Kenne Bell Explorer Phase 2 build begins!!!

I finally got off of my lazy butt and started tearing KBX down for its phase 2 stage of mods I have planned for it. I took a vid but way too busy/lazy to post it. The whole front end and hood are pretty much torn off and I just dropped the radiator out. I should be pulling the engine tomorrow if my schedule allows. A lot of interesting things going on with this stage of mods. After this stage of mods are completed I should be able to lay down some pretty respectable power finally; along with some good ET's in the 1/4 mile.

So far the additional mods that are sitting in my garage are:

*VT built 4.6 Billet shortblock
*Kenne Bell 8 rib swap kit w/ 2.75" snout pulley
*KB 8.5" crank pulley (20psi boost)
*New adapted fenderwell CAI fabbed by yours truly (very custom)
*Steeda billet fuel rails w/ -8AN crossover
*JBA headers
*Meziere electric water pump WP347
*Meziere wiring kit
*SD 60 lb/hr injectors
*SCT BA2800 MAS (swapping from my existing BA2400)
*Art Carr 4R70W tranny w/ 3200 stall TC built to withstand 900 hp. I am sure the swap from the 5R to the standalone 4R will be fun.
*8 bolt flywheel
*SN-197 Tranny K-member adapter for 4R70W
*Dual Ford GT (supercar) fuel pumps
*Dual -8AN fuel lines
*Aeromotive A-1000 FPR
*-6AN return line
*Baumann TMU for 4R70W
*4R70W tranny wiring harness



*Custom driveshaft (after new tranny is in)


Anyways in the list of mods I am probably forgetting something in one of the lists. Should be fun. Hopefully I can get it to 600 within the next few months if things go well (money+time). I love doing all the work on my own truck and all, but I kind of wish I could snap my fingers and have it done. Along with the power mods I am also going to be going with a chrome accented Black and Ford blue theme under the hood. The valve covers will get the Ford blue along with the billet rails which already are blue along with the elec fan. Depending on price I might take my PA perf. alternator I been running and have it powdercoated blue also. Well I have yapped for long enough in here tonight. Good night.

 

[Jakee]

I started the truck today for the first time. I was surprised by how well it ran on the initial tune I made for it. I guess I did something right! With all the changes I had made I was thankful it even started, let alone idled so well. I also hooked up my new LM-1 wideband and logged A/F through my Xcal2 for the first time today. It looks like I am finally prepared to actually tune this thing!


Here is the video of the moment of truth.

KBX Phase 2 First Start


The starter is a little loud but no big deal. Listen to that fan pulling the air! BTW, that is just my trans cooler fan, not even the main ones.

Now I just have to work out some minor tune issues (throwing codes for nonexistant tranny). After I do that and tune my TCS then I should be able to take it for a spin and log A/F while under a little load. Tweak the MAS trans from there and then it it out to break it all in!

Hell Yeah!

 

[jah81592]

Rocket glad to see this coming together for you. Good luck....

 

[rocket 5979]

Rocket glad to see this coming together for you. Good luck....

Thanks, but I do have to give thanks to a certain SCT tuner that I know who has been helping me out with a thing or two the last few days. One hell of a guy. Man that PRP gives full tunability but it needs more access to ALL perameters including the "minor" ones.

 

[CDW6212R]

Well done, pat yourself on the back. I drove my 99 home last night for the first time. Regards,

 

[Jakee]

Rocket - I know the feeling you had when turning the key for the first time......Months of work......Months of research.........Months of thoughts............Staying up late wondering if you've tackled all the details...........All this money in this engine........Turn the key and Vroooooom. It's alive!


Good job!

 

[rocket 5979]

Rocket - I know the feeling you had when turning the key for the first time......Months of work......Months of research.........Months of thoughts............Staying up late wondering if you've tackled all the details...........All this money in this engine........Turn the key and Vroooooom. It's alive!


Good job!

Hehehehe. You said months... Think a little bigger. Lets just say that the process has been long enough where I have learned entire new trades because of it.

You were close with what you said but I can sum it up in one word "hehe". You didn't catch it on the video but I had to give myself a little chuckle when I started it.

 

[Jakee]

I know you were shaking.

 

['97 V8]

Sweet, its alive. Sounds good, and idles smooth. I pity the poor ******* that challenges you to a race.

 

[rocket 5979]

Sweet, its alive. Sounds good, and idles smooth. I pity the poor ******* that challenges you to a race.

