So this happened.

Andrew wrote:Kevin, what is your lug pattern?  Maybe you could find some 18x7 or 18x8 takeoffs from a newer Ford?

Lug pattern is a lame 5x135 on I believe '97-'03 F-150s and Expeditions. Newer Fords went to a 6 lug and older fords were a 5x5.5. 18" take offs might be pretty hard to find. As far as I know they only came stock with 16s or 17, but I have been wrong once before!!

I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.

This gen F150 came with 5"x135mm studs and 16 or 17 inch wheels.  Mine are 17s, and I'm really liking the idea of some Cooper ST-MAXX skinnies.  I could do 255/75r17 which is about a 32 in load range C, or I could do 255/80r17 which is a 33 in load range E.  I'm kinda leaning towards the 32s, for a little better ride and less performance hit.  Both tires are just above $200 each at Discount.

Andrew wrote:Kevin, what is your lug pattern?  Maybe you could find some 18x7 or 18x8 takeoffs from a newer Ford?

Or I suppose I could always use hub adapters - Spidertrax and the like are street legal as long as you're using them to change the stud pattern.

Kevin wrote:

Andrew wrote:Kevin, what is your lug pattern?  Maybe you could find some 18x7 or 18x8 takeoffs from a newer Ford?

Or I suppose I could always use hub adapters - Spidertrax and the like are street legal as long as you're using them to change the stud pattern.

They are street legal as long as they bolt in place. Don't necessarily have to change pattern just bolt in place.

Ty wrote:

Kevin wrote:

Andrew wrote:Kevin, what is your lug pattern?  Maybe you could find some 18x7 or 18x8 takeoffs from a newer Ford?

Or I suppose I could always use hub adapters - Spidertrax and the like are street legal as long as you're using them to change the stud pattern.

They are street legal as long as they bolt in place.  Don't necessarily have to change pattern just bolt in place.

I wish that were true.  The inspection manual they go from makes a distinction between wheel spacers (shims) and hub adapters (that bolt on) and if that was all it said there'd be no problem.

But it goes on to say

A wheel adaptor changes the bolt pattern of a vehicle’s hub and moves the wheel out allowing the use of custom wheels for most cars. Wheel adapters are not spacers.

http://publicsafety.utah.gov/safetyinspections/docs/X2009-2010%20SI%20PLT%20ManuaL.pdf page 18

I argued with three different inspection places that my bolt-on spacers are functionally no different than a hub adapter and should be allowed and none of them budged.  So I called DPS to complain that these guys were reading the manual wrong, and the lady I spoke to said they had very deliberately worded it the way they had to allow classic cars to change to a modern hub pattern but exclude people who just wanted a wider stance. I had to take the spacers off to get the truck to pass.

It's ridiculous, but that's how it is - bolt on spacers that don't change the stud pattern aren't supposed to pass inspection.

Interesting. I must have understood it wrong. We run them on everything and have had no problems with inspections.

Mine are hub adapters. They adapt my 61" axle to a 65" axle via the hub!!  

Ty wrote:Mine are hub adapters.  They adapt my 61" axle to a 65" axle via the hub!!  

I'll try that next time.

No problem passing inspection around here has well with bolt-on wheel spacers (maybe it's a Salt Lake County thing??).

I have bolt ons on front and rear and don't have a problem. See Larry at tunex on 3500 and 5600 west south of arbys

Got it back from the shop a couple days ago, looking better than before the accident.



I scored a set of 255/75r17 KMs for way cheap. I'll get them mounted up some time in the next couple weeks, then I believe it'll be time to engage in some navigational endeavors before the snow hits.

New meats!



Much better.  The p rated streets that were on there were super squishy.  It feels more like a truck now, and I'm ready to find some dirt.

I haven't decided if the running boards are staying or going. The wife loves them, so they might stick around until I can build/find a set of sliders that will double as steps.

It's not getting built though.

You're ready for some dirt and a lift, and lockers, and bumpers, and long travel, and a supercharger, and a RTT!

Butthole! It's not getting built I said.

I'd replace the running boards with some sliders.

https://www.rockslideengineering.com/product/rock-step-slider-2/

Boat side steps would be killer. I'll have Chocflip make 'em.

Had the truck down in Moab last weekend, doin' mostly tourist stuff with the family but I did drive out the Colorado Overlook trail in Needles. I hadn't been out there and I wasn't expecting anything remotely techical but I found it anyway, and the truck handled it great. The steps must not hang down near as bad as I thought they did, because I was sure I was going to tear them off at one point. But the KM tires drove down and back great and handled the dirt and rocks awesome, and I didn't even air down. Good stuff. I need to get the Bastard done soon or I'm going to try and wheel this thing for real and end up breaking something.

I've converted to wheelin' a full size - you should too.

Eh.  If I ever get to building on the Ford (IF I said!), it'll be towards family camping and overlanding, not making a serious wheeler out of it.  A winch and an RTT or bed tent, probably.  Sliders and a locker maybe, but I'm not going to invest a bunch of money into making this land whale into a rock crawler.  The Bastard is so much better suited to serious wheeling that it'd be silly to put that money anywhere else.

It would be fun to get it on some more moderate trails though. We definitely need to get the trucks out to play together.

That's a great plan. Overlanding is what I prefer now-a-days, especially since I can get the family to come with.

Kevin wrote:Eh.  If I ever get to building on the Ford (IF I said!), it'll be towards family camping and overlanding, not making a serious wheeler out of it.  A winch and an RTT or bed tent, probably.  Sliders and a locker maybe, but I'm not going to invest a bunch of money into making this land whale into a rock crawler.  The Bastard is so much better suited to serious wheeling that it'd be silly to put that money anywhere else.

It would be fun to get it on some more moderate trails though.  We definitely need to get the trucks out to play together.  

I like the plan you laid out here. Although, I won't be on any trails even moderate ones in my truck.

Nonsense. You said if I start a build thread it would force you to start one too, and I'm going to hold you to it. Get something else pretty for your wife to drive.

dutchman wrote:I won't be on any trails even moderate ones in my truck.

This is why I have a 4runner. When I get another truck the build thread will consist a 4 inch lift and tires and wheels. No long travel, no roof top tent, probably throw some air bags on it. It won't be used as an offroad vehicle. Of that were the case then no need for the runner.

Ty wrote:

dutchman wrote:I won't be on any trails even moderate ones in my truck.

This is why I have a 4runner. When I get another truck the build thread will consist a 4 inch lift and tires and wheels. No long travel, no roof top tent, probably throw some air bags on it.  It won't be used as an offroad vehicle. Of that were the case then no need for the runner.

I don't mind having multiple vehicles handling a variety of offroad needs. My 4Runner is too small for my entire family plus gear, and they aren't fans of long trips in it, so the Ford will do double duty - it'll take care of the overlanding/minor wheeling it's own self, and it'll tow the 4Runner on longer trips when there's harder wheeling to be done.

On point to point style trips with technical wheeling, the fam will have to suck it up or stay home though.

Bed rack over the rear, check!  The tonneau cover I picked up already had some rails on it, so a couple t-slot bolts and some angle iron made me a serviceable set of artificial gutters for my load bars.  I'll work up something classier when the weather turns, but when it's 20 degrees in the sunshine I don't do "pretty" .  And please ignore the white tonneau cover, it's been too cold to do anything about that too, but I've got some bedliner waiting to go on it once it warms up.



Topped it with a rack.



I'll decide after this weekend whether or not it's going to stay on there.  If it stays, the hilift will get moved to one side and the shovel mounts to the other.  And I'll definitely need some stronger struts, it's a struggle to benchpress it up!

I like the look, gotta color match that cover though. I use my bed too much to have a hard cover like that though.