"Emily" - 2005 F150 Build

[DocWhiskey]

Hey y'all!

I've been hanging around the forum for a bit, learning from everyone and admiring all your builds and different styles of doing things. I'll be dropping some money into my old girl soon and I'll need some advice on certain aspects so I figured I would start a build thread to track progress.

Emily is a 2005 F150 XLT 4x4 SuperCrew w/ 5.5ft bed that I bought bone stock in 2010; the first owner had put something like 80k miles on the odometer, kept up on maintenance and everything was in excellent shape. She has the smaller 4.6L V8, so not as powerful as the optional 5.4 but (anecdotally) a little better on gas. Pretty standard package, cloth seats, fanciest thing on the inside is power windows. I've been blessed to have almost no mechanical problems, other than an IWE going out during a snowy trip to Sequoia (more on that later).

The build (which is generous terminology to be frank) has been slow and incorporates a lot of different influences due to my own diverse automotive tastes. I'm a hot rodder by nature (first care was a '69 Ford Fairlane hardtop with a 302), so that sometimes comes into play. Run what you brung, right? There's also some touches in there from the street truck crowd, but obviously the overall theme is a expedition/overland/camping rig as well as daily driver. She has been a faithful companion in the past 5 years; I've run the odometer up to 165K and plan on going much farther. We have been on 5 country trips so far as I driver back to PA from California every time I go on deployment, and then drive back when I return.

Progress is admittedly slow, due to a combination of a wacky schedule, little disposable cash, and being a self-taught mechanic with only one vehicle that I need to use to get to work. I've gotten a pretty cool opportunity this deployment though, and in addition to being a unique mission setting and environment, I'll have some half-decent cash saved up by the time I get back and plan on dumping some of it into the old gal. And that's where y'all come in!

Shortly after signing the papers and bringing her home (at that time I was stationed in San Diego):



As she currently sits:



Current Modifications:

Iron Bull front bumper
Warn xd9000i winch with standard cable and roller fairlead
PIAA 510 Fog and ATP lights (cannot wait to get rid of these)
K&N Cold Air Intake
Cherry Bomb Vortex cat-baack exhaust
Hell-Bent Steel 2" leveling kit
LED Taillights and Third Brake Light
Custom (DIY) headlights w/ LED bulbs (probably frowned upon by most of the lighting geeks but eh. My truck)
Custom (DIY) Rear Bumper (in progress) http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/136025-Rear-Bumper-Build
BFG Rugged Terrain 265/75/17 (I think? I can't remember)

Planned Modifications:


Definite

Icon Vehicle Dynamics K93023- Stage 4 kit
Method 105 Beadlocks
BFG All-Terrain KO or KO2
Edge Evolution Programmer
Front end refresh (lower ball joints, sway bar end links, sway bar bushing, control arm bushings
EBC Rotors and Pads
Spark Plugs
Coil Packs

Possible-

Eaton E-Locker or ARB Air Locker
ReadyLift Tie Rods
RCI Full Length Skids



The main use of the truck is frequent weekend camping trips on a combination of paved roads, forest service roads, and mild trails; as well as being my surfmobile and daily driver. The focus is quality parts and reliability. I've learned the hard way to "buy once, cry once".

 

[DocWhiskey]

The truck was surprisingly capable off-road while stock, as long as you stayed within the limits of good reason. This particular location is somewhere along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, during my first trip back to PA. About 60 miles or so on a very remote, washboardy dirt road, with the last three miles or so slowly degrading into a semi-legitimate rock crawl up the the rim.

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Still stock during the trip back, including the definitely-not-all-terrain tires that came with the purchase:

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Shortly after this the modification bug bit, spurred on no doubt by the lack of a payment. I call these "The Early Years" and they tended to be somewhat poor decisions, driven a little more by impatience and a tight budget than wisdom.

Some truly crappy headlights:

View attachment 292771

The LED taillights on a trailride with a buddy. I'm actually really happy with these, and they remain on the truck

View attachment 292775

Things stayed like that for a few months until I was able to save up some cash (helped by an insurance check) in 2012 to purchase the Iron Bull winch bumper. I'm pleased with the overall fitment and finish of the bumper, and the price was fair. Front bumpers for these trucks are getting hard to find, and believe it or not this is one of the lower-profile options. The others seem to stick out much farther. I occasionally regret not opting for any type of grill or headlight guard but I like the look of this better. It's coated with a rubberized finish similar to Line-X or Rhino Lining, which has held up very well over the years and constant abuse.

