My mods, and lessons learned.
#1
09-03-2013, 01:07 PM
My mods, and lessons learned.
I figured I would post up my mods, and what I have learned over the years about them, what has worked, what hasn't been so hot...
Engine / Performance:
SCT XCal 2, Ecconomy tune. I picked this up used from a coworker that had it on his Mustang. It had the tune for the F150 5.4L 3V engine so I tried it, got it cheap, and it has given me a 3mpg boost without loosing any noticeable performance. It also allowed me to compensate the speedo for the bigger tires.
K&N filter and Gotts intake mod. The K&N is simply something I have run on every vehicle I have owned since I started driving. It flows MUCH better than a paper element, and I have seen no evidence of filtration being insufficient over the long haul. One issue has crept up is the fouling of the MAF, which is easy enough to resolve. I am actually most likely due to clean / re-oil my filter by now... The Gotts mod is pretty much as advertised. You need to shape the tube where it extends through the fender, but once done and fitted properly, it offers a real improvement at higher RPM, the engine doesn't have to struggle so much to get air into it... Well worth the effort even if it is a pain in the butt to shape the tube.
Suspension, Wheels and Tires:
I started off with an Autospring 2.5" leveling spacer on stock shocks / springs and that worked great, ride was pretty much uneffected by the lift, although the actual lift gained was less than the 2.5" advertised lift. I guess YMMV with these things. I was able to clear 35" tires with these with no real appreciable rubbing. I wanted adjustable shocks though, and I have since removed the AS level in favor of...
Rancho QuickLIft Loaded 2.5" lift / coilover shocks. These are great. Love the adjustability, they did give me the full 2.5" of lift, and it is noticeable how much more room between tire and fender there is now. HOWEVER: I am noticing a distinctly larger amount of wheel travel. I am now seriously considering cutting plastics instead of just pushing the inner fender liner backwards. Also the roll lip on the inner fender itself needs some uh... encouragement with my air hammer to get out of the way of the shoulder lugs. With the AS and stock springs, I would only just barely touch the bottom edge of the inner fender liner, now I am getting a solid grab. Aside from that, with these combined with the adjustable RS9000XL shocks out back, I can fine tune my suspension for loads, and roads, allowing me to stop tail swaying when loaded down some nasty roads. Overall very happy with the setup. I should mention, I somewhat expected minor tire rubbing when I went with a 35" tire in the first place. However I wanted that size tire, and due to being married to a vertically challenged woman, I couldn't lift too high... So a little fender clearance mod is not that big of an issue for me...
The Pro Comp Extreme Alloy 1089s are nice, although they seem to soak up brake dust like a sponge. I have recently (last night), found that generous application of Mothers Mag and Aluminum polish gets the gunk out with a bit of elbow grease. The center caps are now 6 years old along with the rims, and are starting to crack as they are cheap plastic. I have contacted Pro Comp to see about replacements. If they are as responsive as they were with their lights, I am SOL...
Tires.
BFGoodrich Radial All Terrain TA KO 285/70R17. A great all around tire, I had very little / no problem with these except for the fact I was never really all that happy with the size, I wanted a wider tread patch, and, well mud performance. Although I had BFG ATs in the past, on a much lighter vehicle (Jeep CJ7, and Ford Ranger), they just didn't cut it when I had an emergency situation that required I take my family through washed out / mud flooded streets after Hurricane Ike. It was at that point, driving sideways down a muddy street that my wife agreed we needed mud tires...
Hercules Trail Digger MT 35x12.5/17. I first saw these in a 4 Wheeler magazine tire review and thought they were interesting. I have had Hercs before on trailers, but never a serious off road tire. However several of the Dodge guys I knew were running these things, and doing fairly well with them. I am on my 2nd set, my first set got thrashed by suspension problems since ironed out. However the rears that were not subjected to the ball joint problems, went 35K miles without showing undue wear. I mounted the best take off of those to my spare, it has well over 50% tread left.
Cosmetic / Protective:
AVS Bugflector and Vent Visors were some early mods I put on the truck to protect the paint from the love bugs rock chips, as well as the Texas sun. They have all lasted incredibly well. I know it makes my truck look like an old man's truck. Well I guess it fits!
