Meech0508

Good afternoon Fellow F-150 Owners,






I am new to the forum but have viewed it several times as a guest when in need of Advise, Normally I just read and take notes, never posting comments. Now that I am in a place in my life where I am financially stable with a career, and fortunate enough to have a Truck that is paid off and a Weekend/Secondary vehicle, I plan on starting building the truck and customizing it to my specifications. I was not the Kid with the dad who buys the $40+Thousand truck and tacks on several thousand dollars in accessories. Now that I am older and my Dad has gotten smarter for every year I am older, I realize he did me a favor in a way by not buying me that Dream Truck. The reason being My old man told me if I want that Truck you then you are going have to work and earn it and when I get to that point and still want that you can buy it.

I am just curious on Where to begin on the build Process, With all the experience on this forum I am sure that there is a ton of Knowledge on what to do first. I understand it is mostly preference, but I am looking for information more along the lines of where you begin the journey as far as what to experience first. Kind of like a walk before you run Mentality. It is known that a hobby such as this is not one that you are taught but you learn through trial and error. Yes I am well aware that you can just go and drop it off at your nearest performance or Off Road Garage, but where is the fun in that!? I believe the truck will be 10X's sweeter if you at least try and do it myself, step by step, enduring in the stress and time that comes with the hobby. Isn't the whole purpose of a Customized Build to make it your own?
Any and all Advise is welcome along with opinions, examples, and Pics!! Thanks in Advance for the support and Knowledge, I look forward to beginning this Journey and making acquaintances in this common Hobby!!




2001 F-150 Lariat Extended Cab 4X4 5.4 V8

Buckshot482

Welcome! There is plenty of great information on this site. Post up some pictures of your truck, you cant talk about the truck and not have any pictures lol!

jollyroger331

Sounds like a nice ride, be sure and post some pics when you get a chance. As far as build you need to think about what you want: as in lift and big tires, just cosmetic , interior, and or performance.
Here's mine, cranked t-bars, 2" add a leaf, removal of pin stripes and running boards, upgraded to 285/70/17 toyo open country at2s, added all LEDs to the interior lights, lightning headlights, SCT Livewire ts tuner and electric fan conversion. There's probably a few things I left out but as you can see there are a ton of options and mods you can do. Good luck with your build.

Tackle

Start small and work your way up.

Here is a good link with some to get you started:
https://www.f150forum.com/f6/cheap-e...n-mods-195634/

Having a goal is a good idea. That is where I would start. You can dump your life savings into a vehicle with mods without direction.

Get your plan of attack, then make your next move.

Meech0508

Jellyroll, and Buck SHOT, EXCELLENT SUGGESTION, what was i thinking? I will upload some pics as soon as i get home from work. I have a 86 f-150 as well but my focus will be on the 01 for now. Mainly because it is a beast V8, 4X4 and i can wait to make it a monster.

Meech0508

Thanks for the Link i look forward to studying that information, Also the idea is long term but maintaining steady progress is the goal. Direction is my downfall right now because i do not have the exsperiance in regards to what is worth completing and attempting first, Lift, tires a MUST of course, But what comes next? should i go Performance and if so what is a must have or must have first. ( I.E COLD AIR INTAKE before PROGRAMER/CHIP/TUNE. ) That is where i am lost in the sauce.

Tackle

Ya. Good job Jellyroll.

I got some weird looks when I busted out laughing at "Jellyroll".

Tackle

That is what you'll need to decide. You've already made you decision to go high instead of low.

Look at it this way, after your lift, rims and tires you will need to adjust for bigger diameter (assuming you go bigger). You'll need a programmer to do that. Plus it has a code reader should you run into any issues down the road.

jollyroger331

Hahaha, real funny making fun of the chubby guy I'll have you know I recently lost 15 lbs, I'm now a slim 187 at 6'. I almost wet my pants when I read that, to damn funny.

Meech0508

Wow!! see what happens when you do stuff like post comments while at work? My bad man, 187 AT 6 is not chubby so i think you are good. I would have felt bad if the case was different and you said 285 6 foot. Haha.