I picked up my first EcoBoost (2015 SHO) at the beginning of the month. Unfortunately, she has been in the Body Shop all month. This has allowed me plenty of time to begin acquiring parts and doing research. I plan to start my build this weekend. So far in a pile in my kitchen, I have:
-Sync 3 Upgrade ($250 junkyard sourced)
-ForScan (EX and MX connectors)
-MSD Coils (Red)
-GH Intercooler
-Drive Bright Puddle Lights
-Drive Bright DRL Kit
-SuperBrightLED bulbs (for all incandescent, interior and exterior) (Technically in the mail since 12/3, may be changing vendor)
-Speakers (Infinity Kappa, 93iX, 86CFX, 20MX, 10.9t)
-Headlights (Osram Xenarc Night Breaker Laser)
-EPP Intake (replacing LMS intake) (bare, will be powder coated Plum Crazy) (UPS delivery today)
-EPP Hot Pipes (bare, will be powder coated Plum Crazy) (UPS delivery today)
-Ford Moon roof Deflector
-Ford Side Window Deflectors
-Ford SHO PP PTU Bypass Valve
-AmsOil Fluids
Hopefully, I will be getting the car back Thursday (with a broken grille, waiting for FORD) and begin installing these parts and more!
Very cool, I look forward to watching your build grow over time!
Any idea what direction you will be taking the car? Extreme performance? Moderate daily driver performance? Car audio focused? Show car?
Quote from: Ecoboost_xsport on December 29, 2020, 08:34:08 AM
Very cool, I look forward to watching your build grow over time!
Any idea what direction you will be taking the car? Extreme performance? Moderate daily driver performance? Car audio focused? Show car?
I want to keep the car reliable as it is a daily driver, so it won't be EXTREME performance. I am upgrading the stereo for better sound because I am in the car so much and love music. My main goal is to find weak points, eliminate them, maximize the potential without cracking the long block open (failure or to modify lol), and personalize it. I usually end up adding some sort of power adder. On my 2000 Integra Type R I added a ProCharger. Since this is already boosted, I am leaning towards an Aquamist Methanol Injection system.
I installed the MSD coils this weekend. This was very straight forward and covered under a repair manual so I did not take any pictures. I was able to do this with only removing the engine cover. I used a short and long socket, ratchet and small screwdriver. All in all it took about 30 minutes. As I had the car for only a couple days before it went to the body shop for 3 weeks, and I drove it for about an hour before I installed these, I can't say much about a performance increase. The car did seem to idle smoother the next morning. My old coils had 70k on them so it may just be the new coils vs. a performance part. I was able to get these as an open box special on Amazon for just under $150.
I replaced the Cabin Filter with a HEPA filter from RockAuto. This filters 0.3 micron at a rate of 99.97%. Better than the N95 masks everyone is wearing and much better than the surgical masks. This is great for allergens and odors.
I installed the Drive Bright Puddle Lights. I had bought these just to upgrade but ended up finding out that one of my Puddle Lights was burned out and one had a broken housing. I cannot say enough about Dan Smith. His customer service is only exceeded by the quality of his product. I received a personal email and response to my order. They came with detailed instructions and a free set of License Plate bulbs. (Great because I had a bulb out!) These are a very crisp white color and look fantastic. I plan to take some pictures in the next couple nights.
I have begun to play around with ForScan. I am having mixed results with this. I have found some of my AB data does not match spreadsheets. I have also found some things read as disabled even though they are enabled. I tried changing the number of flashes for the lane change signal. I chose 7. This did work for the lane change. However, this also made the signal stay on after using the turn signal. The stalk would return to neutral but the signal would continue to flash. I had to signal a lane change in the opposite direction to stop it. I ended up reverting back to stock. I will have to sit down and go through my list of changes and mark what did and did not work. (I know the option for 10 radio presets did not work.)
I dropped all of my EPP parts off with the powder coater. I am having them coated in Plum Crazy. It is the purple color used on the Challenger. These parts looked very well made and I appreciate the quick turn around and answers from Mike Bambic. The powder coater also commented how good the parts looked and how happy he was with there condition/design as far as being able to coat them well.
I programmed a second Key Fob. I got a kit from Dorman through RockAuto (Part# 99377). The fob is not an OEM part. The logo is Dorman instead of Ford and the Chrome is more of a silver/grey paint. The process is very simple. Using an OBD2 dongle, your factory remote is erased and then both remotes (up to 4) are reprogrammed. You must have ALL of your keys present when you do this. When you plug the dongle in, you can follow along in the directions with LED flashes and short/long beeps. The dongle links to the car, accesses the Security system, erases the original key(s) and then begins programming the keys. I suggest a well charged battery or hooking up a charger. Accessing the Security system is about a 10 minute wait. I am unsure if the dongle is reusable.
