supercharged 5.0 true fire 98 explorer sport

hi everyone, my name is tim . i live in selkirk, manitoba, canada and as if this date that i am posting this, i am 36 years old.

i bought my sport in jan 05 from a local ford dealer. it had 111,000KM's on it. this is the second sport i have owned. it was sitting on the lot for about 8 months before i came along. i am the third owner (i was able to track down the person that traded it in, and they got it from a friend, who bought it new in 98).

i started to do a few things to it after i first got it, then i found this site, and all hell broke lose! i've never been satisfied with something the everyone else has, so i started to tinker with it even more.

mods include

interior

installed factory tilt, cruise, overhead console, auto dimming mirror, full length console, with a message center (it didn't have these from factory).

white face with blue flames indigo gauge covers (they light up blue)
blue l.e.d. everything
white l.e.d. interior lights
Kenwood DDX392 Touch Screen Head Unit
alpine 4 channel amp (all four speakers)
boston acoustic front and rear speakers
alpine mono amp (for sub)
2 12 inch jl audio subs
rockford fosgate cap
passenger side one touch window down mod.
custom transfer case shifter
tripple a pillar gauge pod, housing autometer boost, Innovate LC-1 wideband, and oil pressure gauge
12v power inverter with 120v plug in a 2 usb plugs built into the center console

exterior

BMW E46 projectors, mounted into stock housings using clear lens
6000K HID head lights
angel eye "driving" lights, with 8000k h.i.d.'s
clear parking/corner lights
billet grill (powder coated by Turdle)
blacked out ford emblems
custom front steel 95-98 bumper, with 4 inch round tubes welded in for driving lights
shaved radio antenna
shaved roof rack
black euro tall lights
l.e.d. license plate lights
smoked out 3rd break light
lund rear tailgate spoiler/wing (formally from the truck "blackjack" owned by EF member Spas)
hand made roll pan (made from 3 1/2 rear bumpers, with 1/4 inch diamond plate on the top, and it is removable)
aluminum T/A differential griddle/cover (powder coated by Turdle)
Motegi Mr107 20' rims
goodyear wrangler hp p245/50 r20
1 1/4 wheel spacer in the rear, 3/8 in front
and most noticeable, black with blue pearl paint, and blue true fire (ground effects are black with blue pearl as well)

Suspension

2 inch lowering blocks in the rear, reverse TT in the front (2 inch as well)
Explorer Express rear sway bar
4 door leaf springs
rancho rs9000 adjustable rear shocks
03-05 sport trac spindles with drilled and slotted rotors

performance

5L swap
347 stroker
TFS twisted wedge alum heads
comp gold 1.6 rockers
comp cams CCA-35-556-8 nitro cam
heavily modified edelbrock victor jr air gap intake (which serves as a valley pan now)
eaton m122 supercharger (metco 2.70 pulley, and ASP 8 rib 7 1/4 crank pulley) with custom made mount with bell intercooler core
8 rib serpentine belt conversion using pulleys from a 7.3 powerstroke
custom made 3 1/2 inch throttle body elbow
accufab 75mm throttle body
4 inch intake pipe
PMASS MH90 90mm Universal 3000 KG/HR MAF
amsoil cone filter
F.A.S.T. 60lb injectors
edelbrock fuel rails, trick flow specialties fuel pressure regulator with summit racing fuel pressure gauge
walbro 255lph fuel pump
1/2 inch steel braided fuel pressure line from tank to rail using 8AN fittings
torque monster headers
2 1/2 duel pipes with flowpro duel in and out 2 1/2 single muffler
accel extreme 9000 ceramic 45 degree plug wires with boot protectors
4R70W w/2600 stall with J mod
tuff stuff 200a alternator
tuning made possible with sct pro-racer package, and tuned with major help from member [MENTION=102869]Dono[/MENTION] and [MENTION=81804]4pointslow[/MENTION]
flex a lite duel 12 inch electric fans
big 3 upgrade (4 gauge wires)
meziere innercooler water pump
2 froozenboost innercooler rads

Transfer case

4406 manual shift from a 97 F150
modified stock trans cross member to accept 93 mustang 5L polyurethane tans mount
double cardan rear drive shaft

because of all the "fun" i had doing the bodywork, and some other things to my truck, i have nick named it "evil dora" or if you like, just plane "evil"!
and now the thank yous

my buddy gord leiss, who let this thing sit in his garage for 3 months while i did the body work to it. he also gave me a hand with some of the prep work, and painted it for me

kevin willson for doing the true fire http://affordableairbrushing.ca/

Joe Bukoski for letting me do the 5L/4406 swap in his garage

now people from this site, weather they knew it or not, they helped

BIG THANKS to tara a.k.a. explorersport77 for pictures of her truck. wouldn't been able to build the roll pan with out them!

