So, you have the intention of getting your custom truck on the cover or in a feature of Truckin' magazine, and you want to know what it takes to get it there? There are six major categories we look for while evaluating a potential cover or feature candidate: body and paint, stance and suspension, wheels and tires, interior, audio entertainment, and engine compartment. Truckin' is a high-quality magazine that only allows the best of the best on its pages.
This month's Fantastic Four truck is an '04 Ford F-150 Lariat 4x4, which was purchased new and was suffering from its showroom stock image and personality. You will see this weak freeway roller undergo an attitude adjustment and transformation into an off-road holy terror, ready to attack any treacherous terrain it may encounter.
Prior to undergoing a serious off-road warrior makeover, the showroom stock '04 Ford F-150 Lariat 4x4 appeared to be undernourished.
First of all, in the world of custom trucks, stock height is unacceptable. The OEM's spend millions of dollars and thousands of man-hours on R&D just to roll their new trucks and SUVs off of the assembly line. The suspension was redesigned and fine-tuned to obtain that custom lowered or lifted eye-appeal.
To achieve the attitude and altitude adjustment, we called on RPC Motorsports located in Downey, California, where Richard Pineda and his crew installed the Bulletproof Suspension 10-inch lift, featuring a pair of front 2.5-inch Fox Racing Shox coilover racing shocks with reservoirs and rear 2.5-inch Fox reservoir racing shocks that were teamed up with a pair of 10-inch arched Atlas leaf-spring packs. This high and mighty Ford F-150 will roll on a set of KMC XD Diesel 22x11-inch polished billet aluminum wheels, wrapped in Toyo Open Country M/T (Mud Terrain) 40/15.50R22 rubber.
The 5.4L V-8 Triton engine received a Volant air intake and a cat-back exhaust to create better flow by increasing both torque and horsepower and to improve the fuel mileage.
To increase the well-needed ground clearance, a Bulletproof 10-inch lift including a front differential suspension cradle, sway bar, upper and lower control arm mounts, shock mounts, and cradle support struts was installed. Supporting the F-150's 5,115 pounds, a pair of 10-inch lift Atlas rear leaf springs were installed. To absorb any treacherous terrain, a pair of 2.5-inch-diameter coilover reservoir Fox Racing Shoxs were installed up front, and then 2.5-inch diameter reservoir Fox Racing Shoxs were bolted up in the rear. |  |
After racking the F-150 on the hoist at RPC Motorsports, the factory front wheels and tires were removed. Now it was time to begin disassembling the front suspension. | |