So I've been lurking here and at 1stgen.org since last summer when I picked up my CTD. It's time for me to take a look at what mods make sense for me and my truck.

I have a 1990 non-intercooled CTD. 160,000 on the ticker in a bottom of the line single cab truck. It has the 3-speed automatic (727 I believe). I use the truck for hauling stuff such as firewood, and pull around a 3-horse trailer loaded with 4-horses (I guess about 8-9k loaded). I pull mainly from Emmett to Cascade, bypassing Horseshoe bend hill so I've never really put it to the test pulling a 7% grade for six miles

I am pretty happy with the power of the truck, I wouldn't mind a bit more power but my primary concern is reliability and longevity. Fuel economy is also a concern. I get 19mpg unloaded and about 14 towing, I don't want to lose that either. I would like some of your esteemed opinions on what makes sense to do to my truck, and some details on how to do it.

Here is my list so far, don't hesitate to add, move, or even remove stuff on the list.

1. KDP (What else should I do when I'm in there?)
2. Gauges
3. Intercooler (Where should I yank one from? I've heard the Ford 7.3 is an option. Any links to good write-ups on adding an IC?)
4. Exhaust (I'm not sure if there is enough return on my investment on this one, stacks are not an option because I use the bed of the truck)
5. Transmission (Should I get mine built, or wait until it needs it? What about replacing the torque converter)

Help me out here. I don't want to mod just to mod. I want a reliable, solid truck to last me for years to come.

I have a 2nd Gen, but here is my opinion.
1. KDP is a must... front main seal at the same time, get your retainer from Harold"".
2. Gauges are a must if you are going to do mods. Glowshift gauges seem to be economicle with no problems, "Curtis got his off ebay cheep with pillar".
3. I know nothing about the intercooler.
4. I went from a 3" exhaust to a 4" and gained on HP and MPG for $300.00.
5. Talk to Lumpdog on your trans "He is the PRO"

Joe, I have an early 90 st. ca that has been somewhat upgraded over the years. Originally dyno'd at 125 at the wheels. Last dyno Idaho dyno days was 278 hp, 570+ torque. Towing milage with 14,500 total wieght is 11-14. Towing with camper,9700 lbs total is 13-16 mpg. Towing with camper and Jeep 11-13. Call me at 541-385-9126 for more info, or send me your e-mail address for more info.bluedodge: klarhorn@aol.com

joe,

like launie said, harold makes the 1st gen specific 'tabs'. also need to do the bolt retention when in there.

i'll also echo the coments about lumpdog being the 'man' when it comes to trannys.

the ultimate would be to do what keith did in his 90. 48re transplant. awesome setup but $.

harold did a good writeup which elkslayer posted on kdp and bolts.

Diesel Bombers - HOW TO DO KILLER DOWELL PIN

My first thoughts would be:

1. Gauges Boost, Pyro, Trans temp
2. KDP
3. 3200 Governor spring
4. Timing adavance, slight pump mods
5. Intercooler
6. Transmission. The trans here is key. You could put in an OD trans, but with 3.07 gears it may be a bit much and keep the engine out of the sweet spot. I found that my first gen loved 2000 rpm. My torque converter held it there perfectly, and the custom converter was the single best mod I did. All other mods in the trans help durability. I had 3.55 gears and 33" tall tires.

I also had an OD trans as well. Lockup is a chunk of change, so is OD. So, realistically I don't think you would ever get your money back out of those mods.

Thanks for the replies so far. As of now I am starting to cruise E-bay looking for gauges. So far I have found these 98-02 DODGE RAM TRIPLE PILLAR POD + W7 DIESEL GAUGE KIT: eBay Motors (item 370400172050 end time Jul-22-10 19:29:54 PDT) Does anyone know how close the pillar mount will match my 1990? I'm a little ghetto myself, but I don't want it to be too ghetto.

How do I contact Harold for the KDP and seal kit?

I'll get the KDP and the gauges done over the next month or two and check back in at that point.

Now back to lurking.........

One more question. What does the governor spring actually control? I'm pretty confident I know what all the other mods affect, but the gov spring is out of my realm of experience.

Gov spring controls at what rpm the pump defuels. Mine before the spring started losing power at 2200 and was done at 2400. With the spring, I lose power at 3000 and am done at 3200.

It is an essential mod, even for a daily driver unmolested truck. Once you do it you will never look back.