What do you guys do to get some extra performance from these motors, and how well do you think it works? I know there are turbo kits, but does anyone ever get some power without spending that kind of money, or that much modification?

 

the only way to make any real performance gain is to turbo it.

 

Wow this forum is busy! I do mean anything and everything, not just major power adding. I am just curious about these motors right now. They aren't terrible for power to start with 170-185 HP ain't bad for the 80's-90's. I am just wondering what you guys have done(if anything), and what can be done, and how they respond to mods.

 

open up your exhaust and intake

 

Welcome to the IDI world!
We all get along very well in here, and try to help others out as much as possible. It's a fabulous learning environment! We base our discussions on any part of an IDI pickup...although sometimes our ADD kicks in and we get side-tra HEY LOOK A BIRD!!!!!

Something you must consider is that numbers don't tell the full story. The weight of the pickup truck will have a lot more to do with the equation. Some guys here are in the 8k pound range with their work trucks with dump beds. Mine is 5,700 pounds according to the scrap metal scales, so give or take some there...they aren't TOO precise.

The best thing to start with is open the exhaust up. Cut your Y-Pipe (that HORRIBLE piece of engineering, look at the NON-flow on the passenger side ) and use the top few inches of the original Y-pipe that bolts to the manifolds to weld/clamp your new pipe to. Wreckin ball welded up some adapters up to 3" and ran a 3" Y into 4" single pipe. Along with his home-brew plastic PVC pipe and cone air filter intake, he had a huge gain. I don't think he gained much for MPG's only because he couldn't keep his foot out out of the floorboard But he was beating the first gen. Powerstrokes.

Open intake and open exhaust are key.
Strip as much weight from your truck as you can. All that junk in the toolbox, yeah, it might account for about 100-200 pounds...all my tools were heavy in there! They're out now, I only carry a few tools to get me thru a roadside repair if necessary

You can turn up the fuel also. But it would be better if you got a pyrometer first to watch your EGT's. 1200 degrees EGT is where the limit is...after that....well, some have reported melted pistons! It's best to remove the exhaust manifold, drill and tap it so the pyro probe is reading as close as possible to the rear-most cylinder. The 2 rear-most cylinders seem to get the hottest, so it makes for a good measuring point.

Now those mods are for being N/A. If you can find a used turbo, then that's the most substantial gain. But it's overkill for most guys, because an opened-up N/A engine lays down plenty of power. The turbo has it's largest effect when the truck is loaded up, and the engien is under load...hauling heavy on a hill comes to mind. You can find them used for $300-$1000. Basically, your price will depend on the condition of the turbo kit and if the seller has any idea of what they're selling. Wreck got his turbo pretty cheap, but I think he had to make some stuff/parts to finish the install. To make it better, he got the aftrmarket ATS turbo witht he upgrade 3" downpipe...a huge difference over the optional factory turbo.

Members here on the forum have done just about anything and everything for perormance mods. From small mods to over the hill and unbelieveable. Others will chime in here during the day, but it gets queit during the day. Between 5-9 pm is when the fun is! Sometimes, like last night, we can get going back and forth up 'til midnight or later LOL
When I get home from work later, I'll get some links copied and pasted for ya

 

Was this Stock First Gens? or....?

 

ive done all the little things that i can think of and its made a small diffrence, but what i really need is a turbo. i was lookin, the ATS kit is 2 grand, hypermax is the same but it includes the down pipe

 

Expensive for a new Turbo Kit, but I've seen a few on Ebay every now and then.

 

You can get a great used kit off eBay for less than $1000 easy now. I just checked out kits like mine where the winning bid was $900 and a few others that were less. You will dump $900 in your truck anyway by trying to build a better intake, exhaust, perhaps electric fans to keep a horsepower drain off the belt. Just bite the bullet and get a turbo, you will get plenty of power. Many little thing can be done to improve power, nothing even comes close to a turbo - there is a reason that stock diesels have come with them for the past 17 years.

 

Stock 1st gen strokes, and stock 12V cummins. This is off the line and up to about 40-50mph. I have a C6 so i am limited in that respect. Pushing 10PSI is a whole other game. When i do a 7psi launch i can really lay it down. Love my C6 with shift kit but really need some more gears! lol. If ya need help going from stock to sweet, let me know what you want to do, i can definitely help.

 

wreck i didnt realize your ride was a 89-94 setup it looks freakin sweet i guess the only pic i ever saw was a single cab GREAT Job!!!

 

DWrestle here is my chessy mod for intake 4in All the way

 

That is a pretty cool intake. Has anyone messed with the pump, or injectors? I know you can buy aftermarket stuff in that department, but I have heard you can turn up the fuel on the stock pump as well.

 

3 ways to increase the output while staying N/A:
Freer flowing exhaust. Getting rid of the dirty air is vital to getting in clean air.
Freer flowing intake. Once it can exhale, help it inhale.
More fuel. Once it's breathing better, you can start adding more fuel. This is a mod that radiply starts having diminishing returns though. As the fuel is increased, the power can start going up pretty easy, but adding too much fuel just makes more smoke and heat. Too much heat, and things can go very wrong.
Adding a turbo is as close to "free" horsepower as you can get. It pushes a lot more air in, and as the air is increased, less additional is fuel is needed to make the same power. In many cases, adding a turbo not only increases the overall power output, but also tends to increase the MPG. It also has a funny way of reducing the exhaust temps, since the fuel can burn better during the power cycle, rather than still trying to finish burning as it exits the cyl.
By design, a diesel wants as much air as it can get, at all times. The power varies from how much fuel you spray into that air under high pressure. When adding a turbo, it is not mandatory to turn up the fuel to see more power, but with the increased airflow, it can effiently burn more fuel, and create less exhaust heat at the same time, so it's standard practice to turn the fuel rate up. Just turning up the amount of fuel that *can* be injected, does not mean you will then *need* to do so.
Buying a turbo kit that is made specifically for the 6.9/7.3 isn't really required. Any number of turbo's can be used, with proper care and fabrication. Buying the kit for a 6.9/7.3 is just so much quicker and easier than a DYI install. Getting a good used kit is generally cheaper than most DYI installs, as long as the kit is all or mostly there.
New turbo kits are a bit pricey, but all the design and fabrication work has already been done, so it will fit like it was made to, as it was made to fit. Plus, you have to take into consideration that you are getting a new turbo, and they aren't exactly cheap by themselves.

 

Welcome to the forum Well as has been said a turbo is the best mod i love mine at 5psi im turning the tires then at 10 second gear tacked out to third where she sets nice at 13psi and 1900-2200rpm. The temps stay managable because of the extra air unless i just ignore it which i do at times. The kits are around and some are deals you just gota stay on the websites but go turbo and you will smile everytime the boost gauge pegs out trust me.