Blower availability for 5.0 Explorer?

[QTRMILE]

I've been looking for available superchargers for a '97 5.0 Explorer I'm working on for a guy, and was wondering what experiences you guys have had with any of the available kits.

I would like to stay away from centrifical units, as the boost curve is not conducive to how this truck will be driven. A roots type, such as the Eaton; or a Lysholm screw type, such as the Whipple would probably be perfect. Anyone have info on these blowers?
Thanks, Rob

------------------
no Explorers, but plenty of Fords:
'82 Mustang GT 351W
'82 F250 351W
'91 Mustang LX 5.0
'78 Mustang II pro street

 

[Phantom]

I don't have any informatin on it but there is one offered by www.explorerexpress.com

 

[n5xmt]

Explorer express has an Eaton kit for about $3900. Supposed to be a SUPER kick in the rear though!

 

[acng77]

The explorer express kit is available for $3299. I have personally seen it and driven it. They used it because it had better boost characteristics than centrifugal units. The staff are very knowledgeable and nice. They say it takes them 5 hours to install it and it has a CARB E.O.. Their new show car is a 99 V-8 XLT. When I drove it, it had 17 inch Cobra R rims and Pirelli Scorpion Zero tires. It also had Edelbrock IAS shocks and was lowered two inches. Powertrain modifications were the supercharger and their Magnaflow custom exhaust. The car has serious power at all rpm's. When you drive normally, the moost is bypassed most of the time. You cannot hear the superchrager until 4000 rpm and normal city or highway driving is the same. Once you step on the gas, the car moves through the gears really quickly. The car feels more like a DOHC engine. There is always more power, but the car really takes of at 3000. At high prm there is a whine which you can hear, but is not loud or intrusive. Driveability is unchanged. With the suspension mods the ride is noticeably harsher, but not really stiffer. Mostly due to the tires. After driving it, I am really excited. My plan is the get one after the warranty expires. Also the eaton unit has no scheduled maintenance for 100,000. At that point, I think they recommend you replace the sealed gear oil. Installation requires no modifications or rerouting. Just take off the upper intake manifold and install. Everything remains stock.

 

[QTRMILE]

Yeah, I've looked into the Magnassun/Eaton unit as pacakaged by Explorer Express, and my intial impressions were positive.

But after talking to one of their tech guys at length about the kit, fuel enrichment, pulleying the blower for more boost (the Magnusson is capable of a bit more than 6#...) and blowers in general, I came to the conclusion that these guys (or at least the one I talked to) are somewhat lacking in supercharger knowledge.

I am really interested in using a Whipplecharger on this truck, and when I told the guy that he said "we use an Eaton unit which is the same thing." Uhhh...hello? The Eaton is a roots type blower while the Whipple is a Lysholm Screw design. Both positive displacement units, but NOT the same ...

He also couldn't answer my questions about fuel enrichment, only saying the stock pump was sufficient. He said only more boost than 6# resulted in detonation. Well duh! If you don't add fuel you will lean it out for crying out loud...

Anyway, enough of my criticisms on those guys. If I get the go ahead (and the $$$) from the owner of the truck, I am going to install a Mustang specific Whipple on there. ITs gonna take some of my best "improvisational engineering," but I think I can do it if I can get the fuel enrichment figured out. For that I'll call Chris Johnson (who burns custom chips) and see what he thinks. I might just try and rig up an FMU, although I find those kind of primitive.

If I pull this off, you guys want me to submit an article on it? The Whipple is a fantastic piece, I only wish it was offered as a kit for Explorers. It would be PERFECT Dead Link Removed

Later, Rob


------------------
no Explorers, but plenty of Fords:
'82 Mustang GT 351W
'82 F250 351W
'91 Mustang LX 5.0
'78 Mustang II pro street

 

[CougarX]

Just wonderin, did this ever happen? I've been considering buying one of the last few EE chargers and did a search and found this almost 3 year old thread.

 

[leenjen]

go for it. alec has a roots type S/C on his OHV 4.0 and he hasnt had any problems. it definately sounds like it is worth it.

 

[james t]

the EE chargers are all gone. sorry. all we have left now is the powerdyne.

 

[EZEric81]

James, you are an employee there?

 

[james t]

no. i now realized when i said "all we have left..." it made it look as though i worked there... too many Rolling Rocks last night. anyway, i called them a couple of weeks ago, and they said they were gone. now all "we" have left is the powerdyne kit. "we" meaning us xplorer guys. and EE doesnt sell the powerdyne.

 

[tmsoko]

Rolling rocks - man, we should take up a collection for you! There are better beers out there

Anyway, what specifically did explorer express provide in their kit, that could not be fabbed easily? I had thought about their kit fo some time now, but obviously too long!

My current thoughts are toward a mustang Kenne Bell SC and have the "snout" cut down to the proper length for the explorer FEAD.

Let me know if there are other options. I definitely want a positive displacement SC for my truck.

Enjoy you Rolling rocks - BTW, as the Warstiener slogan goes, "Life is to short to drink cheap beer" LOL

Todd

 

[james t]

i love rolling rock! i am a budweiser man by nature, and i dont mean "light", or "dry", i mean the good hard red-label bud. i am NOT a fine beer connesuer(spell check). red label bud is as fine as they come to me...

the kenne bell would be sweet, they are the autorotor twin-screw kind, right? i read in a mustang mag a while back they compared the kenne to an eaton, and the eaton got spanked. what was funny to me, the kenne had a colder intake charge with NO intercooler than the eaton WITH an intercooler. those things are real efficient.

 

[jssong]

i just saw in a SUV magazine a kenne bell supercharger for a escape. they have it for an excursion also, i wonder why he doesnt make one for an explorer..

 

[james t]

because, the explorer has been "blackballed" from the aftermarket world for some reason. i dont know why, they are one of the best selling SUV's ever. i am hoping that now that the price has dropped on used X's (due to increasing age and the Firestone/Ford fiasco) there will be more "younger" people buying X's and wanting to modify them. maybe then we will get some aftermarket support. yea, right...