BK's Gen 1 Build

[btkeenan]

Figured after all these years owning my Gen 1, I would post a build thread to keep mental track of what/when I have done stuff to the truck.

Some backstory on the truck, got it from my buddy who got it new from Galpin Ford. I went with him originally to the dealership in May 2013 to see if they had any on the lot or if they could order one for him. Turns out they only had a black Supercab but were getting a shipment of new trucks later that week and would let him know when they showed up. The next day he gets a call from them and the exact spec he was wanting had showed up, weird coincidence. They got the deal done and we drove out to the dunes in Pismo Beach, CA the following week (because that's what you do when you have a Raptor right?) and beached it within the first minute. He owned it until February 2016 when I took ownership of it. I haven't done anything too crazy to it over the years but am of the mindset of making it an OEM+ sort of experience.

Currently Installed Mods:
-ADD Stealth Fighter Front and Rear Bumpers (September 2013)
-Anzo Light bars (September 2013)
-Tuffy Lockbox (September 2013)
-CF Interior Wrap (September 2013)
-Warn Zeon 12-S Platinum Winch (February 2016)
-Corsa CAI (April 2017)
-Bakflip Revolver X2 (July 2017)
-Corsa Xtreme Exhaust (Feb 2017)
-Builtright Industries Seat Release Kit (May 2017)
-Builtright Industries Bed Racks (February 2018)
-Stoptech Slotted Rotors and SS Brake lines (October 2018)
-Pop & Lock Tailgate (January 2019)
-Ceramic Brake Pads (October 2019)
-Bedrug (July 2020)
-SYNC 3 (July 2020)
-Remote Start Antenna Upgrade (FL3Z-15K602-A) (October 2020)
-Door Sill Plate x2 (June 2021)
-Elevate Bed Rack (April 2023)
-King 3.0 Front (30001-407F) and Rear (30001-402F) (May 2023)
-Fuse 27 (May 2023)
-Innov8 Bed Supports (September 2023)
-Leather Center Console Lid (BL3Z1606024BA) (April 2024)

Removed Mods:
-Anzo Headlights (September 2013 installed, June 2016 removed)
-Bakflip F1 (September 2013 installed, July 2017 removed)
-K&N CAI (September 2013 installed, April 2017 removed)
-Lights, PA (February 2016 installed, September 2023 removed)

Future mod list:
-HD Deavers
-Innov8 Wheels
-New Bumpers (already picked up a used Venom R but tbd what to do about rear)
-Lighting
-On Board Air Compressor
-Blitzkrieg Motorsports goodies
-Refresh CF interior wrap
-Bak Revolver X4ts

Primarily use this now as an overlanding esque rig with our iKamper and it works great. I am reminded every time we take it out just how comfortable and capable these trucks are.

 

[btkeenan]

Interior

Leather Care: I am a big fan of the Colourlock products for interior preservation and cleaning and have used them for all my cars. It is exceptional at restoring the OEM matte finish to leather surfaces and really breathes life back into 11 year old leather. They also offer exact color dye kits for any worn leather in the cabin. I have used their products for about 7 years now and have not been disappointed with the quality. Some helpful videos are on YouTube for the application but for an explanation you can watch this 2-part series on obsessed garage (part 1 and part 2).
Center Console: The center console has always bugged me since new given it did not match anything else in the cabin. Recently came across a thread on here that showed that there were part numbers from the Limited F-150 that was compatible (your local parts department will "check" the vin and insist it is not compatible) but that is just not the case. Easy enough to swap the old one out for the new one and now it matches the rest of the interior. This part number is for black stitching but there is also a grey apparently which I was not a fan of.
SYNC 3: When the Gen 2 Raptor came out with the new SYNC 3 system, I figured it should be able to be retrofitted into the Gen 1 trucks given the computing is all done within the screen unit itself. Fast forward a few years and I found a guy on Facebook (thanks Carlos) that was selling kits at a reasonable price to allow for this retrofit to happen. It was a seamless install and preprogrammed to my vin. Literally plug and play and now no more SYNC 2 Microsoft garbage (it would routinely get a BSOD).
CF Interior Wrap: My buddy had the silver trim throughout the truck wrapped when he got it and it has been installed ever since. It has held up surprisingly well over 11 years but in some of the tight small spots is lifting and due for a refresh. Will get to this eventually.

 

[btkeenan]

Performance and Bed

Corsa Xtreme: The stock exhaust is ok when you wail on it but a bit too mellow for me. I probably listened to 100 different exhaust videos trying to find the best replacement, but it is hard to hear exhaust tones even with the best microphones. One night when I was getting gas at Costco, there was another Raptor in the next aisle already getting gas. As I was pulling up to the pump he started it up and I knew that was what I wanted for my truck and that night got it on order. It is throaty when you get on it but quiet cruising around town. The only thing I don't like is that my MPG instantly dropped because of the WOT freeway pulls that ensued.
CAI: Had the K&N installed to hopefully make the truck sound a little livelier. It worked for a while, but I couldn't get over the sound of a vacuum cleaner at the front end. It was also an open box design which was not great for any sort of off-roading. Decided to swap it out for a Corsa CAI after being impressed with their exhaust and haven't looked back. It is a closed box design that I think enhances the driving experience.
King 3.0: With the truck around 76k miles, I started noticing that the suspension was feeling a bit washed out when going over the expansion joints on the freeways here in LA. Reached out to my buddy James at WOG and he was able to hook me up with a complete set of King 3.0's. Was thinking of either buying some new OEM FOX ones and just selling the old ones or going the King/FOX/ICON 3.0 route and was convinced to go for the 3.0's. Very happy with the performance and added comfort over the stock ones and was even able to sell my old ones on craigslist for $800
Tonneau Cover: Have gone through 2 tonneau covers at this point, both from bakflip (now realtruck) and they seem to work pretty well. The F1 was the first one that is a hard tri fold that rests up against the back of the cab and has 2 poles holding it upright. Had an issue coming back from Palm Springs and the wind actually overcame both the rods holding it up on the highway and the cover came crashing down onto what we were transporting. Not ideal. Started looking for alternatives and came across the Revolver X2 which checked my boxes of being easily removable, not fully covering the rear window and being a hard cover. Install was easy and it has been working ever since. Also added on the elevate rail system which allowed for a removable RTT. Not a fan of the fixed cage style racks as most do not allow for a tonneau cover (don't like the 8x8 in bed boxes). Of course, now they offer a revolver X4ts which has the elevate tslot rails integrated which will likely be the next one I go with to simplify things a little bit.
Bedrug: a bit of an evolution with this bedrug. Originally, I got it because we had a Kodiak canvas tent and used it as extra cushion when camping. We have since gotten rid of the tent and gone with a RTT but it was already installed so left it. It is easy to clean and maintain with a vacuum and prevents needing to lay down a moving blanket every time we are transporting something.
Innov8 Bed Support: When thinking about the best way to support the rear of the bed especially when doing any overlanding/camping with the tent and all the gear in the bed. Came across a number of products (including custom options) that would bolt the bottom of the bed to the bedsides for added rigidity. The best one that I found is the Innov8 Racing bed support that looks more like art than a functional piece. I liked this one in particular because of how easy it is to remove (8 bolts) in the event I wanted to load something in the bed (like my gokart) and not have it be a laborious process. Overall great product and would recommend.

 

[btkeenan]

Reserved

 

[btkeenan]

Reserved