Edmonton tho topped out at 120kms either haha ya know what I mean? Any insight on which gears to go with? Maybe a ballpark price?

 

[AF_Hemi]

because im runnin a lift and 35's, and the truck is 6000 lbs, there is no loss up high with the 4.56. i really think they help all throughout the powerband. i dont get any worse mileage on the highway either like some people report.

for your application i would HIGHLY recommend 4.56 gears. I think a lot of your low end grunt would be fixed by the 4.56. Then go with a mid-range cam like a comp 268. That would be an AWESOME setup with a supercharger. Expect the gears (since you're 4x4 and have to change the front and rear gears) to run about $1300 installed (that includes gears, install kit, and labor). I would also strongly recommend an aftermarket LSD. Auburn and Detroit Tru Trac are the two most popular for these trucks. They both have their advantages, and neither is a better choice than the other. expect to pay about $400 for the auburn and $500 for the DTT if i can recall. install should be free since the pumpkin is already open for the gears and its no extra work. I paid $1800 for my 4.56 front/rear and Auburn

 

[truckin151]

Even being a 2wd reg I, I simply LOVE the 4.56 gears in mine. Yours NEEDS them badly though.

The 268 in your truck would be nice as long as you do the supercharger at the same time to make up for the lowend loss. Mine feels about like the stock cam did until I get above 2500-3000rpms. His might benefit more from running a Spartan cam in his it has a good low and mid run on it.

I will say though, I love the idle on the 268.
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[AF_Hemi]

while we're at it....

heres my KRC 210

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