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Just what the world needs... Another pickup truck build thread!

Born May 10, 2011, Dearborn MI
Delivered June 3, 2011, Denver CO

2011 Ford F150 FX4 SuperCrew

• Sterling Gray Metallic over Black Leather
• 145" Wheelbase
• EcoBoost 3.5L V6 Twin Turbo Engine
• FX Luxury Package
• Trailer Brake Controller
• Tailgate Step

This truck is going to hopefully fill several needs...

• Primary daily driver.
• Client-friendly vehicle.
• Dog friendly for my two goldens.
• Weekend toy hauler, mostly bikes, motos, skis, etc.
• Road trip warrior.
• Utility hauler.

It will replace a '99 SuperDuty SuperCab longbed with a zillion miles (well, really only 270,000) and a '04 Touareg V8 with 85K miles.

Most of my pictures in this thread will come up in full resolution if you click on them!

Be sure you also check out danbart's Ultimate Moto Hauler build thread! We bought nearly identical trucks about a week apart, but are going slightly different ways with our mod direction...

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Mod's list...

Completed:
Front window matching tint.
De-badged/De-stickered.
N-Fab Light Bar.
Bedrug & Truxedo Lo Pro QT.
iPad Mount.
Chimes mods, USB2 mod.

On Deck:
Lights for N-Fab light bar
Projector HID retrofit
Moto Tie Bar
Roof Rack
3M Vinyl
Mirror Reflector delete

Considering:

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Stock

Here she is, as delivered (with tint)

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De-badge/De-sticker.
FormulaOne Pinnacle 35% front window tint.

Removed the EcoBoost badging and the FX4 decals. Would have pulled the F150 badges as well, but need to find a solution that won't leave holes from the badge alignment posts. Might do a badge black-out on the F150 and an overlay on the Ford badges in the future.

35% tint is my compromise between great looking 20% tint and nighttime visibility....

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USB2 Add
Warning Chime Delete
25¢ Homelink mod.

USB2:
It's been documented here before, but there is a second USB port underneath the top of the dash. Easy to get to, easy to add a second USB port. It is a five-pin mini plug, so rather than finding the elusive 5-pin mini to female USB cable, you can just get a USB extension cable and a USB to five pin mini adapter. Or just use an Apple iPod cable with the mini adapter on the male end. Works great! Though Sync is a bit stupid, and makes it a little clumsy to select USB two. Either wade through several layers of menus or hit the voice button and say "USB two".

Warning Chime Delete:
Couldn't stand the key-in/door open warning chime. Easy fix... Drop the bottom of the steering column cover (three 5.5mm bolts, a bit of a weird size), identify the blue wire with the gray tracer on the left side of the column, cut it. Now it gives three initial chimes if you leave the key in with the door open, then shuts up. No impact to any other features that I've been able to find.

25¢ Homelink mod:

I know I can buy a module off ebay and hack it into my existing lighted visor, but honestly homelink doesn't have the best track record for me anyway, particularly with my electric gate. And I have a bunch of other things I'd rather do than order a homelink module on eBay cut open my visor..

So here's my stone-axe simple "homelink" mod:

• Buy 25¢ worth of Velcro.
• Remove the visor clips from your existing remotes.
• Stick the remotes in one of the two roof-top sunglass compartment (which I would never use anyway)...

Now you see it:


Now you don't:

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iPad Mounting

I've been running iPad's in my cars for a while now... The GPS systems blow away every single factory GPS I've ever seen, plus you get the gorgeous high res screen, internet connectivity, music options, traffic assist, and a ton of other features.

When I had the option of spending $2,500 of Fords nav system, or re-purposing my $800 iPad4 3G, the choice was easy.

RAM systems makes a nice cradle for the iPad as well as a ton of different arms and bases for mounting pretty much anything you can think of. I prototyped a few different mounts using parts I already had, and finalized on a solution that is working perfectly...

First mount. Modified cupholder ashtray with RAM handlebar mount, arm, cradle:
This was a quick and dirty mount I rigged up the first day I had the truck... Took the factory ashtray that sits in the cupholder, took off the lid, drilled a few holes, and mounted a motorcycle handlebar mount inside the ashtray. Worked really well!



I decided I wanted my cupholder back though, and decided to up the ante a bit by moving to RAM "C" size components which are 1.5" ***** instead of the typical "B" size 1" *****. It doesn't sound like that big of a change, but the C stuff mounts heavier components rock-solid, while the B components can vibrate and move a bit with heavier items. I pulled the center console (very easy, pops right off), drilled a few holes in the side, mounted the RAM base plate and done! It is now positioned perfectly for the driver, and completely out of the way of all the stock buttons/controls as well as out of the way for the passenger.

Current version: RAM C size components, bolted into center console.

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N-Fab light bar
N-Fab nerf bars

Love the N-Fab light bars. The "Smittybilt" street bar is the same bar (different part number), built by N-Fab, identical, same N-fab logo's, but often can be found a bit cheaper. Bolts up very easily, no interference at all or airflow interference with the EcoBoost engine. The lights on the bar are temporary, pulled them off the Touareg to help determine what size lights I wanted. The spacing on the tabs is a bit funky... Can't really run only two lights. If you use the inside tabs, too close, outside tabs, too wide. I would have preferred just getting two higher quality lights than four less expensive lights.



Again for the nerf steps, Smittybilt sells the N-Fab nerf bars (same part number) under the SmittyBilt brand. Came in a N-fab box. I'm still deciding if I like the n-fab bars. I think they look better than the stock running boards or simple round tube bars, but the steps are actually kind of small and not perfectly positioned for me.

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Bedrug Bed Liner
Truxedo Lo Pro QT Tonneau Cover

I know lots of folks love the spray-in liners like Line-x, but for me, it wasn't the right choice. I wanted something that was gentler on delicate cargo but would still hold up to moderately hard use. So far, I'm thrilled with the Bedrug product. It is a perfect fit, and the version I ordered also is completely custom molded to fit the tailgates with the pole/step.

On the cover, Trifold's offer some advantages, but the what makes the Lo Pro QT work for me is that it gets out of the way much more than a folding cover... With moto's in the bed, the tonneau can just stay rolled up without blocking the rear window. With the tri-folds, if you want to use the entire bed, you'll either have to block the rear window, store the tri-fold in the bed, or leave it at home. What about security? Well, I'm of the philosophy out-of-sight, out-of-mind. Could somebody just take a knife to my cover to open it up and see what's inside? Sure. But it's not like a tri-fold, or even a locked tailgate for that matter, is very difficult to open up... Plus I think the Lo Pro looks better than most tri-folds...




The textured mat inside the truck is just a $20 Costco floor mat, but I threw it in their the other day when I was loading a moto.

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Motorcycle Tie Bar

(still working on the installation and post... check back soon!)

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