OK, now I understand. You're saying that a stock-POWERED 6.0L will likely suit my needs. That makes sense. I suppose one of the reasons (actually, the MAIN reason) for suggesting a mild set of tunes is because most folks seem to report better fuel mileage.

 

Personally, I would try to find well cared for stock truck. I prefer the 06 or 07, because of the HPOP reliability and some inherent "upgrades" Ford did along the way. That is not to say the other model years wouldn't be good as well. Be sure to ask about maintenance (fluids, filters, repairs, etc).

Then, I would say you should do SOME modifications.

Gauges are a must - just in case. They can keep you from having relatively small problems turn into bigger ones. (at a minimum - ECT, EOT, boost, voltage, fuel pressure, and I added a coolant pressure gauge). In fact, I wouldn't buy a used 6.0L without taking my gauges (I can easily hook up everything except the fuel pressure).

Then, assuming a later model year, I would do the following if they haven't already been done:
1. STC fitting on the HPOP
2. Dummy plugs and Stand Pipes
3. I would probably include a new IPR since you are in that far, but it may not be necessary
4. BulletProofDiesel EGR cooler (or EGR delete)
5. This is where the gauges come in handy again - if the oil cooler looks plugged, then install an OEM oil cooler.
6. Blue spring install if needed (again, based on the fuel pressure gauge)
7. FICM upgraded - I prefer Ed at FICMrepair.com

A 140A + alternator would probably be wise.

Be sure to use a quality oil (my preference is certainly 5W40 oil), and use proper filters changed at the proper interval. This includes using the proper coolant.

I would think a mild tow tune would increase your driving pleasure without causing much worry, but I would imagine that opinions will vary on that!

Would you HAVE TO DO the things above on a well cared-for truck? Probably not and certainly not right away, but they would help ensure MANY MANY miles of reliable driving. AGAIN - this is all just personal opinion based on my experiences. Just factor all the spending into the overall value and you will be just fine!

 

I waited awhile because I'm not sure what the deal is up there as far as flaming going on. I think ya'll know I'm not anti-6.0 or a troll so not sure what the deal was. My main point is that there is one single, un-correctable flaw in the engine: 4 bolts per cylinder. If it had been built with 6 bolts, most of the early warranty claims would never have happened and the 6.0 would be remembered as the first of the new powerful and truly driveable light duty diesels. The VGT turbo with the few problems it has would have been a drop in the bucket compared to all the multi-thousand dollar head gasket warranty claims, some of which were due to the incorrect torque process on the TTY bolts, and many more due to early tuning where cylinder pressures got jacked up even more over the original design spec. The original EGR cooler did NOT have the problems of the later models, which shows that the engine as designed was fine, and that changes for emissions requirements caused problems.

Yes. ^^This is my real point, that getting to 400HP and towing there are two different things. Ford already turned the power up on the 6.0 by over 100HP, they they changed a number of things to get there, but because of that Ford already took out a lot of the headroom for power-added tuning while being able to pull at the max GCWR. Mark kind of buried that point here:

You can run something like SLR+ or Super Panty Dropper or Looney Wild tunes and get to those 400HP power levels pretty easily. You can't TOW with those tunes. Fuel timing and cylinder pressure can be a problem because again, Ford already turned the engine up once focusing on power to tow at their max weight ratings. Then there's the issue that ~1250*f EGT is the max sustained inlet temp on the turbo, with those tunes you'll blow past that in a heartbeat. Throw in the trans program changes and you can have issues with TC lockup and and shift pressures that might be great on street tunes but not so great for driveline shock with a 10k# trailer hooked up.

I threw out the 6.7 because if towing at 400HP (or really the 800+lb/ft of torque) is important to you, honestly the 6.7 is a very cost effective way to get there. There's something to be said for the stupid amounts of power the newer trucks have. You can mod up a 6.0 to do that, it'll just never be as reliable with the HP turned up 200% as something that was built to that spec from the start. Add on the fact that the newest 6.0 was installed more than 10 years ago in any F-Series truck, you're stacking paying to mitigate 100k+ miles (only an average of 10k a year for the newest trucks) of unknown use and abuse, plus the performance mods on top of that.

