04/01/01
Well, I finally got some of this stuff installed. The guage pod, dyed gray to match the interior (somewhat) and both new guages are installed and working fine. I now have boost/vacuum and fuel pressure guages inside the cab. I didn't get around to the shift light, but I'll make time for that later.

03/31/01
Got another package today in the mail. I've never known Summit to ship by USPS, but they certainly did this time. Anyway, I got the fuel pressure guage, so I can start installing it. I guess I'll work on that tomorrow.

03/30/01
UPS came again today. Do we see a pattern yet? I bet he's pissed about stopping here every day this week. I didn't note it here, but he also came by on Wednesday and delivered the Simpson 5 point harness I ordered for the race car. I bet he hates me, as much stuff as I order. I should probably buy stock in UPS. Anyway, he delivered the shift light and trigger box, but no fuel pressure guage. I guess I'll have to wait until Monday for that. I have to work tomorrow, but I hope I can find time to install some of this stuff this weekend.

03/29/01
UPS came again today. This time, I got the bypass valve and FMU calibration kit from Powerdyne, and the Superchip. There's not much in that Superchips box for all that cash. I hope it performs as advertised.

03/27/01
UPS came today and brought the guages and braided hose and fittings. Turns out, the fuel pressure guage I ordered needs an isolator to run it inside the cab, which costs $89. It makes more sense to me to get an electrical guage that costs $79 and comes with everything I need. Both are AutoMeter Phantom guages, but in this case, it's actually cheaper to go with the electrical guage than is to go with the analog one. Anyway, I went ahead and ordered the electrical guage, along with a penlite shift lite, and Summit trigger box for it. Hopefully I can install all that this weekend.

03/26/01
I finished installing the new fuel pump today. I had someone make a custom bracket to bolt it to the frame. It turned out pretty good, but it makes a slight high pitched humming noise that is audible in the cab. It's not that bad though. It's just part of the price you pay for high performance. At least that's one less thing I'll have to do when I'm ready to do the supercharger install. I've got the bracket cut down and I reconfigured the tensioner pulley for the supercharger belt. Now all I have to do is figure out how to mount the stock tensioner for the accessory belt. That may turn out to be the biggest challenge of the whole project. Of course, re-wiring the alternator won't be a picnic either, but I know I won't have any difficulty with that.

03/25/01
The guy from R.A.C.E. Systems finally emailed me back today. Turns out he was in an accident, and apparently couldn't get to his email. I really wanted to get a chip from him, but I had to go with Superchips, since I couldn't get in touch with him. My neighbor, having not one, but two supercharged Mustangs, is into the local Mustang scene. He recommended R.A.C.E. Systems, because some of his buddies had used his chips and thought they were a good product. It's a shame I couldn't talk to the guy before I ordered from PDQ Performance. I really hate to think I didn't get the best product. I'm sure the Superchip will work fine though. It will be customized to my engine setup, including the cam, heads, injectors, mass air meter, and lots of other info I gave them. It will be interesting to see how much difference it makes.

03/23/01
I thought I was done ordering stuff, but I forgot I needed a boost/vacuum guage, a fuel pressure guage, and a pillar mount guage pod. I also ordered the fittings and hoses to install the billet oil filter relocation kit I got from L&L several months ago. This is by far the best solution I have seen for the filter relocation issue, but it's damn expensive. With the cost of the billet pieces from L&L, and what I spent on Aeroquip braided stainless hose and fittings, it adds up to about $320 or so to relocate the oil filter. Obviously, it can be done much cheaper. The kit I'm using now was probably a total of $50 with the hoses and all, but when it comes to the oil system, I'd rather have the best stuff I can get in place. All it takes is one blown hose, and the engine's toast. Not that I'm really concerned about the cheaper kit, it's just the billet one is much nicer, and I can trust it more.

