SM105K's SHO BIBLE/BUILDS/LIFE

[SM105K]

Ford F450 Update: I washed the truck and started to detail it. Here it is parked in my driveway. As you can tell, it almost doesn't fit. Which is pretty comical.





Also going back to my Uncle. I found an OG Blue jacket, and a late model green hat. They will stay in the truck until they fall apart. Also he had his company logos in on rear and side windows. The sun faded the tint on the rear windows, so it is burnt into the tint, and if you look at you can faintly see it. I think it is super cool. As you can tell, I am really nostalgic.

 

[SM105K]

Ford F450 Update: I started detailing the engine bay. I wanted to check for leaks, and other things. Overall the bay is in great condition. This old girl does not leak a drop, which is unheard of for a 25 year old diesel. Here are some before pictures.





Here are the after pictures. This was just a general all purpose clear, a couple detailing brushes, and some rags. The yellow wire needs to be cover in wire loom. That is the wire to the IAT2 temp sensor (post IC). I think it turned out pretty good.





Still needs some work, but it is a step in the right direction. I still have to add a fuel pressure sensor to the fuel bowl and add it to the CTS 3. That will give me fuel pressure after the fuel filter. I also have an upgraded fuel pressure spring to install as well. All in do time. Still want to get a Banks Cold Air Kit and perform the Zoodad mod.

 

[SM105K]

I still have a bunch more to post, but I am hopping a flight to DC here in the next couple of hours. I will be back at the end of the week.

 

[luigisho]

Truck looks great. Kinda jealous for a good workhorse

 

[Junkyard_Mad-Scientist]

Truck looks great. Kinda jealous for a good workhorse

Ditto, My little 150 is stocked like a AAA roadside mechanic, a 450 with boxes would be more than I need but I would feel prepared for anything. my fondest memories are holding a hot cup of coffee while smoking a cigarette on a cold morning, with the smell of diesel in the air and the nice cold CLACKCLACKCLACKCLACKCLACK making little dirty clouds waiting to start my day. warming up the trucks and machines at the junk yard. slick rig, love it without the camper, cant lie. safe travels, ready for the next episode.

 

[SM105K]

Alrighty, here is another F450 post - So after cleaning Betty up, and then detailing the engine bay, I started working on performance. I installed a PHP Hydra and that was interesting. This chip is installed onto the ECU board so you need to do some work, and remove some silicone ect. However I got it installed and below are the power levels. This unit allows me to get custom tuning from the major diesel tuners, and it is super easy to operate. There is an LED box that installs on the dash, and lets you change tunes on the fly.

Pulled the ECU out.


Crack her open.

Pull the board.

Scrape off the silicone, but not go too far.....

Install the chip

Put it board back in and modify the case.


Re - install back into the truck....


There are currently loaded on the Hydra....

 

[Junkyard_Mad-Scientist]

Nice write up, working towards those 13s I see. I got myself a puller too

Meet Helen, a 77 F250 Ranger named after Smellin Helen named after a long story that involves lima beans. She has a good set of frame rails for my 460 and comes equipped with a gooseneck ball. But by puller I mean I have to pull 'er everywhere. See you at the track, we can call it "the show down that takes til sundown tortoise battle"

 

[SM105K]

Hahaha, nice grab! I look forward to see what you do with it. My buddy had a 78 Ranger back in high school. It was pretty rad.

 

[SM105K]

Ford F450 Update: So I worked on the front end of the truck. I tried my best to clear up the head lights and while I was doing that I buffed and polished all the chrome on the front. I am sorry the pictures are so terrible. The headlights are way better in person. The chrome really came out remarkable as well.

Before


After


I want to keep as many items on this truck as stock as possible. I am going to work on the headlights a bit more, because I know they can get them more clear.

 

[SM105K]

Ford Focus Update: So I still daily the Focus. Over the past month it has been breaking up in the higher RPM's. The car just clicked off 195k miles (still stock turbo and stock clutch) and I realized.....the spark plugs have been in the car for 100k miles....lol.

Can you tell me what is wrong with them?


Oooofffff.

Needless to say, plugs were replaced, oil was changed, and she runs like a top now. LOL.

 

[SM105K]

E63S Update: I have been searching for a set of stock factory forged AMG wheels. When I bought my E63s I really hated the AMG wheels that were on it, and over almost a year of suffering (I know, I would tell myself to get ******) with 1st world problems, I finally found a pair for sale on FB. I had to drive 800 miles round trip, but it was worth every mile that I drove and every penny that I spent. Also the tires that came on the rims were only a couple of years old, and in better condition that my current ones.

Before



After



So much better I believe.

 

[SM105K]

Ford 450 Update: So the rear window in the Ford hasn't been cleaned in over 10 years. There was just layers and layers and layers of just crap all over it. I had to take my DA polisher and literally mow the rear window down numerous times with heavy compound and rough cutting pad. Then I had to polish it with a polish pod and polish. Holy crap was it a lot of work, but it came out killer. Excuse the sweaty fat guy in the reflections.....

