I've got to go with the stainless living up here in the snow belt. Both the chrome and the black start to pit and rust after 2 or 3 winters up here. Ditto on the fogs. Even the cheapies with the aluminum cast housings corrode after a couple of years. I plan to keep this truck for quite a few years, so I'm gonna buy the stuff once and only once, so it's stainless all the way!


Mudder, where did you find the stainless for $135?!?! Point me there, ASAP, please!

 

Oh, and another question for you, mudder... the winch mount you have (I know we had a discussion about this before, but I'm just too lazy to search. :-) ) the semi-hidden Warn, right? Will that mount work with any other brands of winch, or just the Warn? I was thinking about the MileMarker, but I'm not sure yet. It'll be a while to save up the funds either way, but I'm looking at either a warn mounted to the winch plate on the guard, or a milemarker either hidden up underneath, or on the quick-change mount for both front and rear. Any thoughts?

-Joe-


------------------
98 Explorer (Lemon Law Case in Progress)

'00 F-150, X-cab, 4x4, Lariat, Off-road, Trailer Tow, Holandia Sunroof, built 11/99 picked up 10/00!
List of planned mods: Clear corners and tails, CB wiring, Stainless brush guard, at least 1 set of KCs (probably more!), custom radar detector mount, color matched trailer hitch with stainless steel ball, torsion bar tweak, bug deflector, spray in liner, and a tonneau of some sort...

 

I payed $340 for my black Manik at a local offroad shop. I think that's about the going rate now.

------------------
2000 F-150 XLT Supercab 4x4 ORP styleside, 5.4L, 3.55LS, Towing, 17" wheels and 265 tires.
Mods:
K&N Filtercharger, JVC 50W x4 cd player w/remote, Manik brush guard, 2KC daylighters 150watt, Retrax bed cover, Procomp 33 12.5 x17 All Terrains
On order:
K&N catback,
Future mods:
Herculiner, Tighten torsion bar 1" and add a leaf rear.

 

I have the Ramsey hidden kit. The only hidden winch kits that I know of are for Ramsey, Warn, and Superwinch. I have never seen a Mile Marker kit, just the ones that sit out on the grill guard. I hear Mile Marker is a pretty tough winch, since it's hydrolic and not an electric. The mounting kit only works with the brand, I don't think a Ramsey winch would work with a Warn plate, well IMO I don't think it would work. About the lights, I think that price was on KC's site?? Not sure, I know a local off-road shop is sellin them for $120.

 

I just ordered a set of daylighters from my (not-so-local) local shop for $140. The KC site said about $175, plus shipping on top of that. Also, when I was in the shop, they quoted me $750 for the Manik (some of the shops wanted $895!!), but when I mentioned in my e-mail to them I was interested in ordering it, they quoted me $700. Closest I found on the net was the one Jupiterak mentioned, but I'm still looking at $70 on top of that for shipping! I plan to put it on myself, so that shouldn't be a problem. I think I'm going to pick up some stainless bolts for the headlight wires... On the two I've seen around here, those were the only rust spots on the whole thing, and it looked sharp. I'll leave the mounting bolts the way they are for strength purposes, though. They're out of the way, so even if they do start to rust, it's no big deal.

As for the winch, thanks, Mudder. I think if I get one, it'll be a mileMarker.... From every test I've read, they're unstoppable. I also believe I can get the front mount reciever and cradle to work with the brush guard too. Then, aI have the versatility of moving the winch around to the back to pull myself out that way if I need to, or I can drop a trailer hitch into the front to park the boat. If it won't work with the guard, I guess I could always get their hidden winch mount (turns out they DO make one for that truck), and as a last resort, I could still get the winch mount for the Manik and mount it out there, but then I'm limited to 9000 lbs. Of course, in theory, I could hang the truck from that, but I don't really want to try!

Thanks for the help, guys. I'll try and post some pics this weekend if I get the time to put it on. (Friggin' exams again! or is it still???)

