Be prepared!! Many how-to comming soon!!!

[buckflash]

Alright here it is!

I've been thinking about many projects on my X for a while. Now that i'm back from afghanistan, I got all the time and money I need to make them and I decided to make something useful out of it and make a how-to of everything i've done ou will be doing on it.

First, I bought my truck last year, it's a black Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 2006 V8. I didn't like the gold paint at the bottom of the body so I sent it to the body shop to have it match the rest of the truck. Then, I painted the front grille and I blacked out my headlight's housing and backdoor handle.

The pictures will be following soon!

Here are the modifications I have made so far:

-Painted the front grille in black (How-To will be posted + how-to remove frony grille)
-Painted the headlight's housing in black (How-To will be posted)
-Painted the backdoor handle
-Painted the gold part of the body in black

Here are the plans I have for the next weeks:

-Magnaflow exhaust (received) (How-To will be posted)
-K&N cold air intake (comming next tuesday) (How-To will be posted)
-Cragar wheels 16 x 7 (comming next week)
-Maxxis Big horn 265/75/16
-Hunter brush guard (comming this month hopefully) (How-To will be posted)
-Custom safari rack (doing it next week) (How-To will be posted)
-2 in. body lift (Roadbully or Truxxx)

These are the pics of Before-During-Now:

Before

During

Now

All the How-Tos will be posted this week hopefully for the grille, headlights, exhaust and cold air intake and maybe wheels. The body lift, brush guars and safari rack will be posted as soon as I received the parts and instaled it!

I Hope this will help!

 

[RaiderKC]

looks better all in black

 

[Cozmik]

That looks really good. Are you keeping the stock wheels or going with aftermarket?

 

[buckflash]

I'll put aftermarket wheels on. The cragar 16 in. soft 810 serie in black and maxxis big horn tires 265-75-16

 

[panteramatt]

Let us know prices and mpg and hp gains on the exhaust and intake. Looking into getting my wife those for christmas.

 

[buckflash]

Hey! I've looked what was the US price for both and I found the air intake new on amazon for less than 200$... otherwise it's 280 ish and 11hp gain. It's really well explained on how to install it with the kit (3 pages of pictures and remarks)

The exhaust was around 500$... 484.98$ US at www.magnaflowstop.ca with free shipping. Really noticeable power gain in the pedal.

I've got the V8 engine and now it really sounds like a powerful V8!!

The only thing I think is that you lose a bit of mpg but not that much compared to the 21hp gain!

I'll post pictures this afternoon with the Magnaflow and K&N installed and my NEW WHEELS!!! It really looks aggressive and bad ass now!!! I LOVE IT!!!!

 

[panteramatt]

Cool. Did you actually feel a seat of pants difference?

 

[buckflash]

Here are the first pictures of my truck with the new wheels and K&N... I'm waiting for my girlfriend to bring back the camera, the pictures of the how-to and magnaflow are still on it!

I wont try to reinvent the wheel by making a hot-to install the K&N.... here's the link to the best how-to available
http://www.knfilters.com/instructions/57-2573_inst.pdf

 

[buckflash]

More pictures!!!

 

[buckflash]

Cool. Did you actually feel a seat of pants difference?

I'm sorry, i'm Quebecker and i'm not sure what you mean by seat of pants
If it's what I think I understood, there is a really big change in the sound of the vehicule... REALLY more powerful sound and torque also!

 

[Divemaster191307]

Would you happen to know the offset of those wheels? I'm looking at some 265/70-17, which are roughly equivalent to your 265/75-16, but yours look like they are sticking out a little more than I would want to...

 

[jupiterak]

Looks great. Love the painted grille, makes it look more aggressive.

 

[Black06]

Hey buckflash,thinking about painting out my lower trim too black...kinda like what you've done.Hope you don't mind me asking...how much did that set you back? Please let a fellow Country member know!

 

[panteramatt]

Seat of Pants means how it feels powerwise. Does it feel more powerful? With that kit can you run it straight back under the rear bumper? Just wonder how that k&n can make more power than the KMM with all those bends in it.

 

[buckflash]

Hey buckflash,thinking about painting out my lower trim too black...kinda like what you've done.Hope you don't mind me asking...how much did that set you back? Please let a fellow Country member know!

Hey! It cost me 3000$ but it will be a lot less for you because i had to replace the front bumper because it was broken and it costed 1250$ only to replacr it!

 

[buckflash]

Would you happen to know the offset of those wheels? I'm looking at some 265/70-17, which are roughly equivalent to your 265/75-16, but yours look like they are sticking out a little more than I would want to...

I'll try to get the offset this saturday cause im out of town... But there is a quarter inch spacer behind the wheels and on the picture, my wheels aren't straight with the vehicle

Ill post info tomorrow
Seeya

 

[Mike Deege]

Good job, looks great. Thank GOD you made it home in one piece. Thank you for your service. JMO but would you consider de-badging and losing the roof racks(unless you use it).

 

[SkanlaxJMO]

how about some roof lights?...and maybe ditch the running boards so it has a higher stance?

 

[Black06]

Hey! It cost me 3000$ but it will be a lot less for you because i had to replace the front bumper because it was broken and it costed 1250$ only to replacr it!

Thanks Buckflash.I kinda wondered why you had the lower air dam(black piece of trim below the front bumper)from a 07 on a 06.By the way,your truck looks great.Keep the mod's coming.

 

[Divemaster191307]

I'll try to get the offset this saturday cause im out of town... But there is a quarter inch spacer behind the wheels and on the picture, my wheels aren't straight with the vehicle

Ill post info tomorrow
Seeya

Cool, merci!

BTW, I do love that blacked out grill. I wish I'd done that before I went with a "chrome" bullbar.