03/21/01
Well, I finally made up my mind to go with a custom chip from Superchips. I called them today and gave them all the specifics on my engine, and supercharger setup. It will probably be about 2 weeks before I get it, so that may set the project back a week or so. Actually though, I'd almost rather install everything and dyno the truck with and without the chip.  I fully intend to put the truck on a dyno after all this is done, but it may be a while before I get around to it. When I do, I'll post the results here. I also called Powerdyne again today, and ordered a recalibration kit for the FMU that I have. It's a 12:1 FMU, and I'll be running about 9psi of boost instead of the original 6psi I had planned, with 30 lbs/hr injectors.

03/17/01
I really like ordering from Summit. There stuff is almost always here within 2 or 3 business days. I got the BBK in-line fuel pump kit today. It looks like it will be pretty simple to install. It comes with stock compatible fuel lines, and all the wiring I'll need. I've been looking into the custom chips, but I've had no luck with the manufacturers I'd like to go with. I wanted a Diablo Sport chip, but they say the EEC-IV version won't be available until May. I'm looking into R.A.C.E. Systems chips, but I can't get in contact with the guy. That's always frustrating.

03/14/01
Called Summit today and ordered a helper fuel pump. It's a necessary evil, even though I have a 190lph in-tank pump now. The 190lph pump is only a 190lph at 40 psi. Volume drops significantly at higher psi, so when the FMU pushes the pressure up around 100psi, it won't keep up. I have a feeling I'll be making a lot more frequent stops at the gas station.

03/12/01
Got the polished discharge tube from Powerdyne today along with the few other parts I ordered from them. Unfortunately, since I ordered the custom pulley, I won't need the pulley spacer, and I probably won't use the plastic intake tube either. I have the chrome section from the BBK intake that is almost identical, so I'll probably use that instead.

03/10/01
Got the Boost Timing Master today from Summit. I'm a few parts away from being done with the ordering and gathering phase. My biggest concern right now is where to get a custom chip burned. I'm going to check a few places and see what I can come up with.

03/08/01
I made more phone calls today, and spent lots more money. I ordered a set of 30# injectors, a new Pro-M Bullet mass air meter calibrated for 30# injectors and a powerdyne supercharger with about 8# of boost. I also ordered an MSD Boost Timing Master box. After talking to my neighbor, I feel this is a bit of good insurance to control detonation. My last business of the day was a call to ASP Racing to order a custom crank pulley. Since I'm running underdrive pulleys, I can't fit the standard pulleys that go with the supercharger, so I'm having a custom one made from aluminum. It will be anodized red to match my other pulleys. I'm starting to feel that I shouldn't have started this project, as it's like everything else I've done; an endless money pit. I've spent twice as much as I originally intended, but what the hell...can't take it with you. All that's left now is a helper pump to keep the fuel going, and I think I'll probably get a custom chip done also. I'll try to keep the updates flowing. At this point, it will be at least 3 weeks before I get all the stuff I ordered today. I'm into the realm of custom stuff, and there's no rushing that.

03/07/01
Well, I intended to wait a bit before I started buying all the stuff necessary to install this thing, but I decided to go ahead and blow the whole wad at once. I called Powerdyne when I got home, and ordered a polished tube for the blower outlet, and a few other items. I also had a long discussion with my neighbor, who is a supercharger guru. I learned a lot, and he also helped me spend a ton of money. I  have several more things I need to deal with since talking to him, but I'll have to wait until tomorrow to make some phone calls.

03/06/01
I was talking to a guy at work today, and we got on the subject of superchargers. To make the story short, it turns out he had one for sale, and I went by and picked it up after work. It's a Powerdyne unit that seems to be in pretty good shape. It was recently reworked from the factory, and looks good as new. Of course, it's a Mustang kit, so I'll have to buy a few parts, and make some modifications, but that's what it's all about. I'm very excited about this upgrade. When I'm done here, I should be turning over 400 HP. I plan to eventually put it on a chassis dyno, and I'll post the results here.

