That is exactly what we were going for! We wanted all of the body work to look OEM+ and then the rest of the modifications really shine.
Well folks, this should be a pretty healthy update today!
The full suspension setup is now installed and this rig is about 95% complete!
We've been working with our friends at RPG Offroad for years now on our Raptor projects and wanted to partner with them on this truck as well!
We opted to go with the RPG Billet Upper Control Arms, Billet Tie Rod Ends, and Billet Rear Lower Links and we all of this custom anodized in Bronze to match the wheels. I'll be the first to admit that they did end up a little bit lighter than the wheels, however, the color ties in very nicely and gives you more of a visual POP vs the darker bronze of the wheels that would have blended in a little more than we would have liked. But keep in mind, it's also very hard to color-match paint, powdercoat, and anodize. Overall, very happy with how it turned out!
Here's some photos of the parts, disassembly, and installation.
All of the rear components removed on the rear for this part of the install. We did opt to keep factor upper links at this time, so this is with the shocks and the lower links removed. FYI, you WILL need to disconnect the Panhard bar to get both links installed and then reconnect the Panhard bar at the end. Additionally, while you do NOT need to drop the fuel tank to replace the lower links, you WILL have to cut the upper bolt out of the passenger's side lower link due to its proximity to the fuel tank. Or, you can choose to drop the fuel tank. You will have to drop the fuel tank to swap out the upper links, there is just no room with the fuel tank in there.
It is a very tight fit for the Icon shock reservoirs with the DV8 Rock Sliders installed, but we got it done! Also, we opted to install the optional Bash Guards on the lower links to protect them from any potential damage.
This is when we just had the rear complete and the vision was FINALLY starting to come together!
And now you get to see the new meats! 17" fifteen52 Turbomac HD wheels in bronze finish and wrapped in 37x12.50R17 Toyo MTs!
Then it was time to tackle the front! A couple pictures of disassembly and then as we installed all the front components!
Now at this point you may be noticing that our shocks have plugs on the reservoirs. Our Wildtrak did not come equipped with the HOSS 3.0 suspension, so we opted to add our own thanks to Icon's new IIC system along with their CDEV shocks. This kit upgrades the shocks at all 4 corners to Icon's 2.5 shock bodies with external reservoirs and then has a plug on each reservoir that wires up to the IIC "brain" mounted under the hood. The installation is super clean and mounts up nicely between the fuse box and the firewall where the upfitter wires are. From there, everything is connected to your phone via Bluetooth.
Here's a shot under the hood:
Overall, we've tried to keep things as CLEAN as we could under the hood of this truck with a LOT of wiring and a lot of aftermarket parts. At this point 5 of our 6 upfitter switches are taken:
AUX 1: Baja Designs XL-Linkable 8-Light Roof Kit
AUX 2: Baja Designs XL80 A-Pillar Kit
AUX 3: Baja Designs 20" OnX6+ Light Bar
AUX 4: DV8 Offroad Elite Series Rear Pods flush mount in bumper
AUX 5: Open
AUX 6: Oracle Grille Lights
Plus, we added a winch with a wireless remote, swapped out the Roush Cold Air Intake and Turbosmart BOV, added the Mishimoto dual catch can. Overall, pretty pleased with how things look under the hood, although we would have liked it if Ford tidied things up a bit with an engine cover, but I digress.
In addition to the suspension, we also got the last of our parts from DV8 Offroad installed including the FS-15 front skid plate and the MTO rear bumper. Both of these pieces come from DV8 with silver inserts, but with all of our other small color-match details, we didn't want to overlook those and had all the accent pieces painted bronze. I think it turned out pretty killer!
The accent panels tie in VERY nicely to the wheels!
You'll also notice on that last picture, that we got our MBRP Exhaust installed! We opted for the full cat-back single exit exhaust with the black package to match the rest of the build. I know that exhausts are a touchy subject on these EcoBoost motors, however, this is a very slight upgrade in overall volume and is a little deeper than stock. It has a nice tone at idle and cruising RPMs with a more throaty sound than stock without sounding like a riced-out Honda.
Plus, it looks pretty cool underneath the truck as well!
And lastly, here's a picture of our Baja Designs 8-Light XL Linkable setup installed!
And if you noticed the number in the windshield, we ended up taking the truck to its first show this past weekend at Tommie Vaughn Ford here in Houston. The crowd posted and we took home not one, but TWO awards: Best Paint AND Overall Best in Show!
Overall, we've had a TON of fun with this build and I can't wait to get it finished where we can get some professional pictures done and get some video, walkarounds, and more!
Ask away if you have any questions at all!
It's awesome! Very happy with it!
