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Gunner
Dodge Dakota
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8/06/2005
09:55:39
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 Subject: Help with my Senior Project
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Hey everyone-
I am a senior in high school that owns a 2000 Dakota 4x4 V-6. After lots of thinking I have decided I want to do my senior project on increasing horsepower/torque with aftermarket engine modifications. I would use the DC horsepower/torque ratings for the 3.9L as the base numbers. I would then have my truck Dynoed as it is right now (with a Flowmater 40) and record the current HP/TQ. Next I would add all the engine mods I could get my greasy hands on and Dyno my truck again. The increase in HP/TQ would be my 'product' for my senior project. So, what I need help with is: what stuff should I do to the engine? Here is the proposed list....
V-8 Throttle Body
Crower 1.7 RR
Homebrew Cold Air
Autolite AP3923
180 Thermostat
MSD 6a Ignition
ASP Underdrive Crank Pulley
JBA Headers (a little too expensive)
Royal Purple Fluids
What I want is the most bang for the buck. After all, my income is limited to a part time minimum wage job. I will be buying all the parts and installing them myself. Tell me if some of the parts on the list aren't worth it and what I might want to consider adding to my list.
Thanks for your help
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MattNC
Dodge Dakota
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8/06/2005
12:45:58
| RE: Help with my Senior Project
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You could add a SuperChips programmer to the mix. They seem to be getting more popular, and also use that in your project. Tell if they actually work as stated by the company. Wish I would have thought about that for my project....
Matt
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GB2000
GenIII
8/06/2005
13:28:12
| RE: Help with my Senior Project
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Message:
Yeah, I'd agree with the Superchips programmer...put that in place of the JBA headers which I've heard are okay as far as power increases are concerned but not worth the price. I'd also go with the Harland Sharp 1.7RR's...they are a direct bolt-on with no valve lash adjustment or modifications to the baffles of the valve covers needed. They're also considerably cheaper. Also do the crank position sensor mod. If you wanna save some money, find someone who's a machinist and have them modify your V6 tb...you can prolly make it flow better on your engine than a v8 tb would. Relocate the IAT sensor. Get an electric fan to replace the clutch fan. Ummm....i'm sure there's more, but this can give you some food for thought.
That sounds like a pretty kickass senior project...and also quite costly (but the end result would be worth more than just the A...lol).
Josh Blackshire - Owner, Ohio Dakotas .NET
Red 98 Dakota Sport - Check it out!
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bigdave
Dodge Dakota
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8/06/2005
13:31:33
| RE: Help with my Senior Project
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JBA Y pipe
High flow cat
8 MM plug wires
Sounds like fun, good luck. If you are anywhere near NW Indiana I would be happy to help you.
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Gunner
Dodge Dakota
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8/06/2005
13:52:02
| RE: Help with my Senior Project
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Thank you very much for everyone's input! More feedback will be greatly appreciated.
I live in the Augusta, GA area if anyone near there is interested.
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schmidtmike
Dodge Dakota
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8/06/2005
14:42:14
| RE: Help with my Senior Project
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The V8 TB is the best bang for the buck and will increase your hp and tq (and fuel consumption) greatly. My boss' 96 Dak used 1/4 tank in about three miles of beatin on it. So, be prepared to spend some money on it. I would suggest a tornado fuel saver and fuelmaster magnetic fuel saver too (they work great together).
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GB2000
GenIII
8/06/2005
18:42:17
| RE: Help with my Senior Project
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If you listen to the above response, I'll be forced to repeatedly smack you upside your head through your monitor...
Josh Blackshire - Owner, Ohio Dakotas .NET
Red 98 Dakota Sport - Check it out!
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Adam
Dodge Dakota
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8/07/2005
01:09:54
| RE: Help with my Senior Project
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schmidtmike...Ur one of those ppl who see those comercials and instantly goes out and buys it because if it's on TV it has to work huh?
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Joe M.
Dodge Dakota
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8/07/2005
04:30:33
|  RE: Help with my Senior Project
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Message:
i agree with GB2000
save the headaches and go with the Harland Sharp roller rockers
i would recomend MSD 8.5 wires
oww and forget the junk sold on TV
"magnets and twisters"
hell i;m waiting for someone to start selling blender motors
"mount them in the breather for ultimate power gains! & total fuel burn" LOL
well anyway lets hear from you when you start doing the Mods & dyno #'s before and after
good luck and most of all have fun!
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Jeff
GenIII
8/07/2005
05:17:52
| RE: Help with my Senior Project
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Don't forget the cool hp-adding stickers!
haha. i hope you knew i was kidding.
;)
Jeff
'99 3.9 clubcab
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Gunner
Dodge Dakota
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8/07/2005
10:22:55
| RE: Help with my Senior Project
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Thanks everyone.
I also need to get the best prices I can on the parts I plan to buy. How much do the Harland Sharp 1.7 RRs go for (I heard the best place is www.southeastrt.com but I don't know the price)? Summit has the MSD 6a Ignition for $180, the ASP Crank Underdrive Pulley for $60, and the Black Magic 150 Electric Fan for $200. The SuperChips programmer I found for $400 on www.maximumautoparts.com. Are these the cheapest prices for these parts? If not can someone let me know where to get the best deal. Or if anyone is selling any of these parts, please let me know.
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Joe M.
