Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) building a 24 valve need advice on what parts.

[leesford]

I am new to the diesel world, I have purchased a 24 valve out of a 01 2500. I have rebuilt the short block. I am wondering what parts are recommended from there. I did not get the turbo so I will be purchasing a aftermarket one,Any recommendations on whose to buy. Is any head gasket better than any other, should i change valve springs and the cam or will the stock ones work? What progammer should I use? What torque converter would be good? I have purchased a head stud kit and have stopped there because im not sure where to go from there. It will be used as a daily driver and tow some toys once and a while, but nothing real heavy. Is 450 horse out of range for a reliable driver. Any advice would be helpful thank you.

 

[bull642]

alot of people like TST and I have bought a few things from them. prices seem nice. http://www.tstproducts.com/ caution... before you install your crank make sure you have installed your piston coolers!!!

 

[bull642]

good time to do the KDP mod too... if I may add that and TST does offer a kit for that.

 

[fox]

See my profile and see what I have done.

I run it with the box OFF most of the time. It will pull anything I hook to it! If I turn the box on with say 15,000 behind me, the water temps rise a lot! So, there is a starting point. It will give 20 mpg empty IF driven right, and I pulled 15,700 home from ten. and still got close to 14 for the trip!!!

But, I have twins to keep the exhaust cool.

 

[leesford]

Thank you for the input. That is the stuff im looking for. Thank you for the reminder on the coolers i did get them in. please forgive me for asking but what is the kdp mod. This is all new to me. Thank you for youre time.

 

[BlitzkriegSSII]

I have a 2002 566 hp 1120 ft. lbs daily driver, it tows good, and is fast, 12's in the 1/4.



I used it to move my self from Virginia to Alaska while pulling a 20' inclosed cargo trailer that was at 8000# and the truck had about 1500# in the bed. It pulled and drove great as long as you drove it right.





Here is a list of the things I have done and what I think of them.

1. I have a FASS 150 fuel system for the lift pump. Its a great product and they stand behind it. What ever you do make sure you keep plenty of fuel going to that VP44! DON'T GO CHEEP I'm still running the original VP44
   
   
   
   
   
2. I use an Edge Comp with the hot program, it puts out about 150hp and 300 ft lbs. Its been a very good programmer, no problems.
   
   
   
   
   
3. For injectors I use F1 MACH 4's. They are 150hp, they run good, start great in the cold, and don't smoke to bad with a little foot work.
   
   
   
   
   
4. For the turbo I use an Industrial Injection Super PhatShaft 62. The turbo has been a very reliable turbo for me. I think my truck would tow better if I change out the 3. 55 gears or put in a set of compounds. (it has 35" tires on it also) When I tow my trailer up hills with around 4000# or more I have to keep the RPM's at or above 2000 to keep the EGT's in check (under 1200) and the boost up. It has plenty of power to pass anything but just a little trouble keeping it cool. If it's empty its great!
   
   
   
   
   
5. The best thing I got for my truck for towing was the Snow Performance Stage II kit. This kit works great! I got it for the move to Alaska. I ran straight water to keep the EGT's down, it would drop them by about 250*. It comes with a progressive controller and different sized nozzles, I use two 625 ml a min, and had it start pumping around 8# of boost and full on at about 20# if i remember right. On the dyno when running windshield washer it added about 40hp.
   
   
   
   
   
6. I put in a set of ARP head studs. They seem to work pretty good. I did have one that just snap in two one night while driving. I called ARP and they replaced it very quickly. Shortly after my move to Alaska I did have a little problem with the head gasket where it was leaking oil out the front of the head. Im sure I was to blame, I was showing off a little and had the boost set at around 55# . I then installed another cummins head gasket and its been good to go.
   
   
   
   
   
7. For transmission I went with SunCoast Converters. I think they have a good product and great customer service.
   

I hope this may help a little.

 

[leesford]

Thank you very much. It helps alot that is the power I am looking for. I was wondering how reliable that kind of power is, and what parts it would take to get me there. Did you doing anything with the cam or valve springs. some say change them both and some say just springs. Mine checked out good for pressure, so I hate to change them if there is no need to. Thank you again

 

[BlitzkriegSSII]

I have not done anything inside the motor. When I pulled the head everything looked good. I usually keep my wastegate set at 45-50 pounds of boost. I have had all of the mods for about 60,000 miles, now its had its down times (very few) but for putting out more then double the stock HP it has been very reliable.

 

[JAlford]

If you are looking for reliability, 450hp daily drivers are everywhere (in TDR membership, anyway). Real issue with reliability is not so much the engine as the drivetrain, and driving and working it SMART, in other words, using common sense. Install gauges, and watch them. If you want to tow with 450hp, you will want compound turbos and a really stout transmission/proper axle ratio. Don't count on a 5spd manual handling that much power towing, I am on my 3rd trans right now and I tow at less than 400hp. My single turbo runs the EGT's too hot to go any higher with a load.

If you go with compound turbos, you might want to fire-ring or o-ring the head when you put in the studs, but if 450hp is your goal you won't need more than 40psi boost which is max for most single turbos anyway, except for the radical ones that will spool slower.

There are tons of parts aftermarket for that power range, just be careful in choosing the right combination. I would find a trustworthy vendor that can lead you through the process, but make sure you get input from other TDR members about the "recommended" setup so you know what to expect as "side effects" of performance upgrades. You will break some parts along the way, trust me. My setup on my '99 has been modified several times and I have tried a lot of different parts to get where I am, but there is more than one way to skin a cat.

Jeff

 

[blacksheepdiesel]

What vehicle are you putting the engine in?

A camshaft would be a great add since you have it apart.

A Smarty will do great things with a 2nd gen truck, including keeping the egt's down.

Godspeed,
Trent

 

[leesford]

I am putting it in my 1976 F250 4x4. The heaviest it tows is the car to the track and home. just need better gas mileage for my driver.

 

[ALepley]

KDP is Killer Dowel Pin, They Make a kit to remove it.

 

[leesford]

Thank you for the input. I am trying to get as much info as possible so i have a good combo to get it going. I can admit I am pretty hard on things, so watching the gauges is good advice. thank you.

 

[bull642]

it is just my opinion but I am not sure that removing the dowel pin is the best Idea and I am sure that as mentioned above there are other avenues. the MOD that I did for the dowel involves removing the pin, coating it with lock tite and reinstalling it. the kit also gives you a drill bit and a bottoming tap that you use to place a set screw that will tighten throught the casting into about the center of the dowel pin to help secure it in place. The reason to keep the dowel pin installed in the engine is that in theory it is part of the alignment of the gear housing. If and when you do the MOD their are also about 5 bolts behind the gears that also come loose during service life of the engine. those bolts should also be removed one by one and apply lock tite and re-torque. you will have to manually turn the motor over to access some of the bolts through lighting holes in the gears. I am sure that their are others that have other tips here that I forgot to mention. good luck.

 

[Midnite]

I agree with the cam suggestions. As long as you're in there you might as well do it. I'd go with a Hamilton Big Stick (181/210). While you're doing that you might as well do new valve springs and probably lifters too.

I guess it depends on what you want to do with the truck when you get everything buttoned back up, but because you mention you want it to be a daily driver, I'd go with a stock Cummins head gasket--definitely not a thicker one, or an aftermarket one. You might go with ARP head studs though, which would allow you to use much higher boost pressures without sacrificing driveability.