My truck's transformation (04 FX4 SCREW) - Complete Mod List w/ Pics

AAK625 · Dec 5, 2010 at 9:30 PM

Hello everyone, I hope you're enjoying your night. This is just a re-post of my old build thread that I've put up on other forums. I've cut out most of the sentimental thank you's and such so there's less to scroll through.

I bought my 04 FX4 SCREW, used, in September of 08 with about 65,000 miles (90k now) on it after rolling my father's 03 SCREW, four times, the previous month. I use a truck for truck things like hauling sod or building materials for home projects. I also use the truck as a rescue/relief vehicle when I volunteer during our hurricane seasons. I'm a big fan of practicality. The truck must work, no matter what, even in extreme circumstances. So the mods I've made reflect the desire for a near-unstoppable truck.

Stock:

Mod #1: Tires.
The tires that came on the truck were in very poor condition, so I did a quick upgrade to 265/70/17 BFG All Terrain T/A's.

Mods #2 and #3: Leveling kit and shocks.
Wanted to improve the stance of the truck. Went with a 2.5" kit from Hell Bent Steel.
Stock shocks were shot, switched them out for Bilstein 5100's all around set at 0 lift.

Mod #4: Line-X XTRA Bedliner.
Stepped into the bed one day and heard a loud crunch. Turns out I had a hole in the bed itself, beneath the plastic liner. I had that removed and the bed done with Line-X XTRA. I've fallen in love with that stuff ever since.

Mods #5, #6, #7, and #7 1/2: Bed cover, third brake light, tail light guards, shorty antenna.
The cover was a must. I needed a way to keep my cargo dry and secure. I chose a retractable cover because I wanted something with strength and to be self-contained if I wished to make more room for larger cargo. There’s also the added gas mileage “benefit”. I went with the Rollbak G2.

After a car wash, I noticed lines of water down my back seats and a puddle below that. Replaced the stock 3rd brake light with one from Recon.

The Westin tail light guards were one of those semi-practical purchases. It had more of an aesthetic plus to it, in my opinion. They were really inexpensive and I decided to pull the trigger on them. Turns out they’re worth it! I backed into a metal mailbox with a solid concrete base and destroyed it without any damage to the truck or the guard.

Got me a 14 inch shorty to replace the 29 inch stock antenna that kept hitting the garage door and low obstacles. Simple, cheap, and effective.

Mod #8: Eaton Detroit TrueTrac Rear Differential.
Had this horrible grinding in the rear of the truck during acceleration when the wheel was turned in either direction. Ford said my clutch packs were bad and I needed to give them $1600 to replace them. Found the TrueTrac for $600, superior to the stock unit, and paid $150 for the labor. Note: Eaton specifically says to use a petroleum based 80w90 fluid. I ordered the Motorcraft brand from Tasca.

Mod #9 - 9 1/2: Custom front bumper by Boondock Bumpers (now defunct).
I had a brush guard on the 03. Didn’t hold up too well. My hurricane duties required something a little sturdier with room for four KC Daylighters and, eventually, a winch. This bumper was designed by forum member, Impact9. It is the defining feature of my truck and my favorite mod. It’s already been through an accident and taken no damage. I had Line-X applied to it as well.

Mod #10: Power Slot Cryo Rotors and Hawk Brake Pads.
After an accident where someone cut me off, slammed on their brakes and I couldn’t stop fast enough, I decided it was time to get better brakes, considering the newly added weight to the front of the vehicle. I went with Power Slot Cryo treated rotors and Hawk LTS Pads.

Mod #11: Mag-Hytec Differential Cover.
Stock cover was leaking a bit. Liked the look and added fluid capacity of the Mag-Hytec cover.

Mod #12: Wheels and Tires.
Finally ran the aforementioned BFG All Terrains down to nothing. Replaced them with 35" Nitto Trail Grappler M/T's wrapped around 18x9 XD Rockstars. Trimming was necessary, including part of the fender.

Below are a ton of general and specific pictures covering the tires, wheels, and the two stages of trimming in order to reach a solution.

Tires: 35x12.50x18 Nitto Trail Grappler M/T's.
Wheels: 18x9, 5in. BS, 0mm offset XD Rockstars.
Level: 2.5" Hell Bent Steel in front, stock in the back.

Delivered by the freight truck from West KY Customs (really nice people).

The following pictures are different angles of the front tires on either side, focusing on the rear of the wheel well, at full lock. You can see how the initial trimming was not sufficient. There are some close ups of the corner of the fender at the end of the flares. The metal corner of the fender still rubbed badly. There's also some side profile shots to show how close the tire is to the rear of the wheel well.

Cont'd...

AAK625 · Dec 5, 2010 at 9:32 PM

The shots below show the completed trimming of the plastic fender guard and the metal corner where the fender flare ends. The tires no longer rub.

Cont'd...

AAK625 · Dec 5, 2010 at 9:32 PM

Noting the picture below: There is a void behind the plastic guard. I stuck a hose up there on both sides and flushed out a ton of mud and leaves. I've never been off roading and it was packed with crap. I'm going to get some expanding foam and pack it up.

We took off about a snickers bar sized piece of metal off of the driver side and a little less off of the passenger side with a reciprocating saw.

Got my Mag-Hytec transmission pan in last week. Can't have it installed for a while along with my soon-to-be rebuilt tranny due to recent job loss, but I figured I'd post up some pictures for everyone.

I purchased the 4R70W-DD 8 quart pan - 2.5 quarts over stock. In addition to holding more fluid and having a finned face, which both help with heat dissipation, it seems to be able to stop an armor piercing round, and it has a magnet inside to collect any metal particles that may be generated, acting as an additional filter. It's a pretty strong magnet too. Stuck my knife to it and it held.

I have their differential cover as well and am really impressed with it.

After I fix my transmission, gears and a tuner will most likely be my next upgrades in an effort to regain some fuel efficiency and power. If anyone has any questions, feel free to post them here or PM me. I'll do my best to answer them. If you need specific pictures, just ask.

Thanks,
Anthony