Here are two pics of my truck. Everything under the hood is stock, and as far as exterior, wheels/tires/nerf bars are the only thing added. First off, what would you advice as for the first engine mods? And second, what is your opinion on what exterior additions would look good?(granted this part is very individual.) Here are my thoughts, any comments welcome.
First Mods:
Exhaust
Chip
Exterior Additions
Black Ranch Hand Grill guard/read bumper.
Black Headache Rack
Possibly bigger tires+small lift?
My advice is to keep the truck stock and perform a few reliability mods and you will be happy with your 6.0 for a long time:
Follow through will all routine maintenance requirements - this is huge for the 6.0 engine. I fall in with those who are conservative on maintenance issues, I change fluids even more often than recommended in many cases (i.e. oil ever 5K instead of 7.5K, coolant every 50K instead of 100K for first change)
Use 5W-40 synthetic oil
Only use OEM filters for oil, fuel, & air. Oil & fuel should be Motorcraft or Racor (who makes them for Motorcraft) and air should be Motorcraft or Donaldson (who makes them for Motorcraft). I order mine from Diesel Filter Online and save alot over what the dealership charges (http://www.dieselfiltersonline.com/).
Use a fuel additive - like oil there are many on the market to choose from. I use Stanadyne Performance but recommend that you do research and decide which one best fits your needs.
EGR valve - keep it clean and consider replacing with the newest design which you may already have. I think the new design can be identified by a pink dot on the actuator. You might also consider the latest flash upgrade which either eliminates or reduces (not sure which) EGR operation when idling.
Avoid short hop trips and really open her up ever now and again (after everything has warmed up)
Agree with above do the preventive mods first (these are not the fun ones but your truck likes them more). Here is a list of those
1-coolant filter bypass
2-ccv re-route
3-full egr delete
4-arp headstuds (this is really needed if you are going to do big mods)
5-regulated return
6-gauges at least fuel pressure, coolat temp, and egts at a minimum
7-use synsthic 5w40 oil and make sure you change it every 5k miles
8-change fuel filter every 12k miles and fulsh coolant every 50k
you will also want to keep close eye on all fluid leavles (I check mine every other day)
then comes the fun stuff here is prefomance mods I would recomend this also depends on the hp you want to end up with
1-4 or 5" turbo back exhaust
2-custome programer either sct or Spartans turrner. Stay away from off the self stuff like bullydog, edge, banks ect... They are bad for the trans
3-keep the stock intake (unless you Palme on more than 500hp)
4-bigger injectors (depends on what you are looking for)
5-bigger turbo (again what are you looking for)
6-fass or airdog 2
and the list goes on and on
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2006 F-250 Lariat C.C, 18" rockstars w/285/65 nittos, SCT w/custom tunes, Banks Ram-Air Intake, 5" MRBP exhaust w/o kitty, 2.5" levealing kit, readylift air bags, fumoto drain valve, Viper alarm with remote start, 2-10" MTX Subs, drilled and sloted front rotors, ARP studs sitting in shop waiting on other parts. come Join the Texas Chapter!!
Scotty
Thanks for the input guys. As soon as i got the truck at 67k miles I changed out the oil+filters(excluding air filter) right away and there all motorcraft. Side note on the synthetic 5x40 oil, does this void warranty as I've heard not using motorcraft can cause this. As for mods, im mainly looking for better fuel economy+life of engine and HP as a afterthought.
I do need to flush the coolant, you guys who do it yourself, any tips?
I've heard a lot of good things a new exhaust system can do in engine temps and thus adding life, so i guess that falls under preventive mods as well. So here is my list, more suggestions welcome
SCT Tuner
Exhaust(Heard great things about banks?)
Secondary oil filter bypass
coolant filter bypass
gauges(any suggestions on going about this?)
then further down the road ill look at bigger mods but those for start. Also any suggestions on exterior looks additions? I'm really not sure what al id like.
