Brent Long bought a 2013 Ford Flex SEL FWD V6 in 2014 and fell in love with the platform and the uniqueness of the vehicle. It served its purpose for Long; the Flex was a kid-hauler (a father of 3) as well as hauling all of Long's mobile DJ equipment. "It was utilitarian, looked cool, and I loved it," mentions Long. He discovered that there was a Limited version that was available as an Options Package that included visual upgrades and drivetrain upgrades. That drivetrain, Long found out, was the same exact one as the current generation Ford Taurus SHO. "I had to have it," explains Long, "I had a very specific look in mind, with a very specific options package as well if I were to invest in an upgraded Flex." Long's search took 6 months to find the exact Flex he wanted, but he found it at a dealership located 2 ½ hours from me. "I contacted them, and let them know I wanted to buy it, pretty much sight un-seen, without a test drive, and to get the paperwork going," remembers Long. Two weeks after finding it, Long too a road trip to the dealer, traded his 2013 Flex, and drove off in a (new-to-him) 2014 Flex Limited AWD Ecoboost. "That was two years ago, and my, how things have changed on the Magic Boost Bus!"
Long has personally installed almost every single modification on the 2014 Ford Flex, and he's proud of the grease on his hands from that hard work. "It's truly a built-not-bought ride! My very first mod on this was the VTA-mod, which vented the factory BOV to atmosphere. That gave me the mod-bug and it all went "downhill" from there," explains Long.
The Ecoboost platform offers so much potential out of the box with nothing more than a custom tune and a capable tuner that can read data logs and tweak them per vehicle. "My initial tuner woke the Flex up and I had a blast with it for the first 6 months of ownership, but it left me wanting more by way of drivability, power, and smooth delivery." Long located a guy on the Ecoboost Performance Forum Owner's boards. His dyno sheets were unbelievable for what kind of power he was making on minimal parts and upgrades, and with 93 grade fuel. "I ended up joining forces with him and haven't looked back!"
Long is on his third revision (of many more to come) and already the Flex is an entirely different animal!He's on his way to un-thinkable power in a Ford Flex, and he's hovering right around 500AWHP with and estimated neck-breaking 550lb/ft of torque.
This has been touted as one of the most unique Ford Flex vehicles in the US, and the MagicBoostBus name carries some recognition at most events Long attends!
"I'm still actively balancing a show schedule along with a race schedule, and hopefully I'll see you at an event soon!"
Owner: Brent Long
Vehicle: 2014 Ford Flex Limited AWD EcoBoost
Location: Conwy, SC
Horsepower: 500awhp
Club: Abandoned
SOCIAL
Facebook: Brent Long
Instagram: @magicboostbus
Twitter: @magicboostbus
YouTube: video
Photography by @killboy.com, @wcmedia_, @battle_ready_media
ENGINE & PERFORMANCE
Amsoil Full Synthetic Fluids
Reisch 170 Thermostat
Motorcraft OEM 3-Bar MAP sensor
NGK 1-Step Colder Spark Plugs gapped to .028
MDesign Carbon Fiber Direct Cold Air Intake
UPR Polished SS 3-way Catch Can System
Devil's Own Stage-2 3Bar Methanol Injection System with custom Tank/Pump mount running a #3 nozzle
AEM Electronics V2 Methanol Injection Controller
EcoPowerParts powdercoated charge pipes
TIAL Q Race BOV
EXHAUST
OBX Racing Catless Polished SS Turbo Downpipes
Magnaflow 2.5" SS X-Pipe
Magnaflow 2.5" SS Catback Exhaust
PERFORMANCE ELECTRONICS
SCT X4 Tuner
Torque Pro Digital Gauges
Amazon Fire Tablet for Gauges - dash mounted
Bluetooth OBD/CAN Reader for Torque App
Tuned by Unleashed Tuning
Tuned by AJPTurbo
Tuned by Gearhead
DRIVETRAIN
Amsoil Severe Gear Full Synthetic Fluids in Transfer Case, Transmission, and Rear End
WHEELS & TIRES
Verde Axis V99 Bronze wheels - 20x19
Venom Forged Steel 4 1/2" One-piece Spiked Black Lug Nuts
Nexen N'Fera Performance SUV tires - 275/40-19
BRAKES
Power Stop Z23 Brake upgrade on all 4 corners with Drilled/Slotted Zinc Coated Rotors and Carbon Fiber-infused Ceramic Pads
CHASSIS & SUSPENSION
Moog Rear Endlinks
Lowered on Megan Racing EZ Street II Coilovers
SPC Rear Camber bolt kit
EXTERIOR
AllFit Front Lip Kit
3D Carbon Rear Wing
3M Black Metallic Wrap on trim pieces
AVS Vent Shades
LIGHTING
LED Underbody Red
Red LED Engine Bay Accent lighting
LED Switchback front turns (All 4)
Gloss Tinted LED Tail lights
LED Puddle Lights under rear-view side mirrors
INTERIOR
3M Ruby Red Vinyl Wrapped Accent Pieces
Red LED Ambient Lighting
Red LED Footwell Lighting
Full LED Interior Bulb Swap
LED lighted "FLEX" door sills
SpiderMax 3D Kagu black laser fit floor mats for all 3 rows
AUDIO & MULTIMEDIA
Kicker CompRT 12" Sub in custom spare tire-well box
Polk Audio Carbon C500.1 mono sub amp
Rockville Headrest DVD/USB/SD 9" Headrest LCD Monitors
Sony 8" Touchscreen Multimedia Head-unit
FAVORITE MODIFICATION
"My favorite modification has to be my SCT X4 tuner because it is amazing how much power gets unlocked on this platform with the right tune."
FUTURE MODIFICATIONS
Looking at a possible R&D spot to be the first air-bagged 2nd Gen Ford Flex
ATP Turbo Upgrade from EcoPowerParts
Upgraded Xtreme DI HPFP from Livernois Motorsports
Custom Bodykit from 3D Carbon
SPONSORS
Wickedly Boosted
Devil's Own Alcohol Injection
EcoPowerParts
SHOPS & MECHANICS
Gearhead
AJPTurbo
Unleashed Tuning
Brent Long