View attachment 292776

View attachment 292787

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[DocWhiskey]

The next addition was a K&N Cold Air Intake. Installation on this was pretty straightforward and was done in about 45 minutes. I also installed the new exhaust system at the same time, though I failed to take pictures of that mostly due to fitment issues. I am considering replacing that but it remains on the truck for now.

Before:


After:




Another set of (crappy) aftermarket headlights went on at this time, as I had not yet learned the "buy once, cry once" lesson or it's cousin "If you want it done right, do it yourself". These headlight housing lasted about year or so before they ended up taking on water on the drivers side and I replaced them.



Also pictured is the leveling kit from Hell Bent Steel which is currently installed on the truck. It took an embarrassingly long time to get this installed, as a depoyment got in the way and I lacked a proper shop for a while after returning.

And that is about how she sat until I returned from another deployment. I didn't have the funds to purchase a winch before I left but while I was gone a scored a good deal on a Warn xd9000i on eBay and had it waiting for me when I returned, as well as some PIAA lights.

 

[ttravis5446]

Nice truck. I had a Silver '05 F150 with the 5.4 a few years ago, I should have kept that truck.

 

[DocWhiskey]

Following my return and installation of the winch and lights (still had not yet installed the leveling kit) and an upgrade to the BFGoodrich Rugged Terrains that currently sit on the truck, it was time for the return trip to California. This was the longest trip I had yet undertaken, as my buddy and I had some ambitious plans that would culminate in a 9,000+ mile trip that included 4 border crossings (went into Canada twice), a myriad of states, a plethora of National Parks, and accommodations courtesy of the National Forest system. I had also chosen the continue the "blackout" them by applying spray-on bedliner to the stock wheels and rear bumper.

Entering into Ontario from Quebec. Side note: Canadians are awesome people and I love spending time with them. Unless you are one of the Montreal residents who stole my snowboard during the visit, in which case I hope you broke your wrist using it during the first powder day of the season.



A short stop at Lakenland, a quirky little sculpture park in the middle of Michigan's equally quirk Upper Penninsula. You Yoopers are pretty cool too.



On the shores of Lake Superior. I wish we would have had time to camp in Michigan.



Blending in with the locals in Bemindji, Minnesota



The next stop was North Dakota, which necessitated a stop in Rugby to visit the Geographical Center of North America. It was unfortunately late at night so there are no great pictures of the event.

After an overnight in Minot, North Dakota (why not Minot?) we headed down south to Badlands National park, the start of a zig-zag that would take us to some of the best scenery of the trip.

We first stopped at the Wounded Knee Memorial.



And then crossed into Badlands National Park to admire the canyons and goof around with the buffalo herds.




The tunnels on Needles Highway, the approach to Mount Rushmore, offered some spectacular views as well as amusement to all of us watching the tour buses squeeze through.



Yellowstone National Park was a natural choice to include, although to be honest I was a little underwhelmed. Due to the timeframe the crowds were more than we expected and that took a lot away from the experience for me. I would love to go back though and get more out of the park than just the main landmarks.



The Grand Prismatic Pool was the highlight of this stop for me




Glacier National Park far exceeded my expectations. One of the most beautiful places I have ever been to in these great United States, it had everything from sweeping vistas to babbling brooks through thick forest, a thunderous rainstorm and shining sun, and of course the eponymous glaciers

 

[DocWhiskey]

We took a break from all the driving to do some hiking, including some on the surface of a glacier itself.



The trip continued up to Banff, British Columbia, and then back down into the US through Seattle with some stops in North Cascades National Forest, Williamette National Forest; Portland, Oregon; and Crater Lake National Park.



Following my return to my duty station I was finally able to install the leveling kit that had been kicking around for a year or so. I conned a buddy into elping me and we headed down to the base Auto Hobby Shop. Installation turned out to be pretty straightforward as this is just a strut spacer kit. There was a lot more brute force required than we both originally estimated, so it took about a full day to install both sides, including the necessary replacement of the drivers side UCA due to me cross-threading the nut before attempting to run it in with an impact wrench. Whoops.



Pictures from a short weekend camping trip done during the government shutdown of 2013. Los Padres National Forest is right in our backyard and offered some surprising pleasant but challenging forest service roads and picturesque views.





How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains! - John Muir



"Waiter? A table with a view, if you could. Thank you."




A brief addition was this Thule Locking Lowrider, which worked amazingly well and held my Cannondale securely on the bed rail keeping the bed space fully useable. Unfortunately, "locking" does not mean "theft-proof" and the bike ended up getting stolen while I was enjoying a late surf session.

