I apologize for the long gap in articles covering project "Great White". Its been a long road to our ultimate satisfaction with this truck, and I'm here to tell you why over the next few months.

A comparison photo with our truck and a stock F-350.

Much work was accomplished on our truck to prepare it for its support duties during the Baja 2000 race. We did not report on the various additions as they occurred because, up to the last week of October we were not sure we'd take the truck down the peninsula. I was that unhappy with the performance of the Powerstroke and the performance of Ford Motor Company.

As you may remember, our truck was afflicted with poor driveability, and what clearly sounded like a rod knock within 300 miles of delivery. The truck also developed what felt like a flat cylinder or "miss" from idle to 1700 rpm. Ford called this a "Fuel Cackle" then later called it an "Idle Knock". The root cause of the driveability and noise issue is in the fuel system, that is for sure.

As documented in the "Log Book" web page I maintained, I addressed these issues with Ford Motor Company immediately. Over the course of 6 months, Ford made efforts to understand and correct the problem. Unfortunately, I am firm in my stance that their efforts were very unsatisfactory. In one instance, one of Ford's PR Managers called me a "bad and biased journalist" because of my just and unwaivering stance to fix this truck. In my strong opinion, this individual owes me a hearty apology. The rest of the sorrid story is not much better.

During this same period, I learned that the problems that I experienced were not isolated. I was soon able to build a list of contacts relative to these issues among other affected and interested Ford Powerstroke Diesel owners. Fortunately, a few of these folks (one in particular) are extremely bright, well educated and well experienced individuals, whom after suffering the same aggravation at Ford's hands took it upon themselves to seek their own solution to make their trucks run correctly.

A view of the right side of the truck. The preunner bumper, winch mount is a "one off" item fabricated by Foutz Motorsports of Mesa, AZ.

I received the fruit of the team's efforts in late October, just before the race. This prototype fix made my truck run much better, and greatly quieted the rod knock noise. At this point I felt confident in taking the truck on a "do or die" mission to Baja. As an update, the new parts seem to be "breaking in" making the truck run better and better. With just shy of 12,000 mile on the odometer, my truck is now fun to drive. The motor is very quiet, very powerful, efficient and clean. A far cry from the noisy, missing, knocking "dog of a motor" it was.

Let me regress a bit. I chose the F-350 because I knew that the truck was tough. I cannot accurately say what the percentage of affected trucks is however, I think the whole issue will come into the light of public scrutiny soon all on it's own. I can say that outside of the issues I experienced, the truck is an outstanding vehicle. With the motor fix in place and getting better, the truck is now the "10 year keeper" I intended it to be at purchase.

The King Racing shock absorbers and National Springs make all the difference on rough, paved roads and off-road driving. This truck sucks up the worst stuff Baja's Highway 1 can throw at it.

Throughout the ordeal of working with the manufacturer, I remained confident that the problem would be fixed by either Ford themselves, or an entrepreneur. At this point, we decided to go forward with modifications to the truck , following our project theme. The modifications eliminated any lemon law, trade out opportunity. Yes, I was in this for the long haul.

Our truck at work! We are on our way back from Cabo San Lucas and the Baja 2000. We took a few days off in the beautiful Baja town of Mulege. In this photo our truck is parked in front of the 200+ year old mission in Mulege.

After returning from the Baja 2000, I am happy to say that our truck conquered the Baja peninsula! Our modifications to the F-350 provided us with a huge advantage over anything a stock vehicle would offer. We took "Great White" all over the event, and it drew comments and attention wherever it went. Best of all, it handled perfectly on the primitive, challenging and often dangerous, Baja Highway 1. Fuel consumption averaged between 14 and 15 miles per gallon under a fairly heavy load and aggressive driving.

More custom fabrication and a clear visual of the 8"suspension lift.

Beginning this month we will cover the completed modifications in brief as follows.

December 2000

• Wheel Choice

• Baja "Do or Die" spares and fuel capacity upgrade.
• Lighting Upgrade
• Communications Upgrade
• Additional Gauges

• No Article as we complete final suspension modifications.

• Suspension Upgrades
• Gearing Change
• Drivetrain Additions

Three Hella HID lights add a huge level of safety to night driving in Baja.

The folks behind the motor fix, have told us that a new version of the upgrade is available which offers a significant improvement. We hope to have this kit installed by the end of March 2001 with a report to follow. If you are interested in the motor fix applied to our vehicle please, contact the man behind the magic, Mr. Kim Lux. Click Here to email Kim.

UPDATE 2005

Mr. Kim Lux and Diesel Research, Inc. of Calgary, AB Canada have never provided a production product or solution. Mr. Lux has taken thousands of dollars and expensive engine components from dozens of people without results. Many people were without the use of their vehicles for months at a time. Mr. Lux never seemed to care and is making no act of repayment to date.

DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH MR. LUX OR DIESEL RESEARCH, INC.