Diesel Upgrade/Rust Panels/Drills

Today on trucks, the guys show you how to put the power in a power stroke. When they take you step by step through the installation of an intake upgrade on their diesel F 250.

The Ford theme continues when they roll a 1948 F six into the truck shop for a closer look.

And finally, Stacy gives you some helpful tips on repairing rusty panels. That's all today on trucks.

Welcome to this week's show everybody,

you know, in the truck world, there's a whole bunch of folks out there who are constantly trying to squeeze a little extra horsepower out of their engine for the sole purpose of going out and racing against the local muscle cars. But there's also a lot of people out there who want a little extra horsepower from their truck to be able to tow and haul stuff

and nowhere is that more evident than on the bigger trucks with a diesel engine. Matter of fact, the reason you buy a truck with a diesel engine is because of the massive amounts of power that they've got.

Now, you may remember a while back, we did some upgrades on the Dodge Cummins diesel.

Well, this week we're gonna show you what can happen when you massage the Ford power stroke.

Now, the first thing we did was back our 01 F 250 onto the

dyno

to find out what kind of numbers it was kicking out bone stock. And what we got was 100 and 82 horsepower at the rear wheels as well as 450 ft pounds of torque.

Now, that's respectable, but it's not anywhere near what these power strokes are capable of. So we're gonna do some upgrades to it to give us considerably more horsepower without turning it into a hot rod. That way we can drive it around town and never know the powers there

until we hit the pedal.

We got our upgrades from a company called Western Diesel Systems. And the first thing we're gonna take a look at is called the Turbo

Ram Air, which is a high performance air intake upgrade that includes all the ducting filter

brackets and hardware. You'll need to install it.

The first thing you need to do is disconnect both batteries

and remove the one here on the driver side.

Then we'll get this stock restrictive air box out of the way.

Now, the new Ram Air system extends all the way out under the grill. So this latch has got to go too. Now, a nice trick here

is to draw around the latch.

Then when you go to put the latch back on. All you have to do is line up the marks

and you won't have any alignment problems.

The next thing we need to lose is our front bumper. But before we do that, we're gonna run some tape around the upper corner here to keep from scratching the paint when we pull it off.

Now, once you have the tape on both sides, you can disconnect your driving lights and unbolt the bumper.

Now it's time to move some things around. Now, with the air conditioning condenser and the transmission cooler unbolted,

it's time to move the power steering cooler from its stock position here in front

to back behind everything.

Now, the kit comes with some special brackets

that move everything to the back and bolt right up to the factory holes.

Now, the reason we need to do all of this relocating is because this air conditioning condenser needs to drop down a little bit to make room for the Ram air box. It'll fit right inside here

and don't forget you need to come in here and cut out a notch in this plastic. So these air conditioning lines can drop down. Now, also with the kit, you get this little bracket

that allows you to mount that condenser just exactly where it needs to be.

Another change we need to make is the location of the battery here on the driver's side to make room for the new air inlet. Now, originally, the battery sat like this, but we need to set it like this. So the kit comes with this battery tray that mounts right onto the fender. Well, and that's gonna keep our battery from flopping around on us.

Now it's time for the ram air just slide it into place behind the grill, then replace your hood latch

using the marks you made earlier,

then drill some holes and mount the scoop to the grill.

Now we're ready for the part that holds the filter and it slides into the scoop

and is held in place with screws,

then take the aluminum elbow with the filter at one end,

slide it into the factory hose and

set it down into the box,

then just put on the lid.

Finally, we can get the battery back in. Now, once you have it clamped down,

go ahead and grab the extension cable that comes with the kit and connect it to the positive cable. Now, keep in mind

because we had to move the location of the battery. We need the extension to be able to reach it. Now, the kit also comes with heat shrinking tube and wire ties to protect the connection.

Well, that takes care of the ram air system. Now we're gonna deal with some gauges. Now, you know how important those are. That's really the only way that your engine can talk to you. So with this kit, we got an exhaust temperature gauge.

