Spaceman’s Slow Build

[SpacemanOverland]

This isn’t gonna be a quick bolt-on and done. It’s a slow burn kind of build, but we’re doing it our way.


Quick rundown: by day I wear a tie and run a hospital. By night my wife and I sling blades through our knife company and roll deep with the BBQ crowd. That gig has us chasing smoke, hitting the road, and cooking with some of the best out there.

So the mission here is simple. Build something that can haul meat, gear, and memories. Max comfort, max storage, plenty of tow power, and it better look mean doing it.

We’re starting with a 2022 F-150 Lariat, Onyx Black, long bed, pano roof. Basically a blank canvas begging to get rowdy.


the day we brought her home

 

[SpacemanOverland]

Before we could even lay hands on the fun stuff, the truck threw its first punch. We rolled it through a car wash and boom, the passenger headlight bucket went dark. That’s the gamble with buying used. You never know what kind of ghosts are hiding in it.

Best guess is the previous owner had a blowout that sent a chunk of rubber into the wheel well liner, cracking the bucket and letting water get into the electronics.


Credit where it’s due, the dealership (Rochester Ford) we bought it from owned up and covered the fix. We got it handled at a local shop and she’s back in the fight. First blood in the build, but not the last.

 

[SpacemanOverland]

Then I was cruising through another forum, checking out all the insane builds, when I spotted a giveaway post from @Maxzina for these dust covers. Lucky break landed in my lap and I actually won. These became the very first upgrade on the new rocket ship.

 

[SpacemanOverland]

One thing that bugged me more than I expected was the antenna. Sitting right in my peripheral vision and wiggling at freeway speeds, it was a constant distraction. Time for an upgrade. I grabbed the 12 inch stubby from Ronin. Installation was stupid easy. Unscrew the factory antenna, pick the right bolt, screw it into place, and then screw the new antenna onto the truck. Done.

 

[SpacemanOverland]

Alright, that’s where we’re at for now. The future looks like this: a lift and level, slightly bigger tires, probably some kind of topper, maybe an awning, and possibly a rooftop tent for our travels. Storage solutions and more are on the list too.

If you’ve got recommendations or tricks that made your truck better for the kind of life I described in the first post, I want to hear them. Bring it on.

 

[Todd780]

Alright, that’s where we’re at for now. The future looks like this: a lift and level, slightly bigger tires, probably some kind of topper, maybe an awning, and possibly a rooftop tent for our travels. Storage solutions and more are on the list too.

If you’ve got recommendations or tricks that made your truck better for the kind of life I described in the first post, I want to hear them. Bring it on.

I figured out with a 2" level I could run 35x10.5" R20's. Little rub on full lock on reverse but, it left a tiny bit of rake when empty.

Helped when towing or hauling.

I did the same with the antenna as well.




For my use case I went with a hard folding tonneau cover. (Just the Ford one) It allowed secure storage but also the ability to haul taller thing s if need be.

I also liked being to get into the box or grab stuff from the front of the box from beside the truck.

This would not have been possible with a topper. Your use case may differ.

 

[SpacemanOverland]

It has a hard tonneau currently. It works great, but I think I have a plan…..we will see what happens!

 

[SpacemanOverland]

View attachment 892595
I figured out with a 2" level I could run 35x10.5" R20's. Little rub on full lock on reverse but, it left a tiny bit of rake when empty.

Helped when towing or hauling.

I did the same with the antenna as well.

View attachment 892596


For my use case I went with a hard folding tonneau cover. (Just the Ford one) It allowed secure storage but also the ability to haul taller thing s if need be.

I also liked being to get into the box or grab stuff from the front of the box from beside the truck.

This would not have been possible with a topper. Your use case may differ.

And beautiful setup by the way. There should be more 1/2tons in this forum