-Joe-


------------------
98 Explorer (Lemon Law Case in Progress)

'00 F-150, X-cab, 4x4, Lariat, Off-road, Trailer Tow, Holandia Sunroof, built 11/99 picked up 10/00!
List of planned mods: Clear corners and tails, CB wiring, Stainless brush guard, at least 1 set of KCs (probably more!), custom radar detector mount, color matched trailer hitch with stainless steel ball, torsion bar tweak, bug deflector, spray in liner, and a tonneau of some sort...

 

GIJoeCam,

Here's a heads up. If you gonna buy more KC's. Then I should tell you to get them from Carparts.com and use the 33% off coupon #1963005. The stainless ones would only cost you $86.50 and shipping.

------------------
1999 F250 LD S/C XLT 4x4
5.4L, 3.73, 4R100 trans.
Flowmaster 40 "DF" series, K&N, Superchip, WMS Velocity Tube, Rancho RSX shocks, Hellwig rear swaybar, Stull billet grille, 2-PIAA Pro80XT's (120W), 2-KC Daylighters (150W), Clear Side Lens Mod w/ 9006 (55W bulbs). 265/70 R17 BFG AT KO's on 17x8 American Racing Atlas rims
Kenwood 7007 CD, Alpine 3342 Signal Processor, Alpine MRV-F353 5Ch. Amp, Pioneer TS-A6865 3-way speakers, MTX Thunderforms. CompuStar alarm/autostart. On the way: Performance Accessories 3" body lift, 33/12.5/17 ProComps, GSP grille guard and more KC's

 

Darn it! Figures.... They just called and said they're in too... I think I might just have to order another set, though... I'm going to mount the guard Friday, and mount the lights, but the wiring will have to wait until next weekend, I think... I need to mount a custom fuse block and relay block under the hood first, as well as run the wiring for 6 switches through the firewall to the overhead console. I'll post some pix of the block if I can (if I ever get a chance to make one here at work! :-)) -Joe-


------------------
98 Explorer (Lemon Law Case in Progress)

'00 F-150, X-cab, 4x4, Lariat, Off-road, Trailer Tow, Holandia Sunroof, built 11/99 picked up 10/00!
List of planned mods: Clear corners and tails, CB wiring, Stainless brush guard, at least 1 set of KCs (probably more!), custom radar detector mount, color matched trailer hitch with stainless steel ball, torsion bar tweak, bug deflector, spray in liner, and a tonneau of some sort...

 

6 switches??? How many lights are you gonna run?

 

One for now... Here's the six switches....
1) Radar Detector
2) CB
3) Lumi-Logos
4) Lights 1
5) Lights 2
6) Lights 3

The way it'll be set up is such that I can pull the radar detector off if I need to power some more lights, or another more important accessory. The first set of lights are going on tomorrow afternoon (though no wiring yet) and a set of back-ups might not be too far off, so that's 2 right there. 2-more, and I have to pull the switch off the radar detector. I really only forsee needing 5, but 5 is an odd number, and throw in one just in case, makes 6. The switches will all have 2 power sources, some switched, some hot, etc... and will indicate dual-color LEDs depending on which power source is being utilized. It's kind of an elaborate setup, but it'll look sweet and work exactly like I want it to. Definately a 2 week job getting the wiring in, switches mounted, LEDs in, correct resistors, etc.

-Joe-

 

Sounds cool. Post pics when done.

------------------
2000 Ford F-150 Extended Cab Flare Side 4x4 Lariat
5.4L;auto;3.55LS;Black/Silver;Off-Road;remote keyless entry;floor shift 4wd;Class III

Installed accessories so far:
Lund X-Terminator bug shield; Vent Shade Vent Visors; GTS headlight blackouts; Westin Black nerf bars; Pendaliner bedliner
Pending
Genuine Steel Products (Longtek Engineering) black Grille/Brush Guard; Crank torsion bars to level truck; Trail Blazer II Slotted taillight covers; Clear corner lenses
Wish list:
Roll bar; Lots of lights; Flowmaster 40 or 50 Series single to dual exhaust; Aluminum dash kit; White gauges; Optima red top battery; Hidden winch; Custom backup lights; Kenwood TV/CD/AM/FM/DVD system; Viper alarm w/ remote start; Rancho RS9000s; PIAA front air dam; Super charger; Lightning emblems (after super charger); Custom tonneu cover to fit around roll bar; Custom backup lights; A 18' - 25' boat to tag along behind



Please visit My Web Site (Just Updated)
or e-mail me lariat4wd@yahoo.com

[This message has been edited by lariat4wd (edited 11-17-2000).]

