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!

 

[Dono]

<<cough>> There doesn't seem to be much left of my motor, I might need a donor block <<cough>>

 

[vroomzoomboom]

<<cough>> There doesn't seem to be much left of my motor, I might need a donor block <<cough>>

done. in more ways then one. ill get on it and drop it off at dimas's. block, caps, and anything else he needs?
tell him NOT to toss your old block away. i want it to bolt everything back on for when i make this stuff if you dont mind

 

[Dono]

Lets wait until he tells me what a dart block would cost compared to his machining your block. I'm still waiting to hear what his thoughts are. Hopefully I'll hear something in a day or two.

 

[ahodges]

Don, I didn't realize you were having issues again. You might be coming to the 4 bolt main side?

 

[vroomzoomboom]

Don, I didn't realize you were having issues again. You might be coming to the 4 bolt main side?

me being the cheapskate that i am, i am trying to talk him out of it because i will give him a production block if he wants it. but the thought of having a block that will never split when you huck 20 psi of boost at it is also a envious thing as well.

 

[Dono]

Yea Andrew, I'm in to a billet torque converter now, and need to check my trans pressures at the torque converter. I need to get a gauge on the cooler line going to the transmission and check driving pressures when the motor goes back in. Something is pushing on the crank.
Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like there is anything left of my current motor. I am on the edge of an aftermarket block, its just money holding me back.

 

[Centaurus5.0]

...its just money holding me back.

It doesn't look like it's held any of you back so far!

C'mon! Juss a lil' more..

 

[vroomzoomboom]

It doesn't look like it's held any of you back so far!

it does. eating tomato soup made from ketchup packages you stole from mcdonalds sucks.

 

[Centaurus5.0]

So who's gone the quickest in the quarter so far? I heard a member name Troll went 11's??

 

[Dono]

Not completely sure about Troll, but the current member with the quickest ET is @4pointslow with his 4.0sohc
He's putting us v8 guys to shame.

I'f I can hold my motor together reliably, I'd be interested in taking a tear down the quarter and seeing what I can do. I'm concerned about Tim and his factory block once he's done his next round of upgrades.

 

[Centaurus5.0]

Everyone here is hovering around the high-12's low-13's?

4pointslownomo!

 

[Dono]

Yup. Sounds about right.
For the life of me, I have no idea how guys can slap random stuff together and go really fast. It just isn't that easy.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

I'm concerned about Tim and his factory block once he's done his next round of upgrades.

your not the only one, but if it blows, it will go out in a blaze of glory.

as for fastest 2nd gen, im not sure. there were 2 guys. trolls, and clowns (or clownz, cant remember). i saw a video of trolls running down the 1/4 then hitting the brakes before the traps and i think he was in the 11's. never saw a video of clowns but i hear his truck was fast as hell as well. both v8's. now if you get into fastest 2nd gen with a v6, i do believe 4pointslow has that covered.
evils never going to hit a 11 ever. if i even went mid 12's that will be fast enough for me.

 

[ahodges]

To get into the 11's, they have to be pushing 600hp+ at the crank. I don't see any other way of getting there.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

over the last few weeks, there has been a problem that annoyed the hell out of me, and that is what felt like a binding throttle. you would try to take off from a light, and no matter how genital you were, it would almost snap off the line if you understand what im saying. i have the bracket set up a little different then stock because i no longer have the stock elbow on and had found if you bent it a little here or there if felt like it got better but would go back to the way it was. bumped into a co worker on a cruise night (who is also a major car nut) and he figured it was binding near the spring return. no biggie, i have a spare cable kicking around. i had also mentioned to him it felt like the peddle wobbled around a bit, but i didnt pay any attention to it, figured it was just a little slop in the peddle.....welll

tonight i think i figured out both problems.

i forgot reading a few years back a few members had the spot welds break off on the mounting tab on the firewall. one even had to use their shoe lace, tie it to the throttle cable and pull on it just to make it home. lucky for me i wasnt too far away and limped home.
so yea, PSA coming up. IF your bracket hasnt snapped off the firewall yet, now might be a good time to drill a couple of holes in it, and shove a nut and bolt, or drill a couple of sheet metal screws into it so that way it wont snap off on you at the worst time.
guess this is evils revenge on me for stomping on the loud peddle over the years.

 

[gmanpaint]

Never had that happen yet, but have broke cables before. Speaker wire works as a temp cable too.

Thanks for the psa, I will break out the flashlight and check mine now.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

Never had that happen yet, but have broke cables before. Speaker wire works as a temp cable too.

Thanks for the psa, I will break out the flashlight and check mine now.

if this helps, the welds broke on the fire wall side, so if you look at it from the cabin side, they will look fine, if you can see it from inside the engine bay, you might be able to see them cracking....maybe

 

[Dono]

I guess with no motor, nows the time to look at this, and maybe nut/bolt with rtv

 

[vroomzoomboom]

my parts from jegs came in this morning (and i am not to impressed how they handle shipping coming to here either) metco 2.7 pulley and hub. i can already see im going to have problems with belt slippage, but hope i am wrong. anyone know if the hub is suppose to be flush with the end of the shaft on the snout? i dont have a install tool so my plan is to freeze the snout, and heat the hub to slide it on. hopefully it will work, or i will wipe out both of them with a single stroke of stupidity. the block is going to be for the heater hose coming out of the intake. i wont be able to use the factory steel lines after this because the fuel rail will be in the way, so this is how i am getting around it. i will also need to pick up a barb for the heater hose at a later time. also picked up the alum plate that will become the upper side of the intake after making all the holes it will need. its going to be lots of fun handling this stuff. im not sure if anyone else is like this, but if i touch alum. with my bare hands (even the new intake) i get the worst metallic taste in my mouth and its almost instantly to.

i also marked out the rough cut on the intake. i might start this weekend chopping it up if i can grow some balls and do it. i also have a childhood friend thats in town right now and would also like to spend some time with him, and his kids. only get to see him one a year so. i did take them out on cruise night sunday. his son got a real kick riding in evil. every time i rolled into the throttle, you could see a big smile on his face lol. as we rolled into one of the spots i go to, some had made a remark like "wow, look at that truck" as we drove past. my buddy had said something like "hey, they said something about your truck!" i told him we are going to get a lot of that tonight. he didnt believe me, until about 20 remarks later lol. we also found this in one of the spots we stopped at. ive never seen one in person, and i have to say, it did look pretty cool!

 

[WormsExplorer]

That Trans Am Looks Awesome! I love that color. I wish there was a way to get my Explorer that color. I know I can but just do not have the Moola for it. LOL