True Blue Trucks • Issue #5

$4.95/Canada US • $6.95 Mexico/AUwww.TrueBlueTrucks.com

Reader’s Stories | Tech Features | Event CoverageReader’s Stories | Tech Features | Event Coverage

Fuel FilterBowl

Rebuildfor

Power Stroke

Fuel FilterBowl

Rebuildfor

Power Stroke

‘71 ProStreet

‘71 ProStreet

2010 CarlisleAll TruckNationals

2010 CarlisleAll TruckNationals

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s time continues to fly, ourUltimateF150 project moves for-

ward as well. To recap from previ-ous Phases, the Ultimate F150 proj-ect truck was born from decades ofdesire to take the best-selling vehi-cle in America – the Ford F150—and metamorphosize it right here inthe Motor City into the UltimateF150 by assembling a group ofsome of the most innovative, usefuland bold aftermarket accessoriesmanufacturers from north Americaand hand-picking their best prod-ucts to incorporate into this projecttruck. These product selections arestill in the process of developingthe unique character of this vehicleas we enter the third phase of ourproject. As always, you can helpsteer the design of our project byrecommending products that youfeel fit our F150 build or simplythose you would like us to review.You can contact us through ourproject website located at

www.UltimateF150.com where youcan also bring yourself up to speedon the variety of products whichare part of this project includingreviews, photos, video and installa-tion notes.

DUAL REAR-EXIT PERFOR-MANCE EXHAUST SYSTEM:

When it came time to shop forthe perfect exhaust system for ourMotor City’s Ultimate F150 projecttruck we had several options. Wehad an idea of what we wanted: ahigh-quality, catalytic converter-back, stainless steel, dual-rear-exitsystem that had a controlled yetmonstrous sound but at the sametime did not permit an excess ofsound penetrating into the passen-ger compartment of the vehicle.Most of us have heard the names ofthe top few players in the aftermar-ket exhaust realm – but for theUltimateF150 one stands above theothers - BORLA – “The World’s

Most Winning Exhaust” and it wasquickly decided that BORLA wasthe perfect choice for our F150. Aswith most things in life, you usual-ly get what you pay for and when itcomes to premium aftermarket

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PhaseIII

EDITOR’S NOTE:Paul Beroff will bereviewing many after-market products in theupcoming issues of TrueBlue Trucks Magazineon his truck “TheUltimate F150 Project”.If you have an item youwould like to have Paulreview, let us know.

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window buttons to accommodatethe Dome Tweeter. For rear doorreplacements we went with theKicker KS680 series 6” x 8”coaxi-als & 3-way, added a Kicker 12”subwoofer enclosure (TCTVT12)under the rear seat and tied it alltogether with the Kicker ZA series1000W amp (ZX7005) which wemounted behind the rear seat bolt-ing it on to the rear wall.

The Kicker components areinterfaced with the stock FordSYNC CD AM/FM head unit. Thesound improvement over the stockspeakers is mind blowing. Our

plans are to replace the stock headunit soon with a double din DVDstereo with Bluetooth audio stream-ing and perhaps navigation – sug-gestions are welcome.

I do have to mention anotherproduct I included in our project.It’s called the Kicker i501 iPhone /iPod dock and I figured it wouldcome in very handy at all of theshows and events that the MotorCity’s Ultimate F150 Project wouldbe participating in. This compactdevice absolutely blew me awaywith its incredibly rich sound! Butnot just me… everyone who walksinto the room while I have theik501 pumping out the jams areflabbergasted by the HUGE soundit spews out. Still portable andloud, the iK501 features the outra-geous, square-shaped reflex sub-woofer on the back of the unit,along with a pair of five-inchwoofers and silk-dome tweeters.It’s all juiced by a powerful internal

exhaust systems, BORLA is noexception.

From working with theirfriendly and very knowledgeablestaff, the fast shipping and meticu-lous packaging to the made in theUSA aircraft-quality T-304 stainlesssteel, gorgeously buffed exhausttips and incredibly easy and quickinstallation – this cat-back dual-rear-exit BORLA exhaust wasgoing to completely change theUltimateF150 – adding a newdimension to the project by appeal-ing to our sense of sound – andWOW does it sound great!

Since our project truck onlyhad 10,000 miles on it, it was fairlyeasy to remove the stock exhaust.But to call the factory exhaustremoval easy, I’m making it diffi-cult to describe the actual installa-tion of the BORLA system so I’llput it like this: The BORLA kitwas engineered so that someonewith zero mechanical ability couldhave installed it in their drivewaywith only a socket wrench (whichis exactly what I did). Workingalone, this install couldn’t havetaken me more than fifteen to twen-ty minutes.

