Decided to go gas. 8.1 to be exact. 04 model

[chevytaHOE5674]

You surely can build up a 4L80E. With deep enough pockets can build it to hold 1200hp.

As for a stocker holding 450hp I would say you better be gentle on it and have a temp gauge and keep an eye on things like a hawk. If towing in the summer add a 2nd cooler and say a prayer. A stock 6.0L will eat up a 4L80E if too much torque management is removed from the ECM.

If I was planning on putting 450+ hp thru a 4L80E that is 20 years old with 275k miles I would have a good shop go thru it and put a good convertor in it, as well as a good set of frictions and steels. There are some upgrades that should be done to the valve body as well. 

[Patrick NC]

I don't have any experience with the 4l80e but I had a 2014 Silverado 2500 6.0 with a 6 speed automatic. This was my work truck before I got the Duramax. Pulled a ctl on a 7 ton deckover at least twice a week. Replaced the first transmission at 105,000 and the second one at 175,000. Both were done at the dealership. Transfer case at 125,000 and rear end at 150,000. We had 2 other 6.0s on the fleet that all had similar issues. No problem with the engine, just the rest of the components not quite up to pulling heavy loads frequently. 

[chevytaHOE5674]

If the fluid is kept up the transfer case and rear end should hold up no problem. The transfer cases did have a habit of the pump chewing thru the housing though. 

[Southside]

Educate me, what's a Smoot?

@btulloh
The re-calibration, due to annual third rock solar ellipse completions, of the Smoot isn't necessary if you utilize the original basis for determination.  Namely one Smoot = 1/364.4 HB, where HB stands for Harvard Bridge.  The basis value has not been impacted by the annual trips nearly as much as the subject originator.  Granted using such a precise basis value has it's complications when determining distance in Smoots, especially in areas distant from the original subject, but calibrating a log tape in Smoots using the original basis should be pretty easy for a modern manufacturer determined to build precision measuring equipment, such as say Starrett given their proximity to the originator.  - Just saying.
@barbender I don't think anyone has ever accused me of being "moderate".   :D

As far as Newton-Meters goes, I had to convert that to Ft-Lbs and degrees one time when doing a head gasket job on my Kobelco excavator that has an industrial Mitsubishi engine in it and torque to yield head bolts.  My torque wrench was like --- Whaatt?

[mike_belben]

12 valve swap. Tune it for 350 hp/900 ft/lbs and never look back.

youve got good taste dave.

mine made 290/630 just on air filter, injectors and some pump tuning at stock timing.  and it was plenty to pull 25k gross as fast as you wanted.  but the 3500 didnt have enough brakes or leafs to feel good.  and that was with ford F350 twin piston calipers.  2nd gen dodge can use all the parts off a balljoint ford d60 from the knuckles out so i did a swap to get the better brakes and twisty hubs.  i do sorely miss the truck.  for pulling just a skid steer it would braaahhp up any hill in new hampshire for sure.  a spit pushrod is the only real issue it ever gave me.  hammered it flattish on a curb stone, lashed it and got back on the road. its still in there. 
 

my international 1600 has a pretty built 466 and a double over 13spd and that feels rock solid up to 40k in the mountains.  probably makes 300/800.  much better toter than the dually once you break the 20k mark.

[Sedgehammer]

If I was planning on putting 450+ hp thru a 4L80E that is 20 years old with 275k miles I would have a good shop go thru it and put a good convertor in it, as well as a good set of frictions and steels. There are some upgrades that should be done to the valve body as well.

Done a while back

[farmfromkansas]

Why not just buy a one ton truck dually with a 454 if you like GM?  I have a F450, with V-10, great motor if it will just run.  My fuel pump is acting up, hope that is all that is wrong.

[Sedgehammer]

Why not just buy a one ton truck dually with a 454 if you like GM?  I have a F450, with V-10, great motor if it will just run.  My fuel pump is acting up, hope that is all that is wrong.

