amschind

This will be a placeholder for a long time, so if you're interested in seeing pics, you're gonna be waiting for about 6 years.

My goal is a jack of all trades, master of none vehicle. I don't want a rock crawling rig, nor a 1-ton to pull mountains, nor a luxury sedan, nor a tiny hybrid economy car. I do, however, want attributes of all of those vehicles without buying 4 cars. My goals for this truck are driving long distances to work (I'm a traveling hospitalist, so a lot of my jobs are in rural West Texas, and I may eventually expand that to Washington and Tennessee) in comfort, building on land (going to be buying ~150 acres in East Texas in the next year), and getting stuff around for hunting/fishing/hiking. One of the recurring themes that I have seen here is the issues with overheating at altitude/out west. There is a chance that I take up Elk hunting, and to that end could very easily wind up pulling a travel trailer in Southern CO. Since heat is the enemy of all lubricants, a big part of my goal is to improve heat rejection.

The starting point for this is a 2021 F150 SCREW XLT 302A 4x4 Powerboost with the 7.2 kW generator. It's the Tow Tech package, not Max Tow, and has an E-locker 3.73 rear and the ford factory bed liner. Thus far all I've done is fit Weathertechs, a locking center console box, and seat covers. My goal is to avoid screwing up the warranty, so I figure I can use the 3-4 years it will take me to hit 60k miles to figure out what I want to do, let vendors actually make products for the Powerboost, and allow some of the more adventurous and/or independently wealthy souls to make the mistakes that I want to avoid.

Here's my thought process so far:

Engine Upgrades:
Mishimoto radiator (no powerboost specific model yet)
Mishimoto intercooler (no powerboost specific model yet)
Custom exhaust with high flow cats and something like a 70 series Flowmaster. This one will require a lot of thought, as the batteries and inverter are RIGHT ABOVE the exhaust. There are stock heat shields, and I am considering using ceramic header wrap on the sections of pipe near the battery. I have thought a lot about a stack exit, but I cannot find good information about how you avoid some of the less common problems, such as rain or snow pooling in the exhaust pipe if the truck lives outside under precipitation for a while (or ice forms inside the pipe and then melts and pools in the exhaust, et c.)
Afe independent/dual intake. I have always used K&N before, so that's another possibility.
Upgraded water pump: not even sure if this will be possible. If someone makes an upgraded pump for this model, I'll probably use it.
aluminum PE oil pan
aluminum front and rear differential covers

Drivetrain:
Front Eaton Truetrac (torsen) differential. My understanding is that the Raptor uses that diff in the front, which bypasses a lot of the issues with trying to get another e-locker to put up there. I put front and rear Truetracs on my '02 Exploder and was startled by the fact that I couldn't tell the difference between the torsen and the factory open diff.

Interior:
I have the base audio system, which was intentional based upon comments here about the speakers.
Ford/Kicker sub/amp combo. I may do this soon as there are no warranty concerns with it.
Kenwood speakers in front/rear doors and front pillars/dash. The big question is do I add an amp: my instinct is to avoid it, as the factory system is loud enough for me at half volume. Further, the big goal for the sub is to keep the woofers from trying to reproduce <120 MHz sounds (I'll either use the head unit DSP or, if that doesn't work, Crutchfield bass blockers wired in line with the door and dash woofers). My goal is to minimize modification of the factory electrical system.
Weathertech mats
Microfiber seat cushions
Center console locking box

Exterior:
Front bumper, probably a FabFours; Prerunner type
Rear bumper, probably a FabFours
Bumper mounted Warn Zeon 12-s. The power connection for this is an open question, and I don't want to be the first person to put a winch on a Powerboost. I am open to ideas on this.
bed-liner
stock 20" wheels with BFG KO2 T/A tires, probably keeping the stock 33" size.
Transmission skid plate (the factory one is made from the same cheapo felt used in the front wheel wells....on the FX4? It's basically just in the way and does nothing to protect your vehicle.
? Fender flares
Wheel wells (husky sells them for the back, but I haven't seen a replacement for the front felt yet)

