Project Uberleben F150
09-21-2013, 11:43 PM
#1
I Bleed Ford Blue
Thread Starter
Project Uberleben F150
Uberleben = Survival
This will be the beginning of my Survival (Uberleben F150) Build.
I see a bunch of threads about Lifted trucks, Pre-runner builds, and the standard "I dont wanna drive the same truck as the guy down the road" Customization Threads. Dont get me wrong I LOVE reading all the build threads they are awesome.
I didnt want to do the same things guys in my area are doing, so i dreamed up some outrageous plans to make my F150 unique.
I am sure this build will take me a fair amount of time, and the progress will be slow but i want you guys to be able to enjoy my outrageous ideas.
I am gonna start off slow, with a few run of the mill Mods alot of people have done.
This is a TX truck that i bought during the 3 yrs i lived there. So i luckily get to start off with a great cancer free example.
Until 2 weeks ago this truck was Bone stock. (yes even the stock CD player)
Intention and Goal of build: Make the truck capable on the road and off with no major Mods that will compramise the reliability of the drivetrain/suspension/etc. Only improve it.
Personalize and Customize to Make the truck intimidating. while being able to transport people and anything you need to survive and flee if need be in a catastrophe. (No i dont think Zombie are coming, nor am i a doomsday prepper lol)
This is the pic i took the day i bought the truck in 2010 sitting next to my Now gone 82 GT.
9/13/13
Purchased Vision Warrior 16x8 0 offset Rims, and wrapped them in a set of BFG T/A's That are 315/75/16's With less than 3k miles that i got for free from a friend.
9/14/13
I Found a hard fiberglass tonneau cover on craigslist for $50, Its red but as everyone points out, it matches the red lariat accent stripe on the truck. It will be painted black and re weatherstripped and foamed in the future.
9/19/13
Fixed Rubbing issues with a T-Bar adjustment (over adjusted with 5 full cranks to the bars, and i am sitting at 23 3/4 from center of hub to Fender so i should be ok still.
Next post will be what i did today, and that i will hopefully finish tomorrow
This will be the beginning of my Survival (Uberleben F150) Build.
I see a bunch of threads about Lifted trucks, Pre-runner builds, and the standard "I dont wanna drive the same truck as the guy down the road" Customization Threads. Dont get me wrong I LOVE reading all the build threads they are awesome.
I didnt want to do the same things guys in my area are doing, so i dreamed up some outrageous plans to make my F150 unique.
I am sure this build will take me a fair amount of time, and the progress will be slow but i want you guys to be able to enjoy my outrageous ideas.
I am gonna start off slow, with a few run of the mill Mods alot of people have done.
This is a TX truck that i bought during the 3 yrs i lived there. So i luckily get to start off with a great cancer free example.
Until 2 weeks ago this truck was Bone stock. (yes even the stock CD player)
Intention and Goal of build: Make the truck capable on the road and off with no major Mods that will compramise the reliability of the drivetrain/suspension/etc. Only improve it.
Personalize and Customize to Make the truck intimidating. while being able to transport people and anything you need to survive and flee if need be in a catastrophe. (No i dont think Zombie are coming, nor am i a doomsday prepper lol)
This is the pic i took the day i bought the truck in 2010 sitting next to my Now gone 82 GT.
9/13/13
Purchased Vision Warrior 16x8 0 offset Rims, and wrapped them in a set of BFG T/A's That are 315/75/16's With less than 3k miles that i got for free from a friend.
9/14/13
I Found a hard fiberglass tonneau cover on craigslist for $50, Its red but as everyone points out, it matches the red lariat accent stripe on the truck. It will be painted black and re weatherstripped and foamed in the future.
9/19/13
Fixed Rubbing issues with a T-Bar adjustment (over adjusted with 5 full cranks to the bars, and i am sitting at 23 3/4 from center of hub to Fender so i should be ok still.
Next post will be what i did today, and that i will hopefully finish tomorrow
Last edited by 2KLariat; 09-22-2013 at 12:46 AM. Reason: fixed some spelling
09-22-2013, 12:43 AM
#2
I Bleed Ford Blue
Thread Starter
09/21/2013
09/21/2013
I started off this excellent saturday with a few things i wanted to get done.
I got sidetracked when a friend came by asking about some Chevrolet parts i am trying to get rid of.
I still got a few things achieved.
The First task was to fix the yellowed hazy headlights that make the truck look worn out. I had great Success, i have heard that no kits work Blah blah buy new buckets etc. well I was not afraid to take my time and i spent about 45mins per bucket. This is the kit i used From Advance
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...estoration+kit
Here is a Comparison pic
I also picked up Some VHT Nightshades from Autozone, I have been wanting to experiment with this stuff for awhile now and curiosity got to me today.