I leveled the beefy exhausttips, tightened the last bolt and witheager anticipation called theUltimateF150 Crew out to thedriveway to listen to the newvocals of our favorite truck. Thekey was turned, the 5.4L V8 roaredto life as the exhaust now effort-lessly flowed through the stainlesssteel BORLA pipes rumbling out asit exited the shiny dual tips. Thesound is just perfect! It’s exactlywhat we were hoping for. It’s a

sophisticated, powerful soundtrackat idle and when stepping on thegas a bit it really roars to life. Withall I have mentioned thus far, Ihave failed to bring up the perform-ance benefits – which for us arejust frosting on the cake. A 5-15%increase in horsepower is notuncommon as well as an increasein fuel economy – all of this and aMillion Mile Warranty to top it off!To learn everything you ever want-ed to know about exhaust systemsand what sets BORLA apart visittheir well-constructed and informa-tive website at www.BORLA.com

MOTOWN ROCK & ROLL!There are some really cool

things about Detroit. Obviouslythose of you reading this are autoenthusiasts and the reason you haveTrue Blue Trucks magazine in yourhands right now is probably due tothe fact you are an American truckfan—specifically Ford—and thusyou know Detroit is the home tothe Ford World Headquarters. As amatter of fact the world’s best-sell-ing vehicle – the Ford F150 – isrolling down the assembly line justa few miles from where I’m writingthis article.

So yes, we are the Motor Citybut we are also the home to some-thing else – something that is socommon place that at times it goesforgotten, but the Motor City isalso the home and birthplace ofmore than just the automobile —-we are also the birthplace to rockand roll/music! We have ArethaFranklin, Madonna, Mitch Ryder,the Motor City Madman himself –Ted Nugent (Ted is a Ford guy –loves his Broncos. Ted drop me anemail when you read this!) BobSeger, Alice Cooper, The WhiteStripes, Eminem and Kid Rock notto mention the up and coming localsensation Point Blank and many,many more.

So what’s the point? The pointis that the Motor City’s UltimateF150 Project needed an upgrade tothe sound system so we turned tothe name synonymous with adrena-line pumping, raging-loud soundmachines – Kicker audio!

For the front door replacementspeakers we went with the KickerDS6802 6” x 8” ComponentSpeaker System. The main 6” x 8”was a quick swap but I had to drilla small hole right above the power

’’

‘‘It’s alljuiced by a powerfulinternalamplifierwith digitalsignal pro-cessing forthe richest,best-sound-ing dockingsystem Ihave everheard oreven imaginedpossible.

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advanced hi-tech security systemsthat make me sleep well at nightknowing it will still be parkedwhere I left it (that is if I ever left itoutside!)www.Priority1Emergency.com

RANCH HAND BUMPER:We shopped for a rear bumper

for weeks and finally decided toinstall the Summit from RanchHand Truck Accessories. TheSummit back bumper is designedwith the type of quality and work-manship that our UltimateF150Project strives for. This durablebumper is made from formed chan-nel and has diamond plated stepplates and skirts. Ranch hand evenwent the extra step and ships thisbumper standard with black powdercoat finish along with backup/worklights. Our Ranch Hand bumperalso came with two lights for thelicense plate, and holes for those ofyou with backup sensors. All nutsand bolts were included along withplugs for the backup sensor holesfor those of us that do not have thatfactory option.www.RanchHand.com

DRIVETRAIN UPGRADE:With eager anticipation we at

the Motor City’s UltimateF150Project await the rapidly approach-ing six-inch suspension lift installa-tion and upgrade to the much largertires and wheels. With theseupgrades the stock 3.55 axle gear-ing ratio would no longer be appro-priate and it was time to upgrade

the ring and pinion in both axles ofour 4x4.

For nearly a decade-and-a-half,Drive Train Specialists (DTS) hasbeen THE place to go for hardcoredrivetrain solutions. DTS is thekind of place with all the high-per-formance parts and all the hard-won knowledge required to suc-cessfully deploy hardcore applica-tions. I felt confident leaving ourproject truck with them for the daywhile they upgraded our ring andpinion to a set of 4.56’s. This newgearing will easily accommodateour 37" Super Swampers. Visitthem atwww.DriveTrainSpecialists.com.

PHASE IV – COMING NEXT:Before completing the writing

of this article, we also completed afew other things that we are veryexcited to share with the True BlueTrucks readers in the next issue. Wehave installed the custom 6”Superlift suspension system whichmakes the Motor City’s UltimateF150 just one of three on the planetwith this setup. This allowed roomfor 20” wheels and 37” tires whichwe are going to discuss in detailnext issue. The truck looksabsolutely incredible if I do say somyself. Other upgrades will at thevery least include a new customgrille, blackened out headlights anda massive winch. As always, visitus at www.UltimateF150.com totrack updates, read product reviewsand more!

amplifier with digital signal pro-cessing for the richest, best-sound-ing docking system I have everheard or even imagined possible. Ireally can’t say enough about thesound this little guy is capable of.If you are in the market for some-thing like this for your den, gameroom, garage or to take to eventslike us, you will be EXTREMELYpleased (to say the least – really)with the Kicker ik501.www.Kicker.com

PRIORITY ONE EMERGENCY:When the time came to imple-

ment a vehicle anti-theft and securi-ty system, we didn’t have to lookfar. Priority One Emergency is theDetroit area’s largest and mosttrusted name when it comes toupgrading police and fire depart-ment vehicles to tow trucks andshow vehicles.

Priority One does it all andthey do it very well. I have had per-sonal experience with them formany years and their quality ofwork far exceeds anything I haveseen. Their expert crew are meticu-lous with such things as routingwiring, making solid electrical con-nections, fabricating brackets orenclosures and just going that extramile. They pride themselves ondoing it right and it shows.

Now I have to be careful herediscussing what exactly they did forour vehicle, but I can tell you thatthe Motor City’s Ultimate F150 hasseveral kill switches along withsome very cool, ultra-modern and

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