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I am so glad I found this forum. You all are a wealth of information! The replies are coming in so fast and detailed I can’t keep up. So I will just reply on a few topics here, until I have time to address the other questions.
Intake Plenums
I believe new intake plenums are required, because the OBS plenum openings are too small. Props to @Khan for the tip about the Riffraff plenums with the o-ring. I dig that, makes the decision easy.
T4 Kit
I have had a great experience so far with Dan Howard, owner of Obsession Diesel. We talked by phone, and he has been very responsive to my questions via txt. It sounds like we can retrofit a flexible metal turbo drain, which solves my concern.
In other news, today OBS Solutions announced this intercooler bracket kit. This looks very promising and helps eliminate some of the guesswork for me. It is designed to work directly with the Obsession T4 kit.
All this makes the decision easy for me. I will report back with more photos and details once I get my hands on everything.
Obsession Diesel T4 kit
The Y-pipe in the image has been addressed and that is good to have a clear image of what would in fact be arriving with the kit.
That is a lot of tubing... But, you said it best when you said "helps eliminate some of the guesswork". Granted, anything aftermarket will have a few head scratching moments involved, but nothing you cannot work past. To help make these moments easier, I created a "T4/SXE Install" video for the SD. I know it is not exactly the same as your application, but it might give you a bit of insight into what you are looking at instead of looking at still images and comparing them.
I also have a results video in my playlist on the YouTube channel, but I feel that is far enough off base from your application that I will leave it alone and if people wish to seek it out, they can. It is called "7.3L Borg Warner SXE Results" for anyone interested.
Looks like you are well on your way and doing your due diligence in order to have a successful journey. Your truck will be a completely different animal and a one of a kind. I would be more than pleased to shake your hand one day at a Meet & Greet while the other SD owner's gawk at your Polar Express.
Keep up the research and set a COA (course of action) and achieve your goals!
I am sure I would, but I don't have the space or budget to support another vehicle. So, I will live vicariously and cautiously through the OBS forums eyes... Also, I looked for my hand shaker for nearly a year before I found the right one. I passed up on dozens of slush box trucks. I enjoy the ZF6 each time I drive the truck. It is part of the experience for me.
Good! From what I can gather his transmissions and customer service used to be top notch. That does not appear to be the case any longer. At least you got in while the gettin was gud.
I don't get over here much because I would probably end up with an OBS, but we do like to visit our brothers and sisters from time to time. Likewise though, we enjoy having OBS owners in the SD forum as well. We have a couple of regular's over on the SD forum from the OBS side. @97-psd even attended a North GA Meet & Greet this past summer and stole the show when he showed up in his OBS. Perhaps we can talk Dmco into showing up with the Polar Express one day!
Jason speaks from the heart and has wise words of wisdom and caution!
I tease, but I also searched quite awhile for my truck. I wanted a cclb with a 5 speed. I think my wait was worth it. The truck is a Centurion, so that was just icing on the cake. I'm now the third owner.
Given the choice I would have loved a ZF5 in my truck, but not enough to swap over. The auto has gotten alot better with just tuning to where I dont hate it or want to swap anymore.
I searched long and hard for my crew cab 5 speed as well. Looking back i would have been happy with an auto as well but I finally had found the right truck. That’s a good looking polar express tho! Excited to follow the progress!
@Sous I stumbled across your videos on YouTube, which is how I eventually found this forum! I was searching for real world performance results when towing, and your detailed videos and writeup was exactly what I needed. Thank you! I look forward to meeting you and the others, and have the Feb meet & greet on the calendar. Funny story, my wife was just talking about Vogel State Park and how we should check it out. If the weather is nice, I will bring the whole family and camp.
To all others, thanks for the kind words and feedback. I’m excited to find this forum with detailed and thoughtful responses. It reminds me of the Land Cruiser community I am also part of over at IH8MUD.
Obsession T4 kit is ordered. Dan is putting together a flexible metal turbo drain for me. OBS Solutions intercooler mounting kit is ordered. I am still researching which intercooler to go with.
Right now I am researching e-fuel kits. I want hard lines in the engine area, so I think that narrows it down to Irate or 444fab. Having trouble finding good photos of how 444fab routes their hard lines and potential T4 compatibility. I sent an email to them for more info.
Sounds like I’m going with BTS for the transmission. I like how they do builds, no “stage” based tiers, just one solid transmission that Brian tunes based on his phone call with you.
Given the choice I would have loved a ZF5 in my truck, but not enough to swap over. The auto has gotten alot better with just tuning to where I dont hate it or want to swap anymore.
Come on....you know you want to swap...
