TOPIC: New toy hauler

Picked up a 2001 F-150 XLT 4wd Super Cab 4.6L Triton V8 yesterday with only 94,000 miles on it. Never had a hitch on it, which is gonna change soon. Very clean, 2 owner truck, pretty much spotless. Got some other plans for it, but 1st need to do a few things with my '09 GMC Canyon and sell that!

Frank

My son has the same in a 4 door. They love it and drive more than their family car. It's a Ford Freestyle. It has a hitch and he uses it. His has the same motor. No issues at all.

Nice looking truck you found there Frank. Should pull the boat really nice. Clean looking. Skip.

Good looking truck Frank.

nice truck frank,it will pull your camper and boat without you even knowing its there,john

Thanks guys! Nice truck, sure is great to drive.

In a buddy's shop this week for exhaust manifold removal (right side has a slight leak) and ceramic shorty headers and special locking fasteners installed. Headers and fasteners have not come yet, but should be here tomorrow, so I brought the truck up Saturday so he could have it and play around with getting the old stuff off. Should have it back by the end of the week, and put the Canyon up for sale.

Once home, I have a new stereo coming for it that I can plug my iPod into. The truck also came set up for Sirius radio, and the new stereo also connects to Sirius. I'm not sure I'm going to get a subscription though; it's a bit pricey for my tastes.

Over the next few months I will have new ball joints installed and have the truck aligned. It needs a new headlight switch, easy for me to do. I'll also be installing all new brakes all around, calipers, rotors and pads, and probably hoses too. I'll have my shop flush the automatic tranny and refill it. Finally, I have some minor rust to repair and treat, but not much. That's more of a labor intensive thing I'll do soon. I have all the "stuff" to do that.

There's a tear in the front driver's seat cushion. A good friend of mine is a scrapper and tells me he gets old Ford trucks all the time and has me on his list for a seat bottom.

Finally, I do expect to install cat-back dual exhaust over the winter at some point. Then next spring I'll put a Class III hitch on it and wire it for 7 pin RV.

Other than that (!), it's in unbelievable condition. The body, bumpers, plastic and all looks new, hardly a scratch and no dents at all. I'm a lucky guy!

Frank

Headers and locking bolt kit came yesterday and are at the garage as of about 5 last night. They hope to start on it later today, but probably won't get it done till tomorrow.

Frank

That ought to make you a nice hauler Frank. Is that ceramic coating on the headers?

It beats the heck out of my 4 cylinder Canyon Mark. It's older, but really in near mint condition.

Anybody putting headers on nowadays should go ceramic. They not only last a LOT longer, your engine runs cooler with them. The one shown is the right side header. That's the side the stock exhaust manifold is leaking.

Should be ready tomorrow, but with any luck, maybe today. I have a lot more planned for it (including a hitch).

Frank

OOHHHHH Pretty shiny.

Those are great header bolts, have used them a lot. skip.

The headers came with bolts Skip, but not lockers. I've used them before too, and they're pretty much foolproof.

Frank

Headers on! My guy doing it liked the bolts that came with the headers, put them in with sealant. I am keeping the lockers anyways and will replace the bolts if need be. I used all new ss hardware in putting the inner fenders on, so they will be very easy to remove next time!

How does it run now?

Good question Robert. Not a whole lot different, but I only drove it a few days before having this done. The tick, tick noise is gone.

Next (after new brakes all around) is a better flowing exhaust system. Need more $...

Frank

Should have used the locking bolts. Cast iron headers and steel headers expand at different rates as they get hotter, therefor more movement. Those coated headers are really different when they get hot. Keep an eye on them. A cat back system on that truck will really make them headers perform. Skip.

I agree Skip, but my buddy Steve is an experienced mechanic, and said the bolts supplied with the headers were just fine. I hate to second guess the manufacturer of the headers as to what fasteners they provide for these, but have kept the locking fasteners, and Steve has said if i ever have a problem (tick, tick, tick) bring it in, he would swap the lockers in. He really doesn't think I need them, but I am keeping them anyways. I don't want to do the swap, my shoulders and hands are pretty much trashed as it is.

Got other stuff to do first before a cat-back system, but we're getting there!

Frank