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  1. Reviving a Legend - Radiator R&D: Design & Build

    Reviving a Legend - Radiator R&D: Design & Build

    This radiator is on pre-sale! Check it out on our website!

    When AMC first began designing the XJ Cherokee as early as 1978, I doubt they knew that almost 40 years later their design would still be coveted by off-road enthusiasts as one of the greatest rock crawling and trail forging vehicles of all time. The engineers at AMC also probably didn't think that many of those XJ's would still be running with their original radiator. Between daily driving, fording rivers, and the occasional large rock or two, the effects of time and mother nature have taken their toll on these radiators.

    Once solid and reliable, the plastic end tanks have begun to crack, leaving evidence of their frailty as puddles in parking lots and driveways. The robust metal fixtures have given way to the persistence of rain and salt, becoming nothing more than crumbling rust. Carefully designed fins and tubes have been battered by rocks

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  2. Treat Your Transmission. Ford 6.0L Powerstroke Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 3: Testing Data

    Treat Your Transmission. Ford 6.0L Powerstroke Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 3: Testing Data

    It's now time to install our prototype and put some data behind the efficiency differences we expect to see between our cooler and the factory heat exchanger. We did add a substantial amount of core surface area, so we anticipate that heat transfer will improve during a load test. Check out this shot of the Mishimoto 6.0L transmission cooler installed!

    Mishimoto 6.0 Powerstroke transmission cooler installed
    Mishimoto 6.0 Powerstroke transmission cooler installed

    Testing Process

    We have numerous tools at our disposal to test heat exchangers. For this one, we will be using our Dynapack™ dynamometer. With a transmission cooler test, we want to apply some load on the vehicle to ensure that stress is created within the drivetrain.

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  3. Treat Your Transmission. Ford 6.0L Powerstroke Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 2: Mishimoto Prototype

    Treat Your Transmission. Ford 6.0L Powerstroke Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 2: Mishimoto Prototype

    Now that we have designed our 6.0L transmission cooler prototype in SolidWorks®, our team has begun work on constructing our first prototype. We will be using this prototype to verify fitment on our truck and perform heat-soak testing to determine any cooling benefits provided by the larger core size.

    Mishimoto 6.0L Transmission Cooler Prototype

    Check out a couple shots of our first prototype unit!

    Mishimoto 6.0 Powerstroke transmission cooler
    Mishimoto 6.0 Powerstroke transmission cooler

    Mishimoto 6.0 Powerstroke transmission cooler
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  4. A More Durable Degas. Mishimoto's Ford Powerstroke 6.0L Aluminum Degas Bottle R&D, Part 3: 3D-Printed Prototypes

    A More Durable Degas. Mishimoto's Ford Powerstroke 6.0L Aluminum Degas Bottle R&D, Part 3: 3D-Printed Prototypes

    With a rough 3D model in place, we started constructing our 3D-printed prototypes to finalize our 6.0L degas bottle design and to refine any areas where adjustments are needed.

    Due to the large size of this degas unit, we printed the bottle in multiple sections and then attached each portion together.

    Below is a look at our first 3D print fitted into place on our 6.0L.

    3D-printed 6.0 Powerstroke degas bottle
    3D-printed 6.0 Powerstroke degas bottle

    3D-Printed 6.0 Powerstroke degas bottle
    3D-Printed 6.0 Powerstroke degas bottle
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  5. Treat Your Transmission. 6.0L Powerstroke Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 1: Factory Cooler Options

    Treat Your Transmission. 6.0L Powerstroke Transmission Cooler R&D, Part 1: Factory Cooler Options

    Yes, that's right, we are not quite done with product development for the 6.0L Powerstroke. Although these trucks are getting older, our team is finding more and more ways to enhance and improve them.

    The factory-equipped 6.0 transmission cooler is relatively stout. In fact, swapping this cooler into the 7.3L is a pretty common upgrade. That said, we think we can provide even greater cooling efficiency and offer an upgrade for 6.0L and 7.3L trucks that tow heavy loads.

    Factory Cooler Options

    From 2003­ to 2007, the 6.0L came from the factory with two different cooler options, a 26-row cooler and a 31-row cooler. Mounting and line connections were similar on both.

    Our shop truck came equipped with the 26-row unit, so we ordered the 31-unit cooler as well for data collection.

