Best Bang for the Buck

[Sundance]

I have to get more power out of my flatbed. It has a stock GM crate replaced engine now.

My thought is going to a 3" downpipe and exhaust (can't afford 4" right now) and a #9 resistor. Or do I need a power chip as well?

[torque454]

Id save yer pennies and just get the 4" exhaust. It'll cost you alot more to go to the 3 and then go to the 4. You can make it with what youve got for now, if youve made it this far. Dont settle for less than what you want. Im sure it will make a world of a difference and be well worth the wait. The #9 resistor probably wont help much if even noticeable at all, but you might get a little difference if you put a manual (or make) boost controller on it and give it another psi or two of boost along with the #9 resistor. Otherwise, the chip is the way to go. You have to have the 4" exhaust for the 80hp chip tho.

[murd450]

one of the 6.5 aftermarket companys said you can make more power whith out the man waste gate buy puting in a reflashed ecm (they said it is way more eficant than the man waste gate the artical says the computer will spil it erlier and longer than the man one , all though that is what the artical says and is not frome experiance so im just puting in that info if im wrong i would like to know (realy ) it was on kenady diesel , i bet ya walt would know:D

[Sundance]

Just can't swing the 4" now and I need to head south to Texas in 3 weeks.

Since it is a flat bed the exhaust configuration is simple to say the least. 3" pipe is available in town here pretty reasonable and I can hang it myself.

Gonna have a load on and really need some extra power......

[murd450]

where in texas ,my brother lives in the dallas fortworth area ????????:D

[Sundance]

I'll be heading to East Texas. I am bringing my honeybees down to save them from the North Dakota winter.;) I fly home after a couple weeks and fly back in Feb and then at the end of March I fly down to Texas and drive em' home.:D

[sshewins]

The stock vacuum waste gate controller works great....as long as you make vacuum, the right amount of vacuum, ect ect... IMO switch to a manual boost controller. Deerefanatic made one OUT of the stock setup for next to nothing - check it out. It doesn't rely on the very questionable vacuum pump. If you can order a larger air filter and make an open design its cheap too, look around and be creative. Hang your 3" on the cheap. There is alot you can do, but it still won't do as much as a chip will. Before the chip, install some gauges. I took a piece of aluminum and drilled two holes and bent a flange so I cant mount it under the dash.

You need to look at the condition of the inj's and inj pump and the lift pump.

Happy motoring and hope this helps Scott

[MAGNUM SERVICES]

Sundance,if you raise honey bee's you are a good man.I have thought of getting into this as I have heard the world bee population is down about 40 to 50 %. I know as a landscaper I do NOT see bee's around the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Ky. area as much as I did when I was younger .

[triplebr1]

i say as long as you get a 3inch down pipe and then make the rest out of 3inch pipe you are good, my buddy has a 1993 6.5 crew cab and has had it since it was brand new and he bought a exhaust from ATS and it is 3inch all the way with no muffler, his truck runs great and has over 200k on the exhaust, also i made my own spring waste gate and i dont mean to talk bad about any one but i think it was a lot easier than the one talked about in this thread, i have told how to make it on here before, just look up my past posts, if you cant find it i will put it down again, i think it is easier and you dont have to waste your vacume one to make it. it only cost me about $5 dollars.

[Sundance]

I think I am going to run the 3". If I could find a decent 3" to 4" adaptor I'd run the 4" but can't locate one.

I like simple when it comes to anything, especially waste gate fiddling.

[Husker 6.5]

I think I am going to run the 3". If I could find a decent 3" to 4" adaptor I'd run the 4" but can't locate one.

I like simple when it comes to anything, especially waste gate fiddling.

Go to Heartthrob's web site. They have the adaptor you need reasonable, but if you go to their truck exhaust system section, click on the description for the 6.5 system. It will bring up the individual part numbers. I ordered the 3" to 4" turbo downpipe, the 4" front section, and two 4" 45* elbows. What this gave me was a straight exhaust that exits in front of the rear tire. On a standard cab LB frame, you angle the first el so it comes down under the notch in the frame where the spring eye mounts, then rotate the other 45 so it exits about 6" in front of the rear tire. With a couple of 4" Ex. clamps, and some heavy-duty strap hangers I had around, the total cost of the system was under $200 including the shipping from MN.

Something to think about before hanging a 3" system, which won't handle full power mods. If it's too loud, you can always put a muffler in the rear section of the front pipe, DynoMax has a really good 4" ultra-flo for $40 in the Summit Racing catalogue.

Hope this helps.

Husker 6.5

[Sundance]

Thanks Husker, I'll check it out. Sounds good. They have 4" pipe here in town for $4 something a foot. Being a flatbed I can go pretty much straight back.

[GM Guy]

have no experience driving 6.5 (yet, project 3500HD will be going by spring!), but for 70 or 80 bucks the stainless mandrel bent crossover pipe on SS Diesel's site looks like it would add some power, especially when reading that the factory double-walled pipe can pinch down really bad.

[GM Guy]

Sundance, how do you have such a big flatbed on your 3500? or is it a 3500HD?

[JD_countryboy]

A 3" to 4" adapter is easy if your welding the exhaust together, or to make. just cut a 3" hole in a piece of plate steel thats minimum 4"x4", and weld one side to the 3" exhaust pipe, and the other side to the 4" pipe. Cheap and simple and most likelt you can find the steel in a scrap pile someplace.

[Sundance]

GM Guy................ It is the 3500HD, a work horse. The front end is totally different than my 3500 and it sits higher. They added a filler piece to the front grill to account for the taller cab.

[GM Guy]

Cool! I really like those 3500HD trucks, especially with the big 10K Dana rear. They sure are tall, I'm 6'2" and I have to hop into ours, it still has the stock 225/70R19.5s! Looks like we need running boards.

Good luck with your power quest :cool:, I think that a crossover & a down pipe from SS Diesel would really help.