Once the power train warranty is out, I'll replace all of the fluids with Amsoil, but until then it's Castrol Edge for the engine and Motorcraft for everything else. Thoughts and ideas are more than welcome....that's why this thread is up years before most of it starts.

amschind

Update:
Got the audio system mostly done. Finished with Rockford Fosgate R165S speakers in the corners and an RF Punch 3.5" speaker in the dash. Crutchfield bass blockers blocked ALL sound, so I had to remove them. The solder jobs on the front speakers are horrible because they were done while it rained on me and the truck as I struggled to start a 9 hour drive, so I'll redo them when I finally mount the tweeters, which are currently dangling from holes drilled in the front of the door panels. The sub was the real challenge. I started with the Ford/Kicker sub, which is a pretty nice plastic enclosure paired with an absolute garbage amp and sub whose unadjustable DSP was set to "overwhelm the rest of the system with awful distortion". I had been warned going in and was prepared for that, even though the total $1100 sub+install still hurts a little when I sit down. I had a Rockford PBRT300X1 and 8" Punch shallow mount sub, and remounted those to the new box (the '02 Explorer, which was totaled due to a mushed door, is now my "new UTV" and where it's going it doesn't need roads.....or audio). I then realized why I didn't have bass in the Explorer: I had the 4 Ohm sub and there is no way to wire a 4 Ohm Dual voice coil sub to a 4 Ohm single output amp. So I got the same sub in 2 Ohm and hooked that up to the awesome but ludicrously overpriced Ford/Kicker Box and stealership installed wiring. The result is some really nice and punchy bass. It is not massively powerful, but you can tell there is a subwoofer present. The bass is VERY accurate, and there is zero distortion.

My only remaining task is mounting the rear/dash speakers and getting the tweeters mounted in the doors (these speakers have a built in crossover, so there isn't another box to install). Overall I am very pleased with everything but the cost of the Ford components. I am also frustrated that Ford removed the WPT1212 connector....if that were still present and one could find a used box or subwoofer assembly, I would STRONGLY encourage them to go the DIY route from this forum's subwoofer thread. I have a bunch of Dynamat, but I have to work up the nerve to start pulling the entire interior apart to install it.

I also got the front license plate mount out from in front of the intercooler intake (just drilled 2 holes in the thin metal bumper section above the intake and mounted it there). I also got a Peragon bed cover which should be in soon. I also removed the factory side steps....if someone wants them, they are free to a good home. I got the FX4 sticker off, and I'm working on the Powerboost logo. I bought blacked out Ford Logos, but I'm not going to apply them until I get my grille insert and figure out how to make that work with the cameras.

Next stage will be bumpers and LineX to the rockers, door sills, and wheel wells. Given the experiences that folks have had with larger tires preventing electric mode, I will forego fender flares or bigger tires and keep my stock 20" wheels. When the Hankooks die, I'll replace them with BFG T/A KO2s. I did the math on getting a different set of wheels for the AT tires and putting Michelin LTX tires on the factory rims, but even a 4% increase in mileage would take forever to get anything like a payback and pales in comparison to just driving slower on the highway (20k miles a year/24 vs 25 MPG saves about 35 gallons of gas, which at $3.10/gallon is ~$100/year in gas savings and $160 per set of tires vs a cost of $1200 for the tires and $2500 for the extra wheels....payback is like 30 years without counting investing opportunity cost for up front money). I think that I will do a Fab Fours Black Steel front and rear, not sure if I want to have those sprayed with bed liner yet. I am also making plans to add a Warn 93000 AC 3000 lb winch on a hitch mount. It will require at least one pulley to have any chance at getting me or someone else unstuck, but because it is 230V AC I can run it almost indefinitely and just unplug and stow it whenever I'm not using it. It will see a lot of frequent use as a tool for clearing land and only occasional use as a recovery device, so the sizing bothers me less and the folks at Warn said that it sounded reasonable to them.

