Putting a Carburetor on a Dodge Truck

Depends where you are. We don't know where you are. Where I live they will drag you out of the truck and shoot you if you try something like that and get caught.

Emissions, you know.

Iowa. No problem.

Would you be from Mason City or there abouts? My wife is from Clear Lake. I don't see to many Iowans on here to often. I had converted my 89 Dodge to the ol analog metering device from the TB injection. With some simple jetting and tuning, got it up to 19 mpg and with low RPM driving saw low 20's. Far cry from the injected mileage which was only about 13 to 15mpg. 36" Swamper's, 4:11's, posi's lots of rolling resistance as you can imagine. The carb was simple Edlebrock 600 cfm on a low profile "mopar" intake on a 10.5:1 static 360. Don't remember cam profile but decent lift with modest overlap, sorry no numbers.

I thoght being dragged out and shot was the norm in the states?

Only if your not packing your own heat.

If you can find a good intake and carb that fit the heads go for it! Also I would seriously recommend tossing the emissions cam in the nearest scrap iron bin and replace it with a good heavy towing cam. Its well worth the extra $150 or so to get rid of the emissions cam.

Once your done don't be surprised if you have a considerable increase in power and fuel economy as well.

As far as emissions go in Iowa I think your state has a similar rule like mine. Don't ask don't tell and no one will bother you.

Not a bad idea. I have done the same thing to many of my previous vehicles (older pre OBDII). Don't ask don't tell and you probably will be fine. FLA got rid of thier emissions inspections quite a few years ago.

I too, have a 97 Ram, but with the smaller V8 (318) and I still have the EFI. No problems with mine yet, but if I ever do, I will consider a carb.

Remember though it will not be as simple as just swapping in a carb and intake. The factory distributor has no ignition advance (ECU does that), so you will have to swap it with an older mechanical/vacuum advance unit. Additionally the ECU controls quite a few other systems. The alternators on these truck have no voltage regulator, thats done by the ECU. Another issue, do you have an auto trannsmission? Im not sure what year Dodge went from the 46RH to the 46RE transmission. The 46RE uses the ECU to control line pressure in the transmission. IE how and when it shifts. If you have the 46RH or a manual tranny you should be alright. That still is hydraulically controlled like the older trannies. There may be some more systems it controlls as well.

While certainly a doable swap, you will need to do your homework before jumping into it. The ECU does much more than control the amout of fuel injected into the engine.

I can't speak to the legalities in Iowa, but in Texas, at least here in the Houston area which is considered an "emissions non-attainment area", when you get your annual inspection, they plug the computer into the ODBII port and read the codes. If you modify the engine, you'll have to pay extra to have the vehicle dyno'ed and sniffed. Also, if the engine has been certified by the EPA, then it is a federal offense to modify it from OEM specs. So if you make these modifications, it is entirely possible that it will be impossible to obtain an annual inspection. While I sympathize with your situation, I cannot recommend this course of action.

A big reason why you can't get over 10 MPG is all that damned corn based ethanol that they are ruining perfectly good gasoline with. a few months back, I had the opportunity to compare mileage in my 2004 corolla over the same roads on a long road trip, using 10% ethanol on the way out and using 100% pure plain jane bottom grade unleaded on the way back. I got 28 mpg on the way out, and got almost 38 mpg coming back.

Those damned corn farmers are killing us! Corn is for eating, not for ruining your car with.

No problem in Iowa with inspections.

Here in Iowa, we only buy Ethanol when the price difference is more than 8 cents a gallon. If less, the decreased mileage makes it too expensive. May have to recalculate that, though. That was before you Texas people raised the price of gas.

Y'all are lucky to get a choice. I think Florida law mandates 10% of that crap in all highway gas in the state.

Here in Houston you can't buy anything with less than 10% moonshine in it.

You can thank our stupid president for a lot of that. His recent "Lifting of the offshore drilling ban" is anything but. he allowed companies to apply to the MMS to do seismic surveys, but he has not actually lifted any drilling ban, and he also is not allowing the states involved to share in the royalties, so none of the states will allow it to happen anyway. if anything, the move has had the net effect of restricting drilling by cancelling planned lease sales in Alaska.

And our stupid MSM media have gone along with the scam.

it costs BILLIONS of dollars over a decade or more to bring a single deep water field online. There is a buttload of risk involved in the investment, but oil companies like Exxon-Mobil average only about 9% profit margin. Compare that to Archer Daniels Midland's profit margin.

Rorschach,

I am in Spring also and I agree that alleged lifting of the drilling ban is just a bunch of crap!. The environmental moon-bats will never let us drill offshore. Being a supplier to the Oil & Gas industry the word I hear is the drilling companies are taking a wait and see approach. Bascially they will wait and see the oil prices continue to raise! Another disadvantage of ethanol is it attracts water. So just wait until more and more cars start to have issues with rust in their fuel systems.

Just one quetion: Does Iowa have an annual emmissions inspection, and do you have a relative to get a sticker from?

No inspectiions in Iowa except random roadside stops for obvious things, like broken windshields, etc.

Get rid of the government regulations toward gasoline and auto manufacturing and the problem will go away.

We're all over regulated and benefit nothing buy paying more taxes for more regulation,

more taxes and more regulation and

more taxes and more regulation and

more taxes and more regulation and

more taxes and more regulation and

more taxes and more regulation and...ect...

Note; one hundred years ago there was minimal regulation call laws, and no (zero ) taxes!

Tim

To help with orginanl topic. Yes you can put a carb and intake on the 5.9 and 5.2 engines. Call Mopar performace they offer a manifold for the engine. Trash the cam and call Comp cams they offer a couple sweet cams. I have used them in my 1997.

Sorry for coming in so late on this topic but if you do move forward with the swap, as far as the cam, see if MOPAR still sells the "Purple Camshaft Kit".

It has been 35 years since I tinkered so I don't know if these cams are still in production.

I do remember that it had slightly higher lift and overlap. It gave a nice power increase and idle was still smooth.

Ah yes, those were the days!