Dodge Dakota
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8/07/2005
13:00:09
| RE: Help with my Senior Project
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2 places come to mind
that you probably already know of Summit
& Jegs
dont know about the super chip
but i know jegs sells jet chips (stage 2's)
for far less then you can get them jet chips themselves
drop buy both sites and do a little online catalog shopping & compare the prices
hate to say it but,
yepp it's like doing your homework
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Tyler
Dodge Dakota
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8/07/2005
13:34:55
| RE: Help with my Senior Project
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Ebay would be an excellent choice for some items. IE. I just saw a used 16" electric fan for $30. Also, intakes are pretty cheap off there. The way I see it, you shouldn't really have to pay full price for any of that stuff except the rocker arms.
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bigdave
Dodge Dakota
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8/07/2005
23:26:26
| RE: Help with my Senior Project
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If you dont want to pay the 200.00 for a fan, look on E-bay for Lincoln Mark 8 fans. I believe they are 2600 cfm and a lot cheaper.
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GB2000
GenIII
8/08/2005
00:26:04
| RE: Help with my Senior Project
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My intake was $55 and is waaaay better than a lot of Ebay intakes (which SAY their vehicle specific but require modding of the brackets and stuff because it's really a "universal" kit). Plus it makes your 3.9L look ballsy. You could get it for $20 though. Go to Autozone and find the Edelbrock 10" chrom air filter...it comes with a paper filter which still works fine though I spent the extra $35 and bought a K&N to put in it.
While I LOOOOOVE going on Ebay sprees, you have to be very careful...most of the stuff doesn't have nearly as good of quality as these places where you're paying more. For instance...I got a tailgate lock which had a piece of the retaining clip missing and also didn't even work (if you pulled hard enough on the tailgate handle, it still opened right up)...I also bought a set of kickass looking carbon fiber tails which looked great...for about a month. Now they looked fogged up but it's actually because the sun has made the plastic develop these minute little cracks all over it.
Also...Jet Chips aren't worth the money. I believe the CPS mod has the same effect as the Jet Stage II chip...you may have to relocate the IAT as well to get the same effect, can't remember for sure.
I agree with the mention of Jegs and Summit...also check out JC Whitney and a personal favorite of mine (never ordered from them though) TruckPerformance.com.
Josh Blackshire - Owner, Ohio Dakotas .NET
Red 98 Dakota Sport - Check it out!
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Gunner
Dodge Dakota
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8/08/2005
15:22:43
| RE: Help with my Senior Project
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Well, I think I have a great idea going right now. I am going to send a letter from myself along with a letter from my shop teacher, who is overseeing my senior project, to each company I plan to buy parts from. It'll say something about what my project is, what I plan to do to my truck, etc. Then I'll see if they can get me discounted (or maybe even free!) parts. I'll tell them that with a class full of kids who want to soup up their vehicles, that this would be very good publicity for their companies. I'll also tell them I will send them my Dyno results so they can see how their products performed on my Dakota. Since I want to do alot to my truck and my funds are limited, I think this will be a great way for me to save money and for the companies to possibly make some money with some great publicity.
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schmidtmike
Dodge Dakota
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8/09/2005
00:43:27
| RE: Help with my Senior Project
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Message:
adam: actually i heard from numerous people that it helped with their vehicle, so I inferred that it might help with mine. Funny how that works isn't it???
GB2000: You sound pretty tough online. I wouldn't wanna mess with your virtual ass.
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Adam
Dodge Dakota
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8/09/2005
01:48:12
| RE: Help with my Senior Project
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Not funny just logic. To each his own...what works for someone else may not work for another. Have fun.
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GB2000
GenIII
8/09/2005
06:32:00
| RE: Help with my Senior Project
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Message:
GB2000: You sound pretty tough online. I wouldn't wanna mess with your virtual ass.
Take my advice: don't. I WILL get you while you are surfing. ...and my E-penis is bigger.
Anyway...Gunner...dunno how that will work out, but hey...it could work! Good luck!
Josh Blackshire - Owner, Ohio Dakotas .NET
Red 98 Dakota Sport - Check it out!
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BrandonG
GenIII
8/09/2005
08:58:05
| RE: Help with my Senior Project
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Message:
Gunner....When all is said and done (i know it will probably be a good while) post all of what you did and the results before and after just so certain people can see the results of how much power you can add to these v6's with a little bit of money and some work.
TIA-
BrandonG
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Gunner
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
8/09/2005
15:42:26
| RE: Help with my Senior Project
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BrandonG-
No problem, I'll be happy to post my results if there are people interested. Like you said, it will be awhile before I will have actual numbers to post, but I'll make sure to let you guys know the starting numbers, the parts, and the final numbers.
Does anyone think that the stock 175 HP/225 TQ V6 can be boosted to around 250 HP/300 TQ? That was kinda the goal I had it mind. If the numbers do get that high, will I have to upgrade anything else so my truck can handle the extra power? (transmission?) Here is (once again) the updated list of my aftermarket parts:
Harland Sharp 1.7 RR
Cold Air Intake (custom with K&N Filter or FIPK--haven't decided)
Autolite AP3923 / MSD 8.5mm Wires
180* Thermostat
MSD 6a Ignition
ASP Crank Underdrive Pulley
Flex-a-Lite Black Magic 150 Electric Fan
Machined V6 TB or Fastman V6 TB (haven't decided either)
Royal Purple Fluids
SuperChips Programmer 3715
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