Mild 6.4 Build .. anyone running a simmilar setup?

[canada6.0]

So my truck broke a piston in half two months ago.. (still shocked that this is a common problem with these motors)

I wanted to prevent having this issue again as my truck being down during race season can get very very expensive for me.

The goal was to build a motor that was more reliable than stock so I don't have to do this again while giving me a bit more performance all within a (just had a kid) budget.

The truck:
F450 King Ranch Approx 100,000 miles on it
H&S Mini Maxx
5" Diamond Eye Turbo back straight pipe
S&B intake
EGR Delete
CFM Elbow

I contacted Rudys diesel and told them about my issues and Ben came up with this list for me:

-Rudy's Ultimate 6.4 pistons with Ceramic coated tops and skirts
-Stage1 Chromoly pushrods
-Hamilton Cams Valvesprings
-ARP Head studs
-HD upipes
-6 hole injector nozzles
-Tow power plus turbos
-Air Dog 165

(just ordered the airdog and turbo two days ago so still waiting for them)

I had Mike at Freys Trucks in Fergus Ontario do all the work for me as he is the only guy I trust with my powerstrokes around my area.

He suggested that I might as well put brand new Ford 6.4 heads instead of machining the stock ones as the valve job/decking cost only $200 less so we went that route.

I haven't ordered the intercooler yet ..... mainly because I forgot to ask Ben about it.


My questions are:
Who else is running a similar set up? If so what did you think of it?

What did you guys think of the Rudys pistons with the ceramic coating? Did you have any issues with them?

For everyone that went with a Spearco intercooler.. what did you think? Was it worth it? How much did your EGTs drop? Did you notice a big performance gain?

I forgot to ask the guys at Rudys... But would you guys recommend a custom tune with this build or would an HD300 be the way to go?


Thanks in advance.

[blackcloud2k]

Sounds like you have a nice set up in the making, even if it wasnt planned and due to a piston. If I were you I would run custom tunes for that set up. You will get alot better performance and better EGT management with custom tunes considering the turbo and injectors. What size injectors are those? You said 6 hole, but what HP/% over stock are they?

Many guys have been happy with the spearco IC. I would do one with those turbos and Injectors.

[canada6.0]

Originally Posted by blackcloud2k

Sounds like you have a nice set up in the making, even if it wasnt planned and due to a piston. If I were you I would run custom tunes for that set up. You will get alot better performance and better EGT management with custom tunes considering the turbo and injectors. What size injectors are those? You said 6 hole, but what HP/% over stock are they?

Many guys have been happy with the spearco IC. I would do one with those turbos and Injectors.

Who do you go to for custom tunes? KEM? (I am still pretty green to diesels)

I didn't know what size injectors I got...Ben just put them in for me.. so I'm guessing they would be whatever was best for my application.
What are your thoughts on what I should have gotten?
I will call them up today and ask what they sent me, lol.

[blackcloud2k]

I run KEM tunes. Im not sure what injectors would be the perfect match for that set up. The BIG HP guys Im sure will chime in. Im guessing a 60hp set would probably do the trick, but you can always do a 100hp set and detune them if they were to big.