FWIW, my belly gasket was blown for quite a while on the last go. I probably
had about 180k miles or so on it when I put on the M1. Technically it was my
first mod, and I did it because I knew I was going to keep the truck and the
time was right to do it. Took me close to 3 days to put it on, but I was happy
with the results. The rest of my gaskets appear to be holding up OK, but I do
have a minor leak on the drivers side valve cover. The M1 and the Mopar PCM
really woke up the truck, IMO. Even for a high mileage driver like mine. The
modded TB, which I did myself, also helped out. Those 3 mods cost me about $550
total.
My radiator did the exact same thing. That plastic cap only lasts about 10-12
years before failing. I got by with a bunch of JB Weld on the crack for a
couple months until that no longer worked, then bought a radiator with a steel
cap. Check your oil to see if you really blew a head gasket. Did you actually
overheat or just blow coolant out the crack? You should also have white exhaust
and an antifreeze smell as well.
On the belly pan issue, since money is a concern, get a billet plate kit from
APS or Hughes. Essentially solves the gasket problem for about $100. A modded
intake will help low end, but keep in mind that it has to maintain EGR
functionality for the 92 model year. Otherwise you will have problems passing
emissions if you are tested for that.
My truck still consumes some oil, but it is not near as bad as before. It is
actually running stronger now than I ever remember. I can tell you that the
exhaust, if still stock, is just about at the end of its useful life. My Y-pipe
has developed a long crack, and I have several holes in the exhaust. Looking to
replace the whole bloddy lot with new headers, muffler and piping. The cat was
put on last year, so it should still be OK.
In article <20041023191500.31353.qmail@web14822.mail.yahoo.com>,
k_kodiak2@yahoo.com (will) writes:
>
>
> Thanks to all who replied re my question. I think in
> the interest of budget I"ll stick to the 318. I"m
> barely a shadetree mechanic. But I can
> read/write/rithmetic okay.
>
> I was asking the question because I blew my head
> gasket I think because my radiator died with a giant
> crack on its plastic top. I also have a leaky valve
> cover. And my truck eats oil.
>
> So what I"ll probably do is bring the engine to
> machine shop for cleaning, tolerancing, and balancing.
> Buy the parts that need replacing. And build from
> there.
>
> I wouldn't mind having a bit more power. It pulls
> really strong up to about 2500rpm when I step on it.
> Then it fizzles. But I don't want a race machine with
> a loping idle either.
>
> I"ve read the archives re the intake manifolds. I'm
> confused about the m-1 vs the barrel intake. Some
> posts say the m-1 has to be used with other mods; some
> say otherwise. I"ve seen ads for modified barrel
> intakes. But again, I don't understand everything
> that's necessary to use one of them.
>
> Maybe I should just keep everything stock and avoid
> budget creeping above my $1,500, eh?
>
>
>
>
>
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Nov 01 2004 - 10:47:43 EST