Hey guys. I will be starting a very basic build in the near future. Thought I would give you guys a shout out for some ideas or suggestions. I plan on putting a new muffler on this bad boy get as much heat out and away as possible. I will be getting a professional under coating because of the salty winters up here in wny, I have to get this on before winter. Maybe a new air filtration system but I'm not sure if I want to. If I do I want to have one that filters out as much contaminants as possible. My shocks are still original so I want to replace which shouldn't be to hard to do, I plan on putting some type of on board monitor/gauge. For sale of space on the dash I'll more than likely get a digital one. I'm keeping stock because I have no reason to mess with this thing and with my luck if I did it would kill it faster than setting it on fire with thermite. Lol. Any one else do this type of build and keep the truck stock?

 

What do you want to monitor? Transmission temp, boost and pyrometer are three good ones to have, they'll let you know if something is amiss on your truck. A pillar gauges are popular and you can put as many as four gauges up there if you want to. The Ford AIS intake would be a good option. It will flow plenty of air for your needs and filters great, much better than our original filter. And what year is your truck?

 

I have an 02 7.3. my buddy is selling his bully dog tuner and I thought I may be able to pick it up for cheap. It should cover all the important things, trans temp, oil temp, boost, etc. I don't plan on using its runner function. Also the truck is a cc short bed lariat with 143,000 some odd miles on it.

 

A build thread, man I love following threads like these.priority number 1 make sure she's 100% then go with some gauges. After that you can improve stock performance by adding a nice filter such as mentioned on post #2 Ford AIS, or a 6637, the stock exhaust is more than adequate for a stock or even a moderately build. You can replace the stock up pipes in favor of some bellow up pipes, you can send your injectors to get rebuild and........ You see where I'm getting at, even the "smallest" builds turn into a spending frenzy. Or as Tugly will surely post a BUCK$ZOOKA!!!!!
GOOD LUCK.

 

In regards to the 6637 filter how does it filter in comparison to the ais sever duty filter system. How do you know if the filter is plugged or needs to be cleaned. I like how simple it is to install I like the whistling sound it adds. But I'm a little concerned about is it drawing in all that hot air in the engine versus the colder air from a filter system is as the ais system.

 

Just as good as the AIS and don't worry about the hot air once your moving you won't notice a difference.

 

Welcome to the bretheren and congrats on your build thread!!


first I would do the following before starting any mods or any performance enhancing things.

1: make sure your truck is 100%
2: remove the stock airbox and replace with the Ford AIS intake OR the 6637 filter mod
3: get the proper gauges set up, trans 2 pyros (one for driver side and one for passenger side) and fuel pressure at the minimum Boost is another good one also
4: load the Buck$Zooka and your Buck$Armoury and maybe even a few Buck$Pistols
5: attempt to enjoy the truck and continue your build thread...

 

Good advice so far!

For a single gauge, consider the Aeroforce Scangauge. It will monitor anything the PCM reads and you can add EGT and Fuel Pressure (the most important things to monitor IMHO). I don't think dual pyros are needed... The kind of issues you'd discover with that are rare are can generally be identified by other means. This gauge also does the Buzz Test and Cylinder Contribution Test.

The stock muffler won't affect performance or EGT enough to notice on a stock truck, but deleting the muffler with an equal (3.5") size pipe or bigger does make it sound good without being too loud.

Your stock up-pipes will leak eventually. I seldom see these trucks anymore that don't have leaky, stock up-pipes. This and boost leaks are the most common cause of loss of power and MPG. I use Dorman up-pipes and ceramic coat them (and exhaust housing on turbo as well as exhaust manifolds). You can get these well under $200. They use bellows instead of the donut/slip joint design that wears the pipes down until they leak.

The AIS is probably the best filtration you can get for your money at ~$200. But filters are $60 each. The 6637 is much cheaper with $30 filters that last just as long (I get 50k miles out of mine most of the time).

The most common boost leak I see is at the intake plenums on heads. The plenums are sheet metal and ford used cheesy worm clamps here instead of t-bolt clamps so we wouldn't crush/deform the plenums by over tightening the clamps. I use Riffraff plenum inserts and upgrade the clamps here. Honestly, stock CAC boots are totally fine for a stock truck if they are in good shape. Take them all off and wash/soak them in hot, soapy water to remove oil. Final-clean them and the pipes, etc with brake clean and a clean rag and install while slightly damp w/brake cleaner. When finished, build a cheap boost leak detector (less $$ than a Starbucks) and make sure you have no leaks.

