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!

 

[donalds]

Time for some water meth injection

 

[CDW6212R]

The fenders have some decent volume inside them at the front. I haven't yet dug into one but I plan to myself, to try to open the fender to extend the filter into it. The normal air is coming from the front, the grille and under the bumper. If you/we can open up a path there around the headlight, sized like the air intake piping, say 4"+, then air would like that path to the filter, by way of the fender also.

 

[Turdle]

Snorkle

 

[vroomzoomboom]

the map sensor took a dump now. wont read boost. grrrr.......

 

[vroomzoomboom]

been a min since i did any type of update. then again not much to really report.
when the map started to play its game, it pretty much ended all tuning for the moment. marty asked me to buy a 2.5 bar holley map and replace my 3 bar lowdollar map. still think the lowdollar one is ok, but if they dont like a ton of heat, that might have killed it. its mounted at the lower bottom of the intake next to the IAT sensor which i believe is also being heat soaked.
speaking of heat i have something coming that will help with that. it will be a PITA to put on, but it will help.
speaking of heat part 2 the great white north is pretty much been just the great north. barely any snow, the coldest i think it has been was -19C, and that was a overnight temp. i havent even had to shovel around evil, or even brush the snow off once this winter. we've mostly been barely below freezing temps. now that i have said that, it will snow more then enough to cover the north pole, and make any penguin want to don a parka.
when it gets warm enough out i am going to make a few minor changes, in hope to solve a few problems i have noticed since this holley system went in, so hopefully winter will be short, and not get 6 feet of snow in april.

 

[ahodges]

It sure has been an odd winter so far. I know it is early but very mild compared to the past several.

 

[donalds]

Same here knocking on wood

 

[410Fortune]

Spring time up here in the pnw! Problem is it’s January

 

[vroomzoomboom]

by rights it should be -20C without the wind chill right now. with the job i have, im mostly outside hanging off the front of a rail car or crane. i am not complaining by any means.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

2 months ago, i did a thing.

today it showed up.

a few years ago, i tried to make a group buy for these hoods. well, the plandemic hit full force and screwed it all up. a couple of members did get them, but that was all. i had to even drop my order.
fast forward to this spring and after seeing how hot evil runs after putting in the terminator, that kinda freaked me out. in the past i didnt know, now it was in my face. so one of the ways to get hot air out, was get a cowl hood. if you also go back god knows how many pages, i tried making one out of metal, but i couldnt get it to where i was happy with it. this one is also a little lighter as well being fiberglass.
in the coming months once winter is gone (winter, HA, we have been having a extended fall) ill get this on. its going to be a shame as well because i know i wont be able to get the flames matched. the guy who painted it, doesnt live here anymore. i am going to give one of my former bosses a crack at it, and hope he can come close.

 

[ahodges]

I can't wait to see how it turns out! That hood looks very familiar Did Rob remember to put the screens in the rear of the cowl?

 

[vroomzoomboom]

I can't wait to see how it turns out! That hood looks very familiar Did Rob remember to put the screens in the rear of the cowl?

he did......too bad they are going to be cut out when i open it up more.

 

[donalds]

I'm jealous

 

[ahodges]

Oh boy, modifying already! I thought about that but didn't want to compromise the rigidity of it.

 

[410Fortune]

Who makes the hood?

 

[4pointslow]

Evil is going to look even more..... Evil!
I can't wait to see it when it is done!

 

[vroomzoomboom]

I'm jealous

my wallet is jealous of yours.

Oh boy, modifying already! I thought about that but didn't want to compromise the rigidity of it.

same. when i unboxed the hood and saw it didnt open to the engine bay, i gave him a call. he had said it will be ok to open it up.

i will have to wait when it gets warmer outside, but what i also what to see if i can do is to make some type of box in the opening, then put a flap that i can control with some type of solenoid to open and close it for when i park it, or wash it. that or get someone to 3D print a plate that i can put on the outside of it so its not open to the elements.

Who makes the hood?

fiber concepts. here is the link

Ford

give rob a call, tell him the guy with the explorer from canadan told you about it. im on a facebook group and one guy is tying to get a group buy going now, so he might include you with that.

Evil is going to look even more..... Evil!
I can't wait to see it when it is done!

im actually kinda nervous about how it will turn out. nothing will match, but i dont know how bad it will be. i have pearl in the clear, so that wont match. i have a different person that is going to attempt the flames, so i know those will be different, as well as the colour of the flames will be different to. i may also ask the guy doing the flames if he can add something to it as well but will have to see what his skill set is.
im just happy its nice up here right now. as long as we dont get a major dump of snow, i thing that by the beginning of march it will have melted, then i can get back at fixing the issues that were found when we got it running. that way i can put new tires on after i kill the new set thats on it.

 

[ahodges]

I specifically had him make mine functional. Mine has 2 oval holes side by side through the inner and outer fiberglass where you have it circled. He forgot to put a grating over the holes to keep critters out so I had to add that. Believe it or not, he just uses gutter guard grating and glues it in. It looks really nice. I can send you pictures of it.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

I specifically had him make mine functional. Mine has 2 oval holes side by side through the inner and outer fiberglass where you have it circled. He forgot to put a grating over the holes to keep critters out so I had to add that. Believe it or not, he just uses gutter guard grating and glues it in. It looks really nice. I can send you pictures of it.

i also asked for it to be functional, it has the two holes on the out side but not inside.
sure, send some pics when you get a chance andy, and thanks!

 

[ahodges]

He did the same thing on mine. I cut the oval holes on the inside to match the outside.