bhenk

This is my first post on this site, good and informative site. My truck is a '99 extended cab 2500 4x4 with auto trans. I would like to upgrade to get around 450 - 500 hp. Currently the truck is completely stock, original everything but the tires. I just bought the truck and it has never towed anything up until I towed some and it has only 75k miles on it. I know there are many different combinations to get there however I would like some opinions on what I could do to alter my truck ie. turbo or no, injector suggestions, plate suggestions, tuner to use, transmission upgrades necessary, exhaust, air system changes, etc. This is a daily driver also and I tow a 21' bass boat a couple of times a month. Any suggestions from you guys out there? Thanks in advance, I look forward to participating more in this forum now that I have found the site!

pokapotato

For 500 rear wheel Horsepower I would bite the bullet and get a trans first. Seems like a lot of guys here run Goerend Transmissions. I love my ATS transmission. Once you have a trans and torque converter that will put the power down, it will be more fun as you add power mods cause you will actually be able to sense the increases in power instead of having a junk trans that is slipping and shuddering.

rustyshakelford

youll need a tranny and gauges. the plates only apply to 12v guys. you should have a 24v. a lift pump is a must to keep the vp44 happy. im sure more guys will chime in w/ a recipe to get you near your goals.

brett

Ph4tty

Start with a set of guages and a box. Might as well do a fuel system too, because the stock setup is barely adequate for stock =\

spyder3634

I would agree with the other guys...gauges and tranny first, fuel system second. For gauges you will most likely want to run a pyro(egt), tranny temp, and boost gauge, you may also want a fuel pressure gauge. A strong auto tranny to hold 500hp is going to be one of the most expensive but necessary upgrades. A box such as the Edge Comp is a great box that a lot of people on here run to get around 450-500hp. For fuel system there are many options, but FASS is widely recognized as one of the best. Injectors are the next part of the system you will need to upgrade. Jammer Nozzles are fairly cheap and do a great job. After that, a turbo will be needed to get up around 500hp. Again, there are tons of options here, just start searching on here and you will find out more than you ever wanted to know lol. Feel free to PM me with any questions, just know that once you start modding, you won't want to stop!

Big Blue24

Cheapest way to get to 450 HP:

Jammer 5 Nozzles $225
35/40 Hybred turbo $400
Drag Comp Used $500
Holley Blue Pusher Pump $125
Gauges $300
Valve Body & Torque Converter $1400
BHAF $60
4in exhaust $260


Solid useable 450 HP:
Mach 4 injectors $800
62/12 Turbo/ Downpipe $1500
Quadzilla Race Box 1-$2000 who really knows?
FASS Fuel System $600
Fully Built 48RE Tranny $6000
Intake/ Filter setup $250
Full stainless 4in Exhaust $600
Ladder Bars $600
Steering Stabilizer + misc front end $500
ARP head studs $600

Rich guy 450 HP:

Custom Washington State Home Grown injectors $2000
Twin turbos $5000
Spearco intercooler $1500
Smarty stacked TST, Redline, Drag Comp, Qzilla, $5000
FASS backup on mechanical lift system $2000
Cam/ Port&Polish/ Fire Rings $5000
Super Built Tranny $9000
Billet Drivelines, U joints, Rearend $5000
Custom Lift, Tires, Wheels, Shocks $10,000
Stainless exhaust $1100

SIXSLUG

Don't forget the exhaust system. You need a 4" min, 5" for that much hp would be better.

CNeubauer

I've got pretty much the same truck as you and have comparable hp goals. I started out with a BHAF, 4" Silverline exhaust, a FASS and EGT, boost, tranny temp and a fuel pressure gauge. This summer I added an Edge Comp but I don't have the pump wire tapped yet (a 60hp gain right now) and I'm careful how I treat my transmission till I have it built. I'm thinking this winter I will probably do a Goerend transmission with a triple disk converter and at least a billet flexplate and input shaft then a set of injectors and if I have the cash a set of twin turbos.

HOHN

We all want high HP. POwer is one of those things were you can never have enough.

But there are plenty of guys floating around here and other CTD forums that will tell you they have really lost a lot of the versatility of their truck in their pursuit of power.

My advice is start small on the power, but beef up the supporting cast. The previous recommendations of gauges and tranny upgrades are spot on-- that's money well-spent and you will NEVER regret installing guages or beefing up that trans.

But once the trans and guages are in, you might want to be fairly cautious in going about adding power-- ESPECIALLY with an automatic trans. My reasoning is that arriving at optimal combinations of parts with an auto trans is a very daunting challenge. The longest pole in this tent is the turbo, and turbo matching for auto trannies is very tricky. The same turbo that a guy loves on his 6-speed can be a useless paperweight with an auto trans.

Heck, the same turbo will perform differently with different builder's auto trannies-- even with identical power modifications. If you get a DTT trans with a tight converter, you'll need a lot faster spoolup than you'd need with an ATS with a looser converter, for example. Not to say all DTTs are tight converters or all ATS are loose, because that's not the case. The point is that different trans builders set the trans up a little differently, and that significantly impacts the choice of a useable turbocharger, which in turn affects how much fuel you can burn, and the types of power modifications you can or should consider.

So after a trans and some guages, you should select a turbo that will work with the trans. Then add fuel based on the capability of the turbo. It's a common misconception that you can improve turbo spoolup just be dumping more fuel into the engine. You can only improve spoolup with more fuel when you have a surplus of air. Larger, slower spooling turbos on balance have a narrow "cushion" of extra air, so when you start adding fuel, you'll get smoke and heat, but no power.

Therefore, when you choose an upgraded turbo for an auto trans truck, be VERY conservative. Instead of going straight to a SS62/13 from HTT, instead consider a 35/40 hybrid with your factory turbine housing or maybe a 14 housing. Or consider a Stg 1 or stg 2 Garrett. Or an Aurora 2000 (ATS) orr Airwerks Super B. From HTT or I.I, this means an HTBG or Phat Shaft 62 instead of a SuperStock from HTT or a SuperPhatshaft.

The point is that it's VERY easy to cross the line of useability with an auto trans truck, so a turbo that spools quickly is the "key to the kingdom" as far as keeping the truck useful instead of smoke belching high EGT pig.

Fueling mods pale in relative importance with the auto trans. All, just my personal opinion.

Happy with my 6er

Justin

bhenk

I appreciate the comments, I was definitely thinking the transmission upgrade but I am not well versed on sizing the turbo for the new transmission. What tranny's are everyone out there happy with? I want a quality product, not a cheapie that saves me up front. Also I'd like to hear of others experience with different combinations of turbos and transmissions. As mentioned by many, the fuel mods can come after I have a good strong base with the appropriate gauges to monitor the upgrades. Yet another question to all, what is the general consensus on good programmers? Does anyone use the HyperPac? I see Edge is popular also. Thanks again for everyone's input!