2006 Ford F-150 FX4: Project Two-Tone

FX4 has been transformed from an average truck to a super-clean custom pickup ready to tackle just about anything – including zombies!

While some Ford F-150 fans prefer a project that includes taking an old-school pickup, stripping it down to the bare frame and rebuilding it from the ground up, far more truck owners start projects to customize their daily driver so that it better suits their needs or tastes. Sure, we would all like to transform a rotted-out F-150 from the 70s into a wicked race truck or off-road beast, but few truck lovers will ever do that. On the other hand, many truck owners will make changes to the pickup that they drive every day and our newest featured build project fits into that latter group.

Project Two Tone is a 2006 Ford F-150 FX4 owned by F-150 Online forum member LDC2335 and in his build thread, he detailed the changes that he has made to his pickup. As you can see below, he has tackled many of the most common upgrades for a modern truck, both inside and out.

Exterior Upgrades

It seems that the most common area of exterior upgrades for a pickup truck is lighting, and LDC2335 has added a tremendous amount of illumination to the front and rear of his 2006 Ford F-150.

Up front, he has added projection headlight assemblies with 5k HIDs, retrofitted fog lights from a Ford Fusion with 5k HIDs and a set of large off-road lights on the bull bar.

Out back, this F-150 features a five-function LED tailgate light bar and a set of super-bright LED reverse lights near the hitch assembly. For the majority of these lighting upgrades, he added unique controls, so that he can run the fog lights with the high beams and turn all of the lights on or off independently of the factory light switches. He also added super-bright LEDs in every other factory lighting outlet, such as the taillights, the corner markers and the license plate lights.

Next, while this 2006 F-150 looks very clear in the pictures here, the OP had to do quite a bit of paint work to get to this point. He repainted all four doors, the door handles, the mirror covers and the fender flares, along with adding the aforementioned bull bar, a new upper and lower grille, vent visors on the doors and 20% tint all around.

Finally, LDC2335 added a swivel-out bed divider and Line-X bedliner to his 2006 F-150.

Performance Upgrades

Once LDC2335 had the exterior of his 2006 Ford F-150 FX4 looking great, he turned to the performance of the truck.

This 2006 Ford F-150 rides on a set of 20-inch Dick Cepek wheels wrapped in 34-inch BFG KO2 tires. To make room for that rubber, the OP added Rancho 9-way adjustable Quick-lift loaded struts and shocks, and while upgrading the suspension, he added Prothane sway bar bushings.

To help give the 2006 F-150 a bit more power and tons more sound, the OP added a K&N filter on a modified intake, a MagnaFlow cat-back exhaust system and an Edge Gryphon tuner while a set of drilled and slotted rotors under PowerStop Z23 ceramic brake pads help this F-150 slow down as well as it accelerates.

Interior Upgrades

LDC2335 hasn’t upgraded the interior of his 2006 F-150 as much as the outside, but he has improved the sound system and the overall look of the cabin.

After adding new factory floor mats and LED dome lights, the sound system was heavily upgraded over stock with a Pioneer NEX 4100 head units, an Alpine five-channel amp, JBL 6x8s in the front and rear and an 8-inch Kicker sub.

Finally, for a little extra security, the OP added a Crimestopper two-way remote start system.

Again, this isn’t as elaborate as some projects, but this is the kind of steady build that many of us perform on our own trucks. This build thread shows how a selection of fairly simple, common modifications can turn a run-of-the-mill 2006 F-150 into a great-looking custom truck.

Join the F-150 Online forums now — FREE!

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

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