Luxury Chase Truck Build [2007 F250-Carli Coilover]

[CAPT.HODGES]

Day 3:

Huge progress. Picked up the trans cooler disconnect tool at o'reilly where I sent it. Set up shop, popped the lines off no problem.

Pulled the fan shroud, radiator, intercooler, fan clutch, fan, belt tensioner, idler pulley, alternator, fuel lines, oil/fuel filter housing, intake manifold, EGR cooler, turbo, turbo pedestal, head covers, high pressure oil rails, rockers and fulcrums, rods, and injectors. 10 hour day. I think I'm in 20 hrs so far.

Heads/rockerboxes are ready to be pulled first thing in the morning. Hopefully with a few phone calls I can drop them off in the afternoon somewhere. Then Friday begins the cleaning effort which will continue next week. Hope I get over this cold soon. This ********'s hard enough as it is...

 

[CAPT.HODGES]

Got the heads off this morning. Cleaned them up a little and popped the rocker boxes/exhaust manifolds off. Spent the afternoon calling around machine shops finding nothing but $700 quotes. Maybe that's just what it costs. I'll pull the trigger tomorrow morning and get them dropped off. Hopefully cleaning parts in the afternoon.

It's been a slow tear-down compared to some other builds on powerstroke.org but it's the first engine work I've done since a V6 for a boat in high school, so I've been surgically removing parts that probably could be ripped out by a pro (because I'm meticulous). I've learned so much already, and that's exactly what I was going for.

Thanks again to Jessea for the helipad and only1mikey/tommy for delivering the cherry picker.

Popped the cherry

Driver side rear head bolt solution

Driver side

Driver side

Passenger side

Passenger side

Broke her heart

Riding a little high up front with all the parts gone

I'd like to say it's all uphill from here, but we'll see how the heads come back. Word on the street is every 6.0 head ever has multiple cracks. I guess you can either run it, or buy new heads at 1k each, or fix them (not sure how, that's why I drive ships).Until then I clean parts, work on breathing exercises, and drink lots of beer.

Hodges, out

 

[CAPT.HODGES]

Cleaned up the lifter valley, engine bay, and some inaccessible parts of the frame this afternoon. Also got the STC fitting update, BPD oil transfer block, and BPD water pump installed. It's a shame these beauties will never be seen again.

Before breakdown

High pressure oil pump and STC fitting update parts (STC fitting is the "T" splitter that sends oil through the two branch tubes to the high pressure oil rails, which feeds the injectors that use high pressure oil to compress and actuate the fuel charge. I guess the old version has a tendency to fail and wiggle out which bleeds off oil and starves the injected-leading to no start condition)

HPOP reinstalled (updated fitting bolted to branch tube in top left)

Removed the oil cooler cover and oil cooler. The screen that filters right before the HPOP had ruptured. CLASSIC

Cleaned up

BPD oil transfer block. Replaces the oil cooler and sends oil to a new air cooler. Also replaces the failed screen with a gnarly SS screen and safety wire-tied retaining plate. This thing belongs on the space station.

Old cover

Potential failure oil cooler

Boom

BPD water pump vs oem

Check

Head install next week

 

[CAPT.HODGES]

Got a couple hours in today. Tried to clean up the injector nozzles a little and replaced all the o-rings and crush washers.

Started throwing a little heat wrap down. Not sure how much it'll help but it can't hurt, and now is the time.

 

[CAPT.HODGES]

Been cleaning parts and prepping for the heads. Trying to clean the block up but I've read a lot of mixed opinions on cleaning methods. Some said go lightly with a cookie wheel but I decided it was too risky. I've been wet sanding with 400 grit and penetrating oil. I'm reading that you won't, and don't need to get all the stains out, but I can't figure out how far to go. There are a couple small spots that look like glazed, charred something but everything feels smooth at hell to touch. Don't really have a precision straight edge and .002 feeler gauge to test with (as recommended). Seems good to me but this is the most critical stage...any opinions?

 

[CAPT.HODGES]

The heads are delayed till Monday or Tuesday now. Seems like there's always more prep to do though.

Wet sanded the block a couple more passes, wrapped the manifolds, and got the bulletproof oil cooler, cold wx thermostat, and bypass filter ready to go.

Thanks to Tommy at TT Motorsports for the head lifting bracket

 

[GJStringert]

I guess it's time I throw these up on the build thread. Big thanks to DWPhoto for the killer shots! Awesome as always, E. Can't wait for the next run.

Thanks to Carlos for the vid. Also above?
http://www.youtube.com/embed/LK9wzEHG9nk?wmode=opaque

The Destroyer - as coined by DWPhoto.........who knows how to paint shark teeth and hull numbers?

So ************ that you airborne a King Ranch haha! This is a good looking build man keep it up!

Careful with those track bar bolts... I don't know about Fords but I had a crappy Fabtech track bar bracket partially break of the frame on my Dodge 2500 when I hit an expansion joint doing about 60 MPH one time. Wanna talk about some hella scary death wobble...

Truck looks good!

 

[CAPT.HODGES]

So ************ that you airborne a King Ranch haha! This is a good looking build man keep it up!

Careful with those track bar bolts... I don't know about Fords but I had a crappy Fabtech track bar bracket partially break of the frame on my Dodge 2500 when I hit an expansion joint doing about 60 MPH one time. Wanna talk about some hella scary death wobble...

Truck looks good!

Haha thanks man, I'll keep an eye on them. Yeah probably won't be hunching it until I add bypasses and limit straps. I built the truck to be used though...might as well use it!

 

[CAPT.HODGES]

Damn tucker, i tip my hat to you sir. My minor motor work makes me feel accomplished, i don't know if i could handle a motor project of this magnitude.

