Not long ago, I had a oil cooler rupture and my 2005 6.0 has turned into a very beautiful yard ornament as I collect parts for my oil cooler and head stud job. I've purchased all of the cheaper parts (turbo drain tube, turbo feed line, dummies, and STC), but I can't decide if these parts are more of a want or need. My plans for my Ex is to be a fast people mover, tow wakeboard boat/Side by sides and camper.

Head studs(no problems before, since I'm in that deep)
Warren high flow standpipes
Rebuild turbo.. unison ring, rebuild kit and 10 blade wheel(no problems with turbo before rupture)
Mbrp up pipes(since engine is being pulled, no issues)
BD Exhaust manifold(since engine pulled, no issues)
SCT tuner(cut egr off) Using Torque Pro to monitor
Odawg S3R intake(save on egr delete and the cleaning of old intake)
My motto is " go big or go home" and "do it right the first time". $o talk me into it or out of it!! That's about $2k of goodies and wants. The wife and I really miss all the fun times in the Excursion, but I want to be smart with this decision. Thanks

 

Go for the gold and oring the heads. Sounds like your going to need it.

 

Look up "Mike from Arizona".

 

And which thread would you advise to the OP?

 

The dreaded rabbit hole

 

Looks like your Ex has been pretty reliable so far. True statement? How many miles on it?

I can't recall, are you running an EC-1 ELC coolant?
Do you monitor fuel pressure?
Is your electrical system healthy (batteries and alternator)?

Looks like your SCT tune is only to account for the EGR delete? You aren't planning on big power adders?

All hoses (including heater hoses) and the belt in good shape?

Glow plugs still original?

edit - nm about the coolant question, I saw the pics of your coolant in another thread of yours!

With oil in the coolant previusly, I would definitely plan on new hoses!

 

Reliable, yes for the last 2 years and 20k miles of ownership that puts me at 105k on the clock.
Yes to ELC and monitoring fuel pressure. My electrical system seems good besides my ficm needing to be repaired. I plan to upgrade my turbo and injectors as they die and will order new hoses/belts. It also makes sense to do the water pump and power steering pump(which I need a ps pump) And glow plugs and harness should probably be added to the list.

 

You're going about it the right way by doing it right the first time.

My truck is currently a driveway ornament too (pending an oil analysis), I just went through this last summer and here are my recommendations:

I would skip the MBRP up pipes and go with the BD-Diesel Upipes. I did the BD exhaust manifolds and up pipes and they go together like peas and carrots. The MBRP up pipes don't always fit right the first time, whereas the BD Diesel pipes were well designed and engineered.

I'd also inspect the AC system on your truck. I'm having to replace my compressor (easy with the heads off) Accumulator, and orifice tube. It takes a little longer, but when it's 200 degrees outside and you can hang up meat in your truck, you won't regret spending the money.

 

Thank you for your advice and I will go in that direction. It's just hard spending $800 for the upipes and manifold when it's not broken, but it's only a matter of time when the upipe starts leaking.

 

That's exactly why I did it. The BD Diesel Up pipes are designed for the "Emissions Defiant" 6.0. If you live in a state that requires the EGR, BD Diesel up pipes are not for you.

 

I'm in NC and the EGR will be a thing of the past. I'm going to use the Odawg intake S3R that will allow me to delete the EGR. I would love to add a cam with the other goodies, but that's for another thread.

 

You won't need a cam if you use Matt's intake manifold. It's either or, just remember, there is such thing as feeding these trucks too much air. If you did a cam and matt's intake manifold, for stock injectors, you'd be feeding it too much air.