Special FX

Fitting 37-inch tires under an F-150 ain't gonna happen without a healthy suspension lift. This is why the Contrerases installed a California Super Trucks (CST) 8-inch lift. The CST kit includes a strong one-piece subframe with built-in differential skidplate; new upper control arms with spherical bearings that are much stronger than the OEM ball joints found in the stock upper control arms; hand-fabricated steel knuckles to replace the aluminum OEM units; and a steering drop mount that CST says keeps steering angles in factory specifications throughout the entire suspension cycle. They also installed the optional CST front skidplate. Normally, the CST kit reuses the OEM coil-on-shock setup, but the Contrerases opted for beefier 10-inch-travel RaceRunner 2.5-inch remote-reservoir coilover shocks. These shocks have a 7/8-inch hard-chromed shaft, electroless nickel-plated cylinder, and a 3-inch inner-diameter coil spring. They're also rebuildable and revalvable. A custom lower mount was fabbed for the coilovers to allow them to fit the F-150.

Tough 17x10 Walker Evans aluminum bead-lock wheels not only stand up to the rigors of hard trail use, but they also ensure that the beads of the aggressive 37x12.50R17 BFGoodrich Baja TA tires stay adhered to the wheels no matter how brutal the trail. The F-150's braking was also addressed with a Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation upgrade. The front 13-inch rotors and the rear 13.7-inch rotors are slotted, and more powerful and lighter three-piston aluminum calipers reside at all four corners, replacing the stock iron two-piston front calipers and the iron single-piston rear calipers. Corvette pads further improve braking performance.

Underneath all of those hoses and wires is a 5.4L V-8 engine. From the factory, it's rated at 300 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque, so it's no slouch. The Contrerases perked up its output a bit with a polished stainless steel MagnaFlow 3-inch-diameter after-cat exhaust system. They also chucked the OEM battery for a deep-cycle Optima Yellow Top battery.