Hunter black round side step / tube steps. (Nerf bars). 6 years old, and showing signs of rust. I am planning on removing them, and stripping them down, if I can salvage them I will recoat them with POR15, if not, then I will need to find another vendor with a similar step. I really like these round tube steps. They look nice, and really work well. Makes it much easier for my wife to get in and out of the truck, as well as our elderly parents. These have been a GREAT addition. However, if it is at it appears that these are giving in to rust, I am going to replace them with a set of Go Rhino 4000 Series in Stainless Steel.
Hunter Black full coverage brush guard / grill guard. Like the Hunter side step / nerf bars, this gave in to rust prematurely, the bottom tube had rotted through by the middle of the 5th year installed, in Coastal Texas. Now mind you we are not salt free, but this is hardly the midwest with salted roads either! Due to the rust issue, and a desire to mount a winch this was removed. I have yet to replace it, but will be replacing it with a Go Rhino "Winch Bumper" brush guard in Stainless Steel. I know a lot of folks don't like the shiny silver look, but it WILL resist corrosion.
Recon Line of Fire brake / turn / tail light accessory. This is that string of LEDs mounted under the tailgate and visible in the gap between the bumper and tailgate. This stands out enormously in traffic. I like the look, and I love the fact that the added lighting increases my truck's visibility, especially at night and in foul weather. Too many inattentive drivers out there, and if some extra lighting is what it takes to keep them out of my rear bumper so be it!
Pro Comp 130 watt stainless steel 6" off road light. Not the latest technology, but very high construction quality. Sadly though, a busted lens means throwing out the entire assembly as Pro Comp does not sell repair parts for these. I would actually love to see somebody come out with a nice high output LED insert for these things. (And replacement lenses, and rubber fittings!) These are not currently installed as the brush guard is currently removed from the truck.
Towing / Hauling / Recovery:
My truck didn't come with a towing package, so I had to add a few things to make it a bit better / more durable at handling the added load of towing and hauling...
First off, I added a Curt Class III receiver hitch. Been using their hitches for years, happy with their construction, easy enough to install, finish is holding up great.
Canoe loader. No clue who made it, but I actually got this for my Ranger. It fits in the hitch and is a spinning T-post that allows you to put your boat on one end and then walk it over to above the cab. Sadly it doesn't work as well as I had hoped on the F150 due to the truck's length, and the boat's well, lack thereof. I think a 17' tripper would work better. For my purposes, I need to build a hoop rack for hauling my boats instead of this T post thing...
Haul Master hitch hauler. Comes in handy when the bed is full to haul big coolers.
Engo E9000 winch. Not yet installed. Pending installation of the new Winch Bumper / Brush guard.
Communications:
Radio Shack / Realistic TRC465 40 channel AM/SSB CB Radio, Realistic noise cancelling power mic, Procomm stud mount, Whistler Stainless Steel spring, and Radio Shack 102" whip antenna.
The radio needs a custom mount as the original mount is long gone history, and I cannot find a replacement. The Whistler spring is not 100% stainless, the cap on top and bottom are simply chrome plated steel, and they rust quickly.
Until I can manage to manufacture an appropriate mount for both the radio, and the antenna itself such that the antenna will not interfere with a side in camper, the radio is out of the truck. In the meantime... I am doing the following for the system...
#1. I have sourced up wome 3/16" thick, 2" wide flat steel to be used for the mount. I need to get my hands on a cutoff saw to cut it to size. Once properly cut, drilled, and formed, I will smooth it out, and then give it a couple of coats of primer, followed by at least 3 coats of flat black crinkle paint such as I believe it is by Krylon called "Hammerite".
#2. I will take a sanding flap wheel to the spring caps, and strip the remaining chrome and what rust is there off of them. Then mask, prime, and paint them flat black as well.
Interior:
No real mods here, yet as the stock interior is pretty nice. However as the truck ages, and the original fabrics are getting worn I do plan on upgrading instead of just replacing. A leather seat conversion is pending for sure, the question is when. I will take the opportunity to replace some of the work seat foam at the same time.
A minor add on that might be considered a mod I guess, is the fake sheep skin seat belt covers. They really do go a long way toward making the seat belts much more comfortable as they cross the body. My older brother had a set of these in his Dodge Ram 50 back in the mid 80s and I have been hooked since.