Reading through the forums I have found more of the weak points and ordered more items. Auxiliary Transmission Cooler, speaker baffles and DynoMat, Paddle Shift Extenders, missing Turbo Wastegate hose (just the front was removed), and License plate light assembly are all on the way. I have also begun talking to GearHead about their Meth Tuning preferences and Don Julio (AlkyControl) about their options. I hae also started talking to @Ecoboost_xsport (https://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php?action=profile;u=6006) about the Aquamist system which I am leaning towards.
Quote from: Ta2dResqr on January 04, 2021, 10:36:09 AM
I installed the MSD coils this weekend. This was very straight forward and covered under a repair manual so I did not take any pictures. I was able to do this with only removing the engine cover. I used a short and long socket, ratchet and small screwdriver. All in all it took about 30 minutes. As I had the car for only a couple days before it went to the body shop for 3 weeks, and I drove it for about an hour before I installed these, I can't say much about a performance increase. The car did seem to idle smoother the next morning. My old coils had 70k on them so it may just be the new coils vs. a performance part. I was able to get these as an open box special on Amazon for just under $150.
I replaced the Cabin Filter with a HEPA filter from RockAuto. This filters 0.3 micron at a rate of 99.97%. Better than the N95 masks everyone is wearing and much better than the surgical masks. This is great for allergens and odors.
I installed the Drive Bright Puddle Lights. I had bought these just to upgrade but ended up finding out that one of my Puddle Lights was burned out and one had a broken housing. I cannot say enough about Dan Smith. His customer service is only exceeded by the quality of his product. I received a personal email and response to my order. They came with detailed instructions and a free set of License Plate bulbs. (Great because I had a bulb out!) These are a very crisp white color and look fantastic. I plan to take some pictures in the next couple nights.
I have begun to play around with ForScan. I am having mixed results with this. I have found some of my AB data does not match spreadsheets. I have also found some things read as disabled even though they are enabled. I tried changing the number of flashes for the lane change signal. I chose 7. This did work for the lane change. However, this also made the signal stay on after using the turn signal. The stalk would return to neutral but the signal would continue to flash. I had to signal a lane change in the opposite direction to stop it. I ended up reverting back to stock. I will have to sit down and go through my list of changes and mark what did and did not work. (I know the option for 10 radio presets did not work.)
I dropped all of my EPP parts off with the powder coater. I am having them coated in Plum Crazy. It is the purple color used on the Challenger. These parts looked very well made and I appreciate the quick turn around and answers from Mike Bambic. The powder coater also commented how good the parts looked and how happy he was with there condition/design as far as being able to coat them well.
I programmed a second Key Fob. I got a kit from Dorman through RockAuto (Part# 99377). The fob is not an OEM part. The logo is Dorman instead of Ford and the Chrome is more of a silver/grey paint. The process is very simple. Using an OBD2 dongle, your factory remote is erased and then both remotes (up to 4) are reprogrammed. You must have ALL of your keys present when you do this. When you plug the dongle in, you can follow along in the directions with LED flashes and short/long beeps. The dongle links to the car, accesses the Security system, erases the original key(s) and then begins programming the keys. I suggest a well charged battery or hooking up a charger. Accessing the Security system is about a 10 minute wait. I am unsure if the dongle is reusable.
Reading through the forums I have found more of the weak points and ordered more items. Auxiliary Transmission Cooler, speaker baffles and DynoMat, Paddle Shift Extenders, missing Turbo Wastegate hose (just the front was removed), and License plate light assembly are all on the way. I have also begun talking to GearHead about their Meth Tuning preferences and Don Julio (AlkyControl) about their options. I hae also started talking to @Ecoboost_xsport (https://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php?action=profile;u=6006) about the Aquamist system which I am leaning towards.
I'd get your minivac and tubing right away for the PTU. They explode once the oil gets even a little dirty/old. Get redline in there asap and change it frequently to prevent it literally ripping in half like mine did ;)
Quote from: TopherSho on January 04, 2021, 11:33:35 AM
I'd get your minivac and tubing right away for the PTU. They explode once the oil gets even a little dirty/old. Get redline in there asap and change it frequently to prevent it literally ripping in half like mine did ;)
Is there any preference or reason AMSOIL vs, RedLine in this application? I have usually run AMSOIL in my DD and RedLine in my Harleys.
Quote from: Ta2dResqr on January 04, 2021, 01:12:59 PM
Quote from: TopherSho on January 04, 2021, 11:33:35 AM
I'd get your minivac and tubing right away for the PTU. They explode once the oil gets even a little dirty/old. Get redline in there asap and change it frequently to prevent it literally ripping in half like mine did ;)
Is there any preference or reason AMSOIL vs, RedLine in this application? I have usually run AMSOIL in my DD and RedLine in my Harleys.
No reason, I run Amsoil Severe Gear. The top 2 choices are typically that or Redline Shockproof. Both equally well received. I think it's just preference.
Agreed, as long as it did not come from Fred Myer's discount section or the Safeway auto isle your probably good with any name brand as long as you change it frequently ..
Both will work well. The convenience of stocking is where redline wins out 4 me. One fluid for both units.