Raptor05121
01-09-2012, 09:28 PM
Where to start....
Truck is a 1998 Ford F-150 with a 4.2L Essex V6. She rolled off the Norfolk, VA assembly line in Oct 1997 and was brought home by my dad in July of 1998. M5OD-R2 manual transmission, 60/40 vinyl split bench seat, A/C, radio only, no tach, mickey mouse door mirrors, unpainted front bumper and unpainted steelies with stock Firestones on it. Base model for $13K. He immediately put a Lund TriGlas topper on it and upgraded to some Michelin All-Terrain tires and American Racing Tailgunner chrome wheels. Here is the earliest picture I could find (circa 2001/2002, with me in the foreground):
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/l_2d0c04d3da02f4c115ede6514d7f2c03.jpg
Fast forward a few years to 2004/2005 when I started to learn to drive (15) and got into vehicles. I learned to drive this beast by a simple trade off: I wash the truck, and my dad would take me out for driving lessons for 30 minutes. This quickly got out of hand as I would wash the truck 3-5 times a week.
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/oldtruck.jpg
By the time I was 16 (2006) I've accomplished several mods. I painted the front bumper to match, got a K&N Series-77 CAI, got a chrome grille shell with a billet grille, a Plasmaglow Fire and Ice LED tailgate bar, some Hella 2020 lamps for behind the grille, NBS badge swap with custom white inlays, and some eBay headlights with some rice-tastic 6000K HIDs. Lastly I got rid of the hideous grandpa topper for $400. Here is the truck two years after the one pictured above with the same background:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/newertruck.jpg
Then tragedy struck. I believe it was December of 2006 that I got my first accident. I was traveling through a green light when someone pulled out in front of me and I ran into her (1989 F-150) at an odd angle. My front bumper, hood and drivers side quarter panel needed to be replaced. For Christmas I got some rice-tastic chrome LED lights that didn't work for poop. The truck was still in the body shop when I installed them:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Taillights/DSC04860.jpg
I took the opportunity to have the body shop paint my new grille shell (I kept the old billet grille since it only got a few bends). This is January of 2007:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/DSC04912.jpg
Around that time I went to the junkyard and scored some cool items for the cheap. XLT cluster with tach (and fewer miles, hehe) and some XLT mirrors with chrome caps (seen above).
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/DSC04878.jpg
Got some Lightning-style headlights with LED-turn signals to replace the ones cracked from the accident:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Headlights/DSC03636.jpg
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Headlights/DSC03656.jpg
Then I moved away from home and to Tallahassee to start my college life. I started by getting rid of the ricer (as my tastes improve) and blacking out some things:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/DSC04971.jpg
Added some drop shackles:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Write-Ups/DSC03756-1.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Write-Ups/DSC03759.jpg
Then I did a major undertaking. I decided to do the infamous 99+ bumper swap. It was much more popular and offered many styles to choose from for valence choices. I started out with a junkyard bumper, upper pad, and XLT valence and Lightning grille. I painted the upper pad and bumper and had them installed while living in a 3rd floor apartment. Here is the truck at work (Jimmy Johns delivery):
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/492811759_1730702523_470231514_1265.jpg
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/efans018.jpg
I got tired of the XLT valence. I knew what I wanted. The ultra-rare 2003-only STX valence. Limited number run WITH fog lights. The only way I could manage to score one of these puppies was off a buddy who owned a 2003 STX and got his cracked in a side-swipe. Insurance got him a new one and I bought his for an astounding price of $150 (people are lined up wanting one of these). Of course the catch was it was the wrong color:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/valance003.jpg
Then the problem of tracking down these rare fog lights was a concern. Turns out Ford used them on Mustangs, Edges, STXs, HDs, and even Focus. Bought these bad boys for $40 from a Mustang store. 9145 45W halogens:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/DSC_0929.jpg
I got tired of my vinyl 60/40 split bench so after hunting through the junkyards, I came across some Lariat dual captains chairs w/ power everything and lumbar with the center console. Again, a catch. Yup. Wrong color.
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Falmouth%20VFD/DSC_2184.jpg
Then I had a radiator problem. I found a pin-hole crack in my tiny radiator. So I upgraded to a dual-core and at the same time did an efan swap with custom made brackets
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/DSC_1334.jpg
And got my windshield done up with some 35% tint:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/35front.jpg
Added some gauge overlays and LED backlighting:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/gauges1.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/guages2.jpg
And developed a severe problem in the exhaust system leaving me to deal with 9mpg highway for two months before I figured out it was a clogged catalytic converter issue. Got some of these and went back to 18/21:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/cats.jpg
So now we're in late 2010 and everything is well. One night I'm headed into work and a dumb-arse college kid decided to make an illegal uturn in front of me. So I hit him. Bye-bye bumper, pad, headlamp, and hood, with severe damage to my beloved STX valence. (no pics that I could find).
After getting her back from the body shop. I lost my junkyard bumper and upper pad, as well as the grille surround with my junkyard painting and got a brand new FoMoCo bumper, grille, and shell with body shop quality paint. I still have the slightly scratched hood, the Lightning grille survived the crash, and my STX bumper was patched with bondo. Around this time I also bought a SCT Xcal 3 with custom dyno tuned for $400. That really woke up the beast of a V6!
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Headlights/Picture056.jpg
Later that month I moved back home. I bought some Lightning-style headlights (black) and got rid of the LED turn signals and got Lightning-style turn signals (also in black) with mind for my next project. Here they are getting cut open:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Headlights/DSC_2042.jpg
And projectors added:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Headlights/DSC_2054.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/DSC_3737.jpg
Random mod. I found the old Hella 2020s I had from years back, modded them with 4x 100W Sylvania Silverstar H3s, and threw them under the rear bumper with custom relay setup for reverse fogs:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Taillights/DSC_2465.jpg
A month later I then ditched my eBay ricer lights with Niteshade and cut open my OEMs for my next retrofit, Harley-style LEDs:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Taillights/DSC_3394.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Taillights/DSC_3420.jpg
Don't forget the custom soldering:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Taillights/DSC_3367.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Taillights/DSC_3377.jpg
eBay ricers on the left, my home-made on the right:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Taillights/DSC_3427.jpg
Lastly I did a little willy-nilly mod just for fun. Wig-wag foglamps with dual-switching relays. $15 parts and an hours labor. My headlights are HIDs so they went in the fogs (now 9005 65W bulbs):
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Write-Ups/picasioncom_e0c19c8c1c3982c928c64dd13951361f.gif
That's about it for the mods. So far my truck is at 255,000 miles. The only other things I am missing is the Pioneer CD player with 4x new Pioneer speakers in the cab, Zune HD for music (or my Driod Razr for Pandora). I am also a volunteer firefighter, so I cant forget my toys:
Laird antenna for VHF (installed by me) and Yaesu FT-2400 Amateur radio with jumper pin mod for use on public service frequencies (also installed by me). Which will soon be replaced by a Kenwood TK-7180.
http://www.procomsouth.com/images/bd0fdfded83723b9712068abe068e91e_o5z4.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Falmouth%20VFD/DSC_2188.jpg
I am constantly adding (hopefully slowing down since college and gas is consuming all of my monies!) so check back often. Thanks for reading.
-Alex
Truck is a 1998 Ford F-150 with a 4.2L Essex V6. She rolled off the Norfolk, VA assembly line in Oct 1997 and was brought home by my dad in July of 1998. M5OD-R2 manual transmission, 60/40 vinyl split bench seat, A/C, radio only, no tach, mickey mouse door mirrors, unpainted front bumper and unpainted steelies with stock Firestones on it. Base model for $13K. He immediately put a Lund TriGlas topper on it and upgraded to some Michelin All-Terrain tires and American Racing Tailgunner chrome wheels. Here is the earliest picture I could find (circa 2001/2002, with me in the foreground):
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/l_2d0c04d3da02f4c115ede6514d7f2c03.jpg
Fast forward a few years to 2004/2005 when I started to learn to drive (15) and got into vehicles. I learned to drive this beast by a simple trade off: I wash the truck, and my dad would take me out for driving lessons for 30 minutes. This quickly got out of hand as I would wash the truck 3-5 times a week.
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/oldtruck.jpg
By the time I was 16 (2006) I've accomplished several mods. I painted the front bumper to match, got a K&N Series-77 CAI, got a chrome grille shell with a billet grille, a Plasmaglow Fire and Ice LED tailgate bar, some Hella 2020 lamps for behind the grille, NBS badge swap with custom white inlays, and some eBay headlights with some rice-tastic 6000K HIDs. Lastly I got rid of the hideous grandpa topper for $400. Here is the truck two years after the one pictured above with the same background:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/newertruck.jpg
Then tragedy struck. I believe it was December of 2006 that I got my first accident. I was traveling through a green light when someone pulled out in front of me and I ran into her (1989 F-150) at an odd angle. My front bumper, hood and drivers side quarter panel needed to be replaced. For Christmas I got some rice-tastic chrome LED lights that didn't work for poop. The truck was still in the body shop when I installed them:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Taillights/DSC04860.jpg
I took the opportunity to have the body shop paint my new grille shell (I kept the old billet grille since it only got a few bends). This is January of 2007:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/DSC04912.jpg
Around that time I went to the junkyard and scored some cool items for the cheap. XLT cluster with tach (and fewer miles, hehe) and some XLT mirrors with chrome caps (seen above).
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/DSC04878.jpg
Got some Lightning-style headlights with LED-turn signals to replace the ones cracked from the accident:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Headlights/DSC03636.jpg
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Headlights/DSC03656.jpg
Then I moved away from home and to Tallahassee to start my college life. I started by getting rid of the ricer (as my tastes improve) and blacking out some things:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/DSC04971.jpg
Added some drop shackles:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Write-Ups/DSC03756-1.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Write-Ups/DSC03759.jpg
Then I did a major undertaking. I decided to do the infamous 99+ bumper swap. It was much more popular and offered many styles to choose from for valence choices. I started out with a junkyard bumper, upper pad, and XLT valence and Lightning grille. I painted the upper pad and bumper and had them installed while living in a 3rd floor apartment. Here is the truck at work (Jimmy Johns delivery):
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/492811759_1730702523_470231514_1265.jpg
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/efans018.jpg
I got tired of the XLT valence. I knew what I wanted. The ultra-rare 2003-only STX valence. Limited number run WITH fog lights. The only way I could manage to score one of these puppies was off a buddy who owned a 2003 STX and got his cracked in a side-swipe. Insurance got him a new one and I bought his for an astounding price of $150 (people are lined up wanting one of these). Of course the catch was it was the wrong color:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/valance003.jpg
Then the problem of tracking down these rare fog lights was a concern. Turns out Ford used them on Mustangs, Edges, STXs, HDs, and even Focus. Bought these bad boys for $40 from a Mustang store. 9145 45W halogens:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/DSC_0929.jpg
I got tired of my vinyl 60/40 split bench so after hunting through the junkyards, I came across some Lariat dual captains chairs w/ power everything and lumbar with the center console. Again, a catch. Yup. Wrong color.
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Falmouth%20VFD/DSC_2184.jpg
Then I had a radiator problem. I found a pin-hole crack in my tiny radiator. So I upgraded to a dual-core and at the same time did an efan swap with custom made brackets
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/DSC_1334.jpg
And got my windshield done up with some 35% tint:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/35front.jpg
Added some gauge overlays and LED backlighting:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/gauges1.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/guages2.jpg
And developed a severe problem in the exhaust system leaving me to deal with 9mpg highway for two months before I figured out it was a clogged catalytic converter issue. Got some of these and went back to 18/21:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Truck%20Misc/cats.jpg
So now we're in late 2010 and everything is well. One night I'm headed into work and a dumb-arse college kid decided to make an illegal uturn in front of me. So I hit him. Bye-bye bumper, pad, headlamp, and hood, with severe damage to my beloved STX valence. (no pics that I could find).
After getting her back from the body shop. I lost my junkyard bumper and upper pad, as well as the grille surround with my junkyard painting and got a brand new FoMoCo bumper, grille, and shell with body shop quality paint. I still have the slightly scratched hood, the Lightning grille survived the crash, and my STX bumper was patched with bondo. Around this time I also bought a SCT Xcal 3 with custom dyno tuned for $400. That really woke up the beast of a V6!
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Headlights/Picture056.jpg
Later that month I moved back home. I bought some Lightning-style headlights (black) and got rid of the LED turn signals and got Lightning-style turn signals (also in black) with mind for my next project. Here they are getting cut open:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Headlights/DSC_2042.jpg
And projectors added:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Headlights/DSC_2054.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/DSC_3737.jpg
Random mod. I found the old Hella 2020s I had from years back, modded them with 4x 100W Sylvania Silverstar H3s, and threw them under the rear bumper with custom relay setup for reverse fogs:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Taillights/DSC_2465.jpg
A month later I then ditched my eBay ricer lights with Niteshade and cut open my OEMs for my next retrofit, Harley-style LEDs:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Taillights/DSC_3394.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Taillights/DSC_3420.jpg
Don't forget the custom soldering:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Taillights/DSC_3367.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Taillights/DSC_3377.jpg
eBay ricers on the left, my home-made on the right:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Lighting/Taillights/DSC_3427.jpg
Lastly I did a little willy-nilly mod just for fun. Wig-wag foglamps with dual-switching relays. $15 parts and an hours labor. My headlights are HIDs so they went in the fogs (now 9005 65W bulbs):
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Write-Ups/picasioncom_e0c19c8c1c3982c928c64dd13951361f.gif
That's about it for the mods. So far my truck is at 255,000 miles. The only other things I am missing is the Pioneer CD player with 4x new Pioneer speakers in the cab, Zune HD for music (or my Driod Razr for Pandora). I am also a volunteer firefighter, so I cant forget my toys:
Laird antenna for VHF (installed by me) and Yaesu FT-2400 Amateur radio with jumper pin mod for use on public service frequencies (also installed by me). Which will soon be replaced by a Kenwood TK-7180.
http://www.procomsouth.com/images/bd0fdfded83723b9712068abe068e91e_o5z4.jpghttp://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/Raptor05121/Falmouth%20VFD/DSC_2188.jpg
I am constantly adding (hopefully slowing down since college and gas is consuming all of my monies!) so check back often. Thanks for reading.
-Alex