"True North" Build

[CO2Ranger]

This thread seems to be gaining traction……

My god man, stop with the teasing!

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[DukeCanBuildit]

Keep your sights on this build thread…

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Sometimes, I totally feel like a fifth wheel…

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Phase Three - okay, no more teasing. It’s time to add a bit of performance to this work truck and add a bit more utility. I’ve been dropping hints for a few weeks now about True North’s latest upgrades and found some time this afternoon to take care of a few things.

Roush Cold Air Intake

Who doesn’t want cleaner air in their turbo-charged truck? This unit required a bit more assembly than I expected but it’s a fairly easy bolt-on that adds cool air and a whole bunch of cool factor at the same time.

aFe Power Magnum Air Scoop

Why not maximize the amount of air getting into that Roush intake with a one-piece big mouth air scoop? This performance product is easier to install than a console divider tray.

That’s a great combo, right there.

That takes care of some additional performance up top, now let’s get some off-road performance down below.

Fox Performance 2.0 Struts & Shocks

Rear shocks went in - piece of cake - there was a rain delay so the fronts had to wait until it was dry. I have to push the nose of the truck out of my narrow garage so I can work on both sides but that’s a relatively quick install when you’ve done it before. Anyway, that should be a great improvement over non-FX4 factory suspension.

Rain’s gone, struts are in.

Matching Spare

There’s nothing worse than a cheap factory spare. Sure, a matching spare is an expensive add-on but my Ranger’s worth it. Hats off to the guys at Factory Tire in Rexdale. I‘ll be rotating it in every oil change.

Plano All Weather Tactical Gun Cases

I wanted a better solution for hauling recovery gear and some basic tools. I was tired of lugging two totes in the back of the truck and having to secure them so they wouldn’t slide around. A couple of 42” gun cases mounted using the t-slots in my Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform provide plenty of room for straps, shackles, snatch block, etc. in one, with a breaker bar, torque wrench, sockets, etc. in the other.

Traction Boards

With the recovery gear on the roof, I might as well get some traction boards up there too. The t-slots in my roof platform are great for securing so much stuff. I love it!

Well, that’s it for Phase Three. It’s been a busy afternoon - True North is happy with the new goodies, I’m tired, and it’s Happy Hour. Time for a cold one. Here’s a long shot to get an idea of the overall look…

A little re-positioning and here’s the current look….

 

[dondonbabyraptor]

Phase Three - okay, no more teasing. It’s time to add a bit of performance to this work truck and add a bit more utility. I’ve been dropping hints for a few weeks now about True North’s latest upgrades and found some time this afternoon to take care of a few things.

Roush Cold Air Intake

Who doesn’t want colder, cleaner air in their turbo-charged truck. This is a fairly easy bolt-on that does just that and adds a whole bunch of cool factor at the same time.

aFe Power Magnum Air Scoop

Why not maximize the amount of air getting into that Roush intake with a one-piece big mouth air scoop. Easier to install than a console divider tray.

That’s a great combo, right there.

That takes care of some added performance up top, now let’s get some off-road performance down below.

Fox Performance 2.0 Struts & Shocks

Rear shocks went in - piece of cake - there’s a rain delay so the fronts will have to wait until it’s dry. I have to push the nose of the truck out of the garage so I can work on both sides but that’s a relatively quick install when you’ve done it before. Anyway, that should be a great improvement over non-FX4 factory suspension.

Matching Spare

There’s nothing worse than a cheap factory spare. Sure, it’s an expensive add-on but my Ranger’s worth it. Hats off to the guys at Factory Tire in Rexdale.

View attachment 103218

Plano All Weather Tactical Gun Cases

I wanted a better solution for hauling my recovery gear and some basic tools. I was tired of lugging two totes in the back of the truck and having to secure them so they wouldn’t slide around. A couple of 42” gun cases mounted to the Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform provide plenty of room for straps, shackles, etc.

Traction Boards

With the recovery gear on the roof, I might as well get some traction boards up there too. The t-slots in my roof platform are great for securing so much. Love it.