If'n one was avail w/ a crew, auto and wearing leather, I wood most seriously consider. I owned one of the 1st crew shorty 4x ever made. I can't find squat 

[Sedgehammer]

I know the 6.0 power strokes have head issues. I'm talking about those that have been refitted w/ studs. They don't need to be 'bullet proofed, as that's a name brand

Have an 06 getting new injectors being installed. It's also been deleted. Florida truck. No gooseneck ball. 220k miles. $15k

Also looking at a 05 duramax. Gooseneck ball.198k miles. $15.9k

A 02 PS. 300k miles.  No gooseneck. $10k

All nice trucks. All crew cab and automatics

[Southside]

The '05 Dmax is an LLY, they have a tendency to overheat when under a significant load.  I would try to find an '06 or '07 LBZ if you go GM.  That is the cats meow.  The early '06 had a crimped head gasket and they all fail eventually.  The upgraded riveted gasket has proven itself.  You can tell looking at the engine if the gasket has been done as there is one corner of the head where the gasket sticks out and the two designs are easy to distinguish.  

[Sedgehammer]

The '05 Dmax is an LLY, they have a tendency to overheat when under a significant load.  I would try to find an '06 or '07 LBZ if you go GM.  That is the cats meow.  The early '06 had a crimped head gasket and they all fail eventually.  The upgraded riveted gasket has proven itself.  You can tell looking at the engine if the gasket has been done as there is one corner of the head where the gasket sticks out and the two designs are easy to distinguish.  

you are correct on the over heating issue. Wood replace current radiator and fluid first things if purchased

cannot find any in that year range in the price range (under 16kish). what they want for those years, might as well keep my 16

[Southside]

It's not the radiator - rather it's internal passage flow.  Not saying it's a bad engine, but if it's going to work for a living, then it's going to give you issues. 

[Bruno of NH]

I can't remember what year it was. I bought a new Chevy one ton gas with an Allison trans and big gas engine .
8. Some thing.
That thing was a beast pulling but I had one back of a gas bill at the end of the month. I pulled my 24' job trailer full of stuff all over NH and Vt. 
I traded it in for an awd 2500 van and parked the trailer.
Cut my gas bill in half.
The van had a 5.3 and was chipped.
I did miss that Allison trans. 

[firefighter ontheside]

What has been done with that 7.3?  Of course they can go a long way, but I think at 300,000 miles it will have already had a bunch of work or it will need it soon.  The B&W turn over ball hitch is easy to install in the 02.  I don't remember exactly but I think it was around 300 for just the turnover ball.

[snowstorm]

I know the 6.0 power strokes have head issues. I'm talking about those that have been refitted w/ studs. They don't need to be 'bullet proofed, as that's a name brand

Have an 06 getting new injectors being installed. It's also been deleted. Florida truck. No gooseneck ball. 220k miles. $15k

Also looking at a 05 duramax. Gooseneck ball.198k miles. $15.9k

A 02 PS. 300k miles.  No gooseneck. $10k

All nice trucks. All crew cab and automatics

The prices seen high to me maybe it's the market where you are. I sold a 02 for 3500 last summer. It did need a oil pan but ran like a top. Three yrs ago I bought a f350 plain xl 6.7 80000 miles from a Ford dealer for 17 k.I had a 250 6.0 and still have a f550 6.0 that has plowed roads since it was new. The only big repairs were. Fuel pump. Turbo. The actuator stuck. And last winter when scanned it showed low high pressure oil. It turned out to be the wiring plug on the ipr . An 06 is the last full year. 07 was a short run only a couple months. But the 6.0 lived several more years in the e series van. That would have the 5 speed auto. Not a bad trans better than the 4 l80 of the 7.3 days it's not the pretty much bump proff .6 sp you get with the 6.7. A guy I know stopped in Sunday to show me his new truck. In 18 I bought a new 250 6.7 lariat ultimate. Now his is a 19 50000 miles just like mine he paid 68 k that's more than I paid for mine and it was new

[snowstorm]

I installed the Ford 5 th wheel goose neck hitch in mine. I had the puck style 5 th wheel from my last truck. I do get a pretty good discount from Ford . It was the cheapest and best way to go. It's very well built

[snowstorm]

I would much rather have a 6.0 than a 7.3 and I have owned several. You will get tired of the noise. Don't even look at a 6.4 never had one never would..go a little newer and buy a 6.7 depending on the state the emissions warranty was extended to 11 years 120000 miles. Or if some parts fell off even better if you know what I mean.

[HemlockKing]

I'm so happy me bride got it for me.....

Does your wife know what you're planning?