A transmission temperature gauge

and of course, a turbo boost gauge. We've got this really neat pod that they slide right into

and that mounts to the A pillar.

Now, once you have your gauges in place and wired up, connect the pod to the original piece of trim,

run your wires down the side under the dash and

then just pop the piece back in.

Now, while Stacey is finishing up with the gauges in the cab, we'll take a look at the area that'll give us the most horsepower gains on this project and that's the electrical system. Now, with our kit, it comes with a brand new computer chip, a Western diesel tri power module as well as all the hookups and harnesses. You'll need to make installing this kit as painless as possible.

Now to remove the computer so we can put in the new chip, disconnect the wiring harness under the hood

and then on these newer Fords

just unbolt the computer from this inner kick panel.

Now, with the rear access cover off of the computer, you can see the circuit connector. Now, these are coated with cosmo

line and clear paint from the factory and that all needs to come off. So it takes some lacquer thinner,

put it on a Q tip

and make sure you get it all off, then

make sure everything is completely dry,

then take your computer chip,

just slide it in.

Then all you have to do is put the computer back in the truck.

Well, we're getting really close to some major horsepower gains, but we still have a few things left to do. So, stay with us. We'll finish up this project right after the break.

Now, if you work on older trucks, you know all about rust problems later in the show, Stacy has some tips for you. That'll take the fear factor out of rust repair.

But up first, we're gonna show you the

dyno numbers from our intake upgrade.

Welcome back to trucks and our Ford Power stroke project. Now with a new chip in the computer,

it's time to hook up our tri power module. Now, the way this thing works, you've got three levels of performance, all with a flick of a switch. You

got economy

towing

and go, baby, go. And the good thing is you can change all these settings while you're running down the road. Now, installation

is as easy as finding a place in the dash and drilling a hole and mounting your switch

and then mounting the module underneath the dash, making your hook up.

Now, since we're on the subject of electrical connections, we do have some to make under the hood. Now, the kit comes with a wiring harness that'll run right through the firewall. So states can make the connections inside the cap while the other end makes a couple of connections right here under the hood. And as you can see, they're clearly marked to eliminate any mistakes.

Well, now that we have the air intake and the electrical systems upgraded, it's time to get this thing on the lift and get this old stock exhaust out of here, get some flow going.

Our new exhaust system also comes from Western diesel and it's a Mandel

bent stainless steel set up that graduates to a four inch pipe has a stainless steel muffler as well as this huge tip. That's gonna look awesome poking out the back of our big blue oval.

Of course, we're gonna replace the whole system from the engine all the way back. Now, on the Ford power stroke, you'll need to cut this head pipe in half, so it'll clear the transmission cross members.

Now, there's been some controversy about catalytic converters on diesel engines. Most trucks don't have them, but there's a few that do. And here's the deal. If you've got a catalytic converter on your truck, you need to leave it on. If you don't have a catalytic converter, you don't need to put one on our truck, didn't come with one, so we're cool.

Now, we've already installed the head pipe and intermediate pipes on our F 250 which means it's time for the brand new muffler. Now, as you can see, it's a lot smaller than the stalker, but it's gonna sound and flow a whole lot better. And for now we're just gonna slide it in

and lightly clamp it in place.

Of

course, the last piece is the tail pipe and the tip and it slides right into the muffler and the whole system is held in place by the stock rubber mounts. Now, once you have everything exactly how you want it, start at the front, work your way back, tightening the clamps and you'll be ready to roll

and roll. We did right onto our dyno to find out what we picked up.

Now with our switch on economy, we grabbed 55 horsepower with the switch in the towing mode. We gained 75 and on go baby go. We rolled in at 353 horsepower and 774 ft pounds of torque.

Now, that's a gain of over 100 and 70 horsepower

and over 320 ft pounds of torque. Man that is smoking and those were some fairly easy bolt ons. That'll give you the idea of just how much potential a power stroke has got

and also make you think twice about messing with one hit a stoplight

up next on trucks. We've got a rare blue oval to show you stay tuned because that 1948 F six is coming your way.

