My '94 F150 XL Build & Adventures

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Anon

Anon

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Pathfinder I

893
Anchorage, AK
Hello everyone,

This is my first real thread and hopefully I can stay up to date on it for everyone who may be interested.

So, last year (2015) I bought the truck I've been looking to buy for a nice long time (minus the big block). Small sacrifice to make for a 94 with just under 100,000 miles and in immaculate condition. Rides like she's brand new and 99% rust free. Anyways, this last year in 2016 I made the decision to start building this thing up slowly but surely into the overlanding rig of my dreams. The large and expensive stuff will be coming at a much later date as I set my career in motion, but I have been making progress where I can.

To start this off, I my rig of choice is a 1994 F150 XL w/302 small block, 4x4, w/E40D Automatic Transmission. Haven't done to much other than fix a few mechanical issues and add some extras. Now that everything is 100% clean mechanical wise, I am finally starting to make some progress.

1st thing up: Creat more storage space. How did I do this? I decided to build my own drawers for the bed of my truck. Spent about $500 in supplies & hardware to do this over a couple weeks. Beats spending well over $1,000 in my personal opinion. I will start by just posting the final product and will post some more detailed pics upon request.
-cdn.com/20170110/cdfffcbfaa70f6fb9ac737843a7a3f5c.jpg[/IMG]


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Anon

Anon

Rank IV

Pathfinder I

893
Anchorage, AK
For now, I have my old full size mattress in there until I can make a custom bed out of a 3-4" memory foam mattress. Will be using the memory foam as a bed to save on head space as I do not want to raise the canopy upwards and because I want it easier to remove if I need to haul something for just everyday use. Overall, this thing easily added a 100-150lbs of weight to the bed of my truck (empty). I used a little above average wood, stained it, and popped it in. It is not currently bolted to the bed, but may be in the future to prevent a yard sale in a worst case scenario. This thing is far from seeing that kind of abuse though. For now... [emoji48]


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Anon

Anon

Rank IV

Pathfinder I

893
Anchorage, AK
The type of insulation I used was reflectix. Supposedly a pretty good insulation and has proven so in as cold as 0°-10° weather. I started this process back in Oct 2016, but ran short of funds and then got distracted buying other stuff with the upcoming holidays at the time, but will be finishing within in the next week once I get my next paycheck in, so stay tuned for that.

So far, the half that is insulated, has made a pretty significant difference in warmth retention and has done well at deterring moisture from building up on the inside. For those who are considering doing the same thing, I recommend gluing the reflectix on using Liquid Nails. All in all, it's a very affordable and effective way to go. It's worked well for me so far and the reflectix hasn't budged since Oct 2016.


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Anon

Anon

Rank IV

Pathfinder I

893
Anchorage, AK
As you can see from those pics, I also have a couple different forms of lighting. Although, the two smaller ones you see will have to be reattached once I insulate that half of the canopy.

I decided to go with 2 options.

1) 2 18" Slim LED strips I picked up from Lowes that are also considered Energy Efficient and use little to no power.

2) Push activated, battery (AAA) powered lights. These are more of an easy on the eyes kind of light and are located in an area that is easier to access when sleeping in the truck.


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Anon

Anon

Rank IV

Pathfinder I

893
Anchorage, AK
I power the lighting with a hard wired 410w inverter. This is a temporary inverter until I have the money to invest in solar panels and a 2-4 battery power bank as at one point in the future, I will also be installing a small tv monitor and an Xbox. Xbox would mainly be used for movies, but I also have a long term goal of installing Wifi in the truck so I can also play games online or stream a video here n there if I am somewhere with service. Would also be good for accessing maps if need be.

The inverter has 2 12v plug ins and 1 USB plug. I ran the wires all the way to the battery in the engine bay to get the maximum wattage possible from the inverter.


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Anon

Anon

Rank IV

Pathfinder I

893
Anchorage, AK
Then for Christmas, my girlfriend went all out and bought me 2 light bars. The first one being a Senlips 52" Curved LED Light Bar (white) and the 2nd one being a Liteway 32" LED Light Bar that put out an Amber color, White, and strobes in both colors. All on a remote.

I just got done installing these and they make a HUGE difference. However, I can not run anymore aux lights confidently until a buy a new alternator & wire in my dual battery set up. Next up (lighting wise) is 4-5 Spot Lights across the roof, 2 lights off either side, and one out back.



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Anon

Anon

Rank IV

Pathfinder I

893
Anchorage, AK
Have a pretty big problem with theft where I live so I have to take every precaution I can, so to prevent the 52" from being stolen, all the bolts visible are shaved and encased in JB Weld while also using the strongest thread locker I could buy locally.


A little ugly looking in the pics, but it cleaned up nicely.


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Anon

Anon

Rank IV

Pathfinder I

893
Anchorage, AK
Other than that, I haven't really done much else. I've got some parts in the garage I've been sitting on including a 3" body lift (that I am now on the fence with installing) and a pair of shorty headers. Also have my eye on a set of WARN manual locking hubs for my truck that I may order here in the near future. Time will tell which path I go next, but needless to say, I am well omw to fulfilling my dreams and am actually driving as far north in AK as possible with my girlfriend this June 2017. [emoji1303]

I'll keep posting as I make more progress. LOTS to come:

-Put in a D44 solid front axle to replace the IFS front axle these fords came with
-Front & Rear on-demand lockers
-Rear bumper w/hitch & shackle mounts w/built in spare tire carrier to relocate the spare tire from underneath and to make room for the oversized tank that will fill that extra free space.
-Front bumper w/winch & shackle mounts
-4" suspension lift w/35" BFG KM2's or an aggressive AT
-270° Rhino Rack awning or the ARB one & their shorty one for the rear. Haven't decided which yet.
-Roof Basket w/custom fog light mounts & maybe a light cage
-Snorkel just for reassurance.
-Solar Panel set up w/battery bank
-re-gear truck to 4.11 gear ratio to compensate for the larger tires
-Full Air intake upgrade including, but not limited to: Edelbrock Air Intake Manifold, BBK Performance Throttle Body, Air RAID Throttle body spacer, & K&N Air Intake w/filter in custom air box to work with the snorkel.
-Slight Cam-Shaft upgrade to work with new intake system and will probably improve the fuel delivery as well with performance injectors & fuel pump.

The list goes on, but let's all just admit it, the list never truly ends. [emoji1305]


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Anon

Anon

Rank IV

Pathfinder I

893
Anchorage, AK
Truckerbizz said:
The Reflectix is great, I used to work at a hardware store and it flew off the shelf. Definitely interested in the SAS, it'll be quite a project!
Click to expand...
That stuff is definitely amazing. I'm pretty impressed by it. The SAS will be fun! Really just waiting till summer time to look more into it [emoji1305]


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Anon

Anon

Rank IV

Pathfinder I

893
Anchorage, AK


Bought myself a Thule Roof Rack about a week ago. Finally got around to uploading the picture off of my girlfriends camera. Good shot of the rig too [emoji1305]. This is in the middle of bun-f**k no where between Anchorage, AK and Chena Hot Springs out of Fairbanks, AK.

Went from 9° to -30°. Took this pic in about -25° weather.


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Anon

Anon

Rank IV

Pathfinder I

893
Anchorage, AK
Well, yesterday was the day I finally decided to install my new 32" Auxbeam LED Light Bar. Loving it so far and supposed to get Amber lenses in by the 30th.


I'll try n post a better pic later on and will post detailed pics of the wiring job upon request.


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