more power (cheep)
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more power (cheep)
Hey guys, Well I have had my f250 for about 6 months now and here is the deal it's a 96 f250 off road 4x4 with a 5.8 auto. it has 158,000 on it. It runs super well. The owner before me I beleave never took it off the pavment it looks brand new under the hood and under the body very clean. I took it out with my cousen and his 99 f150 to play in the mud and it seemed to be,, well lets jest say my expectations were higher the the truck would do and I was woundering what I could do to put alittle more power to it with out going into the poor house eather in parts or the gas pump?
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
Cheap is relative. Sounds like the truck probably has the factory exhaust system on it. If so, drop the whole thing and install longtube headers and a complete 3" single mendrel bent exhaust system. It'll make more power everywhere and you should actually see an improvement in fuel milage.
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From: Oak Harbor, OH
Originally Posted by Conanski
Cheap is relative. Sounds like the truck probably has the factory exhaust system on it. If so, drop the whole thing and install longtube headers and a complete 3" single mendrel bent exhaust system. It'll make more power everywhere and you should actually see an improvement in fuel milage.
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
Originally Posted by pfogle
Make sure you put high flows cats on it as well as an H pipe to balance the cylinder pressures. This is a good starting point, but it's not going to gain much more than sound.
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From: Oak Harbor, OH
It MIGHT gain 1hp and maybe 2mpg. I can get a 2mpg increase by just replacing the muffler on a 351w/e4od with a piece of pipe. No other mods. Went from 15 highway to 17.
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From: The dark carnival
When it come to auto parts, you get what you pay for unless you have some kind of inside connection and thus end up paying wholesale or dealer cost etc.
If you think you can come up with *cheap* parts in the retail market that are going to do what they are supposed to do, do so reliably and generate a noticable power increase you are dreaming.
And about the headers, it's my experiance that they don't really begin to work until 4000 RPM. Not all that practical for a truck.
If you think you can come up with *cheap* parts in the retail market that are going to do what they are supposed to do, do so reliably and generate a noticable power increase you are dreaming.
And about the headers, it's my experiance that they don't really begin to work until 4000 RPM. Not all that practical for a truck.
Last edited by eco; May 17, 2007 at 09:09 PM.
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From: The dark carnival
Originally Posted by Moore558
Would underdrive pulleys make a difference at all? I ask cause you can get a set for usually around $100-150.
Last edited by eco; May 17, 2007 at 09:29 PM.
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
Originally Posted by pfogle
It MIGHT gain 1hp and maybe 2mpg. I can get a 2mpg increase by just replacing the muffler on a 351w/e4od with a piece of pipe. No other mods. Went from 15 highway to 17.
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I know about things like headers and exaust and I know that if I wanted to get nasty quick would be putting on a supercharger I jest dont want to let the redneck in me get carried away with this truck as I did in my last project. I put almost $6000.00 into an 85' bronco 2 that I got for $250.00. Ya in the end it was a little beast but not really worth the trouble.
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From: Calhoun GA
The base timing can be advanced a few degrees and that mod is free.
I agree in doing a headers and exhaust, but mandrel bent systems are a little more $$$. I'd tend to think a mandrel bent system would be overkill on a stock motor, no power adder and 3" pipe.
I agree in doing a headers and exhaust, but mandrel bent systems are a little more $$$. I'd tend to think a mandrel bent system would be overkill on a stock motor, no power adder and 3" pipe.