'95 F-150 track ready street beast

[Sbeck09]

Well I know we are all supposed to be quarantined, but Lance hit me Friday afternoon and said to come on by Saturday morning to weigh, corner balance, and align the truck. Of course I said yes even though I was still bolting parts on until 1am.

I woke up ready to roll out Saturday morning and somehow the tune file was corrupted. The truck would spit and sputter and was obviously fuel washing on startup. I've been working with Andrew to get the tune really dialed in so I was fortunate to have the email with the most recent global file. Uploaded that and everything was golden again.

I was pretty nervous about driving almost 30 min through town since this would be the longest outing yet. No speedo either, but no one around here does the speed limit anyway. It all worked out and I made it safely.



All along I've been hoping to end up with a final weight of 3500-3600lbs and no more than 60% on the front. I also knew that it wouldn't be super easy with all steel body panels and lots of additional chassis bracing. Get ready for this...3633lbs without me, 54% front/46% rear, and that is with 3/4 tank of fuel! I feel fantastic about that and get a load of the cross weights with me sitting in the seat:



I've never been directly involved in this particular process so all the credit goes to Lance. I do feel really good about these results with this being a TON of guesswork and my first full solo build. For the alignment we had to fiddle a bit with the camber shims I have up front, but in the end we got just under 8 degrees of caster, 1.75 degrees of camber, and 1/32 toe out. For the rear (because IRS is tune-able...suck it stick axles Haha) we did .75 degrees of camber and 0 toe in or out. If anyone has better data to go off of please share it so we can make changes accordingly.

Right before we pulled the truck off the lift I had to grab a sweet shot of the clean underside for us to all enjoy.





Looking back I should have done a panoramic photo and gotten it all, but this shows most of the goods and I love it.

I hope you all were pleasantly surprised by these results too. The only things on the agenda for the moment is get the tune right and wrap up some smaller odds and ends with the interior. I have some major personal things going on that are all good, but will distract me some from the truck over the next month. And I still want my dang bumper, but I think the virus has caused some delays for the supplier.

[SSLance]

It'll be interested to see how it corners both ways with it set like this. Once we get the shocks dialed in and see if the spring rates are good, we'll revisit corner balancing once again. Great starting spot though...

BTW, put some mufflers on that thing! My wife commented that she heard you turn South on 67th Ave... ;)

[Sbeck09]

Well Andrew needs data and I was testing the traction with a proper alignment. haha It is much better now if you were wondering.

I have actually been looking at better muffler options today. Definitely more quiet than what is on there, but still audible.

[egoman]

I hate to over simplify but your cross weight is very easy to get to 50 percent. Also a fuel cell shift or a relocation of the battery can balance the truck better. Cant remember where those are currently set. You cant adjust left side weight or front/rear balance with screw jacking. Those can only change with actual weight movements. The cross weight though is as easy as adding turns in diagonally and removing turns from the other diagonal as needed. For road/track use you can get away with the weight differences easier than the cross-weight imbalances. Believe me I am going to have to balance for my fat ass in my upcoming build. Starting right off with a 2 inch offset drivetrain, LOL.

[egoman]

Just looked back. Move the battery outside the frame and move the cell as far to the right as it will go. Set the cross-weight at 50% and bobs your uncle. Short of adding weight that's your best option.

[Sbeck09]

The battery is already outside of the frame rail and the most I could offset the fuel cell, safely, to the right is about 1.5 inches. Moving the fuel cell that bit would be a massive amount of work for a minimal change. I agree that weight-jacking is somewhat limited in what it can do, but we should all also remember that this is impressive as hell for an old truck already. Yes, as picky as I am I would love to make it all perfect, but realistically Lance and I agreed the best option is to leave things how we set them and test first. Things are always subject to change with my projects. I need to start testing setups before I evaluate them to death with no real data.

What I don't have a photo of is the cross weights without me in the truck. I actually have a greater effect on that left rear (about 100lbs) than any other point. So part of what you are seeing there is the "ME" effect. I've personally never seen that with a front weight biased vehicle. My goal is to lose 15-20lbs in the next handful of months which will also help. Although these gym closures aren't helping that cause.

[RMMiller]

Under 4,000 lbs, that alone is impressive!

[Sbeck09]

Under 4,000 lbs, that alone is impressive!

Thank you! I really wanted to push as close to 3500 as I safely could. I feel really great about these results since there is no exotic materials used. This is all real metal and a basic cage with full climate control. By the numbers, this truck could compete against newer pony cars. I intend to find out.

[70CougarXr7]

That truck is looking impressive, long time since i watched, great job!

[Sbeck09]

Wow I didn't realize how badly I have neglected you guys here. My bad.