02/26/01
I'm not necessarily an Earnhardt fan, but he was definitely one of my favorite drivers. I was shocked when I heard he had died of injuries sustained in the crash at Daytona. I saw the crash, and it didn't seem all that bad, and immediately following the race, no one let on that it was so serious. Last night, after watching the Rockingham race, which was rain delayed until today, I decided to see if I could find some images and make a nice wallpaper that I could post for others to download. I found some pretty good images of The Intimidator and his car, and put together a bit of a collage. I think it turned out pretty good, so I'm making it available to anyone who wants it. There are two sizes available above, which I think are probably the most popular resolutions. If you run a resolution other than 640x480 or 800x600, email me with your desktop resolution, and I'll send you a resized copy of my original with no loss in quality. If you run a resolution over 1280x1024, there may be a slight quality loss, as my original is that size and I would have to stretch it out a little. Please don't flame me if you don't like Earnhardt. You are certainly entitled to that, but I ask you to please keep it to yourself. You'll need winzip or an equivalent program to unzip the file, which goes into your windows directory. After you place it there, you can select it from your wallpaper menu in the desktop properties. Thanks and enjoy the wallpaper.

02/04/01
Those of you who have my email address in your address books, please take note of the new email address above. The old address @rcn.com will expire on 02/16/01. There's not much new to report on the truck. It's still running great, and I've had no problems other than the cops think it's too loud and too high. Who cares what they think. I'm considering some quieter mufflers, so I don't attract so much attention, but I'm definitely not bringing it down any.

01/14/01
Well, I didn't realize it had been quite so long since I updated, but I guess time has a way of getting away from you. Anyway, I'd like to thank everyone who has signed the guestbook lately. I appreciate the input from everyone. I haven't had any real problems with the truck since I finished it, other than the 4x4 issue I've been trying to get to the bottom of. I swapped out my transfer case, hoping that would solve the problem, but no dice. It seems to have helped, but I still have an issue with the front end. I guess the only way to solve it is to go into the front end and track down the problem. At least I don't have any serious problems with it. I've been driving it almost daily for a while now. I didn't originally intend to drive it so much, but I find it difficult to leave it in the driveway. It's way more fun to drive than my Mustang. If you're reading this, and you're contemplating a swap, DO IT, you'll never regret it.

10/19/00
I'd like to thank the people who have taken the time to sign the guest book in the last few days. It takes a little extra effort to do that, but I get to meet some new people and see where they are from, and also find out if the information here is useful to them or not. There are no bad comments so far, but I would still like to hear some suggestions from you guys about new content or anything different you would like to see here. For now,  I've posted another document on wiring on the technical info page. Bob Doughty sent me a document describing how he converted his  '84 carbureted 2.8 Bronco II to an `89-`93 Mustang harness and computer. Thanks very much to Bob for taking the time to help some people out with his experience.

10/15/00
My son and I went to the "Monsters At The Beach" event today at the oceanfront. For those who aren't local in Virginia Beach, the 4x4 shops around here sponsor a monster truck event right on the beach. I go to some of the events in the local indoor arena, but this was much better. The trucks had room to really let go. It was awesome. They also had some sand dragsters there. They hauled ass to say the least. With those sand paddle tires, they spewed sand about 3 stories in the air all the way down the track. One guy pulled up the front end on the launch which caused him to lose control and roll his car about 3 times. The crowd went wild, but I think he pretty much destroyed the car. It was sagging in the middle when they towed it away. In the freestyle event at the end, all the trucks were pretty cool, but Goldberg's truck was the most awesome. He ramped off of a junk car, and the truck just hung in the air for a second or two then came back down and bounced a few times. After that, he kinda lost control and I thought he was gonna turn it over in the water. Instead, he went into the water and spun it around and proceeded to do several donuts at the water's edge, spewing sand and water everywhere. What a blast. I think I'm gonna rent a motel room down there next year so I can stand on the balcony and watch like so many other people did. It's definitely an awesome show. Now if they'd just do away with all the filler material and do more monster truck stuff. I wonder what I could do with 1500 horsepower in my truck. : )