Flush your cooling system thoroughly and either replace it with standard 'green' coolant and the required SCA or use an ELC like CAT, Rotella of similar. I prefer the latter because ya don't have to monitor/add SCA's and the ELC's have up to a 500k mile service life (no 100k flush and replace) not to mention the fallout/sludge issues from SCA's.

Since it sounds like you are in a cold climate, if go ahead and do GP's and either do the $0.50 mod or just get Dorman VC gaskets (they have integrated UVCH's). Check torque on injector hold downs and rocker arms while you're in there.

On the PM subject, I strongly recommend regularly checking brakes for sticking slide pins, etc. I like Bosch life tin warranty rotors because they have a coating that resists corrosion - and because ya only have to buy rotors one more time ever for your truck! I also use EBC brake pads because they STOP your truck waaaay better than anything you can buy over the counter.

Buy the 'parts cabinet' from www.dieselorings.com and at least replace the o-rings on the fuel bowl drain valve - if ya don't just rebuild the whole fuel bowl.

Check your EBP sensor tube for rust/leaks. Either build your own using SS if you can or ceramic coat the new one to mitigate the problem.

Lube the axle bearings on front hubs and service the locking hubs.

Make sure the dipstick flange on oil pan is tight.

You don't need a buckzooka for what it sounds like you are trying to accomplish.

 

I forgot the 'in-tank mods'!!

Delete the mixing chambers, screens and umbrella inside the tank and replace with a compression union and short piece of tubing that reaches the very bottom of tank. I put a 90* bend on end of tubing so I can sit it directly on tank bottom. (I have lots of sort pieces of alum tubing - let me know and I'll send you what ya need for the price of the stamp!). You'll replace the in-tank filter with an in-line 'strainer' like the WIX 33972 that'll go just before the pump. Don't try to over engineer this with 'added filtration' - 50 microns is as fine as you want to go pre-pump. You'll cut the flexible hose off fuel line just before the pump and install the WIX 33972 using 5/16" 30R9 (fuel injection hose) and fuel injection hose clamps.

Also, reach in the tank and lop off the vent tube as close to the top of tank as possible using PVC cutters. This will low you to fill the tank to the TOP without beginning to burp gallons short of 'full'.

 

Might as we'll add pics...

WIX 33972



This is how I do the pick-up mod. The return hose is cut in the bend so it can be pointed 180* away from pick-up.

 

Thanks for the good info skyski. The only issue I have is that I am by no means a mechanic. So doing a lot of this is well kind of risky for me to undertake. I would hate to do damage to my truck because in all likelihood I would be unable to replace it if I messed it up. I'm planning on keeping it stock because I see no reason to do so other than some minor things to help it out. I do appreciate all the awesome ideas you gave me, so maybe if I could find some way of doing this with out going to diesel shop I may do some of these. Thanks.

 

The in tank mods will benefit your truck. The factory fuel system is known to cause air infiltration into your fuel supply which, if it gets bad enough, can wreak havoc with your injectors.

 

I always tell people it's a big diesel engine - not a Swiss watch. The things I suggested require minimal tools and just basic mechanical knowledge. There are plenty of write-ups you can study on each of these mods before you decide to attempt them. The up-pipes require removing the turbo - this takes me about 20mins, but can be a pita (actually pain in the babies butt...). Installing the new ones is much easier with a helper.

The tank mods require dropping the tank or removing the bed. I torch bed bolts from underneath except for the one over the tank - it has to be cut/ground from the top. New bolts are about $50... 4 guys can lift bed, but I usually use the tractor and occasional engine hoist to do it by myself.

 

I've already had the bed off the truck once to have some body work done on it so I go about doing the fuel tank pick up mod it should come off pretty easy because bolts are brand new. At some point I'll slowly do some of those other things to the truck. I should have good seals on intake and turbo because I had thee engine lifted and trans unbolted to have my oil pan replaced at a diesel shop so I would think they secured it properly, the tech also gave it a good test drive afterwards to make sure it ran right. I realize the truck isn't some Swiss watch of a thing but I really don't know my way around engine stuff. So I'll stick to juat the easy stuff for now. I have a cousin that is going to school to be diesel mechanic so maybe down the road he can give me a hand doing some of these jobs. Thank guys.

 

That is one hack job/stupid way to do an oil pan...

Not a good indication that shop does quality work!!!!