OK, I have accumulated most of the parts I need to make some upgrades and want to know what tasks would be better done now.

I have found a good deal on a spider to up my E99 to L99 and up but the guy wants my spider and he'd like to have it soon so I need to do this.

1) Turbo pedestal:
Have new or rebuilt later model pedestal to use.
2) Marry 2003 van turbo to my E99 turbo:
What parts/kits will I need to marry them? Can I just swap in the WW? The van turbo is tight so rebuilding it if I can avoid it would be good.
3) Swap out 2003 plenums:
No real questions here, I think I can figure this one out but any helpful tips would be nice.
4) Up pipes:
Dorman is out for me. I would like input on quality between RiffRaff and Int. parts.

I also have a later rebuilt HPOP but do not need to install that right now unless we are talking about a big savings of time and knuckle skin to do it now. If this is done now I would guess that a fuel bowl rebuild would also be in order.

Anything else?

Thanks,
Mark

 

Why combine the two turbos? Just swap out the pedestal for the later and put the whole turbo on.

 

Would it be helpful to have an extra e99 pedestal, no charge, so that your truck is not down? If so, I have one in my basement that could be in PA by Wed.

Your choice on whether to do the HPOP or not...unless the old one is not sustaining about 2600+ psi. Everything is going to be out of the way which will make things easier with the CAC and spider removed. That is worth a 15-20 mins labor...

 

Two reasons actually, the wheel in the van turbo is chipped and mine is a WW or better, not really sure what it is but it is not a typical wheel.

 

I much appreciate the offer on the pedestal but I'm upping to a newer pedestal, which I do already have. And isn't the later HPOP better than the E99 version? If not then you are right, leave well enough alone.

 

I don't know that a healthy 15* HPOP is any better or worse than a healthy 17* HPOP as long as you are on stock injectors. My old 15* is still very healthy and resides on a different 7.3 and is still putting out close to 2800 psi ICP sustained on AC codes+ and Gearhead tuning. The only reason I have a T-500 is because I was told that my low ICP was because of a worn out HPOP when it was actually the tunes, non Gearhead,....before I knew better.

 

Ummm, why? Did you recently win the lottery, and/or enjoy burning money as a recreational activity?

While the Dorman pipes had a few issues way back when, they have long since been resolved. Many people, including me, are using the Dorman up-pipes with zero issues.
Buy the Dormans, and use the savings to send them out to get a real ceramic coating..... or just use the saved cash for something else.

 

I would strongly urge you to click this [link].

 

I have had more than one bad experience with Dorman stuff so whenever I can avoid it I will. There are often quality issues that escape the eye and only those who really know know what they are. i e what grade of stainless are they using? How close is that fit that is already tough? And I firmly believe that you get what you pay for (if you're lucky) and paying cheap to Dorman does not fit that program. I call it the high cost of buying cheap.

 

Thank you for that link, great guidance for me there.

 

I'm not saying that everything they make is great. I've had a few bad Dorman parts over the years. BUT, I've had many more good ones. In fact, they frequently offer parts that correct design flaws in the oem components. These are flaws that oems, despite being fully aware of the problems and having years to correct them, never do.

I bought a late '90s Buick LeSabre with a 3.8L V6, that had an engine fire. Why? Known faulty plastic intake manifold design that allowed hot egr gases to be exposed to raw fuel. Dorman (and no one else)introduced a slightly revised manifold that successfully addressed that issue, as well as adding additional strength to prevent cracking in certain key areas. That is just one example.

On its face, those comments are not wrong. However, they are also not always right either. Yes, Dorman DID have a quality issue with the up-pipes early on. The bolt holes for the up-pipe to collector bolts were not fully drilled/tapped in the collector. This caused the bolts to bottom before the pipes were tight/gasket sealed. Some people, who were not paying attention, snapped off the bolts by continuing to try to tighten them. All that was really need was shorter bolts ( I believe about 1/8" ). However Dorman has since revised the part and those holes are now fully drilled/tapped through. That is the one and only issue anyone has ever had with these pipes, and its fixed.

