How-To Install a Banks Big Hoss Bundle, Six-Gun® Diesel Tuner, Techni-Cooler® system

Have you ever been waiting at an intersection stop light on that quarter mile stretch before the freeway on-ramp when a 7,000+ lb diesel pickup truck rolls up on your left side with the intention of accelerating past you onto the freeway? Suddenly the intersection you’re at turns into a drag strip, both of you edging for the light to turn green and when it does, that diesel truck spanks you and blasts up the on ramp, beating you onto the freeway.

Only the best diesel engineers available can provide this sudden burst of power and they’re from Gale Banks Engineering.

Click photo to watch "On Ramp" video

We hear a lot of claims from companies about how much horsepower and torque their products are able to extract from today’s light-duty truck diesel power plants, but Gale Banks Engineering delivers these all in one. We offered up a 2006 Ford F-250 with the 6.0L Power Stroke Diesel Engine to Gale Banks Engineering in Azusa, CA to install their Big Hoss® Bundle, which includes the Six-Gun® Diesel Tuner with a PowerPDA & Techni-Cooler® charge-air cooler or intercooler, and Monster Exhaust. The power gains advertised are a whopping +138 hp and +231 lb-ft! and believe me, you can definitely feel the difference, and with little to no smoke.

The key to the continuous power gains, according to Banks Power, are the air intake upgrades. Less air flow restriction and significant gains in air density means more power. Without the appropriate airflow upgrades to match the additional fuel and tuner add-on’s, you’ll reach EGT limits in a hurry and any power you’ve gained disappears as the vehicle’s electronics begin to de-rate – limiting fuel. Some of us have experienced this as the power backs off suddenly and the truck slows. Running the truck at these high EGTs only serves to shorten the life of your diesel engine. And, that’s why Gale Banks Engineering is the only company offering a diesel power system with air flow upgrades that include an intercooler system. As President Gale Banks often says, “If you don’t address airflow, you have no business adding more fuel.”

The Banks Techni-Cooler® system includes larger, mandrel bent boost tubes, Techni-Cooler intercooler and High-Ram® air inlet.

Upon opening up the intercooler package of the Banks Big Hoss Bundle, it was immediately apparent why they exclaim big power numbers and always promote “continuous power”.
The enormous Banks Techni-Cooler intercooler and 3.5-inch boost tubes make the stock crimped steel and plastic components look anemic. And, the stock intercooler? forget it. There is no comparison to the Banks Techni-Cooler. And, the Banks High-Ram air inlet dwarfed the stock intake unit.

The Banks Techni-Cooler on the right and the stock Ford on the left. Note the welded aluminum end tanks and larger inlets and outlets on the Banks unit.

The Banks High-Ram air inlet improves airflow from the intercooler and raises boost without increasing backpressure at the turbine.

The Banks intercooler unit is a 100-percent welded aluminum intercooler that will not burst or crack under high boost conditions unlike the stock counterpart with the crimped-fit plastic end tanks. We looked forward to the lower EGTs, higher boost and increased air density during the test drives. Banks representatives noted that the stock intercooler fails a lot more than most people think – cracked plastic end tanks and failed end-tank-to-core seams being the most common instances.

The first part of the install was the Banks Monster® Exhaust system. It is a 4-inch mandrel bent, 100-percent stainless steel system that includes Banks’ polished Monster muffler. The people at Banks hooked us up with their new Diesel Duals kit, which has tailpipes with their 5-inch polished tips exiting both sides of the truck.

Installation Time: 8-9 hours through a Banks-authorized installation shop

Tools Required: Mainly hand tools that most “do-it-them-self” car and truck enthusiasts have in their tool box.

• Inch and metric sockets
• Inch and metric combination and open-end wrenches
• Standard and needle nose pliers
• Ford stereo removal tool ('03-04 model year vehicles only)
• Wire cutters
• Scissors
• Drill
• 1/8", 13/32”, 7/16” drill bits
• Tap handle & 1/4" NPT tap
• Foot-pound and inch-pound torque wrenches
• Penetrating oil or light lubricant spray
• Anti-seize compound
• Heat gun
• Pry-bar
• Reciprocating saw
• Gasket scraper
• Standard Phillips and flat head screwdrivers
• Standard and needle-nose pliers
• Pocket or X-Acto knife
• Clean shop towels or rags