2017 F-150 build...Everyone meet Walter White

[Skitch_monster]

It worked out nicely since I use it daily to clean up after work, it does take up room in the back of the truck but not enough for it to personally bother me. If you or a friend have a welder and a drill press it only takes a small 1/4" thick plate, 2"x2"x1/4" steel tube and the universal mount from water port, welder, 4 holes, can of spray paint and at least 6 beers. I can send drawings if you are interested. Its pretty simple.

 

[SDDiver5]

It worked out nicely since I use it daily to clean up after work, it does take up room in the back of the truck but not enough for it to personally bother me. If you or a friend have a welder and a drill press it only takes a small 1/4" thick plate, 2"x2"x1/4" steel tube and the universal mount from water port, welder, 4 holes, can of spray paint and at least 6 beers. I can send drawings if you are interested. Its pretty simple.

I luckily have all of the above and have been wanting a fun little welding project. Appreciate it!

 

[SDDiver5]

Also on the agenda will be better tint and a sound system. The F-150 in my avatar had an amazing sound system and I miss slappin some bass so an upgrade will absolutely happen.

So now that I got way too carried away with this truck, I want to go back to what I had at the top of my list originally. A sound system of some sorts. I put this at the bottom of my list pretty quick because it was covid and I was working from home and was driving maybe 5 miles a week. Now that I am back at the office and spend anywhere from 30-50 minutes (total) a day for my commute I want to spice up my music. Any of you F150 guys have the subwoofer box under the seat? I need to check if the connection is there but if it is, from what I've read, it's a basic plug and play scenario for the sub. Throw in some better door speakers and be done with it.

In my old 98 truck was the 3 door extended cab so I had no door behind the driver seat. I had a 12 inch sub that fit perfectly behind me. Amp was mounted behind the rear seat and I had great door speakers. As much as I would love that setup now... I don't think it's best for the baby and I feel it's a little overkill. Plus, I use the rear under the seat storage for stuff and am now carrying people and things as my family grows so I feel it is the better option.

Anyway, let me know what experience you guys have with it and if it is worth it.

 

[badm0t0rfinger]

@SDDiver5 I'm sure you can find a stock sub pulled from another 2017 and should be plug and play. I'd do it. I love my podcasts to have all the extra bass lol

 

[Skitch_monster]

So I did some figuring out... and if I deleted my rear 1/3rd seat and build this little stand (prototype 1) and the Iceco 75VLPro fits perfect, and the front seat is almost as far back as it can go. Then next stand will be able to house my entire cooking set up and that means just one less thing to pack... thought you would find this interesting.

 

[SDDiver5]

So I did some figuring out... and if I deleted my rear 1/3rd seat and build this little stand (prototype 1) and the Iceco 75VLPro fits perfect, and the front seat is almost as far back as it can go. Then next stand will be able to house my entire cooking set up and that means just one less thing to pack... thought you would find this interesting.View attachment 739138

Appreciate that! Looks like a clean build. I had something similar in my 98 F150. Built a nice drawer system that held everything I needed when camping but didn't have a fridge. The amount of space in the back is crazy in the new generations.

I have wanted to do something similar but the 1/3 seat is where the carseat goes and I pick up/drop baby girl a few times a week so it's staying as is.

It would be more convenient for me if the 1/3 seat was on the driver side. I keep all my stuff behind the driver seat, always have, if the seats were switched it would still allow me to have the 2/3 use on the passenger side. But also, when I do go camping and bring wifey and baby, all my gear fits in the 2/3 section with the seats up and baby sits in her spot and chills.

 

[Skitch_monster]

Appreciate that! Looks like a clean build. I had something similar in my 98 F150. Built a nice drawer system that held everything I needed when camping but didn't have a fridge. The amount of space in the back is crazy in the new generations.

I have wanted to do something similar but the 1/3 seat is where the carseat goes and I pick up/drop baby girl a few times a week so it's staying as is.

It would be more convenient for me if the 1/3 seat was on the driver side. I keep all my stuff behind the driver seat, always have, if the seats were switched it would still allow me to have the 2/3 use on the passenger side. But also, when I do go camping and bring wifey and baby, all my gear fits in the 2/3 section with the seats up and baby sits in her spot and chills.

I agree that the 1/3rd would be better on the driver side. I put my 270 awning on the passenger side because the 1/3rd placement... with that being said it made choosing an RTT much more difficult side I wanted to go with iKamper but it opens passenger side so it conflicts the awning.... maybe one day someon will make an RTT that open drivers side and is as high quality as the iKamper.

 

[badm0t0rfinger]

I agree that the 1/3rd would be better on the driver side. I put my 270 awning on the passenger side because the 1/3rd placement... with that being said it made choosing an RTT much more difficult side I wanted to go with iKamper but it opens passenger side so it conflicts the awning.... maybe one day someon will make an RTT that open drivers side and is as high quality as the iKamper.

You can just mount the iKamper backwards, the slope on it isn't that much. You're going to kill your mpg anyways. Plus I just recently spent a night in a 3.0 mini and it was luxurious, so it has my full recommendations.

