Head Stud install, What is a good price?

[Grewells]

I'm looking around in the NC area trying to figure out what a good price would be for an install of ARP studs in my truck (in the singature). I'm guessing a new set of stock head gaskets as well. No problems with the truck right now. Just trying to get it ready for a SCT tuner and a cross country trip pulling my 5ver.
Thanks

[05RedDevil]

Are you looking for good component prices or good shop prices?
For parts, I always call and manage a discount of one form or another. There is no hope when just clicking boxes on-line.
New head gaskets and studs are a hefty job and will take at least 12 hrs or more. Performance shops in my area charge $80/hr roughly so it is going to be around $1000 for install alone and that is on the low end.

[05silverF350]

I'm fairly new to this site and have only had my PSD since March, but just finished a head stud install with some upgrades within the last month. I'm sure there are some parts prices that I could have saved a few dollars on - it was important to me that some of the parts were Ford direct and that the garage I choose to use (Pasadena Diesel in Pasadena MD) was also able to make a few dollars on more than just labor.

I purchased and supplied the majority of the large items and just about everything that was not stamped Ford.

There are also quite a bit of parts that were still operating properly and I replaced either due to the mileage on the truck, the simple fact that we were already there or in effort to build (hopefully) a strong running reliable truck (I'm a general contractor and this is my work truck).

I'm probably forgetting a few items, but this should just about sum up everything I replaced in effort to keeping my 6.0 reliable for another 150,000 miles.

Here's the list and associated cost:

SCT X3 With custom tunes from Innovative 540.00
FICM tuner from Innovative 323.00
ARP head studs 488.00
Garret PowerMax 1290.00
New HPOP 720.00
New oil pressure sender 32.00
New IPR valve 258.00
New ford updated oil cooler 278.00
New fuel pump and filters 347.00
Heads were decked, magnafluxed and pressure tested 150.00
Bullet proof diesel heavy duty aluminum radiator 328.00
Bullet proof diesel billet water pump 315.00
Bullet proof diesel oil-by pass kit (already have coolant) 385.00
new Updated turbo feed line and drain tube 110.00
New injector o-rings 200.00
New Ford head gaskets and down tubes 378.00
Small down tubes 41.00
New manifold gaskets 28.00
Teflon sealing washers 10.00
Rotella oil and filter 87.00
External trans filter 28.00
Zerex ELC (bought 7 gallons) 104.00
Distiller water 5.00
CFM+ largemouth kit 430.00

Parts total: $6875.00
Labor (cab-off) 25.00 labor hours

If someone wanted to have a shop do a bare bones head stud install you could easily cut this in half.

[Trouth302]

I do head stud installs most run around $3000 + or - for arp studs, egr delete or bulletproof cooler, oil cooler, updated hpop fitting, coolant filter kit, cat ec-1 coolant, and oil change with fuel filter "motorcraft filters" most additional cost would be any head work that would need to be done. I have pictures of truck I have done if anyone would like to see. I am located just south of Greensboro ,NC

[Grewells]

05RedDevil- Thanks for the reply!!

05silverF350- Wow, thanks for all of the details. I'm really close to how I want my engine. I need to do some turbo work soon, i can hear the bearings going. How is that powermax turbo? has it effected reliability?

Trouth302-I have already updated the HPOP fitting, EGR delete, swapped the up-pipe,turbo back exhaust, updated fuel spring (blue)....
I'd like to see any pictures of the truck you have. I want to do the work myself, but I don't have a way to do the "cab off". I think they "might" let me do it in the auto shop on Ft Bragg, but if I jack it up, i bought it...
Thanks for the help gentlemen!!

[Trouth302]

You don't have to take the cab off. It just saves your back and knees. As well adds about 10 hrs to the job

[Grewells]

have you done the cab on head stud job?
I have seen the procedure for the procedure in the forums, but didn't know how practical it actually was...

[05silverF350]

Originally Posted by Trouth302

You don't have to take the cab off. It just saves your back and knees. As well adds about 10 hrs to the job

Originally Posted by Grewells

have you done the cab on head stud job?
I have seen the procedure for the procedure in the forums, but didn't know how practical it actually was...

I've seen all of the write-ups for installing head studs without removing the cab and am certain I could tackle the project over a long weekend; however, there are still a few things that bother me, personally, about going about it this way that just don't justify the cost savings.

I don't see how it's possible to properly torque the head bolts. I've always torqued to a specific setting in one full sweep, not short click, click, click because there is no room to make that sweep.

Having the cab-off allows for good visual inspection of the whole engine and trans. In my case after the cab was removed and the heads were off a good visual inspection uncovered a broken lifter on the number 7 cylinder. I don't feel it would have been as easily noticed with the cab still on the truck. Repair required pulling all rear covers and the trans. At this point it was a simple 2 hour fix.

It's just that much simpler to make certain the block matting surface for the heads are spotless with everything out of the way and having ample room to move around.

With the cab-off there is no, "aww fxxx it, that's close enough" because it's a royal pita.

