2008 Ford F-150 Regular Cab, Long Bed Off-Road Build

You don’t see many regular cab, long bed builds, but this 2008 F-150 looks and performs better than stock with simple, common upgrades.

The Ford F-Series has been the bestselling vehicle in America for nearly 40 years and with the most popular F-Series model being the F-150, the Motor Company’s half-ton pickup is one of the most common vehicles in the United States. That means that there are a whole lot of trucks on the road that look alike, but this build project thread shared in the 2004-2008 section by “rzalpine34” illustrates how common modifications transform the look and performance of the truck.

The Introduction

When rzapline34 first introduced us to his 2008 Ford F-150, he explained that it was stock, with the exception of the toolbox in the bed. He also included this single, grainy picture of the truck in its unaltered form.

As you can see, this 2008 F-150 has the regular cab and long bed configuration in XL trim, with four-wheel-drive and the 4.6L V8.

Modified Ride

The first changes made to this 2008 F-150 improved the appearance and performance of this half-ton Ford truck. The OP added a Rough Country 2.5″ leveling kit and a set of American Racing ATX wheels wrapped in 295/70R17 Nitto Trail Grappler tires.

These changes gave the truck a much more aggressive look, but later on in the project, he would also add a six-inch lift kit, raising the whole truck much higher into the air.

Performance Modifications

Over the course of this project, the OP upgraded the output of the 4.6L V8 in his 2008 F-150 by adding a cold air intake package, a custom exhaust system with Flowmaster mufflers and a PHP Gryphon tuning device. There is no mention of power gains, but the free-flowing exhaust, the cold air intake and the tuning package should definitely wake up this 4.6L V8.

This all comes in addition to the suspension and tire upgrades, while a Mag-Hytec rear differential cover dressed up the undercarriage a bit, while also making it easier to install a differential temperature gauge.

Lighting Upgrades

Finally, in addition to making this 2008 F-150 more powerful and more capable, the OP added brighter lights and new component fog lights across the front. In addition to the 8k HID headlight bulbs (and later 6K HIDs), the OP added a low profile bumper-mounted light bar with a set of PIAA off-road lights.

We have included a collection of images shared by rzalpline34 in his thread in the gallery below, but for a closer look at this entire upfitting process, details on the upgrades and many more pictures, check out the thread in the forum.

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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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