ExplorerSport77's X "Hotness"

jon a.k.a. Turdle for selling me some real swanky rear shackles, as well as powder coating the diff cover and sending them up to canada. as well as much needed info on v8, and 4406 swaps as well as doing the grill and showing me how its done.

don aka dono for the help with the tuning, and wideband, as well as the supercharger

andy aka ahodges for some parts, and any help i needed for all the go faster goodies

5.0 swap - w/ 4406

jad2411 for finding me a link for my hidden antenna

ryan a.k.a. MustangP51 for doing his write up on making l.e.d.'s for interior lights, and how to make projectors

P51's HID Headlight (Projector) and Fog Conversion (PICS)

and N3ELZ cardomain page for L.E.D. switch and cruise pod mods

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/296394/2002-ford-ranger-regular-cab/page-6
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/296394/2002-ford-ranger-regular-cab/page-12
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/296394/2002-ford-ranger-regular-cab/page-23

bob a.k.a. rwenzing for showing me speedhut's sit for the gauges

Gauges, Custom Gauges, Tachometers, Speedometers, Shift Light, Pod

Buzz4x4 for his write up on blacking out ford emblems

How to Make Your Own Custom Ford Emblems

the late aldive for his write up on one touch down passengers window mod

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141027&highlight=touch+passengers+window+mod

BIG COUNTRY, for his write up on how to install a auto dimming mirror

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=84968

BIG COUNTRY, 98formulaLS1, and Ryon40 for there write ups on how to install a message center

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=225017&highlight=BIG+COUNTRY
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80670&highlight=message+center
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=245085&highlight=Ryon40

MountaineerGreen for his 4406 swap write up and "Custom" Driveshaft for a 4406 and 4" Superlift on the Cheap " (even tho its lowered

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=166726&highlight=awd+4x4+swap
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=185232

Simon, aka blueka for his "pickle" thread, and help anytime i picked the phone up the phone on the 5L swap

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=271813

Jon, aka 4pointslow for any MAJOR technical advice i have needed

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219092

i wish i could find who did the write up on the overhead console install, but here is the link

http://www.explorer4x4.com/overhead.htm

Russ aka NICE59FORDF100 for his help on the wiring, and what to watch out for electronically.

hopefully one day, i will be able to help people on here just as much as the people that i have mentioned above!

plus you know you have done something right when.....

your truck (as well as corkey) wins truck of the month

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=296023

is the feature truck on the fun hump day radio show (starts roughly around the 30 min mark)

http://explorerforum.podbean.com/2011/03/23/19-vroom-zoomboom/

and you drive 26 hours ONE WAY to the carlisle all ford nationals in june 2010 and 2011, and grab second place in the s.u.v. all category!

then in 2014 you go back to the same show you have been to 5 years in a row (nothing by most, but its one hell of a long drive) and take first!

 

[delexploder]

That's good news , i have a question a bit off topic ..did either of you guys swap your torsion bars when you did your V8 swap?

 

[ahodges]

I did. I went with the FX4 ranger torsion bars. The V6 ones were maxed out.

 

[delexploder]

Are they heavier than the V8 bars ? im about to swap in a set of those , my poor V6 bars are giving up lol

 

[ahodges]

I think they are referred to at the #1 bars, I can't specifically remember at the moment. I just know they are supposed to be the heaviest ones available.

 

[Turdle]

take a pic of the front end of you bar, where it goes thru the control arm. Wanna see the stamping.

some v8,s , some rangers and sport tracs use #1 bars. FYI

 

[CDW6212R]

I'm glad the tensioner helped with the noise. I've had two tensioners not Ford that eventually made me condemn them, one an off center pulley and one got weak in under two years. I've also added the tensioner to my Ford only parts list.

The starter solenoid(older Fords) was the first thing I ever put on that list. I had a one week old Autozone branded unit, which hung the starter running when I was at the Home Depot. I fortunately still had the 9/16" open wrench in my car, and some other tool I beat on it with. I fixed it with a new Motorcraft part($25 instead of about $15).