But yes, tuning can make all the difference...and it is getting REALLY difficult to find manuals these days. When I found Ike, he was a Supercab and I had been looking for two months. I had to compromise, but then my kiddos got bigger and we got another Heeler, so the crew cab was a MUST. Once again, I looked and looked and had to compromise 4wd AND ended up with a dually....no complaints, but I was NOT going auto....it's a personal thing. WE jus thad the commitment to keep Ike as long as we could, and that was almost 4 years. I am even more committed to the build of this truck because I really hope she is around for the next 10 years. There is no reason she shouldn't be. Annnnnyways.....
The great thing about 7.3 guys is that they almost never care whether it is a SD or a OBS.
I am looking forward to the next GA get together.
Ben, this is a nice place to be. I have found myself visiting here more and more over the past couple of days since Dmco is just 50 miles up the road from me and invited a few of us over. Some beautiful trucks and good company over here! We too look forward to having you at the next GA Meet & Greet. We are roughly shooting for Presidents Day 2021 at Vogel State Park, but nothing has been solidified yet. I think @ArmyLifer is planning to bring his camper up from AL and was asking if I was going to do the same. Time will tell Ben, but we will see you soon and perhaps the Polar Express will make and appearance!
Originally Posted by Dmco
@Sous I stumbled across your videos on YouTube, which is how I eventually found this forum! I was searching for real world performance results when towing, and your detailed videos and writeup was exactly what I needed. Thank you! I look forward to meeting you and the others, and have the Feb meet & greet on the calendar. Funny story, my wife was just talking about Vogel State Park and how we should check it out. If the weather is nice, I will bring the whole family and camp.
To all others, thanks for the kind words and feedback. I’m excited to find this forum with detailed and thoughtful responses. It reminds me of the Land Cruiser community I am also part of over at IH8MUD.
Obsession T4 kit is ordered. Dan is putting together a flexible metal turbo drain for me. OBS Solutions intercooler mounting kit is ordered. I am still researching which intercooler to go with.
Right now I am researching e-fuel kits. I want hard lines in the engine area, so I think that narrows it down to Irate or 444fab. Having trouble finding good photos of how 444fab routes their hard lines and potential T4 compatibility. I sent an email to them for more info.
Sounds like I’m going with BTS for the transmission. I like how they do builds, no “stage” based tiers, just one solid transmission that Brian tunes based on his phone call with you.
I am glad you found my videos, which led you to the FTE. This is unlike any other forum or social platform on the internet. We still have some undesirables that stray in from time to time, but mostly it is good people, good ideas and good conversation.
Vogel is pretty nice, but we prefer some of the more isolated boondocking spots near Highlands NC and up at Hurricane Creek. We also like to camp on lake Hartwell because the CoE parks are very nice with large spots and the lake is 1 mile from our house. We have 6 CoE parks within 40 minutes of us and we try to take full advantage of that. There is some great camping around here, have you looked at places like Three Forks or Target Tree near the Appalachian trail? Check them out sir, they are just a short trip for you from the Greenville area!
IH8MUD, that is a funny name for a Land Cruiser forum!
Good choice on the Obsession, I think you will like it. Plus, it is shiny from the get go. Some people do not care about shiny or what looks good under the hood, but I tend to enjoy opening the hood to see clean and well cared for parts.
CNC Fab has a T4 hard line kit that AKCooper9 on the SD side helped develop because they did not have one out yet. I have heard good things about the kit, but I opted not to get it because of personal reasons and my opinion on the fuel system performance. Corey (owner of CNC Fab) is a great guy to talk to and deal with if you decide to sway away from 444fab or Irate. Up to you 100% sir, just wanted you to be aware of your T4 choices for fuel line kits going forward.
As I mentioned earlier, BTS is the top dog for transmissions. He has top level prices, but he stands behind his product and is a great person to work with. That is an expensive choice, but a solid choice. How does that saying go "cry once"?
It seems you have a good group of guys/gals here on the forum and some near your location physically in case you needed an extra hand. I look forward to the day I can see your Polar Express in person!
Originally Posted by Khan
I mean I still do, but at this point I'll let Sam or Brian build me a beefy E4OD and be done with it.
If I was going to swap I'd go straight for the ZF6
Khan, no need to swap to a ZF6! I love my ZF6, but doing a manual swap is a big project and if you are planning on the BTS or Sam Wyse route, either of those will suit your needs and goals just fine.
You have made some good choices for your truck and have a lot to look forward to going forward in your life. There are some uncertainties facing you soon and my offer to help out in anyway I possibly can stands. You have my number, call or text anytime you need.
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