Engine / Performance:
SCT XCal 2, Ecconomy tune. I picked this up used from a coworker that had it on his Mustang. It had the tune for the F150 5.4L 3V engine so I tried it, got it cheap, and it has given me a 3mpg boost without loosing any noticeable performance. It also allowed me to compensate the speedo for the bigger tires.
K&N filter and Gotts intake mod. The K&N is simply something I have run on every vehicle I have owned since I started driving. It flows MUCH better than a paper element, and I have seen no evidence of filtration being insufficient over the long haul. One issue has crept up is the fouling of the MAF, which is easy enough to resolve. I am actually most likely due to clean / re-oil my filter by now... The Gotts mod is pretty much as advertised. You need to shape the tube where it extends through the fender, but once done and fitted properly, it offers a real improvement at higher RPM, the engine doesn't have to struggle so much to get air into it... Well worth the effort even if it is a pain in the butt to shape the tube.
Suspension, Wheels and Tires:
I started off with an Autospring 2.5" leveling spacer on stock shocks / springs and that worked great, ride was pretty much uneffected by the lift, although the actual lift gained was less than the 2.5" advertised lift. I guess YMMV with these things. I was able to clear 35" tires with these with no real appreciable rubbing. I wanted adjustable shocks though, and I have since removed the AS level in favor of...
Rancho QuickLIft Loaded 2.5" lift / coilover shocks. These are great. Love the adjustability, they did give me the full 2.5" of lift, and it is noticeable how much more room between tire and fender there is now. HOWEVER: I am noticing a distinctly larger amount of wheel travel. I am now seriously considering cutting plastics instead of just pushing the inner fender liner backwards. Also the roll lip on the inner fender itself needs some uh... encouragement with my air hammer to get out of the way of the shoulder lugs. With the AS and stock springs, I would only just barely touch the bottom edge of the inner fender liner, now I am getting a solid grab. Aside from that, with these combined with the adjustable RS9000XL shocks out back, I can fine tune my suspension for loads, and roads, allowing me to stop tail swaying when loaded down some nasty roads. Overall very happy with the setup. I should mention, I somewhat expected minor tire rubbing when I went with a 35" tire in the first place. However I wanted that size tire, and due to being married to a vertically challenged woman, I couldn't lift too high... So a little fender clearance mod is not that big of an issue for me...
The Pro Comp Extreme Alloy 1089s are nice, although they seem to soak up brake dust like a sponge. I have recently (last night), found that generous application of Mothers Mag and Aluminum polish gets the gunk out with a bit of elbow grease. The center caps are now 6 years old along with the rims, and are starting to crack as they are cheap plastic. I have contacted Pro Comp to see about replacements. If they are as responsive as they were with their lights, I am SOL...
Tires.
BFGoodrich Radial All Terrain TA KO 285/70R17. A great all around tire, I had very little / no problem with these except for the fact I was never really all that happy with the size, I wanted a wider tread patch, and, well mud performance. Although I had BFG ATs in the past, on a much lighter vehicle (Jeep CJ7, and Ford Ranger), they just didn't cut it when I had an emergency situation that required I take my family through washed out / mud flooded streets after Hurricane Ike. It was at that point, driving sideways down a muddy street that my wife agreed we needed mud tires...
Hercules Trail Digger MT 35x12.5/17. I first saw these in a 4 Wheeler magazine tire review and thought they were interesting. I have had Hercs before on trailers, but never a serious off road tire. However several of the Dodge guys I knew were running these things, and doing fairly well with them. I am on my 2nd set, my first set got thrashed by suspension problems since ironed out. However the rears that were not subjected to the ball joint problems, went 35K miles without showing undue wear. I mounted the best take off of those to my spare, it has well over 50% tread left.
Cosmetic / Protective:
AVS Bugflector and Vent Visors were some early mods I put on the truck to protect the paint from the love bugs rock chips, as well as the Texas sun. They have all lasted incredibly well. I know it makes my truck look like an old man's truck. Well I guess it fits!
Hunter black round side step / tube steps. (Nerf bars). 6 years old, and showing signs of rust. I am planning on removing them, and stripping them down, if I can salvage them I will recoat them with POR15, if not, then I will need to find another vendor with a similar step. I really like these round tube steps. They look nice, and really work well. Makes it much easier for my wife to get in and out of the truck, as well as our elderly parents. These have been a GREAT addition. However, if it is at it appears that these are giving in to rust, I am going to replace them with a set of Go Rhino 4000 Series in Stainless Steel.