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  6. A More Durable Degas. Mishimoto's Ford Powerstroke 6.0L Aluminum Degas Bottle R&D, Part 2: Initial 3D Models

    A More Durable Degas. Mishimoto's Ford Powerstroke 6.0L Aluminum Degas Bottle R&D, Part 2: Initial 3D Models

    Quick update for this awesome degas bottle project! Our engineering team has been working to construct an aluminum degas bottle design for the 6.0, using our 3D-modeling software. We've incorporated some neat features, and we've included factory-style hose connection points and bottle mounts.

    Let's take a look!

    Mishimoto 6.0 Powerstroke degas bottle 3D model
    Mishimoto 6.0 Powerstroke degas bottle 3D model

    In this model you can see our plans for maintaining an appropriate fluid level. A simple sight tube will do the trick for our bottle design. You can also see the machined cap threads that we designed to function with the factory cap.

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  7. A More Durable Degas. Ford Powerstroke 6.0L Aluminum Degas Bottle R&D, Part 1: Factory Bottle Evaluation

    A More Durable Degas. Ford Powerstroke 6.0L Aluminum Degas Bottle R&D, Part 1: Factory Bottle Evaluation

    We're back for some new 6.0L product development! It has been a few months since the release of our recent intake elbow and thermostat housing, and our team is itching to start a new project on our 6.0L Powerstroke shop truck. This time, we're aiming to create an aluminum degas bottle that would provide additional cooling system reliability. Within the past year, we've increased our focus on development of aluminum expansion tanks, and we've brought to market some unique tanks that provide improved durability and style.

    One of our recent projects was a tank for the 2015+ Ford Mustang, which features some unique internal baffling to emulate the functionality of the stock tank.

    Mishimoto's 2015+ Mustang aluminum expansion tank
    Mishimoto's 2015+ Mustang
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  8. Rubbing Elbows with the 6.0L! Mishmoto Powerstroke Intake Elbow R&D, Part 3: Final Product

    Rubbing Elbows with the 6.0L! Mishmoto Powerstroke Intake Elbow R&D, Part 3: Final Product

    Interested in purchasing our 6.0L intake elbow?

    We have quite a bit going on with this project! Our discounted pre-sale has launched, and we are currently accepting orders. In addition, our final prototype elbows arrived and have been test fitted to ensure appropriate fitment. Without further delay, let's take a look at our finished intake elbows.

    Final Product Images

    First, a lineup of the stock elbow next to our three finish options.

    Stock 6.0 intake elbow (left) and three Mishimoto intake elbows, final prototypes
    Stock 6.0 intake elbow (left) and three Mishimoto intake elbows, final prototypes

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  9. Billet 6.0L Powerstroke Thermostat Housing R&D!

    Billet 6.0L Powerstroke Thermostat Housing R&D!

    If you follow our Ford Powerstroke 6.0L product line, you are aware of the high- and low-temperature thermostats we released last year. The high-temperature unit quickly became a customer favorite as a reliable way to improve engine operation, in-cabin heat, and fuel mileage. These benefits are particularly useful in the cold-weather months. Our low-temperature thermostat offers a lower recovery temperature compared to the factory unit, which can help keep coolant temperatures regulated during towing or when transporting heavy loads.

    During the release of the thermostats, we had numerous requests for a replacement housing. The factory housing is a casted piece, which isn't aesthetically pleasing, but it is easy to replace.

    Product Development

    Development began in a pretty simple fashion. We acquired an OEM housing and started capturing measurements so that we could reverse-engineer the piece.

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  10. Rubbing Elbows with the 6.0L! Mishmoto Powerstroke Intake Elbow R&D, Part 2: 3D Modeling

    Rubbing Elbows with the 6.0L! Mishmoto Powerstroke Intake Elbow R&D, Part 2: 3D Modeling

    Interested in purchasing our 6.0L intake elbow?

    We're back with another update on our 6.0L Powerstroke intake elbow project! Last time we covered the stock unit and noted the plans we had for our rendition of the intake elbow. After collecting data from the stock piece, we began mapping our prototypes on 3D-modeling software.

    Prototype 1

    Our first prototype comes by way of the almighty 3D printer. We made a quick design in Solidworks to map out the appearance and dimensional constraints for our design.

    Mishimoto 6.0L Powerstroke intake elbow prototype 1
    Mishimoto 6.0L Powerstroke intake elbow prototype 1

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