12V_shooter25

Hey everyone! When I went to install my new GDS 60mm turbo upgrade, I had some questions about what to do. After some phone calls, I finally figured it all out. Therefore, I am here to create a rough "guide" for those who are installing this upgrade. I'm sorry but I don't have pictures for each step of the install.

1.) Remove the turbo from your engine. Use an 11mm socket to loosen the V-band clamps on the intake tube, down pipe, boost elbow and the intercooler pipe closest to the turbocharger. Use a 5/8in. wrench to remove oil supply line. Use 10mm wrench to remove oil return tube bolts. Use a 15mm wrench to remove the upper two turbo flange nuts and a 15mm socket and ratchet with a 6" extension to remove the lower two turbo flange bolts. Pull turbocharger off of the exhaust flange.



2.) Remove the factory compressor housing. Use a bench vice or just sit the turbo down somewhere to give yourself room (I used my tailgate). Use an 11mm socket or wrench to remove the V-band clamp that holds on the compressor housing. Remove the compressor housing by simply pulling it off. If your housing is stuck, take a rubber mallet and lightly tap the rear side of the housing on each side, making sure that each side rises evenly to avoid binding which would bend compressor wheel fins. The photo below shows what you should see when the housing is removed.



3.) Remove the compressor wheel. First, scribe your housing and turbo with a black marker to have reference points to install the new compressor housing in the right position. The nut on this shaft is a left-handed thread, so you must turn it right to loosen it. Use a 19mm 12-point socket to hold the exhaust side while using a 13mm socket to loosen the compressor wheel nut. This is the point in which I started having problems. If your wheel feels as though it's "stuck" to the shaft, do not pry on the back of it to remove it. This is a tip straight from Steve at Gillett Diesel: Hold the exhaust turbine nut with the 19mm socket and use your hand to turn the compressor wheel while slightly pulling outward on it. It may take several turns but will eventually come off. View the below photos to see exhaust housing nut and the wheel off the main shaft.





4.) Inspect your current housing and wheel for damage. Look for any scrapes or chips inside the compressor housing and check for bends or chips in the compressor wheel.



5.) Install the new GDS 60mm compressor wheel. The easiest way I found to do this is to heat the wheel slightly so it slides down easily on the shaft. Grease the shaft ever so slightly if you have further resistance. You can also employ the same method to install the wheel as you can to remove the shaft (that's what I ended up having to do). Hold the exhaust turbine nut with a 19mm socket and tighten the compressor wheel nut to 125 in./lbs. with a 13mm socket. Spin the turbine with your hand to ensure there is no binding or rubbing of the wheel against the diffuser.



6.) Install the 60mm compressor housing. The way I transferred the scribe marks from my old housing to the new one is I laid the new one on top of the old one and marked from there. Install the compressor housing using the same method as you did to remove it. View your scribe marks and make sure they are lined up with the same ones on your turbo. Install the new O-ring for the compressor housing and sit the housing on the turbo. It may be necessary to push the new housing down onto the turbo in order to get it seated properly. Install the V-band clamp back on the turbo and housing, using a 13mm socket to retighten the clamp. Again, spin the turbine with your hand to ensure it is not hitting the housing in any way.



7.) Install a new oil return tube gasket. The gasket on mine was basically baked on so it took a little bit to get it off. I sharpened a chisel and used a hammer and lightly tapped the chisel at an angle to peel the gasket off the turbo. Make sure you do this for both the outlet on the bottom of the turbo and the actual return tube. I recommend applying a coat of sealant on each side of the gasket before installing it to ensure a complete seal (I used Hondabond, some stuff my dad gets at work. Hey it may be foreign but I'm yet to find a better all-around sealant!).



8.) Reinstall your turbo to the engine. Reverse everything in step one. Honestly, you can perform this step and step 1 in any order you like, but I recommend removing the flange nuts last in step one and installing the flange nuts first in step eight. I don't know any torque numbers for the nuts and bolts but just use a hand ratchet with light pressure to make sure each bolt gets tight but not too tight.



9.) Enjoy your upgrade! For the money ($275 + $21 S&H to Norther Kentucky), I feel as though this is an amazing upgrade. I've noticed that my max boost went from 36psi to 42psi. Also, when taking off at stop lights, I make 15-18psi of boost versus the 10-12psi I was making before the install. If you don't like a loud turbo, this isn't for you! At 12psi and up, it sounds like I'm driving a small jet.

If you have any question or comments, please feel free to let me know by replying below!

Dave F

Nice Job!

MARF75

I have been wondering about this upgrade versus the he351. Its a DD on a budget so I won't be getting to carried away.

1972RedNeck

What exhaust housing do you have? How did it affect spool-up? What did it do to your EGT's?

12V_shooter25

I have the 18cm2 factory housing; I'm still looking into getting the 14cm2 short outlet housing that GDS offers.

Spool up is about the same. The only thing that is going to change that is to swap the exhaust housing for something smaller than the factory housing. The only way it affected spool up was that it's now twice as loud once fully lit.

EGTs went down a good bit. I used to be able to hit 1250*+ on the floor with a considerable amount of smoke. Now when I get in it, I only see a max of 1000*-1100* on flat ground. It also cured the smoke up a good bit other than when I'm on the floor.

jimbo486

FYI, left-handed thread on the shaft nut.

MARF75

How about the seat of the pants feel?

bryson711

Is there any kind of machining involved? Or is it a direct bolt on from gds?

Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk 2

1STGENFARMBOY

mine bolted right on.

12V_shooter25

It seems to pick up a lot more off the start. I wouldn't say that it will throw you back in the seat (thank 4.10 gearing for that) but it definitely gets the truck moving a lot quicker than before.

12V_shooter25

Mine bolted on directly from GDS. It's a pretty simple installation. Only hand tools needed. I've heard of guys staying they installed it with the turbo still on the manifold but that wasn't an option for me because my DP is welded to the exhaust so I have no ability to move it out of the way.

12V_shooter25

That's included in the second line of step three. I didn't know that until I consulted my D&W Series/Ramcharger Service Manual.

jimbo486

Cool. I was scanning too fast then .