As an aside, I mounted my 270 awning the exact opposite because I noticed that most tents that are side specific for entry are passenger side or via the back.

 

[Skitch_monster]

You can just mount the iKamper backwards, the slope on it isn't that much. You're going to kill your mpg anyways. Plus I just recently spent a night in a 3.0 mini and it was luxurious, so it has my full recommendations.

As an aside, I mounted my 270 awning the exact opposite because I noticed that most tents that are side specific for entry are passenger side or via the back.

Yea, mounting the iKamper backwards is an option. However, I recently got into kayak fishing (about 1.5 years ago) and now iKamper is not an option since the tent can't support weight on the shell, so now I'm looking at a CVT Mt. Hood or Bush Company, something that I can mount the kayak on top of. Right now I have wooden block wrapped in carpet used as spacers and I ratchet strap the kayak on top of the OVS Nomadic 4.. Its good enough, but looking cool is half the battle and I'm 100% loosing this battle because its dorky lookin as heck.

 

[SDDiver5]

Its good enough, but looking cool is half the battle and I'm 100% loosing this battle because its dorky lookin as heck.

This made me lol

 

[badm0t0rfinger]

Yea, mounting the iKamper backwards is an option. However, I recently got into kayak fishing (about 1.5 years ago) and now iKamper is not an option since the tent can't support weight on the shell, so now I'm looking at a CVT Mt. Hood or Bush Company, something that I can mount the kayak on top of. Right now I have wooden block wrapped in carpet used as spacers and I ratchet strap the kayak on top of the OVS Nomadic 4.. Its good enough, but looking cool is half the battle and I'm 100% loosing this battle because its dorky lookin as heck.

OVS mamba 3 is another option, although its quite heavy.

 

[Skitch_monster]

OVS mamba 3 is another option, although its quite heavy.

OVS mamba is also on my radar. The price is quite attractive and if the quality is the same level as the soft shell I have from them, it will be good to go.

 

[SDDiver5]

No recent updates on the truck as far as the build goes. Still loving my regear, it's the best thing I've done to it. I got an alignment recently due to some uneven tire wear that I didn't notice until it was uneven.

I was in a hurry and needed an oil change so figured I could let some place do it. First and last time I will let someone else change my oil. I requested they remove the middle skid plate so oil doesn't go everywhere. Well, they didn't. Now I have an oil stain on my fresh driveway. I wish RCI would have engineered the skid a little better to prevent the oil from pouring out on top of the skid plate... So I spent a good 45 mins removing all the skids, cleaning and re installing. No biggie really and lesson learned. Apparently there is an oil drain valve made by Fumoto that prevents this from happening. Still not sure that's what I want to do but we will see.

In other news I went to baja last weekend for a boys surf trip. Had a great time except for the cops pulling me over a few feet from my exit on the way down because my surfboards were hanging past the tailgate more than the legal limit of 10cm. Tried to get him to write me a ticket and I would pay it at the police station but he got frustrated when he realized I kinda knew how to handle the situation so he started to get a little more aggressive. Not wanting to get boned by the cops within the first hour of my trip, I gave him $60 and he laughed at me and told me the "fee" is $200. We settled at $150 and I drove the remainder 100 yards to the gated community we were staying in and had a shot of tequilla waiting for me then surfed for an hour. In all it was a great trip.

Desert season is fast approaching so I imagine I will have some sexy dez pics to upload within the next few months.

 

[jbaucom]

I was in a hurry and needed an oil change so figured I could let some place do it. First and last time I will let someone else change my oil. I requested they remove the middle skid plate so oil doesn't go everywhere. Well, they didn't. Now I have an oil stain on my fresh driveway. I wish RCI would have engineered the skid a little better to prevent the oil from pouring out on top of the skid plate... So I spent a good 45 mins removing all the skids, cleaning and re installing. No biggie really and lesson learned. Apparently there is an oil drain valve made by Fumoto that prevents this from happening. Still not sure that's what I want to do but we will see.

I got tired of the Ford dealer taking my RCI transmission skid plate off to do oil changes because they would reinstall them in the wrong order, bending the transmission plate (I have the RCI transmission skid plate with OE engine and transfer case plates), or they wouldn't replace all the fasteners when they were finished. It's a battle I got tired of fighting at every oil change, so I bought this UPR drain plug: UPR Ford Easy Oil Drain Valve for Mustang F150 Raptor Edge Explorer (3025-02) (uprproducts.com) to simplify doing it myself. No clue how well it works since I'm just now due for my first change after installation.

 

[YetiX]

Just read this thread while on a long conference call lol. Fellow San Diegan here. Although I don't have an F150, I do have skid plates. I had a Fumoto valve with a hose on my 4Runner an have something similar on my Colorado. It's really convenient so I don't get oil pooling on the skid plates.

Also, I can't recommend White Knuckle sliders enough. I have them on my 4Runner and Colorado. I've beaten the hell out of them (esp on the 4Runner) with no damage. They're also just up in Victor Valley so you can drive up and save yourself the shipping costs. (They also have a military/veteran discount if that applies to you)