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The Answer....

"How Much Money do you have in Project Rust Bucket?"
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Posted July 4 2011 01:04 PM by Jason Sands 
Filed under: Editorials, Editor's Blog

 Happy 4th everyone!  And since I often celebrate my freedom with burnouts, I decided to answer the often-asked question of "how much money do you have in your 89 Dodge?"  Keep in mind this is just a rough estimate based upon some big ticket items....the real cost is probably a bit more. And the stuff I didn't remember the price on I just guessed....so you get the idea....ROUGH estimate.


 Stage 1 (budget build)

89 Dodge Diesel $2,700

K&N air filter $50

muffler shop exhaust $150

homebuilt nitrous $300

HTT compressor upgrade $400

Goerend race stall converter (1,600rpm) $900

Rebuilt transmission with shift kit $1500

DDP fuel pin and gov spring $250

New Era 6x16 injectors $700

TOTAL: $6,950

At this stage, the truck made 301rwhp on fuel and 448rwhp on nitrous....and with more timing I think it could have made around 350rwhp on fuel.  To have a truck that only weighs 5000 pounds and has that much power for under $7,000....including a rebuilt trans....I think that was a pretty good deal.

Stage II (now)

Added 47RH +$2,100 (over the cost of the 727)

Turbo $1,300

Scheid 14mm VE Pump $2,300

Intake and exhaust upgrades $600

AirDog and Hellman Sump $700

ARP studs $400

NX Dual Stage nitrous $900

TOTAL $13,500...but probably more like $15,000 realistically.

So although the final price is still to be determined, I'll probably have $15-$20K worth of parts in the truck when I am done.  Is it worth 447rwhp on fuel and 599 on nitrous?  I dunno, but it is faster than most things on the road, I can say that much.  The hard truth of the matter is that my '95 with a p-pump already makes close to the same power for much less in the engine.  There is something to be said for being the 3rd most powerful VE pump truck in the World though....and getting 24mpg or better on the highway is something that is hard for even the newer trucks to match.  So there you go, and for those who are really on a tight budget, remember some 5x16 injectors and a little fuel screw will get you a toasty 250-300rwhp with stock everything else.  Long live the First Gen!



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