1 of 4
Bryan Irons photos
2 of 4
Bryan Irons photos
3 of 4
Bryan Irons photos
4 of 4
Bryan Irons photos
Story & photos by Bryan Irons
Final thoughts on our 2009 F-150 Project Truck
Over the past few months we’ve taken a beaten and neglected Canadian workhorse and transformed it into a head turning trail tamer that we can drive to work every day and play with on the weekend. This is no small feat. First the rig needed to be whipped into shape so that “daily driver” could be once again be added to its repertoire. After those mandatory repairs were made, we got to mould the remnants of the battered carcass into a trustworthy weekend companion.
We are not trying to call this a budget build, but we proved that this is not out of the realm of what can be done with a proper budget and doing the work yourself. In fact, the money saved by getting a truck with a few issues we could sort out, almost offset the cost of the upgrades we threw at it. Who doesn’t like a happy ending?
With the truck in finished form these last few months and using it as intended, it really gave us the chance to put it through the paces and get a finished impression to share.
The ProComp MT2’s have made for nice, quiet highway trips without the normal rough ride and accelerated tire wear we are used to. They work well in the dirt and mud and previous experience with the design has proven quite awe-inspiring in the snow for a mud tire. The sweet looking Vapor wheels from ProComp gave us the stance we were looking for and fill out the Lund fender flares nicely. The flares not only protect the paint on the truck, but keep us within the confines of “Johnny law” as well. The Husky rear fender liners have lived up to their promise and reputation as well, by keeping rock chips a thing of the past inside the fender wells and cleaning up the look of the back of the rig.
The smooth and quiet ride we have from the rubber on the road is working in synchronous harmony with the Rancho QuickLift leveling kit. It took a little trial and error to get the adjustable shocks to a point that we like, but having that adjustability at your fingertips and available any time is a welcome addition.
Between the Trick Flow CAI kit and Superchips tuner, the under hood enhancements have worked out great and have netted us more power, better mileage (although small), and a more throaty sound when our foot is buried into the floor mats. The tuner required a few adjustments and some tinkering to get a tune we liked, but this is no surprise with the changes we made to the truck. The Optima AGM battery is another crowd-pleaser offering up juice for the auxiliary lights, winch and other widgets installed in the cab. We really couldn’t be happier with the arrangement.
The most stunning and asked about visual change on the truck is, of course, the tough as nails bumpers. Iron Bull did their homework with the clean design both front and rear and a coating that can be easily repaired if need be. We had some head-scratching going on while fitting the Explorer ProComp lights but it all worked out well in the end with a little bracket bending. Installing the Smittybilt 10,000 lb X20 winch was a snap and even though we categorize it in with the lower priced units, it packs features we normally expect from higher priced competitors. The rechargeable remote control is a nice touch and although we don’t use the winch too often, it sure is nice to know it is at our beck and call.
The only additional install we have done since the build finished was a Rugged Ridge licence plate holder that attaches to the roller fairlead of the winch. The all-metal bracket holds our plate securely and easily flips out of the way when the winch is in use.
At the end of it all, keeping within our budget, the truck looks amazing, works well in the dirt and rides great on the street. What more could you ask for when begging for forgiveness from your significant other, right?