I've been running my stock LQ9 with one of Rick @ Synergy Motorsports flipped truck manifold twin turbo kits for about three years. It has served me extremely well but I've been itching to build something new for a while. I started collecting parts for a forged 6.0l and talked to Rick about picking up his SS header, twin turbo kit from his shop truck. I thought I had a buyer for my kit but it fell through. The timing ended up not being right for me so Rick ended up selling it to another member in our classifieds.

Thinking about selling the Twins!!! - PerformanceTrucks.net Forums

So I went back to collecting all my parts and started assembling my forged 6.0l:

New LQ9 bare block
Wiseco 4.005 -15cc forged pistons and rings
Lunati Pro Mod I-beam forged rods (used)
Stock crank (polished but no need for turning down .010")
AFR 225 66cc heads
ARP head and Main stud kits
Pat G custom turbo cam: .59x"/59x", 218/222 115+1
True Roller double timing chain
LS9 MLS head gaskets
Melling hi volume/standard presure oil pump



I had swapped out to a 4l80e about 6 months ago (after eating 1 semi-stock
and 2 mildly built-up 4l60e's) and used the stock stall. I figured while I was pulling the stock engine, it would be a good opportunity to put in a small stall.
I gave Chris at Circle-D a call. Told him my plans, my occasional towing needs, my dislike for anything that feels like a stall and my need for a smooth lockup. He recommended his billet 268mm, 2600 stall single disc. I ordered it on the spot and got it a couple weeks later.

Now I just needed some time to get everything installed...

Just when I start getting delusions of grandure about building my own SS 304 headers for a new twin kit, Rick's kit pops up again in our classifieds:

https://www.performancetrucks.net/fo...ynergy-466861/

Alex and I go back 'n' forth for a few weeks and finally settle on a price. Deal is made, details worked out, funds are transferred and it's shipped from AK back down to Nor Cal. About a week later, The big brown truck pulls up and I get a knock at my door. I tell the UPS man to bring both boxes around to the driveway and he says I better come out to his truck...





The turbos and headers look fine so I tell the driver I'll take the delivery but he will have to note the damage to the boxes. Alex sends me a detailed list of all the parts from the dozens of pictures he had taken. After a very careful inventory, not a single item is damaged or missing.

Now I just needed some time to get everything installed...

I finally round up all the little misc parts/plugs/sensors for the long block and got the long block installed. I decided to keep the "old" turbo kit on the new motor to make sure I didn't run into any install issues. The new engine ran decently on the "old" Synergy tune so I kept it out of boost and babied it for the next 1000 miles. By this time my CA registration shows up in the mail with the dreaded "Smog Certificate Required" notation in bold font across the front of the registration form. I knew it was coming but I was in denial. Now it's time to take everything off and return it to stock.

Now I just needed some time to get everything uninstalled...

To be continued...

 

nice balancer!









































seriously though! looks awesome brother!

 

It took months of neglect after getting it hot tanked to build up that deep of a rust layer...

Rick

 

Continued...

While I'm stripping everything off and returning my truck to "stock", I decide to drop off me headers, exhaust & compressor housings and down tubes at West Coast Powder Coating. The owner Kyle recommends their 2200* ceramic coating for the inside and outside with an external coating of their 1800* Titanium finish for the outside of the headers and down tubes. For the exhaust housing, we use a 2500* flat black and the compressor housing gets a thermal dissipating ceramic that will reduce the AIT's.



The truck passes the CA Smog Test and I'm ready to install the new kit.

Then passenger header was a tight fit to say the least. After tweaking the AC
lines & fittings and the oil dipstick, I get it bolted down.





The driver's side was a little easier once I remove the steering mid-shaft. I had already made some tweaks with the brake lines from my Procharger days.





I reassembled the turbo housings onto the CHRA, added the -6AN oil and water fittings and bolted them, the Tial 38mm wastegates and the downtubes to the headers.













After plumbing the oil and water lines with braided SS -6AN lines and some-10AN SS for the oil return, it was time to start the cold side.

The Treadstone FMIC was the same model from my old kit so the initial pieces of the cold side were pretty straight forward.









I double check all the fittings, fir it up and drive it straight to my favorite muffler shop to get the new down pipes connected to my existing 3.0" mandrel bent exhaust system.

Next up is the fuel system. To be continued....

 

Can't wait to see the end of this project

 

Cool!!! this should be fun!! So you sold one set of twin hot parts for a different set? Just want quicker spool or...?

 

dam it sucks when you live in cali and have no smog hook up... im glad i do.

 

Awesome build man.Those boxes from UPS looked bad!

 

Awesome stuff going on here! What size turbos are those? Did you drive to the muffler shop without the cold pipes hooked to the tb?

 

Just more of a "want to raise it to the next level" kind of build. The old kit was more of a function over form and I wanted to do something a little more flashy. .

The new kit has only slightly bigger turbos but the headers and external waste gates make it more efficient. I was seeing full boost by 2500 rpms with my old kit. This one may drop it a little more but is a lot more efficient once the boost turns up. Rick picked up another 137+ RWHP just by swapping the kits (and bumping the boost 1lb).

Rick