SportsmanJake

Hello. This is my first post on the forums and wanted to share with you my build goals for my 98 F150.

Intro: I have read about 20 build threads in our 97-03 forum and have a clear goal in mind. My truck is 17 years old with 140,000 miles. I love it a lot, but am not willing to pour thousands into upgrades on such an old truck. Therefore, the objective of this goal is to increase on and off road performance/reliability without having expensive upgrades done by a shop. I am fairly green when it comes to automative work, but am pretty handy overall and willing to do some work. Currently the truck is stock(except for new speakers), but I just got my tax return and am ready to rip into it.

Truck: Red 1998 Ford F150 5.4L Lariat Supercab with Leer Topper.
Overall Goal: Increase On/Off Road Performance and Reliability
Stipulation: All work must be done by myself. (Excluding maintenance that requires a shop)


Initial Goals and Priority Levels

• Replace 17" Wheels with 16" Wheels - High
• 285/75r16 Wrangler Duratracs - High
• Do something about shredded leather seat - High
• Roof Rack on Topper - Medium
• Dual Battery Setup - Medium
• Light Bar behind Grill - Medium
• CB Radio - Low
• Install Safe/Lockbox
• Onboard Air Compressor - Low
• Front Mounted Winch - Low
• Black Out Chrome Bumpers - Low
• Rustoleum Paint Job - Low

My goals list gives an idea of the direction I am going in. I do not have any type of automative background so I am very interested in hearing recommendations for performance and reliability upgrades. Please make recommendations and ask any questions that come to mind. I will be upgrading this thread as I move forward with the truck. I am sure I will have many questions. Cheers!

Photo without the Leer Topper




Update
What I have currently done to the truck as of 3/17/15:

• Replaced stock speakers with JVC speakers
• Replaced original headlights with OEM replacements
• Removed running boards today
• Removed stock radio and replaced it with a Single Din Pioneer head unit.

------------------------------

Sound System
I did the radio swap over the weekend and it took a lot longer than I thought. Apparantly my F150 had the "Premium Sound" package which included a stock amp in the dash below the temperature controls. I wanted to get at the amp to remove it but did not remove enough paneling. I bypassed the stock amp and wired my radio using a Metra 70-1770 harness. I also took my dremel to the inside (behind radio) and cut out some unnecessary plastic making it much roomier and capable of fitting a true double din. Even with the stock speaker wiring, I am very impressed with the sound system. It is everything I need and sounds 10x better than a year ago.




Headlights
I am a big fan of the stock factory styling of our gen 10s and honestly think some of the newer headlight designs look out of place. I replaced my headlights last month with OEM replacements at $20 each and could not be happier. They make such a difference.

Before:


After:



Running Boards
I was originally just removing them to add a coat of black paint but am enjoying the look of them off. I think I will keep it like this for a while. Plus it took like 2 hours to get the rusted bolts out!

Before:


After:

dapert

Are you going down in wheel size because you already have 16" wheels handy? I love the tire choice by the way. Have them on all my trucks.

If you are going to replace your seats this would be a perfect time to add a center console from an Expedition.

Other fairly cheap upgrade:
SVT headlights
LED bulb swap for interior
Plastidip your bumpers so you can peel it off if you don't like them black

SportsmanJake

2 reasons: I want to go down to 16" 1) because the tires are a bit cheaper than on 17". 2) I also don't care for these stock wheels and like the 2000-2002 expedition styling better. So right now I am on the hunt for a set of Expedition 16 inch wheels! I found a set but they are 4 hours away. Need to find something closer.

Yeah I am not sure what I want to do about the seats. I don't really like the looks of seat covers but they might be my best option. Having the leather repaired professionally would be way to expensive too.

SportsmanJake

Update:

Yesterday I ordered a set of 4 Wrangler Duratracs in 285/75r16.
Tomorrow I am meeting a guy and am buying a set of 4 5x135mm 16x7 inch wheels from his F150.

So my plan is to get the wheels, get the tires, and take them to a shop and let them put them on. Should not be more than $50.

Roof Rack priority is pretty low, but I decided I want to do something like this.



I have not looked into that guy's post history yet, but I think he is using a yakima setup. I also need to find out how much weight my Leer cap can handle.

the01kingranch

my local sears does it for 60

the01kingranch

thats one bad *** bumper

greenheadkiller98

how do these roof racks mount up? I'm looking to possibly get one for my topper.

SportsmanJake

I've only just began looking, but here is what I have found.

I have been focusing on a Yakima or Thule setup because the brands are pretty popular and their stuff consistently pops up on craigslist or eBay. Also, since they are common, there is a lot of mounting information available.

With Yakima (and probably Thule) you mount tracks to the top of the fiberglass cap as far out as possible. You are then supposed to add 4 control towers and 2 bars and then put the cargo basket on top of that. This is the method they recommend. It is also the most expensive way to do it.

Currently what I am looking into is an alternative mounting method that excludes the control towers and metal bars. When you do the setup that Yakima recommends, you end up with a basket that sits about 3-4 inches above the topper. In my opinion it looks bad and it will increase drag. In this thread, a guy installs the basket directly to the racks. I think it looks a lot better.

My biggest concern right now is not destroying my Leer topper. According to their sight, with a properly installed roof rack, the base topper model can support 150 lbs. As long as you mount the tracks/towers near the edge, it should be able to support this weight. I crawled on top of my topper the other day and it felt pretty solid. But if I do go through with a safari rack, I will not put for than 100lbs on it. I will have a spare up there and maybe a few tools.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you learn anything else.

greenheadkiller98

well the main reason for mine is carrying kayaks... Not sure if this will be my best bet..

SportsmanJake

16 inch wheels - check
Duratracs - check






285/75r16 Duratrac





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