get a 6.0 IC and get the intake plumbing from a '99

Doesnt matter if its a 6.0 or 7.3... You will not notice a differance between the two. Just get one.

Then you will need the EARLY 99 Y pipe and some sets of IC pipes... You will NOT just throw the IC in and bolt up the tubes, you will have to cut and fit the IC tubes to make it work... Its a full saturday full of work.

ive been looking at some people's trucks who have done the install you're right it is a lot, but its worth it to make the turbo last longer and get more power. I got a 7.3 IC I just need to get all the piping now

An intercooler has benefits for later upgrades, but you won't notice more power and I don't know why it would make your turbo last longer.

wont the IC provide slightly more power from getting the cooler denser air into the engine which will also give you lower EGTs, and from what ive heard keeping the EGTs lower will help your turbo last longer but thats what ive come to understand

EGT's have nothing to do with turbo longevity. The only reason we watch EGT's is to protect the aluminum pistons in our motors.

Adding an IC will net you lower boost levels, and lower egt's for sure, but you would not get a noticable bump in hp by adding an IC alone.

okay that makes sense, how hot is too hot for the EGT's to be at before we need to worry about damage?

1250 for an extended period of time, you can go over that for shot bursts.

what is the definition of a short burst? like a mile or less?

Its a time thing, not a distance thing...

Example...

Your cruising along at 600* for the last 5 hours and some jack hat decides to see what you have... It will take a LONG time for the pistons to reach that danger area, once you exceed the 1250* red line. How long- well that's up to you and the size of your balls, and wallet...

Second example...

Your towing 20k, been pulling most of the day at 1000* and come to a pass... Some jack hat (LOL) decides he wants to block you in behind a semi and you put your foot in it... Same thing but its going to take a lot less time to get the pistons to that danger area.

Few things to add to that... EGT stands for Exhaust GAS temp... It does not stand for Piston surface temp. You have alot of things working for you before you get the pistons so hot that they melt, crack or break... Fresh cool air is brought in with every stroke, cool (relatively) oil is sprayed on the bottom of the pistons with every stroke, and there is a thing called boundary air layer (there is always a layer of air that does not move or change and is like a "force field" at the top of the pistons...

Long post but it helps for people to understand EGT's...