Price for Studs & Install?

[Truckmaniac]

What would be a good price for labor & materials to replace the studs and head gaskets on my 2010 6.4?

The local guy says that it takes him 1 1/2 to 2 hours to remove the cab, he'd replace the factory gaskets with upgraded units (forgot to ask what brand), install new ARP studs and re-install the cab (once again 1 1/2 to 2 hours).

Forgot to add that my EGR system has been completely removed and I have an elbow. Don't know if having the EGR system in the way adds to the labor cost.

Once I get some feedback, I'll let you know what he wants for the job.

Thanks!

[Doss]

Yeah, that's too short in my opinion. Has this guy done the 6.4 before?

I'd run Ford OEM headgaskets, ARP studs, and have him go ahead and remove the EGR brackets if they're still on there.

You'll also have to have the heads inspected. You don't want to put cracked or warped heads back on after you just paid money to have the studs done. You'll end up having to have it done again probably.

Also, hot tank that intake while it's off. The EGR leaves a bunch of soot and oil in there. I'd probably do a full coolant change too. These are all things that could be done at one time and you'd be good to go.

[Truckmaniac]

Originally Posted by Doss

Yeah, that's too short in my opinion. Has this guy done the 6.4 before?

I'd run Ford OEM headgaskets, ARP studs, and have him go ahead and remove the EGR brackets if they're still on there.

You'll also have to have the heads inspected. You don't want to put cracked or warped heads back on after you just paid money to have the studs done. You'll end up having to have it done again probably.

Also, hot tank that intake while it's off. The EGR leaves a bunch of soot and oil in there. I'd probably do a full coolant change too. These are all things that could be done at one time and you'd be good to go.

He says that he's done dozens & dozens of 6.4s and can practically take the cab off and put it back on in his sleep.

I took the EGR cooler brackets off when I did the delete last weekend.

He did say that he would magna-flux the heads.

My truck has 47K miles on it and I've been running the Spartan 250 tune that "turns-off" the EGR, except at idle, where it cycles the EGR valve. I did the DPF delete & tune the day after I drove the truck home from the dealership (bought it brand new). Much to my surprise, when I removed the EGR valve & housing assembly last weekend to install a Flo-Pro elbow, it only had a light coat of soot on the inside, about as thick as a light coat of black spray paint.

After doing the EGR delete, I drained the coolant, flushed the system multiple times (drained through pet-****, lower radiator hose connection & driver's side block drain), ran Restore thru the system for 90 minutes @ 194 degrees, flushed it another 1/2 dozen times, ran Restore Plus for 90 minutes @ 194 degrees, flushed it at least a dozen times, flushed it 3 times with distilled water, replaced the thermostats & gasket, replaced my radiator hose o-rings and refilled with CAT EL-1 "red" concentrate, then topped off with distilled water.

[strokin07]

Expect to pay anywhere from $3300 to $5000. The heads not only need to be magnafluxed but also machined. Only use head gaskets you buy directly from Ford. All new high pressure fuel lines and injector tubes and seals are required!

If he's done dozens upon dozens then it shouldn't take him 2 hours to pull the cab.

Anyhow Alldata calls for 22-23 hours (cant remember exactly) for head gaskets.

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[08stroker250]

We've had my cab off in less than 1 hour. If this is the same idiot from your other thread, I wouldn't let him touch the truck....especially if he said "upgraded" head gaskets. Everyone with a brain knows that you don't use anything but OEM head gaskets on these trucks when you replace them and do studs. Find another shop and save yourself the headache. Sounds like this guy is needing some business and is doing some major BSing to get you to do business with him. Hopefully you can sense that.

[Truckmaniac]

Jeff:

The local shop was opened today, so I stopped by to ask him a few more questions.

Either I misunderstood or he misspoke earlier, but he does use the Ford OEM headgaskets. His average time for cab removal is an hour but he prefers to quote 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I talked to another shop yesterday afternoon and they told me 3 hours for removal.

The first shop quoted $3,000.00 for a turnkey stud & gasket job. The second one was $4,200.00. Both quoted the job with ARP studs. The first shop actually prefers the H/D Custom Age 625 Head Stud Kit but it's another $900.00.

I am little leery of the first guy, because of the his comments that I posted on another thread. The second guy didn't really have many comments, other than the quote for the job.

[Doss]

Okay, try number 2. I know these guys are trying to make money and therefore do jobs fast, but I'd be a little afraid if someone brags about how fast they can do it. I'd much rather the person talk about the quality of the job and what they're willing to stand behind should something go wrong... especially when dropping this kind of coin.

Also, do you really want someone going through trying to set a world record for restudding your 6.4 on your dime?

Another thing I'm usually skeptical of is any shop that likes to quote times based on their own estimations. I know that can save you a bunch of money, but it can also cost you a bunch as well. Think about it, "Well, I ran into a problem so it ended up taking me 4 hours extra..." Yeah, been there. Done that.

Have him give you a list of what he plans to purchase and replace while he's in there. He doesn't have to give you his prices, just what he plans on buying.

This is just advice from a guy who used to work at performance shop in his spare time.