Guys...I may be reaching here. There is ALOT of knowledge on this site. More than I can comprehend sometimes. You guys blow me away.:ro) My question, dare I ask, is this. I pull a 33ft 5th wheel with a stock 6.5...well read the sig...My wife says $1500 dollar limit on upgrades...AHHHHHH...(between us...I think I can get her to go to 1850,) but then I gotta take her to the mall for a day of shopping in the womans department while I hold her purse-:t . I just need some direction and opinions. I have been eyeballing the performance package#2 from SS.Am I barking up the right tree? Opinions are welcome. Thanks guys. I need to get this done by July 1st. (our vacation with the kids)She wants me to tow that thing all over Northern Arizona for a week...Lots of hills(one of which is a 25 mile climb).

What year? before 97' i would say cooling system upgrade with fan, Exhaust System with true 3" down pipe (lose the CAT if you have one), Air Induction kit, and gauges. Or just order everything, and tell her you thought $1,500 a year and saved time by order 3 or 4 years worth of stuff at once before shipping cost went up :D .

He has a 2000, its in his name. Cool, we're driving the same year...

Check with anyone of the guys running an Intercooler setup for tips and total installed cost. TD, GMCTD, MrTaillight, QM just to name a few.
Gauges can be bought out of your weeky lunch money so they won't count in the 1500 total. BUT DO THEM FIRST
and oh course remote mount that PMD

Me.......I would ask her to bump it up to $2000 and then I would spend it all on her! Nothing better than an engine powered by LOVE:D !
Sam

Don't matter what you spend on her, once your stranded 50 miles from nowhere with her sitting beside you in 100F things might get even hotter around there....

Spend it on the truck!

Don't matter what you spend on her, once your stranded 50 miles from nowhere with her sitting beside you in 100F things might get even hotter around there....

Spend it on the truck!

Good point!! Been there once and would like to never go through that again:badidea:

Gauges ~$300
Exhaust ~$400
Optic Bump - "free" ( I think it will work on your truck)
JK Boost fooler - ~$100
Maybe a reflash ~$450
Some type of a shift kit ~???

Total ~$1400.00

The look on the powerstroke/Cummins when you go by, Priceless

Im in Az too and the best thing you can do is get a set of gauges.

Then go with exhaust, reflash and turbo master. Endo story.

I drive a 98 vortec 454 for my work truck(ex DPS semi checker truck) and this truck wont hold a candle against my 6.5.

Because of the az heat.....get the gauges. Bottom line

1. SS diesel exhaust.
2. Gauges..dont matter what brand. boost,egt,tranny.
3. heath reflash
4. heath turbo master.
5. heath remote mount PMD cooler
I know a lot of people are going to hang me for telling you to go with heath because he isnt a supporting vendor...but he's a 6.5 supporter and in my book thats just as good. If you need to, buy the gauges from kennedy..I've heard he is a nice guy.

There isnt a thing I would change with my current setup except for a intercooler....but thats down the road. OH, get heaths remote PMD cooler. you'll love it. Everything I have suggested will be in the $1500 range. check out heathdiesel.com.

:grd: TRUST ME!!!!

Me.......I would ask her to bump it up to $2000 and then I would spend it all on her! Nothing better than an engine powered by LOVE:D !
Sam

Are you sure you don't live in Mass.? Spend it all on them and they still won't be happy after 5 minutes, the truck will never cheat on you or try to take your kids :rant:

Yes, make sure you still love her with something. But love that truck too, so you don't get that cell phone call about "this *&^$& truck you have" from where dear wifey is stuck on the side of the road either.

Gotten that call when I was an 1.5 hr away from where she was. Cell phone diagnostics is NOT a good thing with 4 kids in car seats on a warm day.

Im in Az too and the best thing you can do is get a set of gauges.

Then go with exhaust, reflash and turbo master. Endo story.

I drive a 98 vortec 454 for my work truck(ex DPS semi checker truck) and this truck wont hold a candle against my 6.5.

Because of the az heat.....get the gauges. Bottom line

1. SS diesel exhaust.
2. Gauges..dont matter what brand. boost,egt,tranny.
3. heath reflash
4. heath turbo master.
5. heath remote mount PMD cooler
I know a lot of people are going to hang me for telling you to go with heath because he isnt a supporting vendor...but he's a 6.5 supporter and in my book thats just as good. If you need to, buy the gauges from kennedy..I've heard he is a nice guy.

There isnt a thing I would change with my current setup except for a intercooler....but thats down the road. OH, get heaths remote PMD cooler. you'll love it. Everything I have suggested will be in the $1500 range. check out heathdiesel.com.

:grd: TRUST ME!!!!

I agree with most of what was said in this post, if your going to do some business with Heath check his exhaust price, he's usally pretty good about give you a discount with a "package of upgrades". \

One thing I would add to the list is a Kennedy fan clutch you have the updated cooling with the 2000, but the Kennedy fan clutch cuts in at lower temp and will help keep temps in line on a pull North bound on I-17 to Flagstaff. It's $250 item but the guys that have it swear by them. Make sure you clean the stuff out between raditor and A/C condensor.

if i had that much money to dump into my truck at one time, then i would blow it on an intercooler. other mods can come here and there since most mods are in the 100-300 price range, but buying an intercooler kit is quite expensive. next on the list would be gauges and exhaust.

Bornready6.5...Thanks for the info... I researched all those things..Talked to Bill Heath and Walt over at SS.. It sounds like just what the doctor ordered. Exhaust should be here in a couple of days as well as the Air Induction system and gauges. After I install all that, I will order the pcm upgrade, turbo master and Max e tork ecm. They claim approx a 65 to 70 h.p. gain with an added 150ft lbs. of torque.but with the SS exhaust, I hope to gain just a weeeee bit more...I hope.):h

if i had that much money to dump into my truck at one time, then i would blow it on an intercooler. other mods can come here and there since most mods are in the 100-300 price range, but buying an intercooler kit is quite expensive. next on the list would be gauges and exhaust.

With all the upgrades 2000SLE is considering, an IC is a good idea.