 

[DocWhiskey]

A short time after installing the Thule rack, I took a solo weekend trip up to Sequoia National Forest and Park, although due to odd winter road closures in California my route and thus the time spent enjoying the park was significantly altered.

The overlook on Route 133 heading north.



Tunnel Log in Sequoia National Park. My apologies for the finger in the picture.



Looking out to the southern half of the Sierra Nevada's from Moro Rock.



Camped out back in Los Padres, in the Hungry Valley OHV area.



My current camp kitchen setup is pretty basic to allow easy transition from vehicle based travel to backpacking.


Ending Crack in the Sespe Wilderness offered some awesome free solo opportunities, a great route I highly recommend.



Shameless glamour selfies taken following the VES Awards show. My cousin owns a visual effects company and thought it would be fun to drag me out of the woods to see what Hollywood was like. Sandra Bullock is amazingly sexy in person and it was a hoot to drive up in the truck and valet it in the midst of Ferrari's, Lmborghini's, and Mercedes.

 

[DocWhiskey]

Nice truck. I had a Silver '05 F150 with the 5.4 a few years ago, I should have kept that truck.

Nice! They are solid trucks, and easy to work on if you need to. I wish I had the 5.4 sometimes though.

 

[DocWhiskey]

The next big trip took advantage of a 96 hour liberty pass granted to us for the July 4th weekend of 2014. A buddy and I grabbed our whole quiver of boards and all the camping gear, threw them in the truck and ran off to Big Sur in search of freedom, scenery, secluded surf breaks, and great campsites. We did a little research on the area before we went but as with most of my trips, it was only a loose plan with my changes and adaptations and flying by the seat of our pants. We had an absolute blast, I highly recommend the area to anyone looking for some of the best California has to offer.

First stop was Cambria, where we hopped in at Moonstones and scored a couple treasures.

Campsites were found along trails leading away from the forest service roads. Our collection of gear made for an eclectic camp layout.



The scenery in Big Sur was amazing. The unique geography of mountains rising straight up from the ocean often put us in the unique position of being between the clouds; fog below us on the ocean surface, and clouds covering the tops of the peaks.



Leaving our campsite to search for waves, the trails often perched on the edge of the mountains.



The sunsets never failed to amaze.



The classic shot of McWay Falls



Some fishing boats pulled up to protect against high tide.



Waterfalls aren't a bad way to grab a quick rinse



Back on base, all polished and shined.



While all trips are memorable, this one in particular was amazing simply due to the beauty of the area and the fantasy-like nature of it. It was like starring in our own private camping and surfing show, just one amazing experience after the other.

 

[DocWhiskey]

Later that year I had another unique opportunity. Following a month long field exercise, another buddy and I decided to make a getaway into the north and do some camping on our own terms, rather than the terms placed upon us by tactical situations. He rides a 2014 Harley Fat Boy, so we decided that he would ride ahead and I would play "Chase Truck" with all of the food and camping gear. When time came to setup camp, we would park and unpack a bit, cooking dinner and enjoying some beer via our growlers we filled before we left. We checked the weather forecast and everything seemed hunky dory, so after some preparation and letting a few people know where we were going, we headed out of town.

We had decided on heading to Sequoia National Park, as he had ever been, it was within a few hours of our starting destination, and I was ready to try again and see more of the park than the January closures had allowed me to last visit.

You'll most likely note the headlight change. I had just recently finished tearing apart my stock headlight housings and making some modifications, mostly for aesthetic appeal but I also added LED bulbs for function. Not a typical overland/expedition vehicle modification, but I'm pleased with the outcome and function.



Tunnel Log, redux.



The first day, everything was beautiful, perfect Southern/Central California fall weather.



We made camp, got some deadfall together for the fire, cooked some dinner, and then sat around working on our growlers waiting for night to fall. When we went to sleep, it was a peaceful, 60 degree night and the next day promised to be even more enjoyable the the last.

And then we woke up to this:



Slightly complicating our situation was the fact that in the frustration of trying to find a campsite without going all the way back down to the foot of the National Park, we may have slightly...skirted...a gate closing the particular area of Sequoia National Forest we chose to throw the tent down in. Not a huge deal when the weather is good, and not even a crisis when you just have a 4x4 to worry about, but throw a motorcycle in the mix and things get a lot more interesting. Unfortunately, I don't have a ton of pictures from this evolution. After the initial shock of waking up to 18" of snow on the ground, we began to take stock of our situation and realized that we were woefully unprepared for the change in weather. (The forecast had suggested the possibility of slight showers but no snow was mentioned by it or the park rangers). We quickly packed up camp and decided to try getting the truck out. Of course, my faithful steed did not disappoint and made quick work of getting out to the road, which had less snow due to a plow coming through in the middle of the night.