It's been a crazy few weeks so let me bring you all up to speed (that don't already know).

So after aligning the truck the focus was more on just driving it and watching for any gremlins that might pop up while Andrew worked on the tune. He has done a FANTASTIC job btw so if you are running a Holley EFI system and want someone to do some solid real world tuning, he is your guy. Overall the truck has been solid with everything from steady state cruising to 0-100 blasts. I can't wait to really finish the small stuff so I can just play. The big thing that is annoying me to death is that my bumper is stuck not being shipped due to 'Rona. So forgive the bucktooth look.



The more I see the stance the happier I am with the choices I made for ride height.

I then started cleaning up from the chaos of building a truck from scratch in my backyard. It resulted in an overflowing truckload to the salvage yard for a whopping $30. Yay.



Oddly I felt kinda sentimental about taking that stuff away for no good reason, but now that it has been gone, I'm cool.

One of the best parts about how I setup the build and having the IRS system out back is that I could still use this as a truck for basic stuff. Even better is that provides additional justification to drive it around. Win-win.



Why would I be hauling stuff like that around town you might be asking? Well late last year the ball got rolling on a major purchase that I've only dreamed about most of my (short) adult life. A property in town that feels out of town where I could have my own real shop to create these things I constantly have in my head. I present to you all, my dream:



Looking at the house and shop. Seeing about 1/3rd of the property in this pic...maybe.



Nope, you can't see the inside because it's pure chaos. The property is 1.63 acres with a nice shop and a small house. It's essentially a blank canvas. The house will be added onto within the next year and the shop should do great for now with plenty of surrounding ground for possible expansion. And to celebrate I bought a giant new toolbox (red box is what I've been using for most of the last decade)!



So what's next? I desperately want to organize since the shop became a big staging and temp storage area for house stuff, but I'm still getting the last couple items out of the old house so it can be sold. All while I'm talking to a friend about having lazer cut panels for the doors done and a custom shift lever to better suit my driving position. I guess races being on hold for now has kinda played to my advantage, but I'm ready to go beat on this beast and get some real testing data. This is a VERY exciting time for me and there is plenty left to do. This project is definitely not done.

Luckily the local wildlife (my friends) make sure to gawk regularly

[Jaymzz]

Congrats on putting miles on your truck and your other purchase also! I know what you mean about race season being on hold, bought my zl1 to have something to race until my Blazer is done and no races. :( But I am getting more done on my house and Blazer from it. lol

[Sbeck09]

Congrats on putting miles on your truck and your other purchase also! I know what you mean about race season being on hold, bought my zl1 to have something to race until my Blazer is done and no races. :( But I am getting more done on my house and Blazer from it. lol

Yeah definitely not how I saw my spring going. haha. That being said, this has given some great time to just tune the truck well and plan for what needs to be further optimized while getting more familiar with how it drives. I've learned that every vehicle has a different character and they all need a little different touch...especially this thing. My heal-toe shifts are already getting smoother, but Andrew talked me into another "upgrade" that will cause me to have to learn that all over again.

[WallaceMFG]

Been keeping up on instagram, but still good to see how everything is going. Congrats on the purchase and progress!

[Sbeck09]

Been keeping up on instagram, but still good to see how everything is going. Congrats on the purchase and progress!

Thanks! You're one of a handful of people that crossover and I really appreciate that. It's crazy to me that my IG page is like 830 followers now. But then again this thread is approaching 50k views too.

The move has really slowed work on the truck, but there is some cool things still coming. And I desperately want to finish the A/C plumbing since we break 100 degrees for the first time next week. Also turns out one of my friends owns a couple massive laser cutters, sheers, and breaks for his business so he is going to help make some perfectly cut panels to finish out the interior. I gotta up my game because all of you do such nice work on your own projects.

[JayinMI]

I've been following on IG as well. I'm over here thinking of skipping A/C in my truck since it didn't have it originally, but then I remember we'll get in the 90's in summer here in MI, and what good is a nice weather driver, if you drive it when it's hot? lol

[Sbeck09]

I've been following on IG as well. I'm over here thinking of skipping A/C in my truck since it didn't have it originally, but then I remember we'll get in the 90's in summer here in MI, and what good is a nice weather driver, if you drive it when it's hot? lol

Exactly! I way overbuilt my engine cooling system so I'm sure that will tolerate our 117 degree days, but no way in hell am I sitting in this truck without a cooling system for me. I've done the racecar thing with no air at all and I'll tell you that it is worth the weight "penalty" 11/10 times. I don't want fair weather vehicles, I want toys I can play with all year long. Plus, there is a very good reason why professional motorsports also run air conditioning for their drivers. Can't argue with the pros.