I pity their bank account even more. Gotta love RSD days at the local dragstrip.

 

[Black Magic]

Sounds like music to my ears! Keep it up!

 

[Turdle]

Wow!!
I would really like to see the screen on your laptop-while you scroll through the data--if your camera can capture it.

Glad to see your dream is becoming reality--

 

[rocket 5979]

Wow!!
I would really like to see the screen on your laptop-while you scroll through the data--if your camera can capture it.

Glad to see your dream is becoming reality--

Once I get into the WOT tuning of it i might just take a quick video after I have things dialed in. Show a quick look at all the PID's I am logging, including A/F, and then also take a look at my boost gauge hitting 17+ psi in less than a second.

 

[frickea86]

wow guy, you are an master of the work, what i would do to know the knowledge you know. i love working on these trucks but you take it to an all new level....lol

ever want to do a sohc build up let me know....

 

[rocket 5979]

wow guy, you are an master of the work, what i would do to know the knowledge you know. i love working on these trucks but you take it to an all new level....lol

ever want to do a sohc build up let me know....

Thanks for the compliments bro. I don't know how many of you will believe this or not but I didn't know jack squat about vehicles and modding for performance till about 7 years ago. You ask me 7 years ago if I could change my own oil and I might have frowned.

In the last 7 years I have lived by a few mottos. "Look at it long enough and I will understand it.", The only way I will learn it is if I man up and do it.", and "Its better me spending my time to do it than spending money to pay someone else to do it."... Couple living by those mottos with an absolute obsession to learn more nad pretty much dedicating all my time and energy to projects like this and here I am.

While it may be scary as all hell to some my best advice is to just jump all the way in and start learning and modding; BUT pay CLOSE attention to detail so nothing has much chance to get screwed up. OK, off the soapbox I go.

ever want to do a sohc build up let me know....

I just did an SOHC buildup. Teeheehee...


Well if anyone wants to leave their truck with me for a while and give me lots of money to mod the hell out of it then I can set you V6 guys up with some pretty badass stuff too. I am thinking something along the lines of a custom centrifugal supercharger... Built bottom end... bigger fuel system... on and on... I can also mod the V6's to not so an ultra extreme level too with just a custom supercharger and a few other goodies.

 

[frickea86]

haha, sweet guy. thats good advice too because i normally just look at how it can come apart and then just do it that way....lol...but the engine, ehhh...ummm....to many parts.....

haha...about the sohc thing, i was like he's going to nail me for that one...lol...so thats why i left it veg...lol

see my thing is, i wouldn't just drop it off, id get a hotel and freaking help, i am not one to just take it somewhere an have someone work on it either, i like to do as much as possible...saves money an you can't put a price on knowledge learned.

 

[rocket 5979]

haha, sweet guy.

Did you just call me a sweet guy???









Hehehe.

see my thing is, i wouldn't just drop it off, id get a hotel and freaking help, i am not one to just take it somewhere an have someone work on it either, i like to do as much as possible...saves money an you can't put a price on knowledge learned.

That would be doable too. I can setup a custom centri setup pretty quickly actually. Just take a couple good pictures of your engine bay so I have a better idea of what the placement and spacing would have to be and I can go from there. If you, or anyone else, is willing to learn, I am willing to teach. After all, I teach for a living so I can't be all that bad of a teacher.

 

[BeauJ]

Sounds good man. What you think about this though?

 

[rocket 5979]

Sounds good man. What you think about this though?

Is that a cog drive I see on that? The bigger question would be, Is it yours? Hehehe.

Ask me what I think of it this time next year.

 

[jah81592]

Sounds good man. What you think about this though?

Beauj, Where the heck have you been? And how are you. I was wandering about you the other day.-James

 

[BeauJ]

Is that a cog drive I see on that? The bigger question would be, Is it yours? Hehehe.

Ask me what I think of it this time next year.

Nope, not mine YET. It's a buddy off the NLOC board who is a vendor. He makes all kinds of brackets, pan hard bars, traction bars, diff covers, a lot of polishing and plating, a tilt hood setup for L's, and now the cog setup...

He's been testing it for a while and getting me the set for $750. That's DAMN good considering a few websites and competitors want over $1200 for theirs. That video doesn't even do it justice though.... at WOT it sounds like a turbo. I fell in love after I heard it on the test drive