My personal opinion is anyone that just pulls the heads, cleans them and then re-installs without having a machine shop deck, magnaflux, pressure test is making a huge error. I always wonder why some guys stud and go forever and then there's the guys that stud, go 20k, and are back to square one. This is another reason a choose to use a shop with an in house machine shop. I would venture to guess guys doing this in the drive/garage over the weekend are not having the heads checked. If you are going to do it yourself at least allow for the extra downtime to drop the heads at the machine shop.

IMO this is just too big a job, with huge repercussions, not to take/pay the extra time to remove the cab. I work for myself and when my truck isn't running my income diminishes. Downtime for a week, once, is acceptable. Minimizing the possibility of her going down again a short time later is golden.

[Trouth302]

Yes I have done head studs with the cab on the truck. The HVAC cover must be removed as well as the Passenger inter fender cover. There is plently of room for me to sit on the rad. core support and do most of the work with my feet where the batteries once lived. I am a thin and tall guy so that may come in handly. I always send my heads off to be checked so a long weekend is not enough time for me. Youtube has a lot of good videos from RUSTY BUNN (AKA SENIOR MASTER TECH) on in-cab installs. Also the only issue I have found for the torque of the studs is the rear drivers side. Ford has a service manual on how to do this in-cab. Techs with lift just figured out that cab-off is much easier, and it is. Sorry for any spelling errors

[badbart]

Originally Posted by Trouth302

Techs with lift just figured out that cab-off is much easier, and it is. Sorry for any spelling errors

Not to mention it pays 15-25 hours....

[Grewells]

05silverF350; I think you have convinced me that the cab off head stud job is the way to go. The biggest hurdle is convincing the auto shop on Fort Bragg, NC that I can hoist the cab off using their lifts safely. The facilities for soldiers there are great including refrigerant recovery equipment but no machine shop... I have a small persistent oil leak (rear seal i think) to track down as well.

Trouth302; I applaud your efforts bro, but i replaced the HPOP, the STC fitting, the y-pipe with the cab on and swore the whole time. I had pieces of my truck laying all over the auto shop.

Badbart; i tried to find a shop local to my area that i could trust, but i have decided to go ahead and do it myself...

[lubbockguy1979]

Originally Posted by 05silverF350

I'm fairly new to this site and have only had my PSD since March, but just finished a head stud install with some upgrades within the last month. I'm sure there are some parts prices that I could have saved a few dollars on - it was important to me that some of the parts were Ford direct and that the garage I choose to use (Pasadena Diesel in Pasadena MD) was also able to make a few dollars on more than just labor.

I purchased and supplied the majority of the large items and just about everything that was not stamped Ford.

There are also quite a bit of parts that were still operating properly and I replaced either due to the mileage on the truck, the simple fact that we were already there or in effort to build (hopefully) a strong running reliable truck (I'm a general contractor and this is my work truck).

I'm probably forgetting a few items, but this should just about sum up everything I replaced in effort to keeping my 6.0 reliable for another 150,000 miles.

Here's the list and associated cost:

SCT X3 With custom tunes from Innovative 540.00
FICM tuner from Innovative 323.00
ARP head studs 488.00
Garret PowerMax 1290.00
New HPOP 720.00
New oil pressure sender 32.00
New IPR valve 258.00
New ford updated oil cooler 278.00
New fuel pump and filters 347.00
Heads were decked, magnafluxed and pressure tested 150.00
Bullet proof diesel heavy duty aluminum radiator 328.00
Bullet proof diesel billet water pump 315.00
Bullet proof diesel oil-by pass kit (already have coolant) 385.00
new Updated turbo feed line and drain tube 110.00
New injector o-rings 200.00
New Ford head gaskets and down tubes 378.00
Small down tubes 41.00
New manifold gaskets 28.00
Teflon sealing washers 10.00
Rotella oil and filter 87.00
External trans filter 28.00
Zerex ELC (bought 7 gallons) 104.00
Distiller water 5.00
CFM+ largemouth kit 430.00

Parts total: $6875.00
Labor (cab-off) 25.00 labor hours

If someone wanted to have a shop do a bare bones head stud install you could easily cut this in half.

you didnt shop around much for parts. wow. that is a list though and some very sensible upgrades

[05silverF350]

Originally Posted by lubbockguy1979

you didnt shop around much for parts. wow. that is a list though and some very sensible upgrades

Thanks. She'll be getting lockers in the spring and in the meantime I'm trying to make sense of all the available upgraded intercooler's on the market.

You're correct about shopping around. I didn't and realize I could have saved dollars on all of the Ford parts going through Tousley or spending a little time online. I'm a small business owner and try to support other local businesses as often as possible. I was fortunate enough to find a GREAT family run and operated shop that specializes in diesel and is vastly familiar with the 6.0., Letting them supply some of the parts keeps a portion of my dollars local

They were great to work with, had me done on-time (despite a major hurricane devastating the N.E. and a unforeseen problem) and even managed some last minute maintenance requests which they turned around and did N/C labor and materials

They've earned my future business and maybe it'll come back around my way someday too.