You just can't get enough of trucks. Check us out online at trucks, tv.com.

Thanks for staying with us. Everybody. You know, every once in a while a truck comes along that people just can't help but stare at trying to figure out exactly what it is.

Now, if that truck also happens to be really large,

well, that just adds to the mystery of it all

and that's exactly the case with this 1948 Ford F six Coe that's owned by Kenny and Joyce Long. Now, this truck was born out of necessity when Kenny, a longtime hot roder decided he needed something special to pull his trailer with

special for him. Comfortable for Joyce,

it all started with a cab that was painstakingly restored to perfection, utilizing as many original pieces as possible.

The grill and fenders retain all their original style and the hood still sports the stainless steel trim that made this truck so unique.

Now, even though the truck sits real low, it's still a pretty good step to get up into it.

Now, this truck wasn't just lowered. It needed a whole new chassis because it was just a body. So starting with a 79 1 ton Chevy ambulance chassis,

the body was custom mounted to get the low stance.

One of the reasons for the long wheel base is because Kenny knew he wanted a sleeper, which was completely built from scratch with big windows, storage compartments and the shape that looks like it came off. A classic Peter built metal work didn't stop there. It continued into the bed which was also handmade and fits the look as well as

the styling of this truck perfectly. A locking storage compartment provides plenty of room to carry anything from tools to trophies. And the center of the bed is set up to carry 1/5 wheel trailer hitch.

Now, the inner wheel wells are also handmade

and the only fiberglass on this entire truck are the rear fenders.

Now, we know you're dying to see what's under this hood. So check this out.

Well, that's where the original engine used to be, but not anymore.

That's because the big 454 Chevy that powers this thing

has been relocated to sit under the sleeper.

Now, if you think that makes the sleeper uncomfortable, well, think again,

thick sound and heat proofing as well as plush Tweed and leather upholstery make this the place to kick back on a long trip.

The luxury continues into the cab with a custom headliner

seats

and dash as well as gauges,

air conditioning and a kick and stereo. This thing's loaded.

The styling cues of a big rig aren't limited to the sleeper. Now, truck style lights fill up the rear roll pan, highly polished wheels are stuffed under the fenders and handmade running boards that are accented by three amber running lights round out the look in the rear.

Of course, the main thing that makes this truck look like a baby semi are the fully functional side stacks that run up behind the sleeper. Now notice the wires and the spark plugs run into the pipe.

Well, those are called flame throwers and they'll shoot flame a couple of feet out of those pipes. When Kenny hits the right switches, told you this guy is a hot

all the work and craftsmanship on this rig paid off by winning, best engineered at World of Wheels, as well as the F 100 Super Nationals. But as good as that sounds, this truck was built to be driven. So don't be surprised if you see this rolling masterpiece smoking down the interstate.

So

now most people are familiar with the operation of a drill or a hole saw no big secret here. They drill holes, but sometimes you want to drill through a double panel or something and you don't want to go all the way through. So what do you do?

Well, you can try to freehand it and push hard enough to go through, but not too hard to go all the way through in your back and forth. And believe me, there's a better way to do this.

What you need to do is take a roll of tape,

make a band on the drill bit as deep as you want the hole to be.

Now,

the tape will act as a stop

and keep the drill from going any deeper than you want it. Now, once you're done,

all you have to do is cut the tape off. Problem solved.

Welcome back to trucks. Now, if you spend any time working on older vehicles, you know that there is one common enemy and that's rust. Now, sometimes there's replacement panels available, but on a lot of cases like the Hairy Hauler. Heck, you're on your own. Now, I've seen a lot of people replace rust with body filler. Now, that'll last you. About six months, come back through your pretty paint and generally bite you on the butt. So, how do you fix it? Right. Using metal. Well, we're gonna show you how,

first we need to strip the paint, see how far this damage goes up in here.

Now, take measurements for your replacement panel.

Now, the trick here is to make sure that you replace all of the rust with metal.

