Welcome to Top Tech Questions. Oftentimes, readers contact us with questions about articles, or to praise us on what a good job we are doing. But our favorite form of reader communication is tech questions. So we're introducing our Top Tech section, a place where you ask what's on your mind, and we answer it. Got a trouble code? Wondering how to get your engine to make more power?
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Question: I am becoming increasingly interested in diesel power, and the ease of turning up the numbers. I have been a long-time diesel truck driver and viewed them as work trucks, while having weekend toys with high-performance gas engines. But I have been smoked a time or two by a so-called work truck and have taken notice. I plan to upgrade to a newer Power Stroke in the near future and have been searching for good information. I love your magazine and have been reading every new issue, so I thought you guys would know the answer to this. Can the 6.0L Power Stroke (specifically the '06-'07 engine) be upgraded with a 6.4L short-block? Or, can a 6.0L block be bored .120 inch to fit the 6.4L pistons? The specs on these engines lead me to believe it may be a possibility and offer some of the benefits of the 6.4L without as many emission regulations. Thanks.
Daren HilgerHays, Kansas
Although this custom-built...
Although this custom-built compound-turbo 6.0L built by Jefferson State Diesel may look similar to International's new 6.4L engine found in '08-and-up Fords, they are two completely different engines.
Answer: When the 6.4L engines first came out in the Ford F-series trucks, we had a chance to talk to an engineer from International. Specifically, we asked him about the new 6.4L engine, and how it would compare to the old 6.0L design. He told us that basically the only thing that was similar was the camshaft, and even that is in a raised location in the block as compared to the 6.0L engine. Everything had been changed, including the block and heads, head bolt sizes, drive accessories, and injectors. With enough time and money almost anything is possible, but you'd probably need to own your own machine shop to perform this type of swap. As for an overbore of .120, that sounds like it would make the cylinder walls pretty thin. If it would work at all, it might require filling the block with concrete or something that makes it virtually undrivable.
If you're really bent on having a 6.4L, it would probably be better to just buy one from the factory. The 6.4L trucks are no slouch when they're equipped with a hot aftermarket tune. We know of a few mostly stock 6.4L trucks that produce more than 400 hp at the wheels with just a tune. The only real weak links the 6.0L engines have are the EGR system (the cooler plugs and fails) and a lack of cylinder head sealing, which can be cured with head studs. It's probably more cost effective to either upgrade a 6.0L or 6.4L engine than to try and combine either one of them. While the 6.4L is a superior engine, the 6.0L can still be reliable and produce plenty of power when a few weak links are addressed. It would also probably be cheaper than finding a used 6.4L truck.