06 SMB 6.0 4x4 Bulletproofing Anyone?

[JoeH]

Man, I sure like the fact that my mechanic here in Flagstaff let's me supply the parts. But it's on me if anything takes a crap.

Hey, with a transmission service consider going with a 6.4 pan. It's sized bigger to fit a large internal filter. It will filter the fluid a gazillion time better than the stock setup on a 6.0 with a 5R110 and is a very cheap upgrade.

[ndubes]

Originally Posted by JoeH

Man, I sure like the fact that my mechanic here in Flagstaff let's me supply the parts. But it's on me if anything takes a crap.

Hey, with a transmission service consider going with a 6.4 pan. It's sized bigger to fit a large internal filter. It will filter the fluid a gazillion time better than the stock setup on a 6.0 with a 5R110 and is a very cheap upgrade.

Yeah I wish I could just order the parts, that would save me a lot. Thanks for the info on the tranny pan, I went ahead and asked them to do that based on your recommendation - one of the few cheap items on the list!

[WhitH]

You could probably do it later, but I really felt like a turbo back exhaust made a big difference in my 6.0 regarding spool up and lowering EGTs. Make sure they do the stand pipes and dummy plugs too if they haven’t been done as well as the ups graded STC fitting. Inexpensive parts that absolutely should be replaced/upgraded if the motor is already out.

[JoeH]

Well, here's another one. Consider the 6.4 starter. It's a plug and play direct swap and it will spin the motor over substantially faster. Like 100 rpm faster. My 05 with a 6.0 turned over at 150 rpm and now turns over ~240 rpm with the 6.4 starter.

The amp draw might be a bit more but a faster start is less amps used. It's also probably better for the batteries since the faster crank time presumably results in less voltage drop as well as lessening the load on the alternator.

[WhitH]

Feel free to ask if there’s anything more if you haven’t spent enough money yet. We are here to help.

[AKSeeker]

Originally Posted by WhitH

Feel free to ask if there’s anything more if you haven’t spent enough money yet. We are here to help.

Ha, Ha, Ha,..

[JoeH]

I don't get it. I live to sink money into my van.

[ndubes]

We are replacing the starter but I'll double check which version they're putting in. I know it was "upgraded" but honestly didn't know what I should be asking for in that case. Supposedly stand pipes and dummy plugs were replaced recently by previous owner but I'll ask that they inspect them closely. STC fitting I'm not sure about.

Sure I've spent way too much already but like everybody said, might as well get things taken care of while the engine is out.

[eddyturn]

Originally Posted by ndubes

Sure I've spent way too much already but like everybody said, might as well get things taken care of while the engine is out.

That's a laugh. "Too much already" is an understatement with these.

[ndubes]

Quick update, they've got everything almost all back together now and ran into a little snag. Apparently they can't get the Amsoil filters back into the filter block. New o-rings and everything. After calling around to the Amsoil contacts locally and trying to get SMB to provide us with some info on the filter block used so we could maybe replace it (unsuccessfully of course) they're recommending I switch back to the Ford filter. Not sure how I feel about this but I don't really have a choice right now. I know the Amsoil system works better, on the other hand I plan to change oil every 5-6k anyway and those Amsoil filters aren't readily available if something should happen while we're out on a trip. The block that was in there looks like its really been manhandled in the past (pictured), and my guess is its a custom SMB creation but SMB doesn't seem to keep very good records for that kind of thing. Told them to hold onto it for me in case I can figure it out later. Anybody seen this before and have any info on where it came from?