One of the members on here bought the Ford letters from one our vendors and then had them bedlined. Maybe do that to give them some texture and then paint the small screws white...ya know...contrast and what-not.
"The Yeti" - 2013 Raptor build
- Thread starter BIRDMAN
- Start date
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One of the members on here bought the Ford letters from one our vendors and then had them bedlined. Maybe do that to give them some texture and then paint the small screws white...ya know...contrast and what-not.
Blind1
FRF Addict
It's really nice to see the teeth back in the old grill. She's looking good, so what's next on the agenda?
Rear ICON bypasses and possibly new wheels/tires before TRR. Then I am contemplating some additional vinyl wrapping. Lastly a sub box from The Car Stereo company and I figure I can just relax and enjoy it for a while.
Blind1
FRF Addict
What, NO YETI Cooler! WTF?
I might do it just for you.
Blind1
FRF Addict
Well, your the one calling it the "Yeti" build. I haven't even seen a Yeti decal on that beast of yours.... Lets get with the program....
i already have a set of flat black vinyl and don't want to screw in to my grille
Hahaha...I think I'm done giving you ideas. We don't seem to agree.
Tuxedo Black > Oxford White
Tuxedo Black > Oxford White
Oh yeah? Is that why you have been in this thread every day mastering the art of using with mouse with your left hand? MMMmmHmmmm
I would like to share a few thoughts and reflections from my build so far. This primarily relates to my philosophy behind modifying a brand new truck and things I have learned.
I'm by no means a master mechanic or even an expert on automotive repair. I do however take a lot of pride in my truck and I make sure that I am meticulous with any modifications I make to my truck. I also realized that I had to get over my fear of tearing apart a brand new truck. When I passed the $10,000 mark in mods well before I reached my first oil change, I felt as though my apprehensions had passed.
Looks are one thing but I will not put something mechanical on my truck unless it will also perform better than stock and hold up through years of daily driving like an OEM part was meant to. Here are 5 points I would hope are common sense, but I thought I would confirm again for the would be weekend warriors out there.
Point # 1: If you have a basic set of standard and metric sockets, a floor jack and some hand tools, you can perform nearly any of the popular modifications yourself. I highly recommend doing any and all modifications in your own garage. I have run in to countless ways someone less careful could cut corners or potentially damage the truck if they were only performing a task for a paycheck and being careless. This is part of the reason that I have cataloged my build with what I hope are helpful write ups. In some cases, the write ups took just as long if not longer than the install its self.
Point # 2: When working with aftermarket parts, sometimes things simply don't fit as they should, or minor modifications are required to ensure proper fitment. This is something that should be expected when entering the world of modifying your vehicle. It's called modifying for a reason! Do not be afraid to trim a little metal or use a BFH to do some convincing, when appropriate. Even factory parts sometimes do not fit 100% correctly and that's just the nature of mass produced vehicles. This is especially true for aftermarket bumpers and body panels in my experience.
Point # 3: You have a brand new truck and can't stand the thought of installing something yourself due to fear of it not being "showroom floor" perfect. Guess what, these trucks are far from perfect from the factory and I have uncovered many loose ends just in my short time modifying the YETI. In fact, I believe I have improved the overall quality and fitment of certain aspects of my truck by making small improvements as I have deemed necessary.
Example 1: When we removed my fender flares to be painted I discovered that some of the body panel clips were either missing or not completely seated in the fender! By the time my fender flares were professionally painted, complete with rocker panel coating on the inside lip, I believe I improved the look, durability and fitment of my fender flares beyond the day it was delivered to me.
Example 2: Installing my RPG power steering reservoir was a total cinch and based on anecdotal evidence, it improved the performance of my steering system under heavy load. However, in order to install it, a small amount of trimming was necessary around the fan shroud. I was hesitant at first because the plastic seemed brittle and I didn't want to make a mess of it. After carefully planning my attack, I discovered that a hose connected to my stock reservoir was leaking. Had I not committed to dig in and replace a sub-par factory system, I might have gotten myself in to a lot of trouble down the road. I don't believe I would have ever noticed the leak until it was too late.
Neither of the above examples would have meant the end of the world, but it just goes to show that you and you alone have to truly take control of the vehicle you have purchased and make it your responsibility to seek out imperfections and improve upon them to avoid future problems.
Point # 4: SAVE STOCK PARTS. If you don't need the money or plan on owning your truck past its prime, store stock parts away safely for the next owner of your truck. Some easily reversible, tasteful modifications are one thing e.g. window tinting. But, if you plan on trading your truck in after a set amount of time or selling it privately, chances are the next owner or the dealership don't want your Method wheels or your ADD bumper. They want the factory wheels and the factory bumper. If you had saved them, you have pristine stock parts to hand your truck over with. At that point you can go and sell those desirable aftermarket parts after you have returned your truck to stock. By doing this you leave all options open and you WILL make out better selling aftermarket parts after the fact then trying to track down decent stock take offs. You end up spending a lot more time and effort doing the latter.
