2021 Ford Ranger FX4 TRS-3 Project Build

[Jim Oaks]

UGH!! I should have saved a post position after my last one so I could continue.

Modifying The Air Box

You have to remove some of the ribbed areas on the air box and cut out a section for the snorkel to attach to.

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I trimmed them off with a hacksaw blade and sanded the area smooth.

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The snorkel kit comes with paper templates that you lay over the air box and trace, so you know where to cut.

ARB gave these templates part numbers but refer to them in the instructions by an item number. So, you have to look at the parts list to figure out what part number is Item 29. I simplified this by writing the item number on the templates. I also realized that two of them were mislabeled.

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So, I put masking tape on the air box so I could trace the templates with a permanent marker.

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I hate that there's a bunch of little templates instead of one or two that wraps around. Not only do you have to trace out the cut lines, but you have to mark the holes for the snorkel to bolt to it.

Look at the tape below. I positioned the snorkel hose to it and found that the holes weren't going to linen up with the holes in the snorkel. So, I used the snorkel for my template for the mounting holes.

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You have to apply Sikaflex 227 to the mounting surface of the snorkel hose before you bolt it on to help seal it.

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In the top middle part of the photo below you'll see a drain hole in the bottom of the factory air box. ARB suggests that seal the drain hole, but for some reason doesn't include anything to seal it with.

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I covered the hole on the bottom of the air box with Gorilla Tape. This tape is strong and holds up well.

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On the inside I filled the hole with Sikaflex 227 to help seal it up.

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ARB includes a rubber plug to fill the opening left by the factory air intake. You have to apply Sikaflex to the plug to help seal it. ARB includes (2) screws to hold the plug in place once you install it.

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Reinstall the air box in the engine bay.

Mounting The Snorkel

With the airbox back in place, the rubber intake will be aligned with the hole you cut in the fender.

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When you mount the plastic part of the snorkel don't forget to tighten the hose clamp on the rubber hose.

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Bolt the snorkel to the fender, and then bolt it to the upper mount that you riveted on to the A-pillar.

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I had to make another mount for the washer fluid hose inside of the fender.

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The hose has a protective coating over part of it, but I put a layer of Gorilla Tape over it to keep it from sliding and to protect it from the mounting bolts that are now sticking through right here. I apparently forgot to take a picture of it.

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I had some of these plastic panel clips that I used to replace the factory ones that I broke when I removed them. I like these a lot more.

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Reinstall the fender liner, and then the fender flare and marker light.

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Might as well install a new air filter as well.

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All done.

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[Jim Oaks]

Adding Rear Tow Hooks

I wanted to add rear tow hooks and had a spare set of Ford tow hooks. I also had some 1-1/2" square tubing.

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The plan is to mount them under this flat part in my hitch that extends from the frame.

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Problem: I thought this 1-1/2" tubing was 1/8" thick. It wasn't. I had some 1-1/2" angle that's 1/8" thick, so I welded it to the tubing to reinforce it.

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I used 1/2" Grade 8 bolts to bolt it to the hitch. The bolt goes through the tow hook mount, through the hole on the thin side of the tubing, through the section with the angle welded to it, and then through the flat plate on the hitch. I keep thinking about this wondering if it will be strong enough and questioning if I should have added angle to the opposite side (I probably should have). Basically, it's a spacer. I don't think it's going to tear or bend. If it does, I'll replace it with thicker tubing. It's not going to get ripped off.

 

[Jim Oaks]

Reinstalling The Bed Rack

I reinstalled the bed rack, but didn't like the way the basket was mounted to it, so I mounted some angle to the rack and secured the basket to ut with small u-bolts.

 

[Jim Oaks]

Adding Power And Lights To The Bed

I mounted lights to the rack and covered the harnesses in a braided wrap.

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I added an LED flood light to the driver and passenger side of the rack. I added a waterproof toggle switch to turn them on and off.

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I add an LED light strip inside of the tool box.

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And a LED light strip to the front of the toolbox.

I also added a USB charging port and a 12-volt outlet to the toolbox. I was going to add it to the inside of the bed, but I didn't want it to be blocked when the bed is loaded.

