Posts Tagged ‘project box hauler’
Monday, August 30th, 2010
EZ 7.3L Turbo Upgrade
Improve Performance and Reduce EGTs with ATS’ Aurora Turbocharger Kit
OK, you’ve done nearly everything economically possible to your 7.3L Super Duty or Excursion. You’ve upgraded the intake and exhaust, added a programmer, and possibly even upsized the injectors. Sure the truck runs better, but you’ve noticed that the EGTs are starting to climb into the danger zone at wide-open throttle or when towing a heavy trailer up a grade. The missing element in your power recipe is more air. While the stock Garrett turbo functions well on a stock truck, it can’t keep up with the added heat that more fuel creates.
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Tags: ats, aurora 3000, Ford Power Stroke, low buck, Power Stroke, project box hauler, super duty, turbo upgrade
Posted in Ford Power Stroke, Tech | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
Keeping an eye on engine vitals is as simple as installing a quality set of gauges. For anyone who tows with their diesel, both boost and pyrometer gauges are a must.
Project Box Puller
Keeping Track of Vitals
For our regular readers, Project Box Hauler needs no introduction. For those who have just joined us, here’s the Cliff Notes version of the series. We got our hands on an ’01 Ford F-350 dually that spent its previous life as a Castrol Racing show car hauler for John Force Racing. The truck, fitted with a well-worn 7.3L Power Stroke, was showing 200,000-plus miles on the odometer and was in serious need of attention. The buyer got the fifth-wheel trailer with the deal, hence the name Project Box Hauler.
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Tags: 7.3l, auto meter, Ford Power Stroke, gauges, project box hauler, super duty
Posted in Ford Power Stroke, Tech | No Comments »
Sunday, August 1st, 2010
PML offers several different finish options for their Dana 80 cover. We opted for the black powdercoated version. It comes complete with stainless steel, hex-head mounting bolts for an easy and good looking install.
The Great Cover Up
One of the keys to keeping a differential alive is keeping it cool. Utilizing synthetic rear end gear oil helps, but nothing beats addition fluid capacity from an aftermarket rear end cover, which replaces the shallow, stamped steel factory unit. Ford Super Duty diesels are notorious for having factory diff covers with blistered paint on them, which indicates things inside are getting pretty hot.
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Tags: diff cover, Ford Power Stroke, pml, project box hauler, super duty, towing
Posted in Ford Power Stroke, Tech | No Comments »
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
The Injection Connection
Project Box Hauler Gets New Dynomite Diesel Performance Injectors
For those of you who have been following our Project Box Hauler series, you’ll remember our high-miler, ’01 Ford F-350 dually with 200,000-plus miles on it, was diagnosed with a couple of dead cylinders, more specifically No. 3 and No. 8. Upon his initial diagnosis, Nate Brekken at Strictly Diesel in Scottsdale, Ariz., guessed the problem would more than likely be bad injectors on those cylinders since injectors get fairly tired and worn out on the 7.3s after about 150,000 miles. On the other hand, two dead holes could mean more serious issues, such as bad valves or poor compression from worn-out piston rings, or even a cracked cylinder head.
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Tags: 7.3, dynomite diesel, injectors, Power Stroke, project box hauler, super duty
Posted in Ford Power Stroke, Tech | No Comments »
Monday, July 19th, 2010
Here’s the complete set of Diesel Rx 7.3L Power Stroke glow plugs. Note the tips are slightly discolored from testing.
Glow & Go
Installing New Glow Plugs Will Fix Cold Start Woes
Since diesels are compression-ignition engines, meaning there are no spark plugs to start the combustion process, nearly every diesel is equipped with some sort of glow plug system to get the fire started in cold weather. The little “Wait to Start” light that comes on usually indicates that the factory glow plug system is activated as part of the cold start circuit. Today’s computer-controlled engines have taken the glow plug system engagement to an all-new level, taking into account the various engine parameters as to when the glow plugs will be activated or not.
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Tags: 7.3, diesel rx, Ford Power Stroke, glow plugs, Power Stroke, project box hauler, strictly diesel
Posted in Ford Power Stroke, Tech | No Comments »
Sunday, July 18th, 2010
Doing a clutch R&R on a diesel is not usually something you can accomplish in a driveway. With well over 200,000 miles of hard towing duty, Project Box Hauler was overdue for a clutch system overhaul.
Driving Force
EZ Clutch Upgrade for Project Box Hauler
Anyone who has ever owned a manual transmission vehicle knows how important the clutch is. It is the vital connection between the engine and the driveline, and is responsible for turning the engine’s torque and horsepower into usable forward motion. When things are right, the clutch assembly provides easy gear changes and plenty of clamping force for day-to-day driving and towing.
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Tags: centerforce, clutch, Ford Power Stroke, Power Stroke, project box hauler, super duty
Posted in Ford Power Stroke, Tech | No Comments »
Saturday, July 17th, 2010
The Huspower 4-inch, turbo-back exhaust system was the perfect upgrade to improve the breathing on Project Box Hauler project. The system comes complete with all the necessary hardware and brackets along with a 5-inch polished stainless steel tip.
Hushpower Turbo-Back Exhaust
Another area the stock 7.3L falls short in is the factory exhaust system. The 3-inch system is necked down just past the turbo outlet and continues on a kinky path to a chambered muffler, which robs even more performance. So improving on things is fairly easy with a quality turbo-back system since there’s now catalytic converter on this truck.
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Tags: 7.3, airaid, dually, Ford Power Stroke, hushpower, Power Stroke, project box hauler, super duty
Posted in Ford Power Stroke, Tech | No Comments »
Friday, July 16th, 2010
Project Box Hauler is just that…a box hauler. The truck spent most of its life as a Castrol Racing show car hauler, racking up well over 200,000 miles.
Project Box Hauler
Part II: Bellows Style Up-Pipe Upgrade
Last month, we introduced our latest project truck, a well-worn, 200,000-plus–mile Ford F-350 fitted with the 7.3L Power Stroke and a six-speed manual transmission. The owner found this dually while scanning the classifieds where it was listed for sale with a 28-foot gooseneck trailer. The combo used to be a Castrol Racing/John Force car hauler that racked up 215,000 miles in regular cross-country jaunts.
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Tags: 7.3, Ford Power Stroke, Power Stroke, project box hauler
Posted in Ford Power Stroke, Tech | No Comments »
