mike,

i have been trying to call you and keep forgetting about the 3 hour time difference. (i am on the west coast). i will just ask you on here since i am in no need of a quick response.

alright, so far i have a superchip and a Airforce one. both from you. i also have a gibson supertruck. since i have these three basic mods i was wondering what you would suggest for my next mod. (i am looking for straight line performance) i want to eventually have my truck be a beast. but seeing as how i am a highschool student my income is very very limited. i have to take things one at a time with large gaps between purchases. but either way it will get done. so right now i have about $450 to spend and i would like your oppinion. i was thinking about maybe saving a little more for jba's top of the line headers, or maybe getting a electric fan setup. what do you think about those mods? or would you suggest something different first. thanks a lot!!

Arom

 

Hi Arom,

Don't feel bad, our Hawaii customers have a 5-6 hour time difference to deal with!

In terms of what to do next, sure, you could do either the headers or convert over to electric cooling fans. If it was a V-8, the strict order of actual bang-for-the-buck would be the underdrive pulleys next.

Since you have the 4.2 V-6, which the underdrive pulleys are currently being worked on for release and aren't shipping just yet, I'd suggest doing the headers next. Make sure they are Jet-Hot coated, using their "satin" finish. You'll get a bit more power, and keep the underhood temperatures way down, as those temperatures under the hood go way up with headers unless they are coated. The Jet-Hot ceramic coating inside and out will prevent all of that, and this is a standard option when ordering headers.

Just give us a shout when you get a chance (leave us a voicemail if you need to call after hours & we'll return the call!) and we can go over all of this with you.

This truck is getting to be more fun all the time, isn't it? We love to see the 4.2 V-6 guys doing these modifications, those V-6's respond nicely and can make great running F-150's.

 

thanks for the info. I am going to save a little more and go for the headers like you suggested. But about the underdrive pulleys...would you let me know when the come out? i will definitly be interested in them for my next mod. thanks again.

Arom

 

Hi Arom,

Sure, you bet! We'll be making a public anouncement here on the boards when those puleys are shipping.

In fact, one of F-150 Online's members has the prototype crank pulley already installed & dyno'd, he's been working with the manufacturer since they are close to each other. The other pulley to complete the set is under way now, so it shouldn't be too long!

At some point down the road, you may also want to take a look at ignition upgrades, as the 4.2 V-6 still uses conventional plug wires, etc., and those can be upgraded to good benefit. Your vehicle is almost brand new, being a 2001, so I'd get at least 20K to maybe 30K miles out of the stock components, and then take a look at getting (this is assuming you haven't done this already, I don't remember) some upgraded plugs, plug wires & coil packs. They come later in terms of their "bang-for-the-buck" order, but are worth doing at some point a little later on perhaps.

Have fun!

 

sorry LBC for changing the subject slightly, but mike what do you suggest for ingnition upgrades? msd, jacobs, ect.... or something else? is there much to installing them? thanks

 

crazedf1,

no problem. i am actually interested in that myself. thanks for asking!

Arom

 

Hi crazed,

Well, the ignition upgrades you'd want to consider will depend on which engine you have, as 5.4's have the COP (coil on plug) system, as do later 4.6's, as well as just how far you intend to take the performance of the engine & what you're willing to spend to get there.

We generally recommend the obvious (), which are good plugs (Denso Iridium's are a great plug), and then better quality plug wires as well as hotter coil packs, if applicable. Much of that is not applicable to the COP systems, which, for now, unless you're willing to spend a *LOT* of money on the ignition, are fine with just a good set of plugs.

Accel is going a nice bang-for-the-buck job on plug wires right now, and for some of the coil packs.

We don't generally recommend spending $400-$600 on the major name aftermarket systems unless you're doing a supercharger, or are willing to incur those kinds of expenses for small power gains, and some people are, as they want every bit of firepower possible going on in the combustion chamber, which is fine. We just look at it from a bang-for-the-buck standpoint combined with consideration for the overall mechanical configuration, once agian, how far the customer is taking their engine.

I'd suggest giving us a quick call with your exact vehicle info and we can let you know exactly what we'd recommend, along with the cost and what gains & benefits you can expect to see.

Overall, speaking in loose generalities, unless there is a specific deficit situation, I.E., spark blowout with a supercharged engine at rpm under load, etc., or running very rich A/F mixtures, hotter ignitions don't deliver big raw power gains, but that's not their only purpose, either. They should be always considered where applicable, especially on the non-COP systems.