 

[vroomzoomboom]

no, i never did swap bars (to tell the truth, never even crossed my mind!). i will have to take a look at evil and see whats in there, and my ranger and see what it has. not that i am thinking of doing a v8 in that. dont need that hassle, or at least to my daily.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

lately dono has been tweeking on my tune, and i think she is where she needs to be. pulls like a freaking freight train and a few times has scared the crap out of me lol. trucks are like woman, if they dont scare the crap out of you every now and then, they arent fun lol.
lately i have noticed however when ever i have nailed it, the back would squat. which is normal, however the faster it went, it would continue to do so. also in dono's thread he had mentioned that one of his rear shocks started to leak and would need replacing. well if i am not wrong rock auto had rancho rs9000 adjustables on sale for the past few weeks. i had other parts from summit coming and they matched and beat rock auto's price, plus gave summit bucks, and there is also a mail in rebate for rancho as well. they came today, so i painted them black (would have looked funny silver with a all black truck) and put them in. they did make a difference. it doesnt squat as much now, and has a lot more firm ride (also found out if you have to stick your head under the back of evil to adjust them with the truck running, its loud AF under there lol).

dat ass...

 

[gmanpaint]

Those do help being adjustable. But if you grow tired of them, and want to be able to fine tune coil overs someday. Brian1 makes pin bar eliminators for the upper mounts. These open up the entire shock world to you. You can pick what you want with them installed.

I think they are cool black. I wish they came that way!

 

[vroomzoomboom]

dont get me wrong, i would love to do coils, however you have to monkey with the frame a little up front if i remember wrong. i dont want to give the vehicle inspection unit another reason to pull me over and do a roadside "safety"

 

[gmanpaint]

Coil overs in the rear don't need anything but the pin bar eliminators. Simple bolt on part that converts the top mount style to tabs for eyelets.
Leave the front stock with the 9000 or whatever you currently use. No frame mods.

 

[ahodges]

Glad to hear its finally running right after everything! Track times now?

 

[vroomzoomboom]

Glad to hear its finally running right after everything! Track times now?

that will happen at the end of September. that way if i do end up blowing it up, i have all winter to fix it lol

 

[ahodges]

Now that I gave you a chance to catch up , I'm going to have to do something else!

 

[4pointslow]

Track Times? Now I have something to look forward to!
Don't blow the freeze plug out this time or make sure you have water instead of coolant.
You don't want that track guy mad at you again.

 

[Dono]

Lol.
Tims braver than I am. I'm tired of breaking stuff.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

Now that I gave you a chance to catch up , I'm going to have to do something else!

and you have told me what that is. if you ever do it, im not gonna catch up lol!

Track Times? Now I have something to look forward to!
Don't blow the freeze plug out this time or make sure you have water instead of coolant.
You don't want that track guy mad at you again.

that problem is long gone...but now that i have said that....
i made a sold stainless steel L shaped strap for it that is a total ***** to get into the hole, but i am now able to crank the block heater in there. if it hasnt blown out with the way i have been driving it for the last year or 2, i would have to say im good!

Lol.
Tims braver than I am. I'm tired of breaking stuff.

fine line between bravery and stupidity. im surprised that when i pulled the crank out everything went smooth. i have now put 20w 50 oil in it. lifters still tick, but not as bad. i think its a characteristic of those rockers.
i am kinda itching to get to the track however. want to go when its cooler out however. i do think it will go in the 12's now. just dont know if i should run my smaller tires on it, or go with the 20's. smaller tires i will get out of the hole faster, but more then likely it will go into o/d before i cross the finish line, and shorting me 1000 rpms. if i use the 20's, well i have to run my wheel spacers. on the street is one thing, at the track thats another story. even though i have ask, and they said as long as they arent bigger then 1 1/2 they will allow them.
once again i launched it in 4wd on the road tonight and its screeching them in 4wd. that means to me either i need new tires soon (no, theres lots of tread left) or its making some kind of power now.

 

[4pointslow]

Don't let it shift into O/D at wot, it can destroy the transmission.
I learned about it before anything bad happened to my truck and blocked O/D at WOT in the tune.
If the weather is warmer you could experiment with both wheels and see how they do.
Warmer weather means the track is stickier too, so less traction problems.

That's awesome how you were able to make a better bracket for the block heater, glad you got that problem solved.
I think Dono solved his problem with loosing coolant through his head gaskets too so it is time for a rematch.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

and blocked O/D at WOT in the tune.

wait, what? as far as i knew you could only set the speed limiter, and we had mine jacked to as high as it would go (115 mph) or are you talking about the trans tune?
as for dons truck, it turned out to be 2 small pin holes in the head. i got luck when i clearanced my heads for the headers, he didnt. as for a rematch, i pretty much dragged him to the track the last time, and it ended up costing him a lot of money in broken stuff. not doing that again unless he wants to come lol

 

[4pointslow]

I forget exactly where it is in the tune, way too much going on in my head right now. lol.
It was a speed limit that had to be reached before going into O/D, so maybe on yours it was that 115 mph setting.
Not the same as a regular speed limiter that limits how fast the truck can go, just to clarify.

Did Dono have a blown head gasket that day at the track or was it the holes?