2021 Ford F150 -> XTF pre runner build log

[Higgybulin]

What did you use to smooth the ends caps?

[kabacj]

What did you use to smooth the ends caps?

Hey Higgy,

I actually didn’t do any post processing of this print. It’s right off the printer.

I did consider using acetone vapor to smooth the surface, but semi melting the surface would likely make the part shiny and round the edges a bit. I wanted the sharper edges and the matte finish so I just pulled the part of the printer and installed it.

I did print with thin layers. I if I remember correctly I printed at 1/10 of a millimeter layers.

[Blitzboy54]

THANKS Crash!

Thats the type of experience I was looking for.

While I don't want to pay a high price, I know I will own this trailer for a long time. My 24 foot 10k enclosed race trailer has served me well. I’d like about that size in a goose neck as well. Hauling two trucks, even the XTF and a lighter shorter Jeep is going to be pushing the 26,000 lb weight combined GVW weight limit in NY.




Unfortunately getting a CDL in NY is a little annoying. It means signing up for a commercial drivers license training course that includes rental of the rig for taking the test. I wouldn't mind learning how to drive a Semi, however it’s a time investment.

It looks like getting a de rated goose neck might be my best bet. I can get a 16k trailer de rated to 14,000k which will keep me under the combined 26,000 lb GVW limit. It sounds like even if I have a heavier than 14,000 trailer empty , I could be ticketed because the combined rating is above the CDL limit.

Oh well. Seems that the DMV laws have not kept up with the capability of todays pickups.

This is correct. I had a CDL in Oregon, when I moved back to NY I surrendered it because it just wasn't worth the hassle or annual fees for a "just in case" license.

[kabacj]

This weekend I spent some time working through the unfinished items on the truck build. In my rush to get the truck ready for SEMA I was focusing on the things that needed to work vs the nice to have options.

The two items were the rear running lights and the backup lights in the bumper. I really hate cutting into the factory wiring harness. The workmanship is so high, these things will last many many years. As soon as you cut into them however they are typically worse. Since the tail lights are LED the wires are also very thin.

Since I am not towing, I decided to use the 8 pin trailer wiring harness and a trailer wire to plug into the factory electrical.



Lots of benefits doing it this way as the harness is fused and has plenty of capacity and I can just use the a trailer wiring kit and I am good to go with an already made system.

I have power wires for everything needed including the running lights, backup lights as well as my off road chase lights.



In my opinion it’s worth spending time on making the truck wiring bullet proof. Everything soldered, and wrapped with marine grade adhesive lined heat shrink tubing.

It does take lots of time.

But after a few hours of re routing the factory F150 harness and making up the extension harness I had light.

Here are the backup lights in the bumper. The kit backup lights are excellent.



And a dramatic smoky shot of the rear running lights

[Erik W. Treves]

Looks great - I still haven't wired up any of my lights in the back

[kabacj]

I am looking forward to some testing like this with my XTF!! That suspension travel and smooth ride over insane terrain is next level.

https://youtube.com/shorts/jBzkl-x-s...nIdNwzc4O1hihX

[kabacj]

Messy wiring bothers me.

In order to finish the SEMA build on time I needed to cut corners on the things that I could tidy up after the show.

Wires and hoses were simply zip tied in place.

The kit provides wire clamps like this to organize hoses and wires.



Since I’m still developing the truck I wanted a solution that was easily changed moved and modified. Something more finished looking than zip ties but just as easy to change. I also didn’t want to drill any holes in the frame that would show after I moved a fastener. I know very minor, but it’s a thing for me.

One cool thing about 3d printing is that it’s possible to make hollow parts. I needed a fastener that would locate the hose or wiring harness on the square tube as well as hold the wire or tube in position.

I came up with this design. Here is a cross section showing the hollow channel.




A zip tie holds the wire management part to the square tube as well as the wire loom



I printed off a bunch of them to manage the wire loom as it routes down the drivers side of the frame.



Here is a shot of the first sections of the main harness securely attached to the frame, but easily moved.



Time consuming work, but satisfying when all the wires neatly follow the frame and can be held out of harms way.

[kabacj]

Back in July I discovered another thing that ford changed between Gen 13 and Gen 14 F150s. The vapor canister. As you can imagine Ford goes through great lengths to ensure that fuel vapors dont vent into the atmosphere. Our problem is the shape and frame mounting points change between generations of the F150.

Here you can see how the canister tucks between the frame and transmission on the drivers side of the frame.



Here I have it clamped in place using the hardware and brackets that factory five provide that fit the Gen 13 F150.



I could sort of make it work maybe using a bunch of washers to adjust for the change in mounting angles between the frame and canister.

The rear mounts are pretty good I could make these work. Cutting and welding the factory five brackets was an option, but I don’t know if I want the canister to live in this spot.





Like the wiring, I didn’t have time to sort out an elegant solution to mount the canister so I just zip tied everything in place for SEMA.

Since I love having a robot make stuff for me …3d printing to the rescue.

I printed a bracket that captures the frame for the rear mount .



Then made a two part bracket for the front mount.



This shows the gold prototype I used to verify my part dimension's before a few tweaks then making a final print for installation.

Check off another problem solved by the 3d printer.

[kabacj]

As I work my way to the back of the truck tidying up all the wires I needed to move the electronics that control the fuel pump. The kit provides a plate to mount on to the frame Then I used that plate to attach this fuel pump controller housing to the frame.

When I removed the fuel pump controller box I saw that it was made to snap into place on the F150. Probably so as the truck can be quickly put together on the assembly line. The pump controller is snapped into place then fastened with bolts.

Just for fun, I wanted to see if I could make a mount that also allowed me to snap the housing into place then bolt it. I printed the part on the left.



Thanks to 3d printing I can make a mount that snaps to the Ford part with a satisfying click.



And here it is installed. That was only a few hours work to save a few seconds haha .



While I was at it, i made some parts to keep the stainless steel brake lines looking neat.



These work much better than the zip ties I was using.

[kabacj]

Now that the truck is in great shape from construction perspective with everything tidy like Ford intended, its time to add some accessories.

Our family are big skiers/snowboarders so we make many trips to northern Vermont every winter. I like using the ski carrier on the truck because it allows me to organize our gear and the pod is also waterproof. Plenty of trips start in the rain here at home and transition to snow up north.

Here is the setup on the F350.


I purchased some T track rails from Yakima to mount on the XTF fenders.

Installation was easy.

First remove the fenders. I filled in the holes I was previously using to mount the fenders with some body filler.

i marked all the holes using the T track rail as a guide. I put a fastener in all of the holes.



Drilled and tapped all the holes for 1/4 20 button head faseners.






T tracks installed and the racks slide right in.



And we are done. The XTF with a Yakima GrandTour cargo box. Ready for some snow.