Go to the junk yard and get TOW mirrors. Easy swap, and they look better IMO. Don't know how rich you are, but for looks Chrome compliments black the best, think of deep dish rims. Lifts/larger tires will degrade fuel economy immensly, but look AWESOME. :P New front grill, spray in box liner, tonneau cover, chrome door handles, large plastic fendors (i like them for some strange reason) Headache rack is a LITTLE too much if you live in a metropolis area, but to each their own. If you do get a headache rack, accesories with rear pointing backup lights (to aux switches of course) and the list can go forever.
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'05 F-350 6.0L CC Lariat
6" Rancho Lift
ARP studs
Full EGR delete
MBRP Turbo Back
Learning from the best. You Guys!
Go to the junk yard and get TOW mirrors. Easy swap, and they look better IMO. Don't know how rich you are, but for looks Chrome compliments black the best, think of deep dish rims. Lifts/larger tires will degrade fuel economy immensly, but look AWESOME. :P New front grill, spray in box liner, tonneau cover, chrome door handles, large plastic fendors (i like them for some strange reason) Headache rack is a LITTLE too much if you live in a metropolis area, but to each their own. If you do get a headache rack, accesories with rear pointing backup lights (to aux switches of course) and the list can go forever.
I do like the black with chrome, however my problem is despite how hard you try to keep it looking good, your gonna get scratches/dings and it kills the whole look. I already have a spray in bed liner, and as far as lift/larger tires; How far could i go without killing fuel economy? The guy at discount tire told me the truck has 8ply tires on it and a 1ton requires 10ply. I dont want too much off a lift but maybe a couple inches and maybe 34-36 inch tires? (im relativley new to a lot of this.)
A headache rack wouldnt be too much for San Antonio, it may be a metropolis area, but it is texas lol. I need to find some pictures of both looks(i.e black/black vs black/chrome)...
If you don't want to go to radical with lift then maybe a levelling kit to pick up the front end. Mines an 04 so I've go the leafs in front. First thing I noticed was how much smoother the ride is. (well smooth fo an SD anyway) As far as the engine mods, I'd go for the reliability mods before any tunes. Fomoto valve makes oil changes real easy if you do your own. Gauges to keep an eye on the vitals. I've got boost, EGT and volt. I'm going to add fuel pressure and trans temp before the next towing season. Coolant bypass is a good cheap mod too, especially if you have a new EGR and oil coolers as I have.
As far as deleting EGR and Cat; you might want to find out what the near future plans for roadside tailpipe checks in your state before going that route. Here in Alberta it doesn't seem to be an issue yet, but time will tell.
If you don't want to go to radical with lift then maybe a levelling kit to pick up the front end. Mines an 04 so I've go the leafs in front. First thing I noticed was how much smoother the ride is. (well smooth fo an SD anyway) As far as the engine mods, I'd go for the reliability mods before any tunes. Fomoto valve makes oil changes real easy if you do your own. Gauges to keep an eye on the vitals. I've got boost, EGT and volt. I'm going to add fuel pressure and trans temp before the next towing season. Coolant bypass is a good cheap mod too, especially if you have a new EGR and oil coolers as I have.
As far as deleting EGR and Cat; you might want to find out what the near future plans for roadside tailpipe checks in your state before going that route. Here in Alberta it doesn't seem to be an issue yet, but time will tell.
Yea as far texas, there pretty easy about that stuff. Next check im going to add a coolant filter bypass for sure, but first will check with the dealer to make sure that wont cause any warranty problems. Gauges will be soon as well. Would you mind explaining a leveling kit a little more?
Yea as far texas, there pretty easy about that stuff. Next check im going to add a coolant filter bypass for sure, but first will check with the dealer to make sure that wont cause any warranty problems. Gauges will be soon as well. Would you mind explaining a leveling kit a little more?
