5.9 ve tuning
 

Can anyone reccomend any Shops in the greater DMV area that know how to tune the old 6bt's?

DMV?

Around here that is what I call the - Department of Motor Vehicles.

DC Maryland Virginia

Better off to fiddle and learn on your own.

FWIW, I always struggled with carbs and spark ignition. Diesels were somehow easier for me - 6.2 Chevy diesel was my first.

I agree with u2slow, it is best ti learn how to tune them yourself.

What are you looking to do with the tuning?
More power, improved bottom end, less smoke, more RPMS?

right now just bottom end and less smoke

Lacking bottom-end power is rarely a problem. Except automatics - they throw a bunch of that away. This may require a lower stall converter.

Smoke when? Has it been 'tuned up' before? If so, they may have dialed the AFC and/or fuel pin for more fuel (smoke) to try and help the first problem. If it smokes constantly (warm/hot idle) you could have an injector thats not performing.

There is a reason they started using 12cm ex housings from 94+ and that's to spin the turbo up sooner - more boost/peppiness and reduce smoke.

The power is there on the bottom end I suppose, its just that if I dont baby the first 3rd of 2nd gear, 3rd gear, and the first 1/4 of 4th gear, im laying a smoke screen accross all lanes of traffic. Once I make it through that little bit of each gear I can lay on it and it wont smoke much if at all. Once I hit 5th gear, I can put the pedal through the floor no smoke no problem and take off very well. Its just that any time I need to accelerate quickly to pull into rush hour traffic.... its a smoking nightmare

Also, I dont know if its normal, but I dont even use first gear. I could pull my house off its foundation with first gear but it wont even do 5mph. I just assume that first is only there to get the wheels turning with a heavy load before putting it into second

1st gear is acting like it should.

I would start with tightening up the spring on the AFC to slow down the speed the fuel comes on. I also have good luck using the earlier '89/'90 AFC spring as it is stiffer. the Hungry Diesel sell them for about $20.

Its been a few weeks since ive watched cutter rob rebuild a ve on youtube, is that done with the star wheel under the cap, or the nut/bolt on the top of the afc cap

Yes tighten the spring down using the star wheel.
LOTS of videos out there if you want to see what you are working on first.

yeah Im dreading having to go buy a good pair of vice grips and some hex head screws to get those slotted screws out first. Sadly Im at work right now too so I have to wait until this afternoon. I would love to be able to accelerate without having to stare into my rear view/right side mirror for a change. On the subject of tuning, without any payload or towing, just my 180lb self and an empty bed, with what im assuming is a stock H1c ( the placard says its an H1c but the previous owner swears up and down he paid a guy to install an "upgraded" turbo) under mostly normal/ maybe some legally aggressive acceleration up to but not going over 70, what is normal ish boost behavior? When I shift a gear and start to accelerate harder after getting through the first little bit of each gear, i see up to 3-10lbs of boost just until I settle out at a cruising speed. In 5th gear if im merging from a 50/55 to a 60-75 freeway and stomp on it I can see up to 22lbs of boost but thats pretty rare. It my first cummins/first diesel if you dont count my deere, and its my first turbo equipped vehicle so I dont really know what to expect.

A stock 1st gen would make about 22 #s of boost.

If your truck smokes pretty hard at first, I am guessing it is not stock anymore.

I have most of mine tuned to see about 30 #s of boost, with little to no smoke at the bottom of each gear. I drive 5 speeds too.

What is wrong with using a flatheadeed screw driver on the screws on the AFC?

nothing inherently wrong with the using a flat head, but even with channel locks on my biggest flat head, I cant get them to break loose. Im just afraid to walk into a tool store to buy channel locks because I know darn well I wont walk out with just the channel locks.