As for the material; no mystery, They are not any grade of stainless. They are mild steel. But they are thick, and at this point, they will probably outlast the rest of the truck; especially if you take a little time to prep/paint them with high quality high temp exhaust paint (or a real ceramic coating would be even better, for other reasons as well).

They fit just fine. These are never going to be a piece of cake to install, no matter what brand. Post a thread asking what people think of their Dorman up-pipes. I doubt you'll get any complaints from anybody that's done them since they fixed the bolt hole issue ( which was a LONG time ago).

If you just have $400-$500 burning a hole in your pocket, then buy the Dormans, and spend the extra money on sending them out for a REAL ceramic coating (not the spray can stuff). You'll still come out ahead financially, and you will have a set of pipes that are BETTER then out of the box Internationals. With the coating, they will virtually never rust, and they will retain more heat in the pipe vs heating up the engine compartment. First, this results in higher exhaust gas energy; which equals faster turbo spool and overall more efficiency. Second, by reducing underhood temps, you also gain lower air charge temps (and lower egt's), which also equals more power and more efficiency. Lower underhood temps also extend the life of underhood components (belts, hoses, alternators, batteries, etc..)

Look, would I buy a Dorman turbo? Probably not. But these are just some simple pipes and a dirt simple iron casting. It is a proven product. No mystery. No false economy. Just a good value. Ask around if you don't believe me.

 

Carguy3j

How is it known that the Dorman uppies are mild steel?

 

A.) Because I called Dorman Tech support and asked. If they were going to lie, it would be the other way; with them claiming it to be SS.

B.) It looks like it. Compare it to any known low grade stainless oem exhuast pipe, such as GM's, Audi/VW, Volvo, etc.... I've cut enough cats out of various cars (legally, with permission to buy them for scrap) to see a variety of oem exhaust materials. The Dorman pipes are not that. The flex section ("bellows") may very well be stainless, but not the pipes themselves. Obviously, the collector ("baby butt") is cast iron.

Maybe I'm wrong and/or the Dorman people had bad info. Perhaps,, at most it may be some form of very low grade stainless. In that case, yay, you get better then expected. I say just assume it is in fact very thick walled mild steel. Paint/ceramic coat it and don't worry about what its made out of.

 

And you can check the specs on it here.
https://www.napaonline.com/napa/en/p...619_0238044134

I don't get the part where "If you have $500 to throw away..." Dorman Chi Nee garbage $300, USA Quality SS $400...RiffRaff has ceramic coated for $540, now that's a bigger jump in price but still...the money I'm saving just by buying 99.5 and up vs E99 is still a savings either way I go.

 

Not $300. On sale for $192.59. With FREE shipping. If you're interested, I'll PM you how to get them for $173.99 (still free shipping)
Dorman - OE Solutions Turbocharger Up-Pipe Kit - Includes Hardware And Gaskets 679-005: Advance Auto Parts

Also, NOT garbage. No, they aren't the fancy, shiny stainless steel. But, in this instance, this fairly simple set of empty steel tubes do exactly what they are supposed to do, for less then half the cost of the SS. Again, even these Dorman pipes are likely to last the remaining life of your truck. And if you paint them, you'll never know the difference.

I suppose I should just give up, and chalk it up to "feel free to waste YOUR money". However, I feel like people are just encouraging/rewarding some of these companies for continuing to offer overpriced, albeit good quality, parts.
If people started calling RiffRaff and saying, "I'd love the look of the stainless, but unless you can lower the price, I'm going with the Dormans at less then half the price" , then they would be forced to lower the prices. The first time, you'd get an indignant refusal and some silly nonsense justification for crazy high price. By the 20th or 30th call, and lost sale, they would see the light and start dropping prices. THEN, maybe the cost/benefit might swing towards the somewhat higher quality stainless units. But, even then, there is very little real world practical advantage/benefit to them vs the much cheaper Dormans. Maayyyyybe if you live in Hawaii or something, where they are constantly exposed to hot, humid, salty air. Otherwise, no. I'm in NJ. In the winter, the roads are practically paved with salt. I'm not worried about my Dorman up-pipes. My rotting cab corners/rockers? Yes.