I bought my early 99 (5/98) four years ago with 81K on the clock. I beefed up the tranny did the mod in my signiture and currently have 189K on it and it has been great. One CPS when the new ones came out, one set of wheel bearings, one set of ball joints, one set of rotors and one alternator to date. All other mods were on purpose. I am still on the original water pump, but I think I am on borrowed time. My glow plugs started dying this past winter and I have a new set waiting. All in all, it has been one of the best trucks I have ever had. I tend to keep my stuff a long time and put lots of miles on them and I expect to do over 500K on this one before doing major surgery. I LOVE MY TRUCK! I am very happy with the power it makes with my current mods. I have pulled a 15K lb 5er ever since I got the truck and it pulls it with NO problems. I even get about 11 MPG towing it with Jody's 60 HP tow program. Can't ask for anything better....

 

O.P., If you want to see the difference in the intake plumbing, take a look at my pics and see the side by side comparison of the Early 99 and 99.5+ intakes. 2.5"-3" doesnt sond like much when you read it, but take a look, and remember there are two!

By the way, my early 99 rocks.

 

is there any difference in the suspension front and back? i know the rear was higher, but the front should be the same as the later right?