Projects are like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're going to get. Sometimes things click and parts fly onto a truck. Other times there are delays, parts are out of stock, and a lack of funds makes finishing a truck impossible. We have felt the same dilemmas that you have when creating our own automotive works of art. Our second-oldest member of the Truckin' stable is an '01 Ford F-150 SuperCrew that you may remember as Project SuperCrewzer. The truck has seen many versions of itself that have followed along with trends of the time such as being 'bagged on 20s, lifted on 33s, and recently being re-painted to match a staffer's '89 jet boat. Unfortunately, since it had been passed on from driver to driver, the truck had not been properly maintained or taken care of. Looking at the poor Super Pooper-as we have come to affectionately call it-a decision was made to completely rebuild the truck from top to bottom and bring it back to its glory days. Our plan was a simple but costly one: To add a whole new suspension, 24-inch wheels and tires, add big brakes, bolt-on an '03 Lincoln Navigator front end to the Ford, repaint the truck one solid beautiful color, add more power than ever, and completely redo the interior and audio. Does it sound like a bunch of stuff to do? It is. Trust us, it is. But it will all be worth it when the last bolt is tightened and the truck rides again.
So, why the name Project Sinatra? Because we are doing the truck our way. You'll notice cleaner, simpler, better-built trucks rolling around America in 2007 and 2008, and we're spear-heading the movement by building a clean and elegant truck that can hold its own at a truck show or a movie premier.
The first step required a short drive to Energy Suspension in San Clemente, California, to install all-new polyurethane bushings in our suspension parts. Better handling, a firmer ride, and a longer life are all positive attributes of Energy's top-of-the-line bushings. This often-overlooked upgrade is a must when replacing or upgrading your suspension and steering components. Besides the nicer and firmer polyurethane bushings, Energy also uses solid DOM metal sleeves, whereas most OEs use split tubing that is weaker and prone to wearing more quickly. The second step was to drive to MIC's (Master Image Customs) new headquarters in Chino Hills, California. The guys at MIC are known for 'bagging some of the sickest show trucks, but for this insall, they put down the welders and grabbed the impact guns for some bolt-on fun. Off came the Fabtech 6-inch double-shock lift system and on went a 2/4 Belltech drop. We replaced several OE worn-out parts, or missing parts due to the lift on the F-150. These parts included the upper A-arms, lower A-arms, ball joints, and tie-rod adjusting sleeves.
Transforming our daily-driver project truck was as easy as picking up the phone and ordering the proven parts that were engineered to work and improve upon where the OE left off. You can do the same if your truck is more than 5 years old and just needs some TLC. Pick up the phone, go online, or walk to your local shop and start doing things your way.
We definitely made plenty of mistakes for you during this build process. Good for you, bad for us. First off, we should have prepared for the 24-inch wheels and tires better-by not attempting a 4-inch drop in the front. The absence of the stock coils was what made us try the 2-inch Belltech drop coils, but with a nearly 32-inch tall tire, 4 inches of front-end lowering was too much. Whereas, we don't recommend cutting coils, the SuperCrew actually rides and drives like a champ now. The addition of new suspension components and new bushings really woke up the handling of the Ford. Now, we feel safe and reassured on the freeway at higher speeds. For this editor, driving a lowered truck is always a better experience, because in the historic words of Ricky Bobby, "I want to go fast."
In regards to the wheel and tire package, it's hard to beat 24-inch Giovanna wheels with Pirelli tires. Yes, we had several parts that did not work. And yes, we had to reuse or buy new parts to replace them. But overall, the truck has a whole-new persona. This kind of overhaul really proved that if you have a truck that has seen better days but is still a worthy driver, new parts and some well-spent cash can turn things around for you and your rig. You don't need to buy a brand-new truck to have the latest and greatest the aftermarket has to offer.
 Energy Suspension's Master...  Energy Suspension's Master Bushing Kit includes everything you need to upgrade your old and worn-out factory rubber bushings. Here, you can see the new upper and lower control arm bushing set. |  Billy Harrill tackled our...  Billy Harrill tackled our factory parts and began the install by pressing out the soft rubber bushings. In this pic, Billy was using a hand press to insert the solid DOM bolt sleeve into the newly pressed-in polyurethane bushing. |  The guys at Energy were nice...  The guys at Energy were nice enough to press in our new lower ball joints while they had the press going. |
 After using a vice to squeeze...  After using a vice to squeeze the soft rubber upper A-arm bushings, Billy pressed in the Energy Suspension polyurethane bushings. |  With the bushings in and the...  With the bushings in and the bolt sleeves pressed in as well, Billy used a belt sander to shave a wedge-shaped notch in the new bushing. This little secret will help the new bushing fit easier into the mounting cup. |  Here, you can see the rear...  Here, you can see the rear leaf spring and hanger bushings and bolt sleeves. |
 Using a cool technique involving...  Using a cool technique involving a piece of all-thread and a large washer, the new sleeve and bushings were installed in the leaf spring. |  Starting with our parts from...  Starting with our parts from Belltech and our local Ford dealer, we had the key ingredients to make our '01 Ford F-150 SuperCrew ride and handle better than ever. The list of new front-end parts included upper A-arms, lower A-arms, Belltech drop coil springs, Belltech drop spindles, Belltech Nitro Active 2 shocks, and a Belltech sway bar. Each component that had bushings in them received new high-performance polyurethane units from Energy Suspension. |  Andy Diaz from MIC, in Chino...  Andy Diaz from MIC, in Chino Hills, California, started the install by putting the F-150 up on the lift and removing the old 33-inch Toyo tires. He then used an impact gun to loosen and remove the Fabtech lift suspension-that included the lower and upper A-arms, sway bar, and lift spindle. |
 Our Fabtech lift was a prototype...  Our Fabtech lift was a prototype kit and the first one on a SuperCrew. This lift design included a shock-hoop strut bar that also had to be removed to alleviate stress in order to remove the dual shock-hoop setup. |  Putting our new parts on meant...  Putting our new parts on meant Andy started with the OE Ford upper and lower A-arms, prepped with pressed-in Energy Suspension polyurethane bushings. |  Grabbing the newly designed...  Grabbing the newly designed Belltech 2-inch drop spindles, Andy slipped the spindle onto the ball joints and secured them with the supplied castle nut and cotter pin hardware. It is important to note that these new drop spindles will only work with 18-inch or larger wheels. |
 Using a support jack to keep...  Using a support jack to keep the lower A-arms in place, the new Belltech drop coil was installed. |  Next up, Andy installed the...  Next up, Andy installed the stock brake rotor and caliper assembly onto the Belltech drop spindle. |  Now, it was time to add the...  Now, it was time to add the new Belltech Nitro Drop 2 performance shocks. |