Upcoming Head Gasket replacement

kleake · Jul 21, 2016

bigrpowr said:
give me a call if you have questions. i have been down this road many a time , so i can prolly answer any and all questions in a quick phone call !

Thanks, I appreciate that! So far so good, but I am looking at exhaust options. With the cab off, the down pipe would be simple to change so it may be a good time to do a full out upgrade. I'm running and HS mini max with full ****** right now. What's my options and what's the performance gains? I'm not looking for loud, i'm looking to clean up the hair dryer sound and get some better flow.

Wizbangdoodle · Jul 21, 2016

I'd really consider the bd manifold and up pipes.

I'd also question the weight your estimating for your cab. Does anyone have accurate weight for a crew cab? I don't doubt that you'll be able to lift it with your hoists, but it's always good to have actual weights.

bigrpowr · Jul 21, 2016

kleake said:
Thanks, I appreciate that! So far so good, but I am looking at exhaust options. With the cab off, the down pipe would be simple to change so it may be a good time to do a full out upgrade. I'm running and HS mini max with full ****** right now. What's my options and what's the performance gains? I'm not looking for loud, i'm looking to clean up the hair dryer sound and get some better flow.

yes downpipe is a great , cheap upgrade. pretty easy even with the cab on . easier with it off.

Wizbangdoodle said:
I'd really consider the bd manifold and up pipes.

I'd also question the weight your estimating for your cab. Does anyone have accurate weight for a crew cab? I don't doubt that you'll be able to lift it with your hoists, but it's always good to have actual weights.

absolutely. every cab of mine that comes off gets those. just too much bang for the buck to ignore.

f350guy · Jul 21, 2016

Yes stock downpipe. I THINK mine is from SDP that I bought from Rudys forever ago? It is a two piece, ceramic coated. Unsure on that, if it is wrong...well you knew that going in LOL But, it does fit well.

I bought my truck new and my cab mounts started to crap out around 65k and became so bad by 90k, the cab crushed my radiator. Disgusting on a $65k truck. My '76 Scout IIs original mounts are in better shape. Seriously.

As far as I know, Daystar poly/kevlar ones are the only other option aside from Ford. I do not think I could be talked into the OE due to the complexity of the repair and cost to R&R the units.

Maybe 'bigrpowr' knows.

6.4f350 · Jul 21, 2016

BD manifolds and uppipes are awesome. Super heavy duty... Put them on once and forget about it.

kleake · Jul 22, 2016

Ok, you've got me interested. How much performance is gained? Does it use the 6.0L manifolds? Any other parts needed? Also looking at full exhaust at the same time. I don't want loud, but just a little more open and less restrictive. Point me the right direction. And finally, where is the best place to buy? Thanks! The wife might not thank you though! lol

Wizbangdoodle · Jul 22, 2016

They are 6.0 style manifolds, but beefier. Not sure on the performance gains, since I built mine for longevity. I'm sure others will comment on the performance you'll pick up. I also don't experience any louder exhaust with them on.
I believe I bought mine straight from BD .

bigrpowr · Jul 22, 2016

kleake said:
Ok, you've got me interested. How much performance is gained? Does it use the 6.0L manifolds? Any other parts needed? Also looking at full exhaust at the same time. I don't want loud, but just a little more open and less restrictive. Point me the right direction. And finally, where is the best place to buy? Thanks! The wife might not thank you though! lol

nothing to get excited about , just a VERY nice supporting mod, that improves reliability at the same time .

kleake · Jul 22, 2016

Ok, BD manifolds and up-pipe look like a good choice. Next is exhaust. Looking for turbo back. Does the straight pipe create a lot of drone in the cab? Some say yes, some say no? If so, I'll stay with a muffler to minimize it. Looking at Flo-Pro, Diamond Eye, or? Thoughts?