I got my levelling kit from Procomp, but there's lots to choose from. Basically the OEM front leafs get removed and a new progressive leaf pack goes in. New longer shocks and hardware to adjust the trackbar position. I installed mine myself with my son's help and it took most of a weekend.
Some kits have add-a-leaf set ups for the front end, but I think that only makes an already harsh ride worse. If you truck is an 05 or newer, your in luck. The coil kit is a much cheaper and easier install.
I do need to flush the coolant, you guys who do it yourself, any tips?
The following procedure is credited to the user Beachbumcook. It works like a charm.
1) Buy 4 gallons of Ford Premium Gold coolant at dealer
2) Buy 20 gallons of distilled water at local grocery store.
3) Drop lower radiator hose until empty.
4) Reconnect hose and add distilled water to degas bottle until full.
5) Drive truck until temp guage goes to normal and thermostat opens.
6) Repeat steps #3 through #5 no less than 4 or 5 times
7) You now have 100% distilled water in your system.
8) Drop lower hose 1 last time, drain and reconnect.
9) Look in manual for your system capacity and for a 50/50% refill of coolant just add the coolant straight into your degas bottle up to the amount that equals a 50/50% concentration (27.5 quarts plus a pint for the coolant filter).
10) Start motor and add distilled water to bring system level to the MIN mark on degas bottle.
11) Drive truck around to open thermostat and let cool once or twice to purge any air (may need to add more distilled water). When done you have flushed your entire system and have a perfect 50/50% concentration of coolant and distilled water.
The following procedure is credited to the user Beachbumcook. It works like a charm.
1) Buy 4 gallons of Ford Premium Gold coolant at dealer
2) Buy 20 gallons of distilled water at local grocery store.
3) Drop lower radiator hose until empty.
4) Reconnect hose and add distilled water to degas bottle until full.
5) Drive truck until temp guage goes to normal and thermostat opens.
6) Repeat steps #3 through #5 no less than 4 or 5 times
7) You now have 100% distilled water in your system.
8) Drop lower hose 1 last time, drain and reconnect.
9) Look in manual for your system capacity and for a 50/50% refill of coolant just add the coolant straight into your degas bottle up to the amount that equals a 50/50% concentration (27.5 quarts plus a pint for the coolant filter).
10) Start motor and add distilled water to bring system level to the MIN mark on degas bottle.
11) Drive truck around to open thermostat and let cool once or twice to purge any air (may need to add more distilled water). When done you have flushed your entire system and have a perfect 50/50% concentration of coolant and distilled water.
thank you for this. Ill be doing this sometime this week.
I got my levelling kit from Procomp, but there's lots to choose from. Basically the OEM front leafs get removed and a new progressive leaf pack goes in. New longer shocks and hardware to adjust the trackbar position. I installed mine myself with my son's help and it took most of a weekend.
Some kits have add-a-leaf set ups for the front end, but I think that only makes an already harsh ride worse. If you truck is an 05 or newer, your in luck. The coil kit is a much cheaper and easier install.
but whats the difference in a leveling kit and just a lift kit?
Exactly what texans said....only I had to add another leaf in the back as well because my factory springs had sagged a bit. I think most who put in the levelling kit end up doing this as well or replacing the spring block to a taller one for the same reason. The spring that I added in the read fits in the leaf pack 3rd from the top, to re-curve the OEM spring pack. It doesn't stiffin the back at all and I've never been a fan of tall spring blocks.
Question as to placement, from what I have seen and read these two filters seem to go in the same place...passenger side of the radiator. (There is not alot of free space in this area, not like on my 66 F250)
Coolant bypass filter?
Oil bypass filter?
and who makes the best product for each application. TIA
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04 F250 S/C 4x4 6.0psd, Viper security, Procomp ES9000s, Prodigy, Fumoto valve, Dieselsite coolant bypass filter, steel braided esof lines, Cat delete, Procomp 2 1/2" level lift & rear add-a-leaf, Autometer pillar gauges, DC1 rims on MT rubber.