I sanded the lenses with 400 grit to try and remove any imperfections in the lense, i could not get all of them out but it helped alot.
I then went with 800 grit to lessen the scratches and help smooth the tails, I didnt step up any further in grit which i should have in hindsight but with 3 very light coats of VHT and 4 coats of clear i plan to sand them more Tomorrow with some 1000 and 3000 grit i picked up while i was headed home.
Without the final sanding done this is how they turned out so far.
Since i plan to either de-badge or blackout the truck i wanted to experiment a little more with the VHT and what kind of effect it had on the Ford emblem that is in the grille, this is one coat of VHT, and its far darker than i wanted but the angles on the emblem required a few extra passes on the first coat.
I think its a cool variation of an emblem mod, i dont like the sticker idea, and i didnt want to completely lose the emblem by spraying with satin black.
It makes the Ford emblem just stealthy enough to make it clear the emblem says Ford at a close range.
It needs to be sanded yet because it got a texture from the extra passes i made and it should lighten it up just enough when i do the finish sanding.
Once i gave it a face lift with the lights, it made the faded honeycomb grille all that much more....ugly. So i ran and picked up some Duplicolor satin black plastic paint. and once i got the grille shell off the truck it all spiraled downward when i realized the grille shell need attention as well. But here is the progress with the honeycomb section so far.
I started off this excellent saturday with a few things i wanted to get done.
I got sidetracked when a friend came by asking about some Chevrolet parts i am trying to get rid of.
I still got a few things achieved.
The First task was to fix the yellowed hazy headlights that make the truck look worn out. I had great Success, i have heard that no kits work Blah blah buy new buckets etc. well I was not afraid to take my time and i spent about 45mins per bucket. This is the kit i used From Advance
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...estoration+kit
Here is a Comparison pic
I also picked up Some VHT Nightshades from Autozone, I have been wanting to experiment with this stuff for awhile now and curiosity got to me today.
I sanded the lenses with 400 grit to try and remove any imperfections in the lense, i could not get all of them out but it helped alot.
I then went with 800 grit to lessen the scratches and help smooth the tails, I didnt step up any further in grit which i should have in hindsight but with 3 very light coats of VHT and 4 coats of clear i plan to sand them more Tomorrow with some 1000 and 3000 grit i picked up while i was headed home.
Without the final sanding done this is how they turned out so far.
Since i plan to either de-badge or blackout the truck i wanted to experiment a little more with the VHT and what kind of effect it had on the Ford emblem that is in the grille, this is one coat of VHT, and its far darker than i wanted but the angles on the emblem required a few extra passes on the first coat.
I think its a cool variation of an emblem mod, i dont like the sticker idea, and i didnt want to completely lose the emblem by spraying with satin black.
It makes the Ford emblem just stealthy enough to make it clear the emblem says Ford at a close range.
It needs to be sanded yet because it got a texture from the extra passes i made and it should lighten it up just enough when i do the finish sanding.
Once i gave it a face lift with the lights, it made the faded honeycomb grille all that much more....ugly. So i ran and picked up some Duplicolor satin black plastic paint. and once i got the grille shell off the truck it all spiraled downward when i realized the grille shell need attention as well. But here is the progress with the honeycomb section so far.
09-22-2013, 01:24 AM
#3
I Bleed Ford Blue
Thread Starter
09/21/2013
Sorry No Pics of this Mod. 
I drove the truck since i purchased it with the stock anemic sounding exhaust.
I felt lucky when i bought the truck that it didnt have cracked exhaust manifolds like so many other 5.4L's do, well that came to an end very quickly after pulling a trailer a F350 should have pulled, all well dealing with 120' Oklahoma and Texas heat.
I will be swapping for headers as soon as the funds (and time) are available.
So to give it a little bark i took a sawzall and hacked off the muffler, and wow what a beautiful sound that stock muffler was holding at bay.
I had a rough idea of what i needed to achieve the slight offset the stock muffler has.
I purchased x2 2.5'' 45' bends, and a small chunk of pipe with one end flaired. Relying on my previous HVAC experience i knew i could achieve the perfect offset to keep the exhaust in the stock position.
It all worked out very well, i mocked it up, marked it, and removed it from the truck so i could weld the joints rather than having 5 clamps in 30''.
Its not ideal and not mandrel but i did it myself and only had to use one clamp cause i didnt want to weld while under the truck.
all in all it sounds bad azz and i didnt have to go to a muffler shop and spend who knows how much to get the muffler deleted.
I spent $30 and one third of that was a stainless band clamp.
I drove the truck since i purchased it with the stock anemic sounding exhaust.