[Sbeck09]

Still haven't gotten around to doing the A/C install. Actually, I took the truck for tacos and it ran great, come into the shop the next afternoon and see a puddle of water under the truck. I freaked out fearing something major and luckily it was simply a leaking heater hose connection just after the heater valve. So of course I'm changing all the worm clamps out to those Gates Shrink Clamps, moving some hoses, and overall simplifying the system to reduce the risk of future leaks (less connections). I HATE trying to seal up cooling systems because I never feel like I'm winning. But let's all remember that this is the first time I have ever had to design a complete cooling system so I was bound to learn a few things.



On the brighter side, I stumbled onto a guy that runs a small CNC shop out of his garage and he makes parts for these trucks. When I saw the reasonable price of his billet door handles and that I could get them engraved for like $10 extra, I had to have them! Once the door panels are on these will look fantastic!



Now I want to find someone to cut some custom fender badges to keep the theme going.

As I get tools unpacked and power setup around the new shop I can start taking on some of the other items that I have been severely procrastinating on. Most notably is the fuel cell. I was in such a rush to get the truck functional that I just capped the fill tube and never filled up over 3/4 tank allowing me to put off the vent plumbing and filler neck fab. It has endlessly bothered me since I've had the II Much VSR for a while. Yesterday I finally got my order of AN fittings so I could do the vent. Such a nice piece and super easy to install on this fuel cell with the VSR mounted in the bed. Remember, all this will eventually be covered by a bed cover anyway. Now I can do the filler neck when I get the outlet installed for my welder and it will be 100% done.



The last item, that is still in the works, would be another muffler change. I am the WORST about picking mufflers because I'm so picky about the sound. After reading tons of happy reviews for these Borla Sportsman mufflers, I had to give them a shot. WOW! By far the deepest sounding 3" muffler I have ever heard. They make my little 408w sound like a big block! The idle is noticeable, but not bad while a burp of the throttle let's you know they bark. Once the cooling system is back together I'll go try them under load, but on a 30 second cold start I was impressed. Turn downs are on the way so I can finish these sometime in the next week.



I gotta get this together since events seem to be starting to be scheduled again and I can't miss anything local if I want test data before the Pro Touring Truck Shootout in August. All these distractions like new tractors, new bicycles, and new motorcycles are really not helping.

[RMMiller]

Looks like you found a nice place to land, that shop would be great to work in! What part of Phoenix are you in? I lived there briefly after high school, we had a place in the upper end of town, 52nd street and Van Buren! Went by there in 2000 when we went down for the drag races, what a dump, couldn't get out of there fast enough for my wife!

[Sbeck09]

Yeah I'm super happy here. As with any new place, I have a lengthy list of items I want to tackle to really make it "mine," but it already feels like home and I have zero regrets. This place is up off of Happy Valley so it's a bit north of where you lived. You definitely won't find me down on Van Buren anytime soon.

[JayinMI]

As I get tools unpacked and power setup around the new shop I can start taking on some of the other items that I have been severely procrastinating on. Most notably is the fuel cell. I was in such a rush to get the truck functional that I just capped the fill tube and never filled up over 3/4 tank allowing me to put off the vent plumbing and filler neck fab. It has endlessly bothered me since I've had the II Much VSR for a while. Yesterday I finally got my order of AN fittings so I could do the vent. Such a nice piece and super easy to install on this fuel cell with the VSR mounted in the bed. Remember, all this will eventually be covered by a bed cover anyway. Now I can do the filler neck when I get the outlet installed for my welder and it will be 100% done.

What is a VSR? I assume it's some kind of vent for the fuel tank, but I'm guessing it must be a little more than just that.

The last item, that is still in the works, would be another muffler change. I am the WORST about picking mufflers because I'm so picky about the sound. After reading tons of happy reviews for these Borla Sportsman mufflers, I had to give them a shot. WOW! By far the deepest sounding 3" muffler I have ever heard. They make my little 408w sound like a big block! The idle is noticeable, but not bad while a burp of the throttle let's you know they bark. Once the cooling system is back together I'll go try them under load, but on a 30 second cold start I was impressed. Turn downs are on the way so I can finish these sometime in the next week.



I gotta get this together since events seem to be starting to be scheduled again and I can't miss anything local if I want test data before the Pro Touring Truck Shootout in August. All these distractions like new tractors, new bicycles, and new motorcycles are really not helping.

When the exhaust is done, you'll have to post a sound clip or walkaround. I'm not there yet, but I will (hopefully) need to pick mufflers in the not-to-distant future.
It's like speakers...you can't just pick them based on looks or recommendations and expect to be happy.

Jay