Hunter Black full coverage brush guard / grill guard. Like the Hunter side step / nerf bars, this gave in to rust prematurely, the bottom tube had rotted through by the middle of the 5th year installed, in Coastal Texas. Now mind you we are not salt free, but this is hardly the midwest with salted roads either! Due to the rust issue, and a desire to mount a winch this was removed. I have yet to replace it, but will be replacing it with a Go Rhino "Winch Bumper" brush guard in Stainless Steel. I know a lot of folks don't like the shiny silver look, but it WILL resist corrosion.
Recon Line of Fire brake / turn / tail light accessory. This is that string of LEDs mounted under the tailgate and visible in the gap between the bumper and tailgate. This stands out enormously in traffic. I like the look, and I love the fact that the added lighting increases my truck's visibility, especially at night and in foul weather. Too many inattentive drivers out there, and if some extra lighting is what it takes to keep them out of my rear bumper so be it!
Pro Comp 130 watt stainless steel 6" off road light. Not the latest technology, but very high construction quality. Sadly though, a busted lens means throwing out the entire assembly as Pro Comp does not sell repair parts for these. I would actually love to see somebody come out with a nice high output LED insert for these things. (And replacement lenses, and rubber fittings!) These are not currently installed as the brush guard is currently removed from the truck.
Towing / Hauling / Recovery:
My truck didn't come with a towing package, so I had to add a few things to make it a bit better / more durable at handling the added load of towing and hauling...
First off, I added a Curt Class III receiver hitch. Been using their hitches for years, happy with their construction, easy enough to install, finish is holding up great.
Canoe loader. No clue who made it, but I actually got this for my Ranger. It fits in the hitch and is a spinning T-post that allows you to put your boat on one end and then walk it over to above the cab. Sadly it doesn't work as well as I had hoped on the F150 due to the truck's length, and the boat's well, lack thereof. I think a 17' tripper would work better. For my purposes, I need to build a hoop rack for hauling my boats instead of this T post thing...
Haul Master hitch hauler. Comes in handy when the bed is full to haul big coolers.
Engo E9000 winch. Not yet installed. Pending installation of the new Winch Bumper / Brush guard.
Communications:
Radio Shack / Realistic TRC465 40 channel AM/SSB CB Radio, Realistic noise cancelling power mic, Procomm stud mount, Whistler Stainless Steel spring, and Radio Shack 102" whip antenna.
The radio needs a custom mount as the original mount is long gone history, and I cannot find a replacement. The Whistler spring is not 100% stainless, the cap on top and bottom are simply chrome plated steel, and they rust quickly.
Until I can manage to manufacture an appropriate mount for both the radio, and the antenna itself such that the antenna will not interfere with a side in camper, the radio is out of the truck. In the meantime... I am doing the following for the system...
#1. I have sourced up wome 3/16" thick, 2" wide flat steel to be used for the mount. I need to get my hands on a cutoff saw to cut it to size. Once properly cut, drilled, and formed, I will smooth it out, and then give it a couple of coats of primer, followed by at least 3 coats of flat black crinkle paint such as I believe it is by Krylon called "Hammerite".
#2. I will take a sanding flap wheel to the spring caps, and strip the remaining chrome and what rust is there off of them. Then mask, prime, and paint them flat black as well.
Interior:
No real mods here, yet as the stock interior is pretty nice. However as the truck ages, and the original fabrics are getting worn I do plan on upgrading instead of just replacing. A leather seat conversion is pending for sure, the question is when. I will take the opportunity to replace some of the work seat foam at the same time.
A minor add on that might be considered a mod I guess, is the fake sheep skin seat belt covers. They really do go a long way toward making the seat belts much more comfortable as they cross the body. My older brother had a set of these in his Dodge Ram 50 back in the mid 80s and I have been hooked since.
#2
09-04-2013, 02:00 AM
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09-04-2013, 02:38 AM
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Oh boy am I gonna have a "lessons learned" segment by the time I'm "done" modding my truck!
I plan on doing a leather conversion down the road as well. The main thing keeping me from doing it is that every seat but the driver's looks brand new! I found this a good read, thanks for sharing your experiences
I plan on doing a leather conversion down the road as well. The main thing keeping me from doing it is that every seat but the driver's looks brand new! I found this a good read, thanks for sharing your experiences