"Red Bull"

Red Bull
(Bandit #7)

Specs:

1998 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer
5.0 V8
4R70W
4.10 D35 Open
4.10 Ford 8.8
Manual 4406
BFG All-Terrain's 285/75/16 (33's)

Mods:

Engine
302 bored .030 over (306)
XE264HR Cam
Dual Valve Springs
OBX Headers
Machined GT40P Heads
Red Powder Coated Intake, Oil Pan, and Valve Covers

New:
Injectors, valve seats and seals, lifters, pushrods

Steering
2003+ Sport Trac Knuckles
Mevotech TTX TRE's

Brakes
Sport Trac Brake Upgrade:
-12" Rotors (Front)
Ceramic Brake Pads

Lighting
6000k 30w LED's
Clear Headlight Corners and Lenses

Suspension
Warrior Shackles
Add-A-Leafs
2" Torsion Twist
1" Body lift
Bilstein 4600 Shocks
Mevotech TTX Ball Joints and Upper Control Arms
Extended swaybar links

Interior
Limited Steering wheel with redundant radio and digital temp controls
Digital HVAC
Custom leather upholstery (red leather in place of perforated leather)

Electronics/Communications
CB Radio

Exterior
Custom chili pepper red Paint PPG concept
Tupperware removed and holes welded up
"Serious Explorations" license plate frames front and back
Cut and re-welded front fenders 5" to clear larger tires
Limited Color Keyed Front Grill
Painted Rear Bumper
Chopped front bumper bed-lined

Sound
JVC KW-NT300 Nav/DVD/CD head unit
PAC adapter for steering wheel controls
Kicker DS68 6x8 Coaxial speakers
OEM 8" sub
SiriusXM

Exhaust
Flowmaster Super 44

Replaced:
Fuel tank
Cats
Tailpipe
Leaf Springs
Steering Rack
Inner Tie Rods
Front 4.10 Diff
Water Pump
CPS and Synchronizer
Radiator
A/C System
Front O2 Sensors
Muffler
Wheel Bearings
Multiple Fuel Pumps
Motor Mounts
Transmission mount

Rebuilt
Transmission
Engine

Kris' Old Registry

 

[TexasArmadillo]

Man, you shouldn't been mouthing off to the Beaver.

 

[MrQ]

Lol, Mike.

Anyways, this is the week I get the rest of the 33's and get them mounted. I am way excited about this!

 

[MrQ]

And they are on!

I had to do some minor bumper trimming, but all in all these are a great upgrade!

 

[NICE59FORDF100]

Looking great as always sir!

 

[Keeper0311]

Looks good man!

 

[gmanpaint]

So...See you at Smorr in may with Red Bull then?

 

[TexasArmadillo]

Looks nice.

 

[GRNMACHINE]

Looks even Better!!

 

[MrQ]

Thanks guys!

At Discount Tire I got many compliments on Red. The sales guy was asking what lift I had on it and what I was going to do with it and so forth. He said it was a "gnarly" rig and "one of a kind". I just nodded my head and laid down the specs. The pit boss was unsure about the tire fitment and to some extent so was I. So, I watched and waited outside the garage for a full hour while they worked on Red and once they got the first tire on the front I knew everything was going to be alright.

Anyways Red isn't finished quite yet. There may be one more piece of lift hardware going on it, I need to find some 4.10's front and rear, install the CB, and put in a locker. I have been told by the Demon crew to steer away from the Aussie lockers so I am going to look elsewhere and see if I can find a good deal.

 

[Xeek]

me and jd have aussies in the rear. both of ours are fine, no problems, and perform well.
i know other people have them also.

truck looks good with the new tires tho

 

[MrQ]

After driving on the new tires for a while I have noticed something that is not unexpected: my gas mileage has tanked (pardon the pun). Unfortunately, until Russell reprograms my computer for the new tires, I'm stuck guessing how bad it is, but I am pretty sure I'm getting about 12-13mpg in town. Part of the problem is my gearing, the other half is my lead foot . I am now actively in search for an explorer with 4.10's to take so I can try and bring my gas mileage back up a bit. It is my daily driver after all.

 

[NICE59FORDF100]

We'll get it working bud! If yea can, do the chalk test to figure out the tire rev per mile to get the most accurate speedometer calibration

 

[MrQ]

Red Bull is down for the count right now. Apparently the New fuel pump I put in last year at Kris' house decided to give out. Fortunately its still under warranty, and I'm not out another $100. This time though I'm going to clean out the tank really well. The last time there was reddish gunk coming out of the fuel filter and the fuel pump sock was filthy. I may just have to change the tank out all tpgether, if its real bad.

 

[sport97]

That is some crappy luck on the pump! I love the 285's! I wish I had that clearance up front to shove 285's under there. Heck I may put a 1" body lift on to keep my 265's. I keep smashing them into my fenders as it is.

 

[MrQ]

Its still pretty tight with the 285's on there. I'm thinking about going with a 2-3" body lift and removing the 1" body lift it has already. I'm already rubbing the top of the fenders when I stuff them.

 

[sport97]

Its still pretty tight with the 285's on there. I'm thinking about going with a 2-3" body lift and removing the 1" body lift it has already. I'm already rubbing the top of the fenders when I stuff them.

I can imagine, that is a 33" tire. I bet 2" would suit you well.

 

[NICE59FORDF100]

You know, stripes fuel pump went out less than a year after I installed it. At least its under warranty! Keep us updated man!

 

[MrQ]

Thanks to Kris, I'm getting a newer tank for Red Bull off his Kermit Clone. So I'm off to Austin again.

 

[MrQ]

Ok, it was weird, but a couple of nights ago, just for kicks, I decided to see if the old trick of banging on the tank would get my fuel pump working again. After giving the tank a good massaging with my rubber mallet, Red Bull turned over without an issue. Not sure if I would get it started again, I turned it off, then started it up. Did this 5 times and every result since then has been the same, Red turns right over. My only conclusion is that since I was running a little low on gas that some material in the tank clogged the fuel pump causing it to shut down. As of right now, Red is running like a charm.

On a side note the guys at the tire shop aired up the tires to 40psi, methinks this is a little high and my current rough ride confirms it. What do you guys run in your 33's?

 

[gmanpaint]

What do you guys run in your 33's?

Don't know about everybody else Dan, but I run 35 psi on the road. Just enough to keep them from getting hot, and enough to keep the sidewalls stiff. Maximum tread patch on the pavement, and a softer ride.

Service shops tend to over inflate for me as well, even if I tell them not too. Must be some kind of insurance thing that they make their help do. They like to cram 50 psi in mine. :scratch: