FatCity
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Wildomar, CA USA
It was a long time coming. We needed a real pre-runner.
Things I had to have:
Something big enough to tow the race jeep if I had to.
Air conditioning.
Automagic trans.
4 full size doors
Leather (didn’t get that one…)
And 4 wheel drive.
I was “this close” to buying a new Ford Raptor F-150, but just couldn’t get past the $60,000 price tag and inherent $700 monthly payment.
I told my wife I was going to buy a used F-150 for 10k and put 10K in to it. That was an easy sell, because we were standing next to the $60,000 Raptor in awe of the sticker price.
I scored an “03” F-150 with the 5.4L motor that has 80K on it and the larger 9.75 rear axle for 6,900.
Better yet, it had the fiber glass that I needed already on it, tube bumpers and had 37” BFG projects. Full poser, but perfect for what I needed…
The plan is 17" of travel all the way around.
Deaver's in the rear with King bypasses and H&M Motorsports long travel 4WD suspension in the front with a 2.5" coil-over and bypass.
The rear tube bumper was your standard issue pre-runner style thing with too many bends in it and a receiver was pretty much a joke.
Step one was build a no nonsense bumper set up with a receiver.
We sleeved the 1/4” plate with 1-1/4 tubing for a clevis mount and then plated over it with 3/16” to thicken the area up.
Like I said, the tube bumper that came with it contoured to the bed and looked like a spaghetti noodle to me. I wanted it short and sweet with a step.
More to come...
Things I had to have:
Something big enough to tow the race jeep if I had to.
Air conditioning.
Automagic trans.
4 full size doors
Leather (didn’t get that one…)
And 4 wheel drive.
I was “this close” to buying a new Ford Raptor F-150, but just couldn’t get past the $60,000 price tag and inherent $700 monthly payment.
I told my wife I was going to buy a used F-150 for 10k and put 10K in to it. That was an easy sell, because we were standing next to the $60,000 Raptor in awe of the sticker price.
I scored an “03” F-150 with the 5.4L motor that has 80K on it and the larger 9.75 rear axle for 6,900.
Better yet, it had the fiber glass that I needed already on it, tube bumpers and had 37” BFG projects. Full poser, but perfect for what I needed…
The plan is 17" of travel all the way around.
Deaver's in the rear with King bypasses and H&M Motorsports long travel 4WD suspension in the front with a 2.5" coil-over and bypass.
The rear tube bumper was your standard issue pre-runner style thing with too many bends in it and a receiver was pretty much a joke.
Step one was build a no nonsense bumper set up with a receiver.
We sleeved the 1/4” plate with 1-1/4 tubing for a clevis mount and then plated over it with 3/16” to thicken the area up.
Like I said, the tube bumper that came with it contoured to the bed and looked like a spaghetti noodle to me. I wanted it short and sweet with a step.
More to come...
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