Point # 5: Rust protection. For the most part, factory clear coated finishes are going to stand up the best to damage and rusting. Also consider that a lot of these Raptor aftermarket parts come from companies out of Southern California who have no concept of what road salt and winter seasons can do to a truck. Even factory parts will eventually give in to the white stuff, so do yourself a favor and keep an eye on your coatings. Whether it's hitting stuff with a rattle can or applying AmsOil MPHD to the stuff underneath, just do it. A little bit of a yellow tinge from MPHD is nothing to put up with when you consider how terrible rust and corrosion will look and negatively effect the performance of your parts.
I'm by no means a master mechanic or even an expert on automotive repair. I do however take a lot of pride in my truck and I make sure that I am meticulous with any modifications I make to my truck. I also realized that I had to get over my fear of tearing apart a brand new truck. When I passed the $10,000 mark in mods well before I reached my first oil change, I felt as though my apprehensions had passed.
Looks are one thing but I will not put something mechanical on my truck unless it will also perform better than stock and hold up through years of daily driving like an OEM part was meant to. Here are 5 points I would hope are common sense, but I thought I would confirm again for the would be weekend warriors out there.
Point # 1: If you have a basic set of standard and metric sockets, a floor jack and some hand tools, you can perform nearly any of the popular modifications yourself. I highly recommend doing any and all modifications in your own garage. I have run in to countless ways someone less careful could cut corners or potentially damage the truck if they were only performing a task for a paycheck and being careless. This is part of the reason that I have cataloged my build with what I hope are helpful write ups. In some cases, the write ups took just as long if not longer than the install its self.
Point # 2: When working with aftermarket parts, sometimes things simply don't fit as they should, or minor modifications are required to ensure proper fitment. This is something that should be expected when entering the world of modifying your vehicle. It's called modifying for a reason! Do not be afraid to trim a little metal or use a BFH to do some convincing, when appropriate. Even factory parts sometimes do not fit 100% correctly and that's just the nature of mass produced vehicles. This is especially true for aftermarket bumpers and body panels in my experience.
Point # 3: You have a brand new truck and can't stand the thought of installing something yourself due to fear of it not being "showroom floor" perfect. Guess what, these trucks are far from perfect from the factory and I have uncovered many loose ends just in my short time modifying the YETI. In fact, I believe I have improved the overall quality and fitment of certain aspects of my truck by making small improvements as I have deemed necessary.
Example 1: When we removed my fender flares to be painted I discovered that some of the body panel clips were either missing or not completely seated in the fender! By the time my fender flares were professionally painted, complete with rocker panel coating on the inside lip, I believe I improved the look, durability and fitment of my fender flares beyond the day it was delivered to me.
Example 2: Installing my RPG power steering reservoir was a total cinch and based on anecdotal evidence, it improved the performance of my steering system under heavy load. However, in order to install it, a small amount of trimming was necessary around the fan shroud. I was hesitant at first because the plastic seemed brittle and I didn't want to make a mess of it. After carefully planning my attack, I discovered that a hose connected to my stock reservoir was leaking. Had I not committed to dig in and replace a sub-par factory system, I might have gotten myself in to a lot of trouble down the road. I don't believe I would have ever noticed the leak until it was too late.
Neither of the above examples would have meant the end of the world, but it just goes to show that you and you alone have to truly take control of the vehicle you have purchased and make it your responsibility to seek out imperfections and improve upon them to avoid future problems.
Point # 4: SAVE STOCK PARTS. If you don't need the money or plan on owning your truck past its prime, store stock parts away safely for the next owner of your truck. Some easily reversible, tasteful modifications are one thing e.g. window tinting. But, if you plan on trading your truck in after a set amount of time or selling it privately, chances are the next owner or the dealership don't want your Method wheels or your ADD bumper. They want the factory wheels and the factory bumper. If you had saved them, you have pristine stock parts to hand your truck over with. At that point you can go and sell those desirable aftermarket parts after you have returned your truck to stock. By doing this you leave all options open and you WILL make out better selling aftermarket parts after the fact then trying to track down decent stock take offs. You end up spending a lot more time and effort doing the latter.
Point # 5: Rust protection. For the most part, factory clear coated finishes are going to stand up the best to damage and rusting. Also consider that a lot of these Raptor aftermarket parts come from companies out of Southern California who have no concept of what road salt and winter seasons can do to a truck. Even factory parts will eventually give in to the white stuff, so do yourself a favor and keep an eye on your coatings. Whether it's hitting stuff with a rattle can or applying AmsOil MPHD to the stuff underneath, just do it. A little bit of a yellow tinge from MPHD is nothing to put up with when you consider how terrible rust and corrosion will look and negatively effect the performance of your parts.
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