Drag Truck - The Danger Ranger

ksack

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I'm back from another work trip. This time I have 2 weeks off so my goal is to get the truck squared away and to the track. Since the last update, I've been doing wiring modifications. The hood wont close with the fuse box in front, so I moved it to the passenger side by the battery. This required extending a few harnesses like the driver side lights and the radiator fans. Today I buttoned up the wiring for the tail lights and cleaned out the garage. To finish off the list before heading to the track, I need to secure the harnesses in the cab and the engine bay, add a driveshaft loop (for my own sanity), and patch some holes in the firewall.
 

ksack

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Sorry I've been slacking on taking pictures. I will get some tomorrow. Heading to Alien City Dragway in Roswell, NM for TnT. Test drive today went well, and I did a coolant flush. Discovered the alternator was bad so a new one is arriving in the morning. Will get that put in then it's off to the drags! This truck has been 3 years in the making and I'm so excited to finally be getting it to the track. I already know that the next step is going to be a new converter as launches are pitiful. I know that I will be PCSing next summer so I'm holding off on getting the truck registered until then. I'll have to decide which state will be easiest to register it in.
 

ksack

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First day of testing after over 3 years of building. Here's the highlights of the trip and some comments on what needs to happen next...

Tidied up the truck Wednesday only to notice the battery wasn't charging. Took the truck to Autozone and they concurred I needed a new alternator. Had to extend the notch in the front of the frame where the steering rack goes in order to pull the alternator without lifting the engine. Autozone overnighted a new alternator and I had it in by 1pm. Truck still only read 12 volts. At this point, I started troubleshooting wires more carefully and discovered this. Apparently newer vehicles fuse the connections into the battery and this is the lead directly from the alternator. We never bench tested the alternator but hindsight is 20/20. I now have a new alternator with a lifetime warranty. Called around and a Ford Dealership on the way to the strip had the part on hand for $28 so I picked it up enroute and swapped it out.

XJaKzAn.jpg


Truck loaded up and ready to go. It's that time of year where afternoon thunderstorms are not uncommon, but it was a 120 mile drive to the track and they had been dry all day.

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Here's the truck as it sits. Only noticeable differences from afar are the wheels and the sponsor banner (Auto Mafia Racing). They are killing it, especially in the 3.7 Cyclone game. They are pulling 600hp out of those engines with bolt-ons! My goal is to keep the truck as unassuming looking as possible.

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This is best pass of 14.88 at 80.96mph at 6200ft DA. Highlighted 3 main issues:
1- Truck not shifting from 3-4 just past the 1/8th mile mark. I suspect I underserviced the transmission based on the symptoms. Will address ASAP.
2- Truck shifting at low RPM. 1-2 shift was at 6k, 2-3 at 5700. Those are too low for this engine and will be addressed. Switching tuners for the next go around as the support from the current tuner has been slow and not very customer oriented.
3- Stock converter has to go. My best launch I'm only able to get 1500 RPM before overcoming the brakes. I should easily shave half a second or more from a more appropriate converter. -.03 RT 2.25 60ft 6.10 330ft 9.32 1/8th 76.21 1/8th ET 14.88 1/4 80.96 1/4 ET


All in all I am very happy with it making it back home in one piece with no mechanical failures. I have those few issues to address but they are not terrible and are a natural part of the learning and progression that come with a build like this. Hopefully I'll get it to the track in the next couple weeks for the next TnT.

While parking the trailer this morning, discovered two of my trailer tires had tread missing, and the pic below is one example of that. Granted the tires are 9 years old, but the roads here are also notoriously shitty and have lots of potholes and other car-destroy features. The trailer now has 4 new tires to ensure many more happy trips to the track!

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tjm73

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Would have thought it'd have a higher mph. But we know the potential is there being a Coyote. It didn't blowup or burn to the ground, so first test is successful.
 

ksack

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Would have thought it'd have a higher mph. But we know the potential is there being a Coyote. It didn't blowup or burn to the ground, so first test is successful.

If you look at the slip you'll see I only gain 4mph on the back half due to the shifting issues. All info is with my new tuner so hopefully we will have some of these kinks worked out by the next TnT on 4 Oct.
 

ksack

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First run with the new tune by my sponsor Auto Mafia Racing. Truck now shifts from 3-4, but the RPM problem has not been solved. He set the tune to shift at 7k, but we are only getting 5-5.7k RPM. He's taking a look at the logs and we will hopefully have another test drive or two by the end of the weekend. Stay tuned for more. Please like the video and subscribe to my channel to stay up to date on the build.

 

ksack

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Made some progress on the tune today, but it's still not 100%. We got the shift points higher, but the last update of the day created some hesitation in the shifts. Kalob at Auto Mafia Racing is doing a great job of make progress with each update. We'll get her ready for TnT this weekend! Full discussion of the day is in the youtube description.
 

ksack

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The 6r80 does not like heat, what are your trans temps?
Not sure as it's not on the data log we're using. The truck is only going out for about 5 minutes at a time though. It was determined it was hitting a rev limiter at 6300, hence the hesitation in the shifts. We have had it set to 7500 so we're waiting to hear back from HP Tuners if they have a solution.
 

ksack

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He guys so between the crummy weather this week and not having a decent tune on the truck, decided to not got to TnT tonight. We are spending the weekend trying to pin point the cause of the rev limiting at 6300 rpm. Our prime suspect is the wheel sensors since they are not compatible with the ranger steering and suspension setup. We will continue datalogging and working towards a solution to hopefully make it out to TnT over the long weekend.
 

ksack

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New update video posted below. We're close to where we want to be! TnT on Friday. I'd appreciate it if you subscribed to my channel to help me grow it.
 

ksack

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New video up from testing last night. After reviewing the datalogs today, there's a spike in the MAF flow as soon as I hit the gas but then it jumps back down to the same flow as when holding the launch RPM. I initially suspected it may be the throttle body not opening fast enough and affecting throttle response, but after reviewing the logs I think there's an issue with the tune not liking the sudden demand off the line. The stock stall converter is also really biting us in the butt. The truck just lacks any power launching at 1500rpm. This is why we go to Test and Tune. It may look and feel fast with the butt dyno, but the time slip never lies. Help me grow the channel by liking the video and subscribing. If anyone has ideas to refine the tune, I'm always open to suggestions.
 

ksack

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Did a couple more tune updates today. Finally touched the engine tune to address the bogging off the line. Bottom line is that the automatic F150 is tuned super conservatively at the low end, hence our issues with launching. Obviously it needs a stall converter, but this update will help with the 60 ft for the rest of the season. Still working on getting the trans to shift at the RPM we want and with the vigor we want. Probably a couple more iterations and we should have it there.

 

ksack

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New video is up


Below is the progress pic from the end of today. Just need to disconnect trans harness, trans mounts, and motor mounts and it will be ready to come up.

C4TfF6A.jpg
 

ksack

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Hey everyone. Motor and trans were pulled Sunday so I can do cams and converter. It also gives me the opportunity to clean up the engine bay. Progress will be slow the next few months since I had knee surgery today. All is well but it will be some time before I'm able to work on the truck without hurting my recovery.

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ksack

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My truck's sponsor, Auto Mafia Racing, crushed the 3.7 sealed motor record by a half-second over the weekend at Cleetus and Cars. The motor itself has 150k miles on it. He is the go-to guy for anything 3.7 and has competitive pricing on almost all brands of performance parts Support the small guy and tell him ksack sent you.
 

ksack

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Hey friends I picked up a pit bike yesterday! Please consider liking and subscribing to help my videos reach more people.

 

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