Well, that’s it for Phase Three. It’s been a busy afternoon - True North is happy with the new goodies, I’m tired, and it’s Happy Hour. Time four a cold one. Here’s a long shot to get an idea of the overall look…

View attachment 103232

View attachment 103233

View attachment 103217

I love the Roush CAI and red scoop combo. Matches well. The roof rack and cases ?

Something to keep in mind… stage3 videos and the fox manual says to put that fatter side down. However, stage3 on their personal vehicles prefers to do the other way as their belief it is harder to mess up straight solid piece of metal than an aluminum hollow thing that could puncture and affect shocks. I also did it your way, eventually I want to do it the other way though. Seems logical. Stage 3 didn’t want to argue in comments against manual so they followed it.

Although, buying shock boots or fox roost guard would be ideal. Plus, you can get cool red shock boots that match your engine bay although, it really doesn’t matter as it’s mono tube design. But I sure heard a lot of dings from flicked up rocks underneath when I was going 20-25 mph on washboards. Not sure if exhaust, shocks or both.

 

[9zero1790]

very sharp truck! I am jealous of the roof setup.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

very sharp truck! I am jealous of the roof setup.

Thanks very much Mark - I appreciate the comments.

The tactical rifle cases are super handy and the Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform is so versatile. Because it has a ton of t-slots, I can easily configure the layout depending on my needs. I can quickly switch it up to mount my spare, a shovel, hi-lift Jack, and a single rifle case or the traction boards up there. I’m really happy with it.

 

[D Fresh]

Looking good Duke!

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Looking good Duke!

Thanks Doug - I think I’m good for a while - well, at least until spring. ?

 

[Mostly Harmless]

Beautiful build, really impressed by all the work you put into it. Thanks for all the pictures.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Beautiful build, really impressed by all the work you put into it. Thanks for all the pictures.

Thanks very much - it‘s been a labour of love!

 

[AzScorpion]

I've seen your build page in your sig and always got sidetracked onto something else so apologies for not commenting sooner. True North has come a long way and it looks fantastic brother! You have a lot of talent and patience but that comes natural with your line of work. I remember you showing me the pictures when you restored your front fence & rails and the attention to detail you put into it was amazing. Never mind the patience to do all of those! It all shows in your build...great job and great looking Ranger!

Now you know you just need one more inexpensive little mod to put the icing on the cake right?

 

[D Fresh]

Thanks Doug - I think I’m good for a while - we’ll, at least until spring. ?

Yep, we've all said that before.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

I've seen your build page in your sig and always got sidetracked onto something else so apologies for not commenting sooner. True North has come a long way and it looks fantastic brother! You have a lot of talent and patience but that comes natural with your line of work. I remember you showing me the pictures when you restored your front fence & rails and the attention to detail you put into it was amazing. Never mind the patience to do all of those! It all shows in your build...great job and great looking Ranger!

Now you know you just need one more inexpensive little mod to put the icing on the cake right?

Thanks very much Dave. I appreciate the kind words - working on True North is way more fun than grinding, priming and painting hundreds of wrought iron balusters.

I’ll make you a deal. When things get back to normal and if I’m able to make the 33-hour trip down there, I’ll pick one up and give you the pleasure of installing it in person. It’ll cost you one Graphene tutorial, then dinner and beer’s are on me at your favourite Mexican restaurant in Avondale.

Let’s hope it’s sooner rather than later. ?

 

[AzScorpion]

Thanks very much Dave. I appreciate the kind words - working on True North is way more fun than grinding, priming and painting hundreds of wrought iron balusters.

I’ll make you a deal. When things get back to normal and if I’m able to make the 33-hour trip down there, I’ll pick one up and give you the pleasure of installing it in person. It’ll cost you one Graphene tutorial, then dinner and beer’s are on me at your favourite Mexican restaurant in Avondale.

Let’s hope it’s sooner rather than later. ?

Oh don't you tease me like that! I'll sweeten the deal and even detail your truck.

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