So make sure you're coming out all the way into this good solid stuff because you gotta have good metal to weld to.

Now in our cab, you'll notice that it's got a contour to it as it pulls down in here toward the bottom.

That's very important to keep that in mind when you build this panel because if you don't, it won't match up with your doors and it'll look like garbage when you put it in.

Now to get this radius of this bend,

take a piece of wire

and just bend it until you've got it. Just right

now, we're gonna take our measurements and this little piece of wire and make a panel out of 18 gauge sheet metal. First thing you do transfer your measurements to the metal cut, it out with the snips,

then slide your piece into the sheet metal break,

put a 90 degree bend in it.

Now, this will give you the lip that folds down under the body for strength.

Now, the trick is to take this new piece

and bend it to the shape of the original panel. Now, you're probably thinking, well, that's impossible. You can't bend a piece that's going two different directions.

Well, I got a surprise for you. You can, if you have the right tools, you can even do things as radical as this, but

you're gonna need a shrinker and stretcher combination.

Now take your part,

set your pattern down into it

and then make some marks

here where the curve is gonna be the most radical.

Now put the piece in the shrinker and press the handle slowly working your way around the radius of the bend.

Now make sure you keep checking it with your pattern. So you don't go too far. If you do go too far,

you can put it over here in the stretcher and that'll open the curve back up.

Now notice that this metal is not ripped. These machines actually pull and push at the metal which makes for a really strong piece.

Now, once your piece matches your pattern, it's time to test fit it on the truck. See if you have to do any kind of extra trimming

as you can see this piece fits great,

but don't be surprised if you need to do just a little hammer and dolly work to make it perfect.

Well, that ought to give you an idea what it takes to make a repair panel for rust. Now, next week I'll show you how to put this in. Right.

Finish it down to where you can't even tell there's a repair there

and I won't use anybody buddy.

And now truck gear, parts, tools and equipment for pickups and sport utilities.

You know, ever since they slapped a tailgate on a pickup truck, people have been trying to sit on them and balance stuff in their laps. Well, the trail gate table does away with that circus act. It's a foldable table that slides right into your receiver hit is height adjustable and also has storage space inside the table to hold anything from fishing lures to silverware. Also, it's molded plastic design, makes it lightweight yet durable enough for the campsite

or even the ball game lose the balancing act with the trail gate table for about 100 and 70 bucks.

One of the most frustrating things about working on newer vehicles is one half is usually put together with metric bolts. The other half Sae, which means you have to have a complete set of sockets and wrenches for both. Now, wouldn't it be nice if one set fit everything?

Well, that's exactly what met Wrench did.

Skeptical. Well, I was too, but let me show you how this works.

Now, the Met wrench grips on the flat side of the bolt, not on the corners

and this allows it to work on both metric and sae sizes. Now, a set like this goes for 250 bucks from the Eastwood Company.

And if you're into hunting junkyards for parts, you've got to have one of these.

Now, if you do a lot of towing and hauling, then, you know, sagging and swaying can not only be tough on your truck suspension

but can also make for an ill handling and dangerous vehicle. Fortunately, airlift has a solution to this problem with their load controller, air spring control system. Now, this kit comes with the air

rings

onboard compressor as well as dash control, so you can adjust things from the driver's seat. Now, you really can adjust the level of your vehicle front to rear side to side under heavy loads and airlift is the way to do it.

That's gonna do it for truck gear. Here's a preview of next week's show.

Well, after months of cutting and fitting, welding and fabricating,

the Hairy Hauler chassis is finally ready for its final assembly. Let's just say the cool factor is way high on this one.

The cool factor continues when the guys take a close up. Look at two time NASCAR champion Jack Sprague

Chevy Silverado.

Finally, we'll show you how to be prepared for the unexpected.

That's all next week on trucks.

Well, that's gonna do it for this week's show. We appreciate you hanging out with us. Yeah, we got more trucks for you next week. Hey, man, what, why are we working? The

thing you say? We have to,

we don't want him to know. We've been not driving

trucks is an RTM production.