10/13/00
Anyone who visited here on the 12th undoubtedly noticed that the page was down. This was caused by a mistake on the part of my web host. The problem has been fixed obviously, and I hope there will be no further interruptions in service. Also, I wrote up the process of wiring my truck, and put the document on the technical information page. The document is general in nature, but should be very helpful in pointing you in the right direction to complete your wiring. The document is relevant to '93-'97 Rangers using an '89-'93 Mustang harness and computer, but may be helpful for other Ranger's as well.

10/12/00
Well, it appears the guest book wasn't such a great idea. Since I've put it up, only two people have signed it, so if nothing changes in the next week or two, I'll take it back down. I thought it would be interesting to see the range of people who are visiting here, but I guess people like to remain anonymous, or just don't want to take the time to sign it. It doesn't bother me that no one signs it, but it would be nice to know what people like or dislike about my site so that I can make it better.  I'm sure I didn't make it perfect on the first try, so take some time to give me some feedback if you can offer anything constructive. Thanks. : )

10/07/00
Finally got the front end alignment done. Everything went fine, except the guy had to take out one of the 2 degree bushings and put in a 1 degree to get everything to work properly. It took about an hour and a half, but it only cost me $40 this time around.  Not bad considering the amount of money I've spent in the past for front end alignments on this thing. Anyway, that's another issue I can clear off my list. The next step is to order some braided hose and fittings so I can put on that billet aluminum filter relocator.

10/04/00
I've rewritten some of the info on the Swap Info page. The info is more accurate and reflects what I have learned in the course of my swap. I also added a few new headings with info on accessories and bracketry. I hope I've covered everything as thoroughly as possible. Obviously though, I can't cover all the options for all the configurations out there, but hopefully this info will help most people out. If anyone out there has any suggestions or helpful info, please don't hesitate to send me an email. I'll be more than happy to post any useful info to the page and you'll receive full credit for your input.

09/30/00
Well, I can mark one more major issue off my list of things to do. I took care of the I-beam issue today. I disconnected the pivot points and drilled new holes in the brackets about an inch above the old ones. The right I-beam bracket required some modification, but I was able to complete everything in a few hours, not counting the two trips to Lowes for grinder blades and some new grade 8 bolts. The tires are leaning out at the top now, whereas before they were leaning inward. I have plenty of adjustment inward, because the outward adjustment was maxed before, so I should be in great shape. Now I just need to make another appointment and have the thing aligned. I think the only major problem I have left is the 4x4 right turn issue, which I'll look into more after the front end is aligned. I'm hoping the alignment will make the problem go away, but it's probably not that simple. Time will tell...

09/28/00
I've been working on some new content for the page. I've added some new pics in the Reader's Trucks section. Gary from the 5.0 Ranger board sent me some pics of his 5.0 conversion, and Cobranger, also from the 5.0 Ranger board sent me some nice pics of a truck he saw at a show, and a vintage ford pickup with a 5.0. Also, I'm in the process of adding a page for the technical documents I've collected while planning and executing my swap. These will be available from a link at the top of this page for the time being. When I have time, I'll make some new graphics and link them from the swap page, where the information is relevant.