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I also added LED flood lights to the rear of the rack.

These lights are activated by one of the switches in the switch panel above the center console.

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I added some red LED brake lights to the rear of the basket since it blocks the third brake light on the cab.

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I tapped the brake lights into the wire harness plug for the taillight.

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It's the purple and black wire in the number 2 position.

I covered this with liquid electrical tape after I took this photo.

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I also added blue LED lights for dusty offroad trails. These are trigged with a remote control, and I can make them flash if I want to.

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The power comes from the auxiliary power wire attached to the side of the frame near the rear of the bed. I added inline fuses to isolate what I added from the factory fuse.

I use a relay for the rear flood lights. When I hit the switch in the cab, it sends power to this relay, and the relay uses the power from the auxiliary power wire.

The other relay is for the blue lights, but it's activated by a remote, not a switch.

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Here are the remote-control switches mounted under the bed. They came with adhesive tape, but I wrapped a zip tie around them to make sure they can't fall off.

I added two power jacks to the inside of the bed. The silver one powers everything attached to the bed rack. If I want to take the bed rack off, all I have to do unplug this harness.

The black plug powers the toolbox. If I ever want to remove the toolbox, I can unplug it.

 

[Jim Oaks]

Changing The Shovel Mount

I didn't like the way the Quick Fists and shovel were mounted on the basket.

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I moved the shovel to the other side of the basket. I attached some flat stock to the tubes with some small U-bolts, and then bolted the Quick Fists to them.

 

[Curious Hound]

Coming along nicely.

 

[Ranger850]

every other lug on the inside was wearing much quicker than the rest, with the trailing edge of the lugs having more wear than the fronts.

pretty sure you just gave the definition of "cupping" or "scalloping"

https://www.tirebuyer.com/education/what-is-tire-cupping#:~:text=Tire%20cupping%2C%20also,like%E2%80%9D%20wear%20pattern

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[Jim Oaks]

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I was wanting an overhead LED light near my tailgate that could switch between white light and amber. I couldn't find any to suit my need that I could hardwire. Then I found this LED White / Amber Dome Light on Amazon and got a pair of them for $35.00.

It runs off of batteries, but it's magnetic, switches between white and amber at the switch, and the reviews say that the batteries seem to last a long time. I like that I can reposition it since it's magnetic.

I bought two, but here's just one of them:

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It comes with the mount to strap it onto a roll cage, but I didn't need it since I had a flat surface to stick it to. The magnet holds pretty good. I forget to remove it one day and drove over an hour to Home Depot before I realized I left it stuck up there. I figured it probably fell into the bed and broke, but it was still where I left it.

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[Jim Oaks]

Building A PVC Shower

I wanted to add a shower to my adventure rack.

I built one out of 4-inch PVC pipe, a clean out, a 90-degree elbow, and two end caps.

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In one end cap, I installed a 1/2-inch PVC female pipe adapter. I cemented it into place, and then added a PVC coupling to the back of it to help secure it in place. I trimmed the coupling so that it was only as long as the piece of PVC I put it on. Then I screwed a 1/4-inch spigot into it with a 1/4 turn valve. I sealed it with Rectorseal instead of plumber's tape.

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In the other end cap, I added a 1/2-inch PVC female pipe adapter and inserted a brass 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch threaded adapter, and then added a 1/4-inch 125 PSI pressure relieve valve in it.

I added a bolt on Xtra Seal Tire Valve to the clean out cap so I could pressurize the tank.

I also added a 3/4-inch female threaded PVC adapter to the cap, and then a 3/4-inch garden hose adapter and screwed a cap on it.

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I painted the PVC matte black so it will absorb the heat.

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I picked up a rechargeable bicycle pump from Amazon for $34.00 that allows me to set the desired air pressure.

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Without the air compressor you won't get any water pressure, and you'd have to stand under the spigot and let the water slowly drain out on you. Setting it to 30 PSI will give you good shower pressure.

I added a quick disconnect to make it easier to connect and disconnect a hose.

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I got a 6-