It's been quiet on this build lately. Nothing to report since late September. However I did perform the Bambi mode for the lighting. I did pick up a set of Lariat rims for the truck. It did require a visit to the dealer due toeh sensors not wanting to cooperate with computer. They perform a relearn procedure and go to good. I should get some pictures of the rims on the truck. They are nice and work. Maybe some new rubber sometime next year once the bills are paid down.

 

 

A quick picture of the rim upgrade on the truck. Thinking about tires now. Maybe Nitto Ridge Grapplers in the future? Who knows...

 

 

Nitto Ridge Grapplers made it on the truck this morning. Look great and feel great. Need to work on the front light bar but it's raining.

 

Hello,

Quick update. The truck got a replacement steering wheel. I ordered the leather wrapped upgraded model for the truck. Ford Part #DC3Z-3600-CA

I got home the box was sitting at the door. I said what the heck let's do this. Discharged the electrical system off the the negative side of the battery. Since I had some stuff to do, I did that while the system discharged. Got outside in this lovely 20 degree weather. Got the air bag out without incident and the wheel off in about 10 minutes. I found trying to install the airbag was the biggest headache. For whatever reason the clip for mounting the airbag on the right side didn't want to clip in. It took some love and care to get it to lock in. However I became a pro removing the airbag as I removed it several times due to the fitting concerns. Once installed, I reconnected the battery and tested everything out. Horn works. Buttons work. Replaced the right side steering wheel controls as it was different enough. No real problem as it was a quick switch and go. Reprogrammed the time and date on the radio. Took it for a test drive. Since it was dark, I didn't clip the steering wheel covers back together properly. I found the one side behind the wheel was popped out a bit. It made a dragging noise. However, it was a quick fix. It took about 50 minutes from start to finish. If I knew the exact socket and tool sizes it would have been much less. Most of the time was trying to get he airbag to clip into place.

Tools
7/32 inch socket 1/4 drive for the 3 bolts under the column for the cover removal Strangely enough it was not a metric head on this bolt. It could have been a 5.5 MM though.
8MM socket or wrench for the removal of the negative terminal.
1/4 X 4 flat blade screw driver. Works perfectly for popping the clips of the airbag
Small flat blade for the air bag retention clip.
T50 3/8inch drive Torx socket. Steering wheel removal and replacement.
Blue loctite for the steering wheel screw


Here is a lovely picture of the new addition to the truck.




Another small piece to the project known as the truck. Biggest headache was the airbag installation. The CFO asking about the cost of the project was a close second. I informed the CFO that it was surplus money from stuff I sold on line. I also mentioned it would make the truck feel a more comfortable for the long drives with the trailer. The subject matter was dropped. LOL

 

Looks good. I didn't realize it was that easy to swap them out. I need to do this to mine. Put the lariat HVAC controls in there and you will be halfway to becoming an actual lariat truck.

 

I think you have to change the whole dash plate out for the Lariat control package. It's more than what the 11,12 and I think 13 owners could do. You can pick up those control panels on E bay for around $150. If I was going that route, I would love to do a full conversion. From what I read, it's more tricky to get everything working correctly which sucks. It's time but more money to make it all work with the dual controls and the like.

 

Hmmm, I read a thread on here where they said as long as you got the correct one, all the functions worked except for the dual zone climate control. The module works as single zone climate control. I am looking for one right now, but my only hold up is finding one without heated seats. It would work with one with heated seats, but I don't have heated seats so I don't want the buttons. Everything that i have looked at including the plugs behind it looks like it is plug and play. Simply remove the old unit, and install the new one. I do know for a fact that the climate control model has the same plugs as the manual model that you and I have. I would need the module that has rear defrost, mirror heat (which I think works on the same button as the rear defrost), without heated seats.

I actually found the exact module on ebay a few days ago, but did not save it since this mod isn't at the top of the list. Although, if I came across one cheap I would ****** it up.

 

Are you talking about the MY 11 and 12 dual controller? The one that replaces the current control set with a digital display? I was talking about the 13-16 set up. Since that would be more "authentic" to the truck If you are talking about the direct replacement of the manual controller with the controller, that's pretty simple to perform. I did see a few parts coming out of a King Ranch truck. The interior was pretty much OK besides the front air bags going off. All I said was "if I had the space to rip out my interior..." went through my mind. I would have been talking to the seller. I think it was in Ohio or something where the person was. However, I would have had to it on the cheaper side to make it work since it would have been a ton of labor to pull out and put back in. AKA a weekend project.

 

I thought all of them 2011-2016 had the same heating control setup (manual and automatic were interchangeable as far as fitment goes) unless they had the MyFordTouch screen. A lariat climate controller out of a lariat truck without the big screen will fit into your truck without modification. Was a change made after 2013 to non FordTouch climate controller?

 

I looked at the 11-12 MY Dual climate control module. I see what you mean. What through me off was they were showing for MY 11 and MY 12 nothing else. 13 and higher got the whole dash replacement. So I don't know. I might have to look at getting one of those controls to make it look different in the dash. I did find a few postings about how to go about making most of the features work. Toverman had a nice write up on it but he no longer has the truck nor the truck that seemed to replace it.

 

My truck and you truck have the same dash as the 11-12 models. The lariat trim and above were the only ones that got the new dash in 13.

 

I know what you mean. However, I kind of want to wait and let things settle a bit. If I can move a few items on line and build up my "spending" fund then I might get the module. However, just want to recover a bit before going another round. The steering wheel was from some on line selling of computer parts. I was able to basically pay for the wheel without my wife noticing until the box was on the front porch The tires were something I had to convince her on. However, I had some spending cash saved up so I splurged. Plus I was able to offer some of the cost from selling my old set of wheels and the set of tires that came off the truck. The truck is pretty much where I like it right now. I will wait and see what happens next.

 

I hear ya on that! If you jump the gun before me on the climate controls, let me know, and I will do the same.