The previous owner of my f150 (ext cab, v6, 4.2l) did most of the current engine mods on it. He added a super charger and I am sure a performance chip as well, but I want to double check to see what its got on it and if I have any options of upgrading it so my very newbish question is where is it located and how can I get at it. My second, not quite as n00bish (I hope) is what would you all recomend should go along with that supercharger to get max performance for my truck.

31C

 

Hi 31C,

I see you are out West, but I'm just curious............ did that truck by any chance come from a guy named Josh, who I think lives in North Carolina by any chance? I ask only because his was the first supercharged 4.2 V6 F-150, and we did the custom tuning on it. He made 335 HP+ to the rear wheels, it was a 1999 model with 4WD, and the ORP, weighing 5500 lbs., and it also had to tow Monday thru Friday, another 5000+ lbs. out back. It was quite a project, we equipped it with the 2-program Superchip Flip Chip & had him on the dyno at Superchips for numerous trips, lots of hours of tuning went into it since it was the very first. This one used a Powerdyne centrifugal blower. Anyway, I just thought I'd ask, as if that is by some off chance the same vehicle, then I do know a lot about it. Just thought I'd ask...........

What *more* you can do really depends on what all has actually been done so far - and it's really not going to be possible to get that kind of advice on a message board, that kind of advice requires very detailed knowledge of the 4.2 V6 F-150 specifically, and would also require knowing everything about the mechanical configuration of that truck - every modification, if & how it's tuned, etc.

Unless that 4.2 V6 motor has been professionally rebuilt with forged pistons, rods & a prepped crank (the factory crank is OK with prep), you may not have significant "headroom" left on that engine so it can withstand even *more* power on top of the supercharger without endangering the motor - but right now we don't know if you're barely making 300 HP with that blower & thus have plenty of headroom for a lot more power, or if that motor is screaming 400+ HP and is at it's limit already.

The bottom line is, we'll have to know more about that vehicle to tell you specifically what more you can do to *safely* add more performance, as we have no idea what's been done so far, other than it has a blower on it.

You can see if it has a chip on it by looking at the back of the PCM - the PCM is located just above the passenger's kick panel, and it's a small aluminum box - 1.5 inches wide by 6 inches tall by 9 inches long, the way it's mounted in the 1997-2003 F-150 - look on the back of the PCM, if it has a performance chip you will either see the module hanging off the back of the PCM, or you will see the rear J3 port taped completely over - indicating a performance chip may be inside. If it has a Superchip, you will see that immediately on the back of the PCM on the outside of it - it will be a blue module that is visible externally.

I would strongly suggest that you get a *complete* list of every change done to that vehicle by it's previous owner - in fact, for me personally, I would never have even thought about buying such a highly modified vehicle without having *all* that info right up front and without talking directly to the previous owner about everything. Without that info, it's going to take a good performance shop that knows the 4.2 V6 F-150 specifically, and that also knows that type of supercharger very well, in order to thoroughly examine the vehicle & determine just what mods it has & how it's set up - everything from the fuel pump forward, literally, should be known, and *then* specific (and intelligent) recommendations can be made .

If it's not properly tuned, then there's potentially significant additional power and performance available from proper tuning - another aspect is if it's intercooled or not, as intercooling makes a big difference in available power. There are *tons* of things that can be done to make even more power - more boost, proper tuning, intercooling, camshaft selection, porting the cylinder heads, larger MAF, larger throttle body, fuel system upgrades, ignition system upgrades, electric fans, gears, and the list just goes on and on and on - there is literally no limit to how far we can take the performance of that truck, as we specialize in this platform. But the first thing that needs to be known is just what has *already* been done to that vehicle.

I would suggest giving us a call at our number listed below when you get a chance, so we can discuss this in proper detail.

And if possible, talk to the previous owner of that vehicle and get a complete list of every modification done & every part that was changed, etc. Having that info will make all the difference in the world, as without it, that vehicle will need to be examined by an F-150 performance specialist to see just what's what, and that must be done before any (intelligent) specific recommendations can be made as to just exactly what you should do next to further improve performance.

It would also be a good idea to know just where it's performance is at right now - any 1/4 mile timeslips, or at least the dyno plots from the original owner having it tuned for the supercharger, etc.

At any rate, give us a call when you get a chance & we can go over this with you & give you some suggestions on how to proceed. We're glad you dropped by, it sounds like you've got a really neat and unique 4.2 V6 F-150 there & we'll be happy to help. Best of luck & we hope to speak with you soon!

Have fun,

 

Thanks for all the info, I was affraid everyone was going to ignore me (like always).

My truck is a 2001, 2WD, so I don't think it can be your truck. Here is the story how I got it. I'll admit, I used a "hook up" My dad. His job requires him to buy trucks for his company and since he uses Ford for most of the fleet ford likes keeping him happy. I told him I was looking to buy an f150 and I had some cash since I just got back from Army boot camp. He brought home the truck I have right now but said he didn't think I should buy it because of the supercharger. I ofcourse loved it, and didn't know much about trucks at the time so I decided to buy it, but before I could tell my dad he took it back to the "dealer" and said I didn't want it. To make a long story short I finally got the truck back and was pretty much either I buy it today or this other guy was going to buy it. It was a great price and a very nice truck. Especially compared to my old ranger. So the bad news is I never got to meet the original owner, the good news is I still keep in contact with the man who sold it to me and can ask him to talk to the guy to see if he can get a list of all the mods he did for it.

The rest of the bad news is I was activated a few months after I got the truck so I am not on the west coast, but I should be back home in about 2 months, Ill try and get the list and get in contact with you sometime soon (this whole "homeland defense" doesn't give me a lot of time).

31C

 

Hi 31C,

No way are you going to be ignored here - In fact, I think I gave you some light grief in another thread just today!

Thanks for your post, & I understand the situation - in that case, if the deal was right, it would probably be pretty hard to pass up a nice truck with a supercharger already installed & ready to go have fun in!

By the way, thanks for serving your country - being an Army brat & having served myself, I personally think we should re-institute some sort of mandatory public service for every able-bodied person (male & female) - so they'd have to serve at least 2 years - you know, get an idea of what life is like outside America - get some perspective on how good we have it here, and most importantly, just how we are perceived around the globe & what we really do in other countries. Maybe relearn some basic manners like "Yes, Sir" & "No, Ma'am" etc.

You'll have to forgive me for rambling, sorry! I grew up military through and through, and now I see so much basic disrespect for others - abroad and here at home - compared to the way I grew up in the 50's & 60's living on military bases all over the world - especially of children for their parents, other elders & just the basic general lack of respect of, by, and for other people in general. I think we've lost something very important since we have no short-term mandatory public service like almost every other country has.

Please be safe out there now that you're back on active duty - you can get always in touch with us anytime, we're easy to find - right now is time to take care of yourself and your job, which we all thank you for doing!