Hi folks,

Well I am just about finished dressing my rebuilt 6.5 TD and will be installing it soon. I followed the recommendations of the members here and ended up with this:

1993 "599" block cleaned and inspected for cracks by magnafluxing

bored .030 over
Mahle 18:1 pistons
Polished stock crank
Resized stock rods
DSG stud girdle kit
New Clevite bearings including cam bearings
New Heads from DSG
DSG Phazer timing gear kit
New DB2 IP turned up 1/8th turn
DSG oil cooler kit with SS lines
New GM 8 turbo
Turbomaster wastegate controller
New DSG marine injectors + install kit
AFE complete high flow intake system
Banks "stinger" complete exhaust system incuding X-over pipe and downpipe
DSG dual thermostat cooling system with HO waterpump, new style fan clutch and composite 9 blade fan upgrade
HD torque converter and stock 4l80E transmission completely rebuilt by a well known and highly recommended Trans expert

Gauge package: EGT, Boost, IAT, WT, Oil temp, trans temp

I have a few questions for the members here please :

I was unable to have the rotating assembly balanced due to time constraints, and am very concerned that I have made a big mistake! I spent a lot of money on this rebuild and I am hoping that my haste in building this beast will not bite me later on! Has anyone here installed the Mahle pistons without rebalancing the engine? I weighed them and they are slightly lighter than the OEM pistons. Will this throw the balance off too much or is balancing mainly an added precaution that is not completely necesscary? The machine shop that did the work on my block said they have done alot of 6.5s like this (without balancing) and have not had any returns or warantee issues.
Perhaps a fluid dampener would help here?

Also, I have a self contained engine test stand that I use for cam break-in and leak checking gas engines that I build. I would like to put the 6.5 on this stand to check for leaks and make sure everything is working ok before putting it in my dually. What electrics do I need to hook up to function the DB2 and glow plugs properly for a test run? Can I just simultaneously hook up 12 volts to all the glow plugs for a few seconds before cranking or do I need to put the controller in the circuit? They are the original glow plugs that came with the truck and I cleaned the carbon from them, and checked the resistance on all of them. 2 were burnt out and I replaced them with new 1993 glow plugs as supplied by Napa.

Lastly, I am curious about the rad this truck came with. It is an original 1993 6.5td 1ton crew cab dually that has been VERY well maintained. I was surprised to see that the rad appears to be a GM 2 core deal, and I would think that it should be a 4 core? The rad on my 93 gas suburban has a core that is as thick as the plastic tanks on each side, but the core on the dually does not cover the full thickness of the tanks? Is this normal? Perhaps the previous owner installed the wrong rad during a repair? Anyway, if someone here could recommend a good stock or aftermarket rad I would consider changing this one. I have also considered an intercooler for this rig and if she runs too hot while towing that will be next on the list...

One more quick question: How much hp and torque do you folks think this set-up will give me ? I have a g-tech and will eventually measure it after it is broken in properly, but I would love to hear some estimates now, and I will report my actual readings next month.

Thanks for all the help so-far everyone! Although I havn't posted much, believe me, I have been lurking here almost every day! The search function here has been used for every step as I have built this engine. The collective knowledge here, and your willingness to take the time to share it with others, has been invaluable in creating this beast ! You all have saved this single Dad a TON of money so far, and given my sons and I a great amount of satisfaction in being able to DIY our first diesel project. Ya just gotta love the internet, and the people like you that contribute to it !!

Pictures to come soon...

Rob