 

Most winches have a mounting pattern or a certain space between the bolt holes I know that Warn and Ramsey are different. One of the others may interchange.

------------------
99XLT SC 4x4Offroad Pkg. Dark Toreador Red. Lund Bed Cover, Westin Nerf Bars More to come....

 

Got it on!! Looks Smoooooth...... Forgot to mount the lights first, though, and I think the clearance over the bumper is too tight to get a socket in there, so the lights may need to wait a bit... Did your Maniks mount on the inside or the outside of the supplied brackets?? Mine wouldn't even come close to mounting on the outside... there's a gusset where the bumper mount is welded to the frame that goes almost all the way down the side of the frame, and the bracket seems to be bending around it... do I have an odd-ball guard or frame? Just didn't seem right, but I got the guard to mount inside the brackets... (i.e. between the mounting brackets and the tow hooks) It seems OK, but I was trying to figure out how tight to make the bracket bolts?? Seems like it doesn't take much to get the frame to distort even with the reinforcing plates mounted up and down... they just never seemed to get tight... did I do something wrong?? I'm gonna take a closer look in the morning in the daylight and see if I can see anything odd.... I'll try and convince my dad to let me borrow his digital cam for a bit too...
Let me know about those brackets. (and yes, they are on the correct sides of the truck!)

-Joe-

 

One more question... how close to the hood does your sit? Mine is only a couple of inches away, if that.... I think if I put a bug deflector on it, it might actually be too close to open the hood?! I've got the mounting brackets angled down as far as they will go, and the guard pulled all the way forward in the slotted holes on the side.... does it seem right? I'll try and post some pix later today or romorrow....
-Joe-


------------------
98 Explorer (Lemon Law Case in Progress)

'00 F-150, X-cab, 4x4, Lariat, Off-road, Trailer Tow, Holandia Sunroof, built 11/99 picked up 10/00!
List of planned mods: Clear corners and tails, CB wiring, Stainless brush guard, at least 1 set of KCs (probably more!), custom radar detector mount, color matched trailer hitch with stainless steel ball, torsion bar tweak, bug deflector, spray in liner, and a tonneau of some sort...

 

I figgered it out... the brackets have stand-offs welded to them that hold them away from the bumper bracket. However, I discovered a flaw in the materials... I've got a pinky-nail sized dent in the guard! Couldn't have happened on installation, since that piece was wrapped with bubble wrap until after it was on, plus there's no deformation of the metal, or scratching or gouging of the surface. It looks more like a material flaw than manufaturing or shipping damage. I called the palce that sold it to me, and they told me they need the original packaging to ship it back... Garbage day was Monday! So I called Manik, and they told me they would take care of it and get back to me. Now, I have a defective grille guard I have to take back off and ship back, only for them to send me a new one!! What a pain in the rear! I love the way it looks, but I'm not at all happy with the shop's dealing with this... they are basically washing their hands of the issue by pawning me off on the manufacturer... definately the last purchase I'll make from them. Any reputable shop would tell me to bring it in and let them have a look at it, and if they though it was in fact a factory defect, order a new one, and use the new box to ship the bad one back in! That's how you run a business and keep the customer happy! If they really wanted to win brownie points, they'd let me use their back room to take the old one off and re-mount the new one! (I have to drive out there with it on since my bed's not big enough for it!) I didn't hear back from Manik today, so we'll see what happens Monday.

Happy Turkey Day everyone!
-Joe-

 

Do you have any pics handy of your work?