Let’s face it, the 6.0-liter Power Stroke isn’t the most popular diesel engine in our world, but with the help of some good parts, these engines can actually be pretty reliable. PRW Industries saw an opportunity to fulfill the 6.0-Liter Power Stroke niche with a set of heavy-duty head studs and they capitalized. This hardware will keep the cylinder heads pinned down for miles to come and keep these Power Stroke fans happy.
Over the years, I’ve heard studs are studs, the hardware is hardware. While I guess that is true, to me, I feel like it is important to use parts that are top of the line. For most of my time in this industry or motorsports in general, there have been just one or two companies that really surround that performance hardware market.
After unboxing these parts, you can tell these have been carefully manufactured. Speaking of manufacturing, we caught up with Shaun Snow with PRW to get some more information about these studs and PRW’s outlook on this hot new product and they are excited to take on this market. “Using quality materials with our expertise in performance products, we’re sure these studs are going to work great.”
PRW, as expected, has the same mindset as I do. They want quality parts if their name is on it. Their recent release of head studs for these 6.0-Liter’s is proof of that. PRW uses premium-grade, 4135 Japanese Alloy Steel rated for aircraft quality. Their studs are specially heat treated to 190,000 psi, which allows for total heat penetration. According to PRW, this results in a stronger, more superior stud compared to other manufacturer’s studs.
On The Front Lines
It was clear right out of the box, PRW wanted a quality part and that shows.
Parts like this intrigue me. I was excited to learn that someone like PRW was tackling this market. I was ready to see what some of our local experts had to say about these studs. When PRW mentioned these parts were available, I began looking for a donor truck that needed some help. After swinging into C & B Diesel in Jackson, Missouri, I found a winner. C & B was excited to be a part of another part testing session.
Each of their employees laughed at the fact that we were wanting to stud another 6.0-Liter. This is obviously a pretty common job at this shop as they feel like they’re a big shareholder in the performance fasteners market. They didn’t know about PRW’s newest part, but they were interested to see how they compared to others they’ve used.
Right off the bat, in the discussion about these parts, we talked about how these studs were centerless ground after their heat treatment. This ensures perfect alignment with gaskets and cylinder heads during installation. It is attention to detail like this that results in the remarkably straight studs. The studs are then thread rolled, assuring better fatigue strength than having this process done before heat treatment. This manufacturing process may cost more to do, but the results are well worth the extra effort.
Speaking of cost, when compared to other options of stud kits for these Fords, this kit is priced very competitively. In fact, coming in at $349.50, this kit is much cheaper than other popular options. During a quick online search of head studs for 2003-07 Power Strokes, I found a set for $439.99. With that being said, we’ve saved quite a bit of money already off the start with PRW.
“PRW studs are thread rolled, which assures better fatigue strength than having this process done before heat treatment. This manufacturing process may cost more to do but the results are well worth the extra effort,” Snow said. “Even though this process costs more, our price point for these trucks is still under the $450 mark, which makes for a very competitive price.”
“You will also note that PRW offers specially undercut studs for several engines. This procedure (done only to the shorter studs) more equalizes the ‘stretch’ of both studs, which makes for a more consistent clamping force – and one that compensates for head gasket compression when the cylinder heads are installed. This helps prevent blown head gaskets and assures optimum engine sealing.”
“Premium quality heat-treated 4135 chrome moly steel head stud kits are available for most every domestic and import applications. You won’t find a better quality stud on the market from any other source. Look for PRW stamped on each stud and 12 point nut as your assurance of quality,” Snow explained.
The kit comes with PRW CMD Extreme Pressure Assembly Lube (0.5oz Packet) and PRW Blue Threadlocker (2ml Bullet). Like any other stud kit, per the torque sequence, you're ready to strap the cylinder heads down for good.
The entire crew at C & B Diesel was excited to see these unboxed and used on this 6.0-Liter. As with many jobs like these, they need options. They need a part they can put their trust in when selling to their customers. It has been a few months now since the work was performed and the truck owner hasn’t had a single complaint. The truck is running great, there are no leaks, and the heads are fastened down for good.
As for the shop, they’re pleased. They have seen the quality firsthand and they’re ready to use these stud kits in the future. If you’re a shop or a truck owner that is looking to get a set of studs for your 6.0-Liter Power Stroke, head on over to the PRW website.
