you can start by getting rid of the auto and slapping in a 5 speed. then you can liven the rest up with a 4-1 header, cat back system, K&N filter, possibly a cam, and advance the timing up a bit.
+1. I did this with a TRD stage 1 cam with gears and my truck came alive. It would pull up steep hills in 5th gear. DO NOT go any bigger than 2 1/4" exhaust. I advanced my timing 5 degrees and it did not seem to be any different so I went to factory specs. Also I used the stock carb and it worked great. I also HIGHLY recommend putting new valve springs in if you decide to put a cam into it. You can use stock replacement ones and it worked fine for me but the valve float was there at higher RPM's. I would have benefited with some aftermarket higher spring rate springs but it was too late for me since I had it all put back together. James
Don't plan on 5spd since my left knee is not the best! Where is a good place to for a header and catback? Also what type of catback?
keep an eye out on craigslist. the eaders pop up once in a while. anything under 150 for a header is a decent deal. downey used to make the best header (IMO) and LCE makes a great header too. quality IS there, but they ARE pricey....... 4 into 1 is gonna be your best bet. the thorely 4 to 2 to 1 are ok but they dont give you as good of a noticable difference as the 4 to 1 headers. they tend to fall short on the upper rpm range. you can do a carb to liven up the truck but in most cases, a freshly rebuilt stocker or new stock replacement will perform pretty good. you could also go to a Holley 350cfm carb and possibly a offy intake to get more flow and power out of the motor for bolt on ease. if that dont get you the power gains you are looking for, gearing may also be a good area to look into and possibly gear down some.....
if money is not that big of an issue for you i would go with a port and polished head with a small cam and a header
