The larger diameter lead tubes...
The larger diameter lead tubes meant we needed to put reducers in them. We cut the factory lead tubes as close as possible to the old converter. Before you weld anything, install the lead tubes to the headers and put the converter in place to make sure it all goes together as needed. Then you can spot weld the pieces together and remove it as an assembly to finish welding.
We started with the exhaust. The factory exhaust manifolds were removed, and the JBA shorty headers installed. It only took about an hour to change the headers. Sure, we got lucky and all the old manifold bolts came out, but even the header install was hassle-free. A couple of the header bolts were a little tough to get started because of our fat fingers, but other than that, they bolted to the cylinder heads and Y-pipe without incident. Next, we removed the exhaust from the catalytic converter back. Again, the install was straightforward and simple. If we could complain about anything, it would be that the new stainless exhaust pipe was hard to clamp down on the old exhaust pipe. It's a good heavy-wall pipe and compressing it was tough. The exhaust note was only slightly louder than stock, but would the work be worth it? We once again called on Mike Norris of Norris Motorsports for some chassis dyno time. Before we did any changes, we previously had gone to Norris Motorsports to get a baseline dyno number for the truck. At the beginning of our test, our 318-powered Ram showed 160.9 hp at 3,700 rpm, and torque was a pedestrian 228.6 lb-ft at 3,700 rpm. At peak horsepower, the air/fuel ratio was a pathetically rich 11.9.
With our "completely" free-flowing...
With our "completely" free-flowing exhaust, Mike Norris again let 'er rip on the dyno, and we had an increase of 8 hp.
When we returned to the dyno, we were hoping for a moderate increase in horsepower. When the big wheels quit turning, we were stunned to learn we had gained only 2 hp. Something had to be wrong, so we tried again. This time, we got 3 hp. How much of a free-flowing exhaust does a 5.2-liter truck really need? We knew the exhaust would not be a big horsepower builder in our stock configuration, but when the rest of the parts were installed it would definitely play a big part. We also came to the conclusion that since our Ram had 80,000 miles on the odometer, the catalytic converter was possibly hampering exhaust flow. We were concerned with the laws regarding the replacement of the converter, but found under Federal EPA regulation, replacement of original catalytic converters is allowed if the original converter(s) is missing, or the vehicle has more than 50,000 miles on it. A replacement is also allowed if it is at least five years old, and the need for a replacement has been established and documented, or a local inspection program has determined the existing converter is in need of replacement. Since the mileage on our Ram is over 50,000; it's more than five years old; we established a need for replacement, then we could legally replace it. We contacted Random Technologies in Loganville, Georgia, and found they had a replacement high-flow converter for our Ram. they also had one with a 3-inch-diameter exit pipe. We decided that would be a good thing since the rest of our exhaust is now 3 inches in diameter. Once we had the new converter in place, it was back to the dyno. With the JBA Exhaust, the addition of the Random Technologies catalytic converter gave us an additional 5.4 hp. Now, you may be thinking that 8 hp on an exhaust system may not be a big deal, and maybe it's not. But keep in mind, it's quite possible the stock 5.2 liter had reached its breathing potential, and the performance exhaust was a moot point. But when the future upgrades are installed (e.g., cold air kit and microtuner programmer), the exhaust needs to be able to handle the added performance upgrades.
Next on the list was the removal of the factory air filtration system. When we removed the old system, we also removed the throttle body and installed the PowerAid spacer. After the throttle body was reinstalled, the Airaid system was installed and the big wheel was allowed to spin one more time. The air intake system and PowerAid spacer combined gave an additional 8 hp. All together, we've bolted on 16 hp by simply helping the engine breathe better.
Next up was the PowerAid throttle...
Next up was the PowerAid throttle body spacer and air intake system. These two items have to be some of the simplest pieces you could ever install to increase horsepower. One minor issue: after the spacer was installed, the air cleaner hat that bolts to the throttle body was a tight fit under the cowl. We covered the Airaid filter with a prefilter to help keep out the dirt and moisture.
Spinning the dyno wheels again,...
Spinning the dyno wheels again, showed another 8hp increase with only the spacer and intake filter kit. Keep in mind the exhaust was already changed, and everything working together helped. This gave us a total of 16 hp.
Next up was the Superchips...
Next up was the Superchips microtuner. The tuner simply plugs into your OBDII connection under the dash. The microtuner begins by saving the truck's factory settings in its memory.
After answering a series of...
After answering a series of yes/no questions on the programmer, the new parameters were uploaded to the truck. That was too easy.
After the programmer was finished,...
After the programmer was finished, we spun the wheels again. This time, we were rewarded with an increase of 20 hp. All together a gain of 35 hp and 23 lb-ft. of torque ain't bad.