If you're like us, you want to stand out from the crowd. The first thing to do then is make a few enhancements to your truck. Maybe you're interested in tires and wheels, a suspension lift, or some easy bolt-ons you can add yourself. If it's the last, meet your new best friend--Lund International.
This story is about a do-it-yourself afternoon buildup: This pickup serves as the family project, and the work was done in the driveway with basic hand tools. While we'd like to give Ford the credit for the attention we got in our redesigned F-150, we're pretty sure the add-ons made the difference.
With each of these accessories, Lund provided simple, detailed instructions, so instead of regurgitating them, we've included some installation highlights, product features, and tips we learned along the way. Our first upgrade was a tonneau; we need to protect and hide goods in the bed, and it improves gas mileage. We chose the Genesis Snap for its easy installation and durability. Genesis also offers the snapless Seal & Peel, which works like a Ziploc sandwich bag.
In addition, we needed more cargo room. Our motorcycles and luggage took up the space in the bed, and there wasn't enough cargo room inside with bodies in the seats. Our problem was solved with the Deflecta-Shield Tail-Loader. Clearly, this could also solve storage problems for SUV owners.
Upgrade #1Genesis Tonneau Cover
| The tonneau has bow supports (three on a shortbed, four on a longbed), designed to keep snow and water from building up. The vinyl cover comes in either black-leather or carbon-fiber styles.
| Rather than requiring drilling, the Snap system is installed with clamps on the siderails. Their proper locations are clearly marked on the rails (if you have a bedliner, you can cut a hole here). The tonneau kit includes an Allen wrench, the only tool you'll need for the job.
Finally, we wanted to address the challenge of getting into and out of our vehicle for some of our not-so-tall friends. Runningboards are a good solution, and we put these tubular Step Rails on in a couple of hours.
In one afternoon, we changed the personality of our truck and increased its functionality. And that's not all. We've even included a few more ideas that we couldn't fit on our truck. Enjoy.
Upgrade #2Step Rails
| The tools to use for the rails include a drill, hammer, center punch, and sockets. Tech tip: Experiment with where the nonslip steps should be positioned--you must have everything in place on the rails before attaching them to the truck.
Upgrade #3Basic Tail-Loader Cargo Carrier
| To assemble the Tail-Loader, bolt the two halves together and the support brackets underneath, then connect the crossmember. We used a 14mm socket to connect the crossmember and a 10mm on the other bolts. It took us longer than we expected to put together, mainly because we weren't able to tighten the bolts as described in the directions. When we tried, the unit wouldn't align.
| The Tail-Loader fits into a standard 2-inch receiver hitch, making for easy installation and removal. It has predrilled holes for tie-down straps or other attachment methods as well as for trailer-hitch adjustability. The steel platform can handle a distributed 500 pounds, and the carrier measures 20x60 inches. It comes in black powdercoat.
| Deflecta-Shield's Challenger Series construction-grade tool/storage boxes are, in a word, cool. First, no drilling should be needed; the boxes have J-bolt mounting hardware. Second, they have gas struts. Third, fourth, and fifth: a rubber floormat, extra-beefy diamond-plate construction, and a foam-injected lid for sound deadening. We also really dug the stationary and removable tool trays and the ability to open the boxes from either side of the truck (they lock on the driver's side). Styles include the Single Lid Crossover (pictured) and the Gull Wing Crossover.
Other Items You Can Add
| SportRailsLund's curved-aluminum SportRails add only two inches to the bed's height and include tie-down anchor points. They mount with foam strips, so they won't destroy the paint. They're available in anodized aluminum.
| Designer Series Bugflector II3M tape or screws are all you need to protect your hood and windshield from bugs and rocks that you'll undoubtedly smack while driving. The Bugflector features a wraparound design that allows you to clean and wax the hood. Numerous finish options include black, carbon fiber, camouflage, and red, as well as paintable clear acrylic.
| Projektoerz Headlight Accents It's hard to say which is quicker--making a cup of coffee or installing Auto Ventshade's Projektoerz on the headlights. They snap into place--no tape or clips necessary--and can be painted to match your truck, whether it has a factory or custom paint job, but they'll arrive in a smoke hue. They're made to mate to projector-beam-style lights.
| Full Tailgate ProtectorWe love a product that does more than just jazz up a vehicle's body, such as the Deflecta-Shield Protector. It's made of heavy-gauge, diamond-plate aluminum and attaches with stainless-steel fasteners. You may be able to get glossy-black powdercoat for your application.