Get it my friend!

Thanks bud. If you can cut a truck in 5 pieces and put 10 back together, I'm sure you could manage this. Just nuts, bolts, a lot of steps, and some cojones.

I picked up the heads this afternoon. It was very expensive and we're just not gonna talk about it. Hauled *** to Simi and bolted the exhaust manifolds and rocker boxes to them.

Rotated the crank to said 6 o'clock position and cleaned the driver's side one last time. Jesse helped me lower it down and I went to town.

Installed pushrods and valve bridges. Torqued the rocker arms and threaded the arp studs/washers/nuts. Torqued all that to 70/140/210 in sequence.

Next was fuel injectors and the hight pressure oil rail (not pictured) really wanted to get the valve cover on for mental closure and to keep the dew out but the crankcase-to-head oil feed tube is different than the original and needs a hex head that could not be found on the property.

Harbor Freight and Home Depot first thing in the morning..............again

 

[CAPT.HODGES]

Got on a roll yesterday and hammered down till 1:30 am. 17 hr day, BUT it's sooo close. I leave for work on Monday and have to be somewhere else this weekend so it has to be done by tomorrow.

Kill sheet:
Driver valve cover
Passenger head
Passenger rods, bridges, rockers
Passenger injectors
Passenger oil rail
Passenger valve cover
Heater box (long hard fight-still doesn't fit right with the shock tower, also seems it's of an earlier model since one sensor thing won't fit, I'll have to swap it out down the road, DGAF right now)
Glove box and Ac ******** in the cab
Inner fender liner
Tons of ac ******** over the fender
Battery tray
Y pipe
Intake manifold
Fuel filter housing
Fuel lines
Turbo pedestal
FICM bracket and FICM
Glow plug module
Glow plugs
Glow plug harness
Injector harness
Main wiring harness
Pulley and tensioner
Alternator
Belt
Fan

From this

To this

Today:
Core support
Coolers
BPD filters
Front clip
Turbo
Degas bottle
Intercooler pipes
Air intake
Batteries
Fluids

Hoping to light this baby off tonight! Hope I didn't miss anything. Pray for me

 

[CAPT.HODGES]

Got it all bolted up today. Primed the oil cooler/filters. All I have to do it fill the rest of the oil and coolant. Decided to break for the night, spend some time with the girl, and sleep on it (thanks Mikey, already thought of something to tighten)

The Destroyer sets sail at 0900

 

[CAPT.HODGES]

Yesterday I topped off fluids, checked everything ten times, cycled the fuel pump, and let her rip. I've read that it often takes 6 tries at 30 seconds. I cranked it once for 30 seconds, oil pressure shot up at the end. Let it rest. Cranked again and just as I was letting my hand off the key, it came alive. I haven't smiled so big in my life.
https://vimeo.com/118351559

Found a couple small leaks which i snugged up, the bypass oil line is gonna be hard to get to but I'll fix that next month. There's one high pitch whine that changes with rpm which Jesse and I think may be a pulley bearing. Also hoping that's what I'm hearing and feeling in the pedal off the line. Blew a couple intercooler boots getting on the freeway twice, just didn't have them tight enough (that is ****!NG scary). Fixed those on the side of the road real quick-it's amazing how fast you can do **** when you know a motor so well.

Other than that, she runs strong. I made sure it was running smooth and the air had been purged from the oil system, then gave it a WOT run up a hill on the freeway (with a solid load in the bed). She held up the whole way. Oil and coolant never breached 198*.

This is about all you can see of the modifications.

Thanks again to Jesse, Mikey, Tommy, and Max for the space, forcing me to eat, tools, torque wrenches, respectively.

Kind of in shock that it runs. One of the most exhausting things I've ever done. Also, the most rewarding.
Chase 1 is back online

Over and out

 

[CAPT.HODGES]

Finally finished the time lapse. Spent days trying to get it into my phone's camera roll to upload. Not much internet at work on the boat.

Hope the audio works. Sorrynotsorry Jesse, the song was too perfect!

http://youtu.be/K6FVUVTlZ7Y

 

[CAPT.HODGES]

Put a few more miles on the truck. Probably a couple hundred now. Everything was running like a dream, drove to Westchester this morning, backed into a driveway, shut it off. Ten minutes later I go to start and it cranks and cranks with no start.

WHAT THE *******

After some quick research and diagnosis, I'm fairly certain there is a leak in the high pressure oil system, which means injectors won't fire. The injector control pressure was around 220psi and it supposed to be 500 minimum to start (HPOP puts out 3600psi normally). Also the injector pressure regulator was at 85% which means it closed all the way, trying to create more pressure.

I don't have the sanity left or the leeway with the fiancé to dig into this thing again. It pains me to do it, because I know every inch of the motor, but thinking about dropping it at Ford and just getting it done...

 

[CAPT.HODGES]

Called for backup on Monday and hauled it up to Ultimate Truck Performance in Camarillo, right next door to Mercenary, unbeknownst to me.

As expected, it was a relatively simple fix. The Injector Pressure Regulator valve was stuck, possibly due to contamination when I "upgraded" the screen on it, as recommended. You can see it caved it by vacuum. Not totally sure how this piece of **** works but apparently it's important and you need it.

So they swapped it, which only requires removal of the intake, hot side cac pipe, and turbo. Pretty easy really, but I didn't know what it was and didn't want to deal. Picked it up yesterday. Great shop btw.

Pushed the truck hard up the Conejo Grade and temps held great. Might try out a mild tune in the next week or so. Time to go wash it for the first time since thanksgiving day.

Shameful, I know