09/17/00
As you can see, some things have changed here over the last several days. I have almost completed updating the graphics, and I've remodeled a few pages, including this one. The information on the swap that was here before can be found at the links at the top and bottom of this page. This page will now become a journal covering any future modifications and work that is done on my truck, whether it is 5.0 related or not. At this point, I have a few things that need to be done, the first of which is to get the front end alignment done. I took the truck yesterday to have it done, and found that the passenger side tie rod end was bad, and the wheel bearings needed tightening. After clearing that up, we found that there wasn't enough adjustment in the 2 degree offset bushings to get the alignment correct. Now I have to disconnect the I-beams from the brackets and drill new holes about 1" up from the current ones in order to get the tires out at the top. This procedure will give me enough adjustment to get the alignment done. It's not a difficult thing to do, but it will take some time. Sometimes it can be a real PITA to get those bushings realigned when re-attaching the I-beams. Maybe I'll tackle this problem this week. If not, I'll have to do it next weekend so that I can get the alignment taken care of. After that's done, I need to get a Mustang tach so that I can get an accurate tach in the truck. The current one isn't too bad, but I would prefer to have one that is more accurate than what I have. I'm also going to change my speedo gear, as it's off at least 5MPH. That will take all of 10 minutes. I'm sure there are other things that need to be done as well, but these are the most pressing issues at the moment.

09/12/00
I've decided that future posts here are not relevant to the 5.0 swap, which was the original intent of this page. With the swap completed, I intend to archive the portion of this page that deals with the swap, and begin a new journal starting with the last few posts here. There will be some changes to the site in the near future, and I hope everyone will approve. I am working on new graphics and a new format for the site, which will include information for the 5.0 swap, as well as an overall informational section on various upgrades and changes I have made on my truck. I will also include a page where users can download the various tech documents I have saved throughout my experience with the 5.0 swap. If anyone has any suggestions on content they would like to see on the page, please don't hesitate to email me with your suggestions. This site is intended to help people out, so I certainly would like to have the info here to do just that. Oh, I'm also working on a Word document that describes what I did for my swap for the various issues you'll encounter. This should be a great guide for anyone who is performing a swap on a similar truck with a similar engine. Unfortunately, it can't help everyone, as all swaps are different, but it should still be a great guide. Thanks to everyone who visits here, and I hope I can make this page an important place to visit.
 

09/10/00
I decided to take a trip down to Corolla this weekend to drive the truck on the beach and break in the new gear. Corolla is located on the Northern end of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, near the Virginia border. Anyway, I drove about 10 minutes down the beach with no problems except I heard a popping noise in the front end twice. After 10 minutes, it was time to park the truck and let the gears in the front cool for a half hour or so. When I turned to the right to park, I went over some tire tracks, which was a bit bumpy, and then I heard that popping noise again. Next thing I knew, the front had bound up and all it would do was make that popping sound when I tried to release the clutch. We got out and looked around the truck, but couldn't figure out what the noise was. It was definitely coming from the left side of the front end though. I ended up having to take the truck out of 4 wheel drive to get it to move again. I drove it back off the beach in 2 wheel drive, and took it to my brother's house, where we disassembled the outer hub on the left side. The grease inside was hard and gritty, so we cleaned it out and put new grease in it. Now the 4 wheel drive works fine, but the front end still binds when I turn hard right. I'm going to look into the problem more, but at this point, I don't know where to start other than looking at the universals in the axle.

09/07/00
I dropped the truck off this morning at Pro-Trucks to get the front gears changed. If you've been reading along here, you'll recall that there was a mixup when they did the gears 5 years ago, and 4.10's were installed instead of 4.56's. This caused a problem when I installed my 8.8 rear which I obtained with 4.56's to match the front...or so I thought. Anyway, after 5 years, they were gracious enough to give me a new set of gears for free, but they charged me labor for installation. I didn't really think they would even go that far, but I am a loyal customer, and I've spent a large pile of money there, so they treat me right. Anyway, I picked the truck up before work, and tried the 4x4 out tonight on the way home. It works like it's supposed to now, with no clunking noises (chain jumping in the x-fer case) like I had before. I'm very happy to have that fixed, and I may just take a trip down to Corolla this weekend and drive out on the beach to play with the 4x4. Tomorrow, I plan to drop the fuel tank and fix the fuel guage problem. It shouldn't take too long to get it straight, unless I have to order the part to fix it. Hopefully, it will just be something stuck in there, and I can fix it right away.