Then the first mild problem reared it's head: trying to turn around to head back to the campsite, I put the front drivers side wheel slightly off the road. The combination of an off-camber situation and the lack of traction rendered us stuck. This led to the first use of the winch for actual recovery purposes since I had installed it about a year prior. A quick unspooling, finding a tree to wrap the tree-saver strap around, and we were back on our way.

But now the real challenge presented itself. What were we going to do about the motorcycle? My Alabaman partner had never seen snow of this magnitude and incorrectly assumed that if he could place the bike in the tracks of the truck, he would be able to get started in second gear and take it slow and cautiously. But a single rear tire and 103 cubic inches of American Iron do not play well with packed, icy snow.

This is where it got exhausting. I got the truck stuck and unstuck once or twice and we wrestled the bike for about and hour and a half before finally admitting that our scheme needed adjustment. Finally we lit upon the idea of using the tree-saver to mount the snatch block on a high point, then running the winch cable through the block and back to the bike. We would winch the bike forward into the bed of the truck using a ramp cobbled together from a couple planks that were thankfully laying around. After another two hours of cold, wet, back-breaking labor, we managed to load the bike into the bed and pack the camping gear around it.



At this point we decided to call it. We were both exhausted and wet and kind of over it. Also, an IWE on the 4-wheel-drive system had given up the ghost after we made it out of the campsite and onto a slightly more plowed section of the park road, leaving me with two-wheel-drive only. Although it seemed like the universe really had it out for us; even as we thought we were about home free, we encountered a locked gate intended to keep people out of the section we were currently in Fortunately, there was a maintenance shed just down the road where we were able to make fast friends with an Army veteran who let us out. We headed to Bakersfield to regroup at Lengthwise Brewing.

This trip taught me the importance of having the appropriate gear and knowing how to use it all, as well as preparing for the unexpected. We had enough food and supplies to last us about double the planned length of the trip, and the skills and knowledge necessary to survive as long as we needed to. But Mother Nature occasionally needs to remind you that she is the boss.

 

[DocWhiskey]

And that just about leads us to the current day. Following the trip to Sequioa I fabricated a rear bumper and made some good progress before the road trip back to PA to store the truck for this current deployment. I was able to finish up the base of the bumper and fabricate the tire carrier but not mount it.





The trip back to PA was a mostly over-the-road deal as a sort of reunion trip to visit some of my Marines.





Some of the scenery in Zion National Park



My now traditional state line picture:

 

[chaos616]

Blending in with the locals in Bemindji, Minnesota



HAHA, thats cool, first time i've seen the big man and his ox on this site i believe. I grew up in Bemidji and went to school in Duluth.

Nice build btw, keep the pictures coming, and thanks for your service!

Cheers,

 

[DocWhiskey]

HAHA, thats cool, first time i've seen the big man and his ox on this site i believe. I grew up in Bemidji and went to school in Duluth.

Nice build btw, keep the pictures coming, and thanks for your service!

Cheers,

Haha yeah we just kind of happened on him. It seems like most cool things you see on a road trip are the random little "Hey we should check that out!" things. Bemidji is a cool little town.

Thank you!

 

[DocWhiskey]

So this is where I need a little bit of input. I'll be coming home in a couple months and I'm almost ready to start making some purchases. I'm pretty locked on to the wheels and suspension, but tires make me wishy washy.

The truck currently sits on BFGoodrich Rugged Terrains. I am pretty sure they are 265/70/17s; I know the measure out to approximately 31". By the time I get back it will be time to replace them due to wear. I want to upgrade the size when I go to a slightly more aggressive pattern but I cannot decide between a 33" equivalent or a 35" equivalent.

I was pretty dead set on going with one of the sizes in the BFG AT KOs until I found out the KO2s come in a 34" size. So now I have three choices and I really can't decide.

If it helps at all the Method 105 wheels I plan on purchasing are 17x8.5 with 0mm Offset and 4.75" Backspacing.

 

[Tacoclaw]

Dunno if you're wanting opinions on the height's capabilities or are wondering how big of a tire you can fit, but if it's the second I find this calculator to be extremely handy.

http://www.rimsntires.com/specspro.jsp


Thanks for your service. o7