I love the heck out of my truck. I've done a bunch of small things, some of which "add power", but that's never been the goal. The goal has always been to make it pull better, and I have a fully known maintenance history. I could do something like 155cc/30%s with a Powermax, FASS and a big exhaust and up the towing power significantly, but like Dan mentioned I don't need to pass people going up the hill, I would rather get to the top each and every time.

So to take another crack at your original questions:
Gauges! Edge CTS? Had an original Insight CTS and it died. I use Dasboss for iPhone now with Isspro EV2 fuel pressure and EGT gauges. if you want a single integrated box Edge can add both of those, but it costs more.
Engine coolant filter I have one, but honestly if you drop the lower radiator hose and open a block drain and there's not any grit in the bottom of the buckets of coolant, not a 100% necessity.
Engine oil cooler upgrade Stock is fine, some people love the BPD oil-to-air cooler but IMO it's too expensive unless you're always at max load. There's no need to replace it until it fails the TSB test.
EGR upgrade, or EGR delete Like I said before, the new EGR coolers are a problem. Either put in a BPD one (built like the original 03 cooler) or make it go away. Mine mysteriously fell off one winter.
Blue spring mod Not really a mod, if you have low FP you do it. If you don't want to buy an FP gauge.... just do it anyways. It's an update, there are no downsides
Plan on new batteries Upgrade the ground cables, TooManyToys has a thread on it
Plan on new FICM Until it breaks no need to mess with it. Ed at FICMrepair.com is the man when it does
Custom tunes Custom TOW tunes
ARP studs with new OEM gaskets I don't think there's any need to break the engine open until there's a problem. Other people do it preventatively, maybe that's a good idea on a used truck, but I've never wanted to run big power tunes and I know the full history of my truck.... so I'm going to wait. Hopefully a very long time, like until after the body rusts off the frame.
STC, standpipes, dummy plugs If the turbo ever has to come out, do the STC fitting. If you have to go under a valve cover, do that side's rail plug and standpipe. I wouldn't necessarily do them preventatively, but if you pull the turbo for any reason, do the STC fitting.
Turbo cleaning Not a bad idea on a used truck. Also a good excuse for a billet compressor wheel and an excuse to do the STC fitting.


Does this list make sense? What am I missing? Alternator. I've killed two 110A and one 140A alts over two trucks. My wife's Jeep almost caught fire from her 160A stock alt failing, I'm not a fan of pushing those things as hard as the 6.0 does to the stock units, so I bought a big one.

 

BULLETPROOF list getting longer .

 

Thank you, sir. Appreciate you taking the time to offer up the detailed response.

 

Man I am sorry about this whole deal, you were just asking and your original post was well thought out. It seems like several of these type threads popped up at once, plus a couple in the SD forum where the flaming is always heavy. So I lumped a bunch of crap from other threads as far as people asking about preventative mods on perfectly fine engines and my general dislike of the entire concept of "bulletproofing". I guess it stems from the underlying assumption that the motor sucks and needs all the mods to make it work, when really for when it was built and what it was designed for it's actually a pretty impressive engine.

 

To the OP,
I was truly giving my opinion of what I believed to be a reasonable prediction
of what you were seeking. I was not trying to be a "hater" just honest.
I owned one, my best friend and his son own them as well as many acquaintances that pull campers. There have been some great suggestions given and I wish you all the luck in the world.

 

So I have another question after re-reading recent reply - if the old style 2003 EGR cooler is considered "better" than the newer ones, why did Ford change the design in the first place? Is there a specific reason they went to the square design from the round one?

 

From what I have heard, they did it to get additional cooling for emissions control (not easy to do in a location that was tight for space). The 05-07 heat exchanger had more cooling surface, but did not handle thermal stresses and vibration as well.

 

Cooling the exhaust gas reduces volume/increases density of the exhaust gas, meaning more of the recycled gas is included with the air charge. It's the same theory as the charge air cooler (CAC - the intercooler), you're putting a higher mass of air into the intake when the air is cooler because of the increased density. Basically more exhaust gas meants lower NOx emissions.