Does anyone have a complete parts list and price on what it takes to rebuild a healthy 6.5 to the lower 18 to 1 and raise the boost accordingly? What are the benifits that people have seen in doing this type of build? At this point I am just curious but contemplating doing it if the benifits are right. Thanks!:ro)

Check Peninsular Marine\Diesel site for parts listing.
And\or Kennedy Diesel.

Note - lowering the c\r does not raise the Boost "accordingly" - it does allow you to SAFELY run ~50% more Boost at same cylinder pressure as oem Boost levels.

Absolutely requires some form of charge-air cooling, no matter what you have read - or, will read - here, to the contrary.
(Remember - my truck runs, and, "contrarily theirs" mostly don't) ;)

You can crank Boost up somewhat over that - to ~20psi - as the increased piston-to-head clearance allows increased combustion pressure to distribute quickly, more evenly over piston crown.
This lowers peak combustion temperature, accordingly, and EGT, accordingly, IF - BIG IF, here - the GM-X series turbo has also been replaced, opening up the exhaust path.

Boost over 16psi - to about 20psi - is 'safer' with lower block prep in main journals area, but not break-proof, imo.

Check with Jamie Avant at Diesel Depot\Avant Diesel Salvage for horror stories concerning cracked oem-stock 6.2\6.5 blocks - n\a and turbo - and required preventive preparation.

Ok, well, I am already intercooled and am aware that the lower compression doesn't create more boost. What I am wondering is what did people do to

A: make more boost? (what turbo and how did they control it)

B: What computer mods were made?

C: What exactly is done to strengthen the block? Main girdle?

D: How much more power exactly did people see from doing this?

E: What other mods were done to make it work right?

I do want a reliable truck, just always in the quest for more power.

I can only comment on what I am doing since it's the first time. I'm lowering the compression via over headgaskets to 20:1 and using ARP headstuds. I'll check for cracks and splay the mains if found. I'm thinking of destroking it .005" for 19.5:1 I'm installing an increased duration cam and a PS garret style or cummins holset turbo depending on availbility of salvage parts. I'd like to see 25-30 psi topend when I'm finished.

Firefighter -As an advocate of truck configuration being a must in a 'sig', I note the listed equipment, then form a reply based on that, but also inclusive of the 99.99987654321% of the readers who do not, and probably will never, have, or will install, that equipment.
Particularly, the charge-air cooler.

I absolutely refuse to become an accomplice in damaging a Diesel engine. ;)

Your truck is fairly well tricked out - maybe a call to John at Kennedy Diesel about the required mains mods, pistons\rings, and available turbo options would be a start.

Matt at Peninsular Diesel is also very helpful, as a professionally degreed advocate of 18:1cr 6.2\6.5L buildups.

Gotcha gmctd, thanks for the reply. I am with you on not wanting to "become an accomplice in damaging a Diesel engine". No one should be mislead into hurting their rig. And we all know that it is way too easy to do with a 6.5!:rolleyes: Anyway, I will check the other sites out and continue on my quest for more (reliable) power.:)

Firefighter you have most of the bells & whistles, you see my mods in my signature for a combination that works that does not put engine at risk which produces good result, I only peak to 17 psi boost, direct plumbed to the WG actuator (don't do this without gauges & post turbo cooling), I self limit to 13-14 psi max when towing, most time running empty by that time I don't need that much boost so the hi boost bump is momentary when feeling froggy.

I'll be doing 18:1, splayed mains & stud girdles before going much further, I'll probably get a new AM Gen block to start the build, a set of hi pops would be a good addition for your set up. Our vintage blocks are "higher risk of cracking" so you have to limit just how far you push the envelope.

BTW which cowl hood you go with, I've been eyeballing Goodmark, did you instrument it to see if underhood temps got better after the hood install, over on the Page, a lengthy discussion ensued for possibility of higher operating temps because radiator thru flow might be compromised flowing air fwd off the wind shield, also any problems with excess fogging on lower part of wind shield that was a concern also.

Mine actually had a new crate motor (GM) dropped in it in 2001, I think it is supposed to be a bit stronger than the 98 and their crack prone problem. I know it is still not "that" strong though:( . The Hi pops are injectors, right? I have been contemplating them maybe this summer. Anyone have personal experience with either Bullydog or BD's?

