Hello,

Last fall I was getting ready to turn in my lease on my '14 5.0 F-150 and started looking at my options for a new truck. I weighed all the options, but really wanted to purchase and avoid dealing with mileage and other lease hassles. In the end I decided to buy with plans on turning the next truck into one I could shape into my own and drive into the dirt. With that, the only sensable option was to go with a lightly used beauty, not to mention saving some money kept the wife happy. I took some of that savings and reinvested it in some new parts and the project started to roll.

Here's where I started: 2015 / 3.5L Ecoboost / XLT Sport / 3.55 Rear Axle / 78" Bed / 36,000 miles / 1 previous owner




I wanted to start this thread to document my truck's transformation and share it with the community in case there's anything I learn along the way. Feel free to let me know what you think!

IronSparty

 

First upgrades were appearance, they're the cheapest and easiest. I practically took the truck straight from the dealership to Ziebart for the front window tint. I've gone dark before but living in Michigan, I like to enjoy the sun when we get to see it. I ended up going with the rear tint match. I think its a clean look.

Next I swapped out the headlights and grille. I LOVE the look now, especially with the LED Tow Mirrors. I went with the Anzo Switchback LED headlights and the Paramount Restyling Raptor Style Grille. I had to order the F and the R from Ebay, but the swap out is painless and took about 3 minutes with a couple screws.

 

Next up was suspension, wheels and tires. I did TONS of research here. I love how smooth the stock suspension rides, but I cringed everytime I leaned into a turn or a round-a-bout. I knew I wanted to upgrade. Bounced back and forth between King's and Fox shocks but decided to go for the Fox 2.0's. They are a lot easier to find and shipped same day. I toyed with going 2.5's all around, but I will only be taking her off road maybe .3% of the time, so the extra money just wasn't worth it to me.

The beauty of the Fox 2.0's in the front is that they level the truck without blocks. I love the look now. Next up: tires. I poured over forums to see what would fit. I wanted to fit 35" tires, but read over and over that 35's would rub, some said minimal trimming, some said major trimming. After much deliberation, I went with 275/65r20's wrapped around 20" XD Heists. Had a buddy over at discount tire hook me up on them and got them on in a couple of hours. Moment of truth... 0 rub. Perfect. Looking back, I wish they would fill out gaps a little more but on full turn, they squeeze past with less than 1/4" spacing. So my only other complaint was tire width. But to go from a 275 to a 285 width was $150 extra per tire... long story short, I still like the look.

 

Next up is performance and a Tonneau Cover. I want easy bolt-on power that wont completely break the bank. The obvious answer was tuning. Again, I spent hours and hours searching on-line before making up my mind.

I reached out to the guys over at one of the big performance supplies companies for F-150's asking questions about my build and got no response. After some more research, I reached out to the guys at MPT Tuning. I read plenty of great reviews on them and many people had said that they have stellar customer service. Sure enough, Duane from MPT responded to my lengthy email about all of my plans the next day. He gave me honest advice and actually steered me away from some pricey options that would offer minimal gains. I still went against his advice and splurged on a CAI and the more expensive Intercooler, but I appreciate all of his help.

The below is what I ended up ordering last Sunday, and they have all already shipped. Will update soon!

SCT Livewire w/ 3x MPT Tunes
AFE Magnum Force Pro DRY S Stage 2 XP CAI
Full-Race Freak-o-Boost Intercooler
MBRP 3" Pre-Axle Exhaust - Black Series
170 Degree Thermostat
Truxedo Titanium Roll-Up Tonneau Cover

 

nice truck, really like the stance with the longer wheelbase.

 

Nice truck and build so far! Did you install the fox's up front yourself?

 

Yes. My brother-in-law has a lift and we changed them out in about 2 hours. You could do it without a lift, it would probably just add a couple hours.

 

Love the truck. What is the offset on those wheels?

 

I went with the +18. Was worried about clearance

 

I'm looking at a +0 and I'm also a little worried as well.