Loaded ’n Lifted F-150 EcoBoost Looks Great & Goes Like Hell!
Six-inch lift, 35-inch wheels n’ tires, and color-matched Blue Jeans Metallic bumpers provide a killer stance for this lifted F-150.
AmericanTrucks recently featured a fun loaded & lifted F-150 EcoBoost in its Customer Built YouTube series (full video below). The 2015 Blue Jeans Metallic 2.7 EcoBoost F-150 is an ongoing project and owner Trey from Pennsylvania is still not quite finished. But the transformation, thus far, looks the part.
Trey’s ongoing development has centered around the truck’s look, as well as chassis work and a little tuning too. Its true-blue look however sets his EcoBoost apart. Trey has avoided gnarly hang-ons and rather concentrated on the essentials. The result is an F-150 with an amazing stance.
First off, the lift kit and wheels. “Lift is one of the best upgrades you can do to a truck,” Trey explains. “With a wheel and tire upgrade, it completely transforms it, whether it’s stock or not. I started with a 2½” lift but that’s long gone. Now — I’ve gone big with a six-inch superlift. The Bilstein kit is a little rougher than stock on the road, but it really is good for a six-inch rise.”
Trey has also spent time getting his wheel and tire right. “I had 33-inch wheels, but they were tiny on that thing! So I went up to these 35-inch Triton wheels with negative 44 offset and a decent amount of poke too. That really looks cool, but maybe it’s still not quite there. I want to go to 37s. The Ridge Grabber tires are also great — they ride well, whether that’s on a long drive to Delaware or on the beach.”
Quizzed on his F-150’s lack of fender flares and side steps, Trey admits that he prefers the truck clean like it is. “I thought flares would just not look right. I’ve had the police ask about that, but it never went anywhere.” The missing side steps are another aspect he is still grappling with. “I’ve tried three different steps, but I did not like any of them. Maybe I’ll try a set of lock ’n pops next — best of both worlds.”
Unfinished Business
Trey’s understated F-150 EcoBoost simple build theme stretches to a tasteful choice of bumper components, all carefully color-matched in Blue Jeans Metallic. “The bumpers are a combination of Barricade and Raptor front and tubular rear. The color coding made a huge difference from the chrome I had before.”
“It just did not look right, so I went and bought the bumpers. I was still not convinced, so they sat in my garage for two weeks. Then I thought they’d look so much better if I color-matched them. I’m still gonna do the wing, mirrors and door and tailgate handles as I go. I’ll probably get tow mirrors too, because they’ll also really look good in blue.”
Asked about his truck’s imposing grille, Trey admitted, “I went for the T-Rex grille with the really bright two-inch, I think they are, light bars, rather than the Raptor set-up. The lights are really bright, but I am wary they can probably blind someone, but they look great!” Trey’s Kenzo LED headlamps are also trick. “They have projector beams and their outline changes to amber with the turn signal.”
Moving to the back of his F-150, Trey is a fan of his TruXport roll-up load bay cover. “There’s no dust and it folds right up so you don’t waste a third of the bay when it’s open like in a tri-fold. And you also still have full rear-view when it’s open”. The Red Rock bumper worked a treat too. “It went straight on — no need to modify the hitch or anything. I tow my dad’s 26-foot boat and even with the six-inch drop, it pulls very well.”
Lifted F-150 Lights Up Those 35s
That towing ability also has to do with what’s gone down under that blue hood. “I have a 3-way SCT tuner on it with Performance, Economy, and Towing modes. “I also added a cool air intake and a Turbosmart blow-off valve. It sounds awesome inside the truck and out. Sometimes that’s more than enough!”
I don’t know the difference in horsepower, but it’s huge between stock and that. “It spins those 35s, which is something for a two-seven and it throws you back in your seat, that’s for sure!” Trey has left the exhaust stock, but he still has plans for that too. “The sound of a V6 isn’t all that great — I actually don’t think I’ve seen an EcoBoost with an exhaust on it. “But I will go a bit louder.”
Asked if his truck has a name, Trey chuckled, “No, I do not! I’ve thought about it, but I have not come up with something yet.”
Name or no name, Trey’s blue labor of love may yet be some way off its endpoint, but it’s already looking — and going quite the part. Watch the video below and visit www.americantrucks.com for your F-150 modes and more cool custom truck-builds.
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