My hood is a Goodmark and I did notice a big difference in underhood temps. I actually noticed the difference on my 94. I pulled my car trailer down in the Okanagan on the Coquhalla hwy in 34 degree weather with the stock hood one summer, and things got scary hot! Next summer I had a Harwood Fiberglass cowl induction hood and the engine temps in 36 degrees on the same hwy pulling hills were apx 15 degrees cooler. I was hitting 235-240 before and the highest I saw after was 215. Especially noticed the difference on those long steep hills where the speed has dropped to about 40mph. I have never had any fogging in any weather. I do recommend going with a steel hood. The fiberglass ones don't seem to last that well for a daily driver and they also need to have hood pins, no matter what they tell you. The cowl hood really does help to release underhood heat, especially at lower speeds.

Yes Hi pops are injectors, I have no experience with bully dog or BD injectors, I'd check with JK those are the ones I have, or Bill Heath. I did try BD's reflash and wasn't that impressed with it, I could not get it to learn theft deterrent code, I explained my problem, they got a little "attitudinal" with me so I sent it back took them a while to refund my core charge, maybe they were having a bad day I certainly was after talking to them.

Any engineering reason or style preference you chose cowl over the ram air, I'm on the fence there, I like the look of the dual ram air over the cowl. I'll be adding one or the other to my wish list when I make up my mind.

I am partial to the cowl due to the fact that I also have a 70 SS Chevelle. But, I am not sure you would see the same results with a ram air hood unless it was open at the cowl area. They do look cool though. I just love the 65-67 GTO and Olds 442 style ram air hoods:cool2: .

I remember 442's W-30 package as being THE Olds to own, boy I sure do miss those days when they built real cars

Check out the new Chry 300C o-mi-god-it's-a-Hemi and the new Dodge Charger wow-this-one's-a-Hemi-too! ! !:cool:

I haven't seen any pictures yet, but isn't the charger a 4 door now?-:t I would like to know wtf these car makers are doingCensored . A real good example is the new GTO. Yeah, it is a nice car, but come on. I think they could have done a hell of a lot better than that. Ford hit the nail on the head with the new Mustang IMO, why can't the rest of these guy's figure this out? I just think that it is kinda sacreligeous to put a legendary name such as GTO or Charger on medeocre cars. OK, I'm done with my rant now. Sorry. Whew.:rant:

The charger looks like the magnum w/o the hatchback. The new mustang really captures that late 60's look.

Leads me to the point if everbody is retro back to old look, they must have been doing something right, cars then looked cool not some of the wussily looking stuff out there now pretending to be something it isn't.

Put in modern powerplant in an old style body SWEET if you want to meet economy & make tree huggers happy, Nah on 2nd thought I want big block MUSCLE bring them back, I don't shiv a git about economy.

My testosterone needs whump-whump-whump of big cams and big block or built small block grunt, nothing turns heads better. Don't want no fuzzy power thru a rice burning fart can engine, just ain't the same, no substitute for displacement ARH-ARH-ARH.

Ahhhh, I see we speak the same language:D There is no replacement for displacement! Gotta love the smell of C-12 in the morning. LOL!

Ever...DRIVE....a V8 hemi?

V-8 Hemi yup back when the were in real cars, I used to be a MOPAR fanatic back in the day, my sister just bought a 300 it's looks aren't to my taste.

From the first time i saw the 300 i loved it, i want one! First mod will be to toss in a 6.5... :lol:

New Hemi yes, Real Hemi no. Unfortunately I have never had the experience of that. I do however get a grin from stabbing the throttle in my 70 SS 454 Chevelle.):h They just don't build em like they used to.

Then, you would know that the 426 were an cantankerous, irascible lot, difficult to manage for street use, no a\c, no p\s, no p\b at second (at first they came in Desoto and Chrysler sedans, 287 to 392cuin, with whatever conveniences that were avalable at the time - '53 to '60, then discontinued - and were sedate, to say the least).
But when prodded from standstill or moving, the 426 WOULD pull the plaque off your teeth -absolutely.

These new versions - your grandmother could cruise down to the local drug emporium for a quart of Geritol, in air conditioned, power-steered, soft-touch braking comfort, with never a hassle.
And, if prodded, they will still pull the plaque off your teeth, in the Ram truck series.

They ain't yer grampaw's hemi, dudes, and glad of it!

(Did I mention I WANT ONE - 300C, six-speed manual, 4-doors, and all!!!!!!!!!)