I crawled out of my 12v cave and got a CR!

Nice truck Forrest, if the RH does not pan out you can run an re with a stand alone controller my brother is using one on a 98 24valve and is happy with it .
One interesting note when the factory harness was unplugged it did not even set a code. Rich
 
I'm driving it home right now... I'm about to fall asleep! it's so quiet, the steering actually keeps it heading in one direction, the cruise control actually works and doesn't race up to 87mph and hang there like my 98, I'm not dodging bullets from folks behind me getting hazed out w/ smoke, etc.

the 100hp Smarty Jr program sure helped... needs more... a LOT more, but it's at least bearable to drive! it was a flat DOG before!
 
my neighbor

has an 03 3500 quad cab with a five speed, he hauls rock from mexico everyday.... truck has 57K miles and came with a five speed. All he has in it is a valair inc clutch, and an AFE intake.. oh and what silencer ring...

thing runs and drives sweet... although slow... its a pullin machine...

Rick
 
Holy cow Forrest is driving a 12 valve that bad! Come to think of it you might be right Lol!! But whats the cost to build a common rail for power compared to a 12 valve?? I'm getting close to doing the same thing since my son wants the 12 valve. I could never sell it that would be sacrilege!
 
I'm going to find out how the two compare... or try to at least... I know a guy down here with an 04.5+ truck with a Smarty, TST, EZ stack that's doing like 575rwhp on stock injectors... obviously you have to have the air and the drivetrain to hold it, but the costs on those are pretty similar between the generations.

the things I like about the 3rd gen so far vs. the 12v is: you can make some pretty decent power without changing the injectors... saves you a good $800-1000 (sorry, but I can't do the 370's, new eras, etc. once you run a higher end injector, you don't want to go back) You don't have to o-ring the head... My plan is to just drop a set of ARP studs in it as a preventative measure.

a head gasket job w/ o-ring/etc. is an easy way to spend $500 or so. if you're paying someone else to do it, the price goes up from there easily. whereas dropping studs in is pretty simple.

I REALLY like how uncluttered it is under the hood, and I can't believe how leak-free this truck is vs. all of my 12v's that had fewer miles on them.

obviously having to pay for electronics is a pain, but I think the cost is offset to a nice extent in money/time/hassle saved on some of the stuff you just gotta do to a 12v. And, don't get me wrong, I'm a 12v guy till I die. When a friend or family member talks about getting a truck, I try to push them towards a p-pump truck. BUT... at a given power level, the 3rd gen will be a much more drivable truck... broader powerband, less smoke, etc. I've never denied that. But the higher cost and lesser reliability than the 12v pushed it behind the 12v for me.

I still use my 12v to make my living. this is my toy :)
 
Mike got his latest shipment of Smartys today! :D

came home, loaded the biggest program on it. rolling into it in 3rd, it wants to break the tires loose on anything but clean concrete, rolling into it in 4th and 5th, the clutch is holding all of it :)

not as fast as the 98, but DARN fun to drive for the amount of money invested and the amount of work I've put into it!!!!! :p
 
funny anecdote:

when I was thinking about buying this truck, I was talking to Wes Snow about it... I forwarded him some pics of it, and he was like "dude, it's the reincarnation of your 97 all over again!"

my 97 was a zero option truck that I got with injectors/gsk/plate/gauges/stacks/clutch for $7500 when everything else I was looking at was $12-14k

it had a dent in the driver's front bedside and cab corner and the previous owner had killed the tailgate w/ a gooseneck. he got a tailgate at the junkyard, and the only white tailgate he could find was off of a 1 ton and it had the three clearance lights on it and one had a busted lense

this thing has the dent at the back pass side of the bed, it's ALMOST a zero option truck (it does have carpet! LOL) and when I went to check it out and I walked around to the back, guess what I found? a dualy tailgate with a cracked lense housing! :)

I took it as a good sign, my '97 was a GREAT truck to me I had a lot of fun on a very limited budget, and I learned a lot about these trucks and engines with it... now I know a little more and I can afford a little more :eek:

I told Wes about the similarities w/ the tailgate and everything earlier, and he was like "dude, I TOLD you it was the reincarnation when you first told me about it... this just confirms it!"
 
That's pretty cool. The wife is wanting a third gen now...

But she want's a quad, 4x4, sunroof... Doubt I'll find one of those to cheap.
 
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