Since I REFUSE to be like the Smiths and buy my son a new BMW for his first car he is gong to get good old American Made Ford. I am going to modify and upgrade my old 1999 F150 4X4 Supercab with Styleside bed. I'm sure I will be on here alot asking questions so your help is much appreciated.

I already changed out the head and tail lights to smoke lenses with LED's and they look pretty cool.

The fiberglass tonneau cover was a nice add.

I still want to paint, change sound system, add hood with scoop and maybe a new grille etc...

Okay here's the first Question:
Today, I just purchased a set of 16 x 8 American Racining Outlaw II wheels and Firestone All Terrain 305/70/16 tires from Tire Rack. They will ship mounted and balanced. I am second guessing myself as to the width of the rim. Should I have gone with a 16 x 10 for a wider look. I don't want the tire to look tall and thin and also didn't want to go with the look of 20's.

Thank you.

 

I gotta ask you don't want to spoil your son with a bmw, but your going to give him a completely modded out truck as his first vehicle instead of making him work for it? Kinda same concept. But welcome to the site, hope you have your wallet ready haha.

First thing, when you did the led tails did you upgrade the flasher relay or put in those cheap load resistor things or do you still have hyperflash with the turn signals when you use it?

Onto your tire choice, since it's only about a 10.5" wide tire a 10" wide wheel wouldn't look that good unless you like the look of a tire where the wheel looks wider than it. Even a 12.50 tire would still look wide enough on a 16x8 wheel.

 

I agree when your son does the mods himself he will appreciate the truck as his own. I'm 16 and I worked my a** off for my screw but its all worth it. You should consider things like plasti dipping emblems, painting grille black if its not etc. The little things really add up to making it look nice.

 

Do the mods as a father/son activity.....they're only kids once....

 

I guess it looks like that but the truck has 177,000 miles on it and I plan on capping the mods before it get's out of control. The tires and wheels cost about $1,300, the lights cost $350 for both front and rear and I figure 2k for paint, $500 for sound, $800 for hood, $150 for grille. That's nothing compared to the student parking lot at his high school with new Camaro's, Range Rovers, Beamers and such. He's a good kid (Honors Student and soon to be Eagle Scout) and always helps me with all projects around the house without complaining. I think if I bought a used car it would cost that much and I wouldn't know the history of it. We live in the sticks of NJ and there are no buses or trains to get around.

As for the lights, I got them from AmericanTrucks.com and they used the same factory socket and bulbs for headlight, bright and tail lights. The LED lights are only in the front and they had leads to the parking lights. They seem to work fine without touching the flasher relay.

Okay, thanks for the info on the tire. I can't wait until they ship.

Yes, We will do it together like my father did with me. They do grow up really fast.

 

Sounds like a great project. Congrats to him soon to reaching Eagle Scout. I earned mine in July of 1991...

 

Here is another way of looking at it.
One, does he want it?
Second, put a motor in it before anything else.
I think your the one who is out of control at this point.
Good luck.

 

It still sounds like your just trying to make him look better or as good as the other kids. My high school parking lot consisted of a lot of old vehicles that everyone paid for and worked for themselves, yea we might not have looked as cool as kids rolling in camaro's but I'm sure we know the value of a dollar better than those kids who's parents bought them nice things off the start.

At 177k though, I'd be kinda weary of dumping that much money into the appearance of the truck. Your at like 5k on mods just judging off your list already, and this falls into the category of once you start, it's gonna be really hard to stop adding things to that list. Just some food for thought.

Good luck with whatever direction you decide to go in, your son's a lucky boy.

 

My parents bought me my ford f150, but I have to pay them back. I would let your son do the mods. When I do mine I learn more about my truck and feel good. I am also an Eagle scout and tell your son congrats! Over all let him be a teen and have fun with this truck!

 

Well be sure to post up pics when all is done

 

Tell him congrats on the Eagle Scout. I got mine last year, and had the ceremony the day before my 18th birthday. I bought my jeep myself by saving up money from working, and I do everything myself to my jeep. I'm looking to get an F150 to tow my boat, and also to tow my jeep if it breaks or I decide to really go crazy with it.

 

My dad gave me his 97 f150 as my first vehicle then put taillights, air intake, dual exhaust, an a toolbox on it for me for Christmas. And i dont see where 177,000 miles is really that big a deal...if its been taken care of then it will last a lot longer. My current 97 f150 had 149000 miles when i bought it completely stock. Has 150,000 now an im just starting mods on it...I have only owned it about a month

 

Hey, I know most of our dad's always said one thing in common, "I wish I could do more for you". if You're able to put all that in to your son's truck for him, more power to you. I do agree with the previous posts though...do it as a father son project. I actually just installed new headlights on my truck with my dad. While I was the one to actually foot the bill for them, it meant more to me than I think he realizes having the chance to put them in with him. It was just a cool bonding moment. Especially considering I was going about a thing or two a certain way and he was able to show me a trick he knew to make it go a little smoother. I can guarantee you your son will appreciate the father son time more than the vehicle itself.

 

No pics?

 

I dont know if you have gone through with your plans yet, but if not, I think i can offer a very good perspective on this.
I'm a 16 year old Honors and AP student, and where i go to high school having a Camaro SS is pretty much average. People at my school drive corvettes and porsches and new lifted chevys and dodges and everything. Now i was fortunate enough to recieve a 1999 F150 SCab Lariat 4x2 when i turned 16 (my dad bought it when I was 14, mainly for towing since our old truck went kaput, but he intended for it to be my car as well). My dad didn't touch anything except put on an add a leaf and anti-sway bars for towing. However, I've come to want to add mods to the truck now because naturally i want to have the best and coolest truck in school. I pay for about half of the things i put on, and my dad helps me out with the rest. I think you should do the same with your son. My dad and I have installed everything except the exhaust by ourselves and plan on doing more. Its a cool father-son thing and it makes me learn about and appreciate my truck more. Trust me I probably take better care of my car than anyone else in the school, because even though I didn't have to work to get it, I know where everything thats on it is stuff that i wanted and picked out and put on myself or with my dad.
I think your son will want to do the same. As far as I can tell, we are in very similar situations. Please, don't buy everything for him now, let him have the truck and see what he likes and give him the financial support to put it on, and install what you can with him. Its a great experience for both of you and will make him appreciate and take care of the truck much more than your average teenager.