6.4f350 · Jul 23, 2016

Straight pipe with stock compounds is fine in the cab. Not really loud at all. Straight pipe with a single is horrible.

kleake · Jul 23, 2016

I've been a little under the weather the last few days so I haven't made much progress, but the cab is now in the air. All is good, only one wire pulled in half on the passenger side. I didn't see the connector, and didn't see any wires pulling until it was too late. I'm not sure what it goes to yet, but I think EBP sensor. I'll look once I move the chassis, I don't want to stick my head under there with it hanging like that.

So far not too bad, just takes time to make sure all is unhooked where it needs to be.

The front 2 hoists don't seem to have much load on them at all, they just lift easy. The rear two definitely have a load as they aren't instant on and kinda spool up a little. I don't think it's anywhere near their limit, but definitely more load than the front.

Wizbangdoodle · Jul 23, 2016

That's pretty cool how you got that off.

kleake · Jul 24, 2016

Well, the way I see it, you work with what you've got. It didn't want to give a shop $3k just for doing the gaskets, and this way I can spend that $3k on other parts. I don't have a high enough ceiling for a lift, nor the space on the floor (my shop is 24x40), so the hoists seemed to be the best option and it worked pretty well. I lowered it back to the floor after the chassis was out of the way just to be safe.

She sure looks different:

Turns out I do have a turbo seal leaking. A LOT more than I thought:

StrokiNDieseL · Jul 24, 2016

I like how you pulled your cab, I did the same remembering back when I removed my c10 from its original to the backhaft frame I had fab'd up. But my garage isn't quite as big for the super! Thanks for build thread, GL :toast:

ckrueg · Jul 25, 2016

Where did you attach the front hoists on the cab?

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kleake · Jul 25, 2016

The thick support that runs from behind the headlight over to the radiator support and down. I'll try to get a picture of the location. I really wanted to be closer to the cab, but there was not a good place that I felt comfortable with.

kleake · Jul 25, 2016

I've got the heads off and they are going to the machine shop today. I'll try to post pictures and such when I get a minute. Nothing major found other than I could see where the head gaskets had been blowing by and the two bolts holding the turbos together were gone! It didn't appear to be leaking, which is very surprising!

sootie · Jul 25, 2016

its not supposed to have bolts between the turbos. They are used during shipping only. the gap needs to be there for heat expansion.

kleake · Jul 25, 2016

sootie said:
its not supposed to have bolts between the turbos. They are used during shipping only. the gap needs to be there for heat expansion.

Ahhh,, ok, that's good. I was kinda wondering, but it sure made me stop and wonder. Thanks!

kleake · Jul 26, 2016

Latest pictures. I've got lots more if there is any detail you want to see, just ask.

Front left turbo bracket, stud on valve cover broke, and the rear didn't have a nut on it.

Found this fuzzy stuff under the turbos. Factory insulation or part of a rats nest?

Found this washer on the floor after disassembly, but I don't remember seeing it anywhere, any idea where it came from?

Just a view under the valve cover. All is pretty clean for 220k. No sludge or grime and no visible wear on any rockers, valves or anything that I can see.

Bottom of the head on the passenger side. It's visible at the exhaust side of the center cylinders (upper section in pic). No visible damage, cracks, or other issues. We'll see if the machine shop finds any issues, but they say they have never seen a 6.4 head that wasn't cracked.

Small portion starting to leak on the front cylinder on the drivers side, otherwise the center two are the same as the passenger side.

Passenger side pistons are pretty clean and good injector patterns everywhere.

This is the spot that was leaking on the block surface. Should be simple to clean it up. Just a small carbon lip at the top of each cylinder wall, everything else looks great. I haven't fully inspected it yet though, since it was late when I got the heads stripped and ready for machining.

This kinda puzzled me. Driver side, second piston from the front, why is the bottom of the piston so clean and no carbon is stuck to it at all. Also, the coating on the surface of the piston looks to be flaking off? I'm not sure what to think of that.