Before. Notice how cloudy the left side vs the right side is.



After 40 mins of cutting and polishing.........




I can actually see out of the rear window now. Good times.

 

[SM105K]

So that is it for the updates of the fleet. However in the next couple of days, I have to do some work on the truck because we are going on about a 1000 miles road trip.

My plans for this week for the F450:

I have to take it back to AZ Diff tomorrow. They are going to make the truck correct. Hopefully I can get it back Wednesday.

Then I have to:

Install the Banks Cold Air Intake.
Remove the front grill, and perform the Zoodad mod.
Install the fuel pressure sensor, and connect it to the CTS 3.
Install the stiffer fuel pressure regulator spring.
Install the new fuel filter.
Change the oil and oil filter.

Then she should be ready to rip for the road trip.

 

[SM105K]

For future reference for myself.

I did buy a ton of various polishing discs, polishing cones, and buffing pads over the weekend.

So that means.....anything aluminum or chrome is going to get polished. That will be a big job, but I have all of the tools to do it correctly.

The truck will get a full paint correction as follows:

Wash the truck, de-iron it, clay bar it, compound it, polish it, re-wash with decontamination solutions, then ceramic coat. The paint is in remarkable condition, and I want to try my best and keep it that way and protected until I buy a house with a big enough garage to keep her in.

I also plan on restoring all of the plastics with cerakote. Running boards, mirrors, front facia, ect.

After all of that, I will turn my attention to the inside. The interior is in remarkable condition as well, but I really want to get a good deep clean.

I will pull all of the seats, vacuum, and then shampoo and extract the carpet. I need to pull the seat covers off, and wash them. Probably hit some areas with my portable steam cleaner.

I want to change the factory radio out with something modern (android auto, XM radio, back up camera, ect). I listen to XM radio every day in all of my other cars, and for as much cross country driving I have planned, this truck needs XM too.

I need to get a new front windshield tint strip, and tint the front windows. That should round out all of the things I still need to get done.

 

[luigisho]

Hail Hydra!

 

[kryptto]

nice job, she looks great - been traveling for work and not been around much. you make headway quickly!

 

[SM105K]

nice job, she looks great - been traveling for work and not been around much. you make headway quickly!

Most of the truck work was before my kidney stone ordeal. I just didn't post because, well misery. The plugs and the E63s rims were done last weekend. I am waiting for AZ DIFF to tell me the truck is done. Looks like I wont be driving back to CA either. Going to fly there, and my uncle offered to use his truck for the whole ordeal. So yeah. Plus the company that was suppose to ship my Banks Cold Air hasn't yet.....kinda makes me think they don't have it in stock....

 

[Junkyard_Mad-Scientist]

For future reference for myself.

I did buy a ton of various polishing discs, polishing cones, and buffing pads over the weekend.

So that means.....anything aluminum or chrome is going to get polished. That will be a big job, but I have all of the tools to do it correctly.

The truck will get a full paint correction as follows:

Wash the truck, de-iron it, clay bar it, compound it, polish it, re-wash with decontamination solutions, then ceramic coat. The paint is in remarkable condition, and I want to try my best and keep it that way and protected until I buy a house with a big enough garage to keep her in.

I also plan on restoring all of the plastics with cerakote. Running boards, mirrors, front facia, ect.

After all of that, I will turn my attention to the inside. The interior is in remarkable condition as well, but I really want to get a good deep clean.

I will pull all of the seats, vacuum, and then shampoo and extract the carpet. I need to pull the seat covers off, and wash them. Probably hit some areas with my portable steam cleaner.

I want to change the factory radio out with something modern (android auto, XM radio, back up camera, ect). I listen to XM radio every day in all of my other cars, and for as much cross country driving I have planned, this truck needs XM too.

I need to get a new front windshield tint strip, and tint the front windows. That should round out all of the things I still need to get done.

I pushed a dent out of Helens door with a basketball

But on a serious note, When you do the carpet if you are not pulling it out of the truck I highly recommend the sander trick while you vacuum. If you're unfamiliar with it, take a mouse or detail sander, something that will vibrate like crazy, and place it on the part of the carpet you are vacuuming. It shakes all of the sand and dirt to the surface and does an incredible job. My SHO, my truck, and my wife's Fusion all have black carpet and we live in sandy Florida, it really makes a difference. I suggest doing that before shampooing so you're not soaking the underlying dirt.

 

[kryptto]

I pushed a dent out of Helens door with a basketball

But on a serious note, When you do the carpet if you are not pulling it out of the truck I highly recommend the sander trick while you vacuum. If you're unfamiliar with it, take a mouse or detail sander, something that will vibrate like crazy, and place it on the part of the carpet you are vacuuming. It shakes all of the sand and dirt to the surface and does an incredible job. My SHO, my truck, and my wife's Fusion all have black carpet and we live in sandy Florida, it really makes a difference. I suggest doing that before shampooing so you're not soaking the underlying dirt.

learn something new...

 

[SHOCALL]

Compressed air will do the trick too.