Once I have something installed that it supposed to be visible, I'll post some pics.

jerseyglock

Why wait on using Amsoil after power train warranty is out? How is using Amsoil can void your warranty? I just went over 3k miles with my 21 PB and I will be using Amsoil on next oil change. I'm thinking of change tranny fluid to Amsoil during oil change.

amschind

I worried that since it isn't on their list, they might say that the oil caused whatever fault arose. That could just be being fearful.

AMSOIL Dealer

Legally they cannot deny your warranty unless they can prove the oil caused it. Also, if they did such a thing, Amsoil will cover you with their warranty if it is oil related. Take a look at this, and let me know if I can answer any questions: https://www.amsoil.com/about/guarantee/?zo=6065284

amschind

Thanks! I didn't realize that MM applied to lubricants as well. I am also interested in getting Amsoil into the transmission and differentials, and if you have direct recommendations on that I'd love to hear them. Finally, do you have any recommendations on oil filters?

AMSOIL Dealer

Yes, we have fluids available for the transmission, t-case, and differentials as well. For oil filters, the Amsoil filters have a smaller micron media for better filtration, but as a secondary we have Wix filters available that will work for OEM intervals. This page will show you the recommendations and capacities for this truck: https://www.amsoil.com/lookup/auto-a...ex/?zo=6065284 We are currently out of stock on the trans fluid, but it should be back in stock soon.

Edit: Also I can save you a fair amount over retail pricing. Send me a PM and i'll be happy to discuss more.

amschind

So I got my Fab Fours front and rear bumpers in. Will post pics once that's on. Also splurged and got my winch cradle, ground tackle and Warn 93000. While it's only a 3k winch and will require at least one pulley to move anything, I will be able to run it from the 240V plug in the bed. After that I'll finally get my Dynamat installed, though obviously that won't be visible unless something goes horribly wrong.

Finally, any ideas what to do with takeoff wheels? I have another 53k miles to ponder that, so no big rush.

amschind

My mechanic is still fighting with getting the ACC and collision warning radars mounted (see the gap on the lower front bumper), but I am really happy with the progress so far.

I am still working on getting my hitch winch mount welded up. It is more complicated because I'm using a remoted/corded 12V switch connected to solid state relays so that if something happened and the whole assembly got energized (it's 230V), it wouldn't kill me before flipping the breaker. The electrician that I had come out to wire it up was worse than unhelpful. I am not sure that he grasped what I was asking, but he ultimately said that he couldn't help and advised me to have an auto shop wire the winch to ground on the vehicle's frame. I am certain that the single most dangerous thing that can be done is connecting the ground for a device getting power from the AC outlets to the frame, since the outlets have their own ground wires and those are what can flip their breakers. Connecting the ground from a device with a fault to the truck frame would just energize the truck frame as well and might or might not ground the circuit well enough to flip the breaker. I mention this because a lot of craftsman (even competent ones) don't understand what is happening with these trucks, and the onus for making sure that things are safe is going to fall on us for a while.

amschind

I had XPEL Prime XR Plus put in last week, and it's amazing. I saw the guy who runs the Youtube channel for Texas Tint Masters (I believe he's the owner), and I think that he realized that I recognized him from the Youtube channel (though I wasn't about to ask "Hey, are you the 'Texas Squeegee'?"). Anyway, they did a great job, and the film is amazing. I drive a lot at night, and so I got 70% all around, and find that the interior temperature of the truck on sunny days enjoyed a night and day improvement. Before, I'd be hot and cold at the same time, constantly fiddling with the AC to make the best of it. After, the cab still warms up when left in the sun, but cools off completely after about 30 seconds of AC (and this was in a desolate parking lot in West Texas on a 100 degree day at noon).

My experience is dominated by a hot sunny place, but when that circumstance dominates your heating/cooling needs, I cannot say enough good about this stuff. I'm sure that the equivalent 3M product is just as good, but my direct experience over 2 weeks in adverse circumstances has been wonderful.

Will post pics next week after I get the leather seats installed.