Warmed up the garage and finally got around to laying down the pinstripes. Truck looked good but very plain to me. So I picked up some silver tape to outline the black on the hood and tailgate.Then I did a small black/silver stripe down the side. Very simple and easy but dam do I love it.

 

well a little update....Truck is tore down for upgrades.

1;So far the upgrade includes a new Holset HX35 to replace my current turbo
2;Converting my log header to an external gate using a TiAL 38mm MVS venting out the fender
3;ditched the 25mm Bailey BOV and now have a TiAL 50mm BOV
4;Putting all the original powersteering back on
5;Removed the stock 48mm throttlebody and swapped on a 65mm unit off a Thunderbird SC
6;Replacing the original and shitty lookin front grill
7;Got ARP 3" wheel studs
8;Picked up a FlamingRiver master battery cut off kit
9;Removing my old skool LM1 wideband and installing a new AEM
10; building a new 4" turbo inlet with a massive K&N filter

Should have it mostly finished this weekend then Im lookin to retune and hit Milan for some testing. Hoping to come home with a slip somewhere in the 12.20-11.90 range

 

Saweet! Can't wait to see some vids from Milan

 

sounds legit!

 

Been workin like a madman on this thing tryin to get it ready for the track.

So far new 65mm throttlebody is done and new 50mm Tial BOV installed.

I also kept having my studs in my header come loose so I had the Helicoiled,new studs installed and roll pinned.

Then after a hole was bored in the bottom of my header I welded up some 304 schedule 10 for an external gate.



Added a heavy brace


mocked up with the new HX35,4" inlet and honkin K&N


I swapped out the manual steering box for a power box,installed the powersteering pump and bracket off my old Merkur,new lines and found out that the belts rub the dam steering box. Guess the Merkur stuff is a bit different than the Ranger stuff. Gone try a Mustang setup and convert to serp belt.

Installed a nice brand new chrome grill so the exterior looks finished now too

 

nice job on the header! looks tough

 

Back from hibernation.

Getting plans in place for a killer 2014. Major changes in store for this thing and the ball is already rollin.

Plans call for a completely new longblock this year.No more stock parts. Going to be building a bullet proof bottom end with Crower rods and Diamond pistons so it can take some rpm finally.

Goin with a Esslinger aluminum D-port head and one of their turbo roller cams.

Building a new design header to hopefully fix all my exhaust leak issues.

T5 getting a complete rebuild,retaining the v8 ratios.

Adding a complete Calvert Racing Caltrac suspension kit the rear.

Dumping the drag radials and goin to pick up some Hoosier 26x8.5 slicks.

Step #1 is handled.




Looking to build a motor that could run 10.90's then dial it back to run 11.50's all day. I refuse to put a rollbar in this truck so I will run right at the legal limit of the rules and call it done{fun}.

 

Well so far off to a good start!

Got Essy head all finished up and it looks great. The chambers are done,runners all cleaned up,titanium retainers and machined keepers,B&B Performance stepped head stud washers installed and spring pressure set at 124lbs on the seat.
I also have been on a spending spree....

Calvert Racing Caltrac kit,ARP undercut head studs,Esslinger machined aux shaft bearings and Crower Sportsman rods all in my hands. Later today the crank and block will get dropped off at the shop so we can start on those.

One major thing I hadnt addressed yet was my trans issue. I put the v8 3.35 geared t5 in late last year and loved it.However due to some bad teeth on 2nd gear it has an issue with downshifting into 2nd while rolling even tho it has all new syncros.It requires a quick "bump" of 1st gear before it will slide into 2nd.Under power it works flawless tho. Because of this issue I was looking at pulling trans and dropping it off at the shop so that gear could be replaced.On top of that in the back of my mind I keep wondering if my stock size flywheel and Pyro Pete clutch kit is going to be up to the task of holding my new motor... I know the fix for that is simply to do the v8 bell adapter and go with a redrilled 5.0 flywheel and bigger better clutch kits. My problem is I dont see any easy way to fit my exhaust between the frame rails with the much wider v8 bell without going under it running very close to the ground.
Sooo my next idea was maybe I should start looking into a c4 when I ran into a deal that was simply to good to pass up....

So rather than spending more money on my t5,hoping my clutch will hold up once new motor is in,trying to harness the violent launches,then praying I dont kill the t5 anyway I decided to just take the truck to the next level and go auto.

Im goin to go out on a limb right now and say with this new motor and trans setup thats goin in the truck I see no problem with this thing running DEEP into the 10s now.

Yep,I said it. This thing is going 10s this year.

 

Dang over a year since my last update! lol

Wonder if its worth getting this caught back up...?