This kit upgrades the cooling system of early serpentine belt drive GM 6.5 Turbo Diesels to the 1997+ cooling specs. Will work perfectly on 94-96 C/K pick-up trucks, Suburbans with electronic injection pumps.  G/P vans, cab/chassis combinations (buses, etc), will require a different upper radiator hose, please specify when ordering. (excluding motorhomes, see note below)

The early 6.5's were prone to overheating especially when towing. As you know, overheating will kill an engine, especially a diesel. GM discovered the problem and made changes to the '97+ model years, but has never offered an upgrade kit to retrofit the earlier years. This kit will do just that! This kit is designed to increase flow thru the heads by 74% to prevent head cracking from "hot spots". The original pre-'97 6.5's came with an 87 GPM pump. This kit provides a brand new 130 GPM pump. To handle the increased flow, GM went to a dual thermostat crossover pipe. GM did not change the radiator in 97, they found it more then adequate to handle the increased flow. This kit provides everything you need to perfrom the conversion in 1-2 hours. Included is a 130 GPM pump with pump gasket and backing plate gasket. Includes dual thermostat crossover housing and outlet cover with bolts, 2-180 degree high flow thermostats and o-rings. Also a new upper radiator hose and bypass hoses are included, plus detailed instructions.

It is highly recommended to replace the lower radiator hose p/n ssd-8778 and heater hose connector p/n ssd-056 at this time as you already have the fluid drained and the parts in your hand anyways!

This kit works great on it's own, and even better if used in combination with our Duramax fan/clutch upgrade kit for the 6.5TD.

If using on a G/P van and/or cab/chassis please advise when ordering, as the upper radiator hose differs on those models and we will supply the correct hose.

This kit may not work on all motorhomes. The upper radiator hose on motorhomes are motorhome brand specific and our supplied hose may not fit. We cannot supply you that hose. You will need to contact your motorhome dealer for that hose or make up a custom hose. For motorhome use, purchase at your own risk of fitment.

All 1994-95 models require a simple notch be ground or filed into the alternator/tensioner bracket for clearance.

Not for use on 92-93 vehicles (or any year with manual injection) unless you have high level fabrication skills. For 93 vehicles or those with manual injection, we recommend our kit ssd-4902 also sold in this category.