FXing things up: the build thread

FXd_up · Sep 4, 2014 at 4:36 PM

Well here it is! After owning the truck for a couple years and putting a ton of work into it, I've finally gotten around to starting a build thread. Hope y'all enjoy.

Getting down the basics:

Ever since I was a kid, I've loved taking things and seeing how they work. When I got my first car, I ended up breaking more things than fixing. So by the time I got the idea of doing this project, I wanted to make sure I had things down. So before I even started taking apart my own engine, I picked up a couple junk yard blocks to mess around with.

First was a 97 5.4 that had a blown head gasket. This was a MESS.

Getting the motor "unseized"

Then I picked up an 05 5.4 that had "overheated"....that was only part of the issue.

Nom nom nom valves....

Low compression piston...

FXd_up · Sep 4, 2014 at 5:23 PM

Getting the blower:

From the moment I bought the 04 I was on eBay and craigslist every day looking for supercharger kits. Everything was out of my price range until one day my friend suggested searching junk yards. I hopped on car-part.com and found a yard in AZ that had a complete kit pulled from a rolled over Roush Stage 3 truck. They gave it to me for $2000 with freight included. I even got some spare stuff that I really didn't need

Putting it on:
Electric fans makes life a little easier

Putting on the bored out throttle body. The smiley face is good for at least +5rwhp

Making sure things are working right

TxFx04 · Sep 4, 2014 at 5:35 PM

love it! I wish i had the know how i'd supercharge my brick of a truck lol

iowaredneck · Sep 4, 2014 at 6:11 PM

Awesome

FXd_up · Sep 4, 2014 at 6:53 PM

Front end trouble:
Fortunately for me, I was able to buy this truck for cheap. The truck already had the pro-comp lift, pro-comp wheels, and 35" BFG KM2s. Unfortunately for me, the previous owner thought that he owned a Raptor. So in order to get the truck to drive straight, I had to put in some work. Good thing Pro-Comp is local in San Diego

Cracked lift spindles

Driver side

Bent ball joints

Replaced blown uppers with uniball uppers, rebuilt coil overs (new shafts, internals, seals, oil, bump stops, and spherical bearings)

Since I had the whole front end apart anyway, I also put new inner and outer tie rods and sway bar links. Everything drives the way it should now, but I'm still waiting for more funds to put in polyurethane bushings for the LCAs and sway bar.