Yup. she's onboard. issue is my back and left leg. pain so bad makes me want to puke at times. riding in a car is the hardest thing for me to do. some days it's ok, others i want to claw myself out of the seat. The other issue is with all the pain medicine I'm on I have to have constant caffeine to keep me alert and the moment i set down my body wants to sleep. there are times where my head almost hits the desk where i'm typing a post. if i', moving it's ok

we were going to get a 5th wheel toy hauler, but have decided to get a motorhome. i can drive through the cities and she can drive in the countryside. i can laydown if need be then

@Southside Transmission is fine to about 600 hp. it's the heavy duty one

@btulloh I have a mechanic friend that wood do most of the work as long as not an engine rebuild. good idea on the LS3.....

@red yes, more torque

@alan gage a drop in is about 8k. long block basic about 2.5k

@mike_belben talked about that the other day. been up since 2 this mornin looking at engine prices i forgot about that. good idea, but wood buy a long block

I'm the same way. I'm moving my back feels 100% fine. If I sit for more than a hour it starts to pain me. Lately when I wake up in the night it's been so bad I can't stand on my left leg without yelling in pain, still hurts in the morning, pains gone by the time
My work boots are on. Strange.
I bulged a disc 7 years ago had pain badly for the first year then started to subside, in that time I have been strict on my lifting habits, I never arc or put my back in jeopardy anymore. All in the knees and legs. I can't stand watching the average joe lift something heavy, I can just see the damage being done, they won't listen though so I don't bother. Learn after you hurt it I guess ??? 

[snobdds]

My dad is a contractor and back in 2005, he ordered 10 6.0 ford Diesels.  Every winter when the weather turned and the guys needed work, they spent a week doing fluid maintenance on their trucks.  We only had minor problems with a few stand pipes and dummy plugs on the High Pressure Oil System.  

After seeing this and knowing the reputation of the 6.0, I did some investigating.  It seems the root cause for all the problems in the 6.0 was the coolant. Ford changed the coolant from ELC to their Gold brand.  This coolant was good, it's just the silicates fell out of suspension after enough heat cycles.  This then plugged up the oil cooler, which didn't allow coolant to the EGR cooler, which then over pressurized the cooling system and blew head gaskets. 

Since my dad's trucks were getting yearly coolant changes, none of these problems came up.  He still considers those 6.0 the best engine he's ever had in fleet trucks. 

In fact, he was so impressed with the 6.0, he bought himself one.  He still drives it up to the cabin in the summer.  It still gets fluid maintenance every winter and it still runs well.  Moral of the story, keep up on maintenance and any truck will be good.  And in diesels, over change the coolant, no matter what brand.  

[chevytaHOE5674]

I have a soft spot for 7.3 trucks. Currently have two and id buy another if it came along.

Have a 99 ext cab with 256k miles with a zf6 behind it. Paid 3500 bucks lots of years ago so it doesn't owe me a dime. Spends 99% of its life with a snowplow on it or a 32' GN stacked with equipment or hay. Compared to today's diesels its a dog but other than brakes I've done nothing to the truck and I'd drive across country tmrw without hesitation. 

Picked up a 2 owner 2000 crew cab 7.3/auto with 104k miles last winter with no rust. Truck is as clean as new. It's the family go getter when we need to haul stuff in comfort. Paid 14k for it which seemed high at the time, but watching the market is very reasonable for the low miles and clean body. I've had 2 offers over 20k in the last 2 weeks. 

[mike_belben]

I wont be buying any more complete running trucks at these after covid prices.  For what theyre asking it better come with road frontage, a culvert and utilities already in.   

Its just the principle.  I will just keep fixing cheap old stuff and not rush to work every morning with the joneses. 

[Southside]

Now his is a 19 50000 miles just like mine he paid 68 k

I paid $10K more than that for a 1,700 square foot house, two story garage, barn, and 30 acres of land in Corinna back in '99.  Insane....

[barbender]

Snobdds, that is an interesting take on the 6.0 I hadn't heard before.

[farmfromkansas]

Last auction I went to had a nice, clean low mileage 4 door 3/4 ton Ford 6.0, which did not sell for a lot of money.  Everybody has heard the horror stories about the 6.0.

[snobdds]

Snobdds, that is an interesting take on the 6.0 I hadn't heard before.

It's really a fantastic motor if kept up.  The bed plate on that thing is huge, I have never seen a bottom end failure on those. 
It was Ford's first electronically controlled diesel motor, and it wasn't designed in house.  The mechanics at first had no idea how to repair them, they were throwing blind at a dart board.  Thankfully Ford sold a ton of 6.0's and people soon figured them out.  There is no problem that not does not have an OEM solution today.