I have an 89 1500 with a 5.7l, a flowmaster, and an OEM K&N filter in it. I bought it like this and have had it for 2 years and am ready to start playing with it. My first ideas have been the K&N air charger (63-1007-1), maybe either removing my current or getting a high flow catalytic converter, and I've heard something about underdrive pulley system. I'm looking for opinions, better ideas, or past experiences with these things since I'm very new to this stuff. I am on a budget, but I want to get it right.
thanks

 

Maybe look into some longtube headers with an off-road y-pipe(as a kit). Or just buy that Jegs catless y-pipe for your stock manifolds. I'm not sure, but I think pulleys is usually left as a later mod after the rest of the bolt-ons. Good luck with it man.

 

Thanks. Looks do-able on my budget and sounds good. Not to sound entirely stupid, but I plan to make this more of a strip than off road machine, would you still suggest the same? I drive down an odd dirt road every other day or so, but between being 2wd and mostly city driving I've decided to make it more of a strip machine.

 

Yep, same plan. The "off-road" in off-road y-pipe refers to "not to be used on public roadway"(I believe). People still use them on the road though. If you're gonna put it on the strip, you'll definately want some longtube headers on there and some type of intake. It would be nice if you could grab one of those summit racing cams, they're pretty cheap and I hear they work good too. I'm not sure how mechanically inclined you are, but maybe you can have an experienced buddy help you throw it in there. You'll enjoy the cool sound and the new power. If you wanna look into a cam, call summit racing and talk to a tech rep, they can tell you what you need to buy. Actually, there's a couple guys on here with some pretty nice setups for the 5.7, but theirs' aren't TBI like yours. Look around in the classic truck section and check out the signatures, then send them a PM, I'm sure they'd be glad to give you some specific tips. Good luck.