Newbie Am I on the right path???

[BluOvalPowerMan]

Well I have recently been bitten by the Diesel Bug just like almost everyone here. I need a 2nd vehicle and I thought to myself just get the big ass truck you've always wanted. I'm in the market for a 99-06 F250 4x4 CC. I know the 7.3 is a good running engine and I have heard a lot of bad hype on the 6.0. But it also seems that 6.0 can be a great enginge as long as the owner takes good care of it. I have researched a lot of performance upgrades and it looks like 6.0 has quite a bit more options out there. I have a lot of ideas on what I want to do to build my own custom power stroke, but there I still need some education. Here is some of what I'm looking at: Banks BigHoss Power Pack, ATS fire rings, stage 2 tranny w/ flexplate and maybe a turbo upgrade, coolant, oil, tranny bypass filters, AIRDOG fuel system, brake rotor upgrade, 8 inch lift, 37inch tires on 17 inch rims, dual shocks and traction bars, and maybe an exhaust brake. Not sure on gears 4.88 or 5.13 maybe???? an E-locker up front and a posi out back. I'm thinking I'll do the filters, lift wheels/tires & brakes first, then the tranny and then on to the motor. I'm also wondering if I should/can switch the cooling system over to Evans NPG+. While doing this I will replace any worn parts i.e. wheel bearings, brake pads, hoses, belts, ball joints...etc. Hope I didn't bore anyone and I hope I am somewhat on the right path to a bad ass rig...

-Dan

 

[atk]

Welcome to SDD....

 

[6.0PSD777]

Welcome to SDD.com!!! I have a 6.0 and so do many of my friends and family and we all love them. Really is a case of 1 bad story overshadows 5 good ones. Mine is stock other than exhaust(I think 325hp is plenty especially in a diesel pickup) but if u want to push hp levels u should get head studs and either do an egr delete or use Bulletproof diesel's upgraded cooler. Once u do that u can tune the s*** out of it. The tranny's hold up really well up to about 500hp so i would not even touch it other than changing fluid and the stock air box is good up to that too. Couple that with an SCT with some custom tunes and it will screw. By the sounds of the rest of the stuff u are def on the right track, especially with the coolant and oil bypass filtration.

 

[DaveBen]

BluOvalPowerMan. You got some pretty ambitious plans. It can be done but it is a lot of work. Head studs are a must for any 6.0 with anything more than an air cleaner. I agree with everything 6.0PSD777 said. The stock tranny is great if you take care of it. Good for something like 500 HP. GET GAUGES! They are a must! You will cook your motor without them. I would leave the coolant alone. Ford developed the Gold Coolant for this motor and it is good stuff. No need for the additives that we all had to do with the 7.3 engine/coolant. Get a coolant filter and you are golden. Tuners/chips are up to you, as are tires and gear ratios. Check out the turbocharger very carefully before jumping on another turbo. This one works great and gives performance from the bottom all the way through the top end in the power band. There are a couple of people who are developing a new turbo for what you want to do, but I don't remember who they are, or where they are. Good Luck,

Dave

 

[BluOvalPowerMan]

Awesome!!!

WOW you guys all got back to me fast...this site is awesome. Thank you for all of the good info. I will make sure I keep researching before I turn the first bolt. I;d rather take a lot of time building it right vs. blowing the damn thing up. I'll probably buy the truck in like 3 months, I have 2 more left in Iraq then I'll be back in upstate, NY. With any luck I'll be moving to Colorado soon (about 40 min from ATS headquarters!!!) I have been finding some decent deals on trucks too, I'm trying to stay between '01-'06, 160K or less for no more than $15k. Shouldn't be a problem. Thanks again for the good info, I really appreciate it.

 

[6.0PSD777]

No Problem, Thank u for your service oversea's too

 

[NevrKnow]

Welcome to SDD and your new addiction!

Looks like you're gonna have THE badass truck if you do all that to it. Even tho I own a 7.3 I got to thinking about this 6.0 having problems thing. I'm wondering if some/alot of it was people getting newer trucks and assuming they were better than the 7.3 and started beating the hell out of them. And we all know if you beat on something long and hard enough sh%ts gonna break.

Personally I think both are a damm fine choice for a diesel engine as long as you dont neglect them. ( Or beat on'em like a redheaded step child)

You came to the right place. The friends in here have saved me a ton of $$ and headaches answering my newbie questions.

 

[6.0PSD777]

Welcome to SDD and your new addiction!

Looks like you're gonna have THE badass truck if you do all that to it. Even tho I own a 7.3 I got to thinking about this 6.0 having problems thing. I'm wondering if some/alot of it was people getting newer trucks and assuming they were better than the 7.3 and started beating the hell out of them. And we all know if you beat on something long and hard enough sh%ts gonna break.

Personally I think both are a damm fine choice for a diesel engine as long as you dont neglect them. ( Or beat on'em like a redheaded step child)

You came to the right place. The friends in here have saved me a ton of $$ and headaches answering my newbie questions.

Your exactly right, The egr concept was completely new in diesel engines and people didn't know that u couldn't idle them for extended periods of time - Also Dealerships were not properly trained on how to work on them. Maintanence is key with them.

 

[Dogman]

Your exactly right, The egr concept was completely new in diesel engines and people didn't know that u couldn't idle them for extended periods of time - Also Dealerships were not properly trained on how to work on them. Maintanence is key with them.

OR delete them .

 

[02SilverStroke]

Welcome to SDD!!!!!