I felt lucky when i bought the truck that it didnt have cracked exhaust manifolds like so many other 5.4L's do, well that came to an end very quickly after pulling a trailer a F350 should have pulled, all well dealing with 120' Oklahoma and Texas heat.
I will be swapping for headers as soon as the funds (and time) are available.So to give it a little bark i took a sawzall and hacked off the muffler, and wow what a beautiful sound that stock muffler was holding at bay.
I had a rough idea of what i needed to achieve the slight offset the stock muffler has.
I purchased x2 2.5'' 45' bends, and a small chunk of pipe with one end flaired. Relying on my previous HVAC experience i knew i could achieve the perfect offset to keep the exhaust in the stock position.
It all worked out very well, i mocked it up, marked it, and removed it from the truck so i could weld the joints rather than having 5 clamps in 30''.
Its not ideal and not mandrel but i did it myself and only had to use one clamp cause i didnt want to weld while under the truck.
all in all it sounds bad azz and i didnt have to go to a muffler shop and spend who knows how much to get the muffler deleted.
I spent $30 and one third of that was a stainless band clamp.
02-17-2014, 10:52 PM
#4
I Bleed Ford Blue
Thread Starter
Small Update on the build
Small Update, I picked up a New to me part on ebay, for my center console conversion.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/370970430292...84.m1497.l2649
FYI: I would recommend this seller to anyone interested in some used parts, the console was completely clean, packaged very well, and when i asked them if they would include the mounting brackets, if i paid extra, they said no need they would include them for free!
I decided to go with the skinny console in the link (future edit for pics when link dies) for a few good reasons.
1. Price. The Skinny Consoles are usually cheaper, because of looks and armrests on the early ex-peds.
2. The large front tray of the console will work perfect for integrating, an android tablet into the console, that paired with a Superchips Vivid linq i can monitor the engine, and i can also tune the truck
3. It was the right color!
Since its a conversion, we all know that the 60/40 split needs to now be buckets (like it should have been in the first place right?!!!!)
I found a set of ex-ped buckets, from an ex-girlfriends dad that owns a salvage yard, for $50 for the pair. They are grey, but i have a Tan/Black leather look planned for them in the future, they will get covers until then.
Its also a benefit they need to be reupholstered because i will also be adding seat heaters, i wish the buckets i found already had them, but for $50 i cant complain.
Time For the f150forum members feedback.
Opinions please.
First, Thinking of doing black Interior accents, like the console inset, maybe the radio surround and the gauge bezel area what do you guys think? I dont want it to look ricer-ish so any ideas?
Second, Have any of you used eBay seat heaters, and did u have a good experience? Links?
Thirdly, Have any of you 97-03 guys, used a Viper Smart Start system in there truck, and if u have a review on your thoughts about it that would be great Thx.
TL;DR Skinny Ex-ped console, grey ex-ped buckets $50, Tablet in console, seat heaters, and your opinions on Black accents, eBay seat heaters, and viper smart start system.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/370970430292...84.m1497.l2649
FYI: I would recommend this seller to anyone interested in some used parts, the console was completely clean, packaged very well, and when i asked them if they would include the mounting brackets, if i paid extra, they said no need they would include them for free!
I decided to go with the skinny console in the link (future edit for pics when link dies) for a few good reasons.
1. Price. The Skinny Consoles are usually cheaper, because of looks and armrests on the early ex-peds.
2. The large front tray of the console will work perfect for integrating, an android tablet into the console, that paired with a Superchips Vivid linq i can monitor the engine, and i can also tune the truck
3. It was the right color!
Since its a conversion, we all know that the 60/40 split needs to now be buckets (like it should have been in the first place right?!!!!)
I found a set of ex-ped buckets, from an ex-girlfriends dad that owns a salvage yard, for $50 for the pair. They are grey, but i have a Tan/Black leather look planned for them in the future, they will get covers until then.
Its also a benefit they need to be reupholstered because i will also be adding seat heaters, i wish the buckets i found already had them, but for $50 i cant complain.
Time For the f150forum members feedback.
Opinions please.
First, Thinking of doing black Interior accents, like the console inset, maybe the radio surround and the gauge bezel area what do you guys think? I dont want it to look ricer-ish so any ideas?
Second, Have any of you used eBay seat heaters, and did u have a good experience? Links?
Thirdly, Have any of you 97-03 guys, used a Viper Smart Start system in there truck, and if u have a review on your thoughts about it that would be great Thx.
TL;DR Skinny Ex-ped console, grey ex-ped buckets $50, Tablet in console, seat heaters, and your opinions on Black accents, eBay seat heaters, and viper smart start system.