How It All Started
Shortly after getting an F150 when I turned 16, I began to wonder how to work on cars with a friend that had been working on tractors and farm equipment for years. I figured a truck would have plenty of room for modifications and gave me all the room I needed while working in the cabinet construction industry under my dad. The F150 is a 2011 XLT with a 3.7l engine and 2wd. It all started bone stock looking like this on the cleanest days.
Modifications
Having it stock for nearly a year, I knew there was something I had to start doing to it. After saving up some extra money from work it was time to begin going into the modification process and learning how to work on this thing.
- A 2.5″ leveling kit was the first part to go on the truck. This helped make me feel a little taller in the truck which was the goal trying to compete with my friends 4″ lifted 7.3 F250 rolling on 35’s.
- After determining that the leveling kit just wasn’t going to cut it for height, I moved on to a 3″ body lift kit that I had found on eBay. Now this was getting the truck a little higher with 33 Firestone M/T’s. Even for being a 2wd, this truck would go through mud with ease. A video of the truck going through Mudfest is here. The truck got absolutely caked in mud that day.
- After the lift and tires were done, it was time to make it loud with a super 10 series Flowmaster. Out of the this muffler, the Magnaflow, and Flowpro, I found the Flowmaster to have by far the most aggressive sound with not too much drone at highway speeds either.
- To start and get a little more airflow, I went with a spectre cold air intake. By going the cheap route, I only went with the air filter and rigged it on without buying a full kit. After two years, it still holds up fine and was a much more affordable option.
- Next up on the list was a programmer for the truck. I went with the Edge CS which helped to fix my speedometer after the huge change in tire size as well as get me another 1-2mpg in economy mode.
- A 52″ curved light bar was next up on the list for modifications. This one was relatively simple to install in one afternoon with a buddy who had actually given me the light bar. All I can say, is these things make a tremendous difference in how far you can see. Especially when making sure you don’t run into a deer while cruising back roads at night.
- The last modifications would be the stereo setup that went into this truck. It took countless hours deciding how to do it and what parts to buy. The Rockford Fosgate T165-S T1 is a phenomenal component set of speakers that have some of the clearest high notes I’ve heard. For subwoofers, I went with two JL Audio 12TW3-D4’s which give the kick of a full size sub but work great in smaller areas since they’re only 3.5″ deep. A Kicker amp for the mids, Hifonics amp for the subs, and a GPS head unit made for the perfect system.
How The Truck Sits Now
Future Goals
The plan for this truck now is to keep it as is. There’s not a ton of room for more upgrades other than aesthetics. Instead, money will probably saved for a larger 4wd truck whenever this truck decides to give out on me. Let me know in the comments if you have questions about any of the parts mentioned above!