7.3 up pipes
Lead Driver
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,093
Likes: 147
From: San Diego, CA
Patience. Lots of patience.
Spray the bolts with your favorite penetrant (PB Blaster, Kroil, etc.) for a couple of day prior to the job to loosen things up.
I had my exhaust and turbo out for other reasons when I did this job which made it easier. I can't recommend what should be removed as I have not done it with the turbo in place.
The hardest part is going to be lining up the collector (affectionately referred to as the baby's butt) with the turbo. You are doing the by feel and that's where the patience comes in. Getting that alignment pin into hole is something that can take seconds, minutes, or hours. That part took me about 2-3 hours of pure frustration.
Regardless of which brand you go with here's a good write-up to get an idea of the job: https://www.riffraffdiesel.com/conte...structions.pdf
Spray the bolts with your favorite penetrant (PB Blaster, Kroil, etc.) for a couple of day prior to the job to loosen things up.
I had my exhaust and turbo out for other reasons when I did this job which made it easier. I can't recommend what should be removed as I have not done it with the turbo in place.
The hardest part is going to be lining up the collector (affectionately referred to as the baby's butt) with the turbo. You are doing the by feel and that's where the patience comes in. Getting that alignment pin into hole is something that can take seconds, minutes, or hours. That part took me about 2-3 hours of pure frustration.
Regardless of which brand you go with here's a good write-up to get an idea of the job: https://www.riffraffdiesel.com/conte...structions.pdf
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 19,402
Likes: 38
From: Bonita Springs FL
I was doing a bunch of work on my truck when I did my pipes. I already had the turbo off but I did pull the downpipe and starter for easier access. With all that out of the way, I didn't find it all that challenging of a job.
I assembled the pipes/collector together and torqued it to spec with the gaskets while it was out of the truck. Then I just dropped it into place behind the motor. Saved myself a lot of time and aggravation.
I found that lining up the collector/baby's butt to the turbo to be quite easy. Once the turbo is bolted to the pedestal and the up-pipes are sitting roughly in the right place, loop a ratchet strap behind the collector and through the tow hook on the front. It doesn't need to be tight or have a lot of tension on it. Once the strap is lightly pulling on the collector and holding it up against the turbo, wiggle the collector around until the alignment pin drops into place. Then tighten it up and take the ratchet strap off. This makes a difficult job very simple.
I assembled the pipes/collector together and torqued it to spec with the gaskets while it was out of the truck. Then I just dropped it into place behind the motor. Saved myself a lot of time and aggravation.
I found that lining up the collector/baby's butt to the turbo to be quite easy. Once the turbo is bolted to the pedestal and the up-pipes are sitting roughly in the right place, loop a ratchet strap behind the collector and through the tow hook on the front. It doesn't need to be tight or have a lot of tension on it. Once the strap is lightly pulling on the collector and holding it up against the turbo, wiggle the collector around until the alignment pin drops into place. Then tighten it up and take the ratchet strap off. This makes a difficult job very simple.
Lead Driver
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,372
Likes: 108
From: Northern Indiana
Remove the turbo pedestal if you haven’t already. Bolt the baby’s butt and drivers side pipe together and install. Make sure the bolts are fully seated, might need to chase the threads with a tap first. If they bottom out they will break off. Then feed down the passengerside. They will not go in all together. Loosely fit manifold ends, install the bolts and nuts just don’t tighten. Reinstall pedestal with new prongs and torque. Reinstall turbo with new o rings and get baby’s butt lined up and clamped before torquing turbo bolts. Then finally install the exhaust and clamp. This is the way I do it for the least amount of frustration. It will still happen. Getting the baby’s butt lined up and clamped sometimes is a huge pain but keeping everything loose will help that. Hope it goes well for you.
New User
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
From: PA
I just completed this project on a 99 F350 and it was a pain. I had to grind my bolts off and cut the passenger pipe to get it out. I pulled the turbo and pedestal. After a lot of trial and error I finally got it. I loosely connected the passenger side to the manifold. I connected the driver side to the collector and then loosely connected it to the manifold. Then I bolted the passenger side to the collector. I put the pedestal and turbo back on. I had issues getting the clamp on the turbo and the collector. There may be an easy way but I couldn't figure it out. After that I just connected everything back up and finally tightened the bolts on the manifold. I needed help because I couldn't get a wrench on both ends. I was under the truck holding the nut and my helper was in the wheel well tightening. If I would have started with that process it would have taken me about a day to do the entire project. I am not going to embarrass myself and tell you how many hours I blew trying to figure it out. I went from running zero boost to 25. I should be getting more with the turbo I have on it but I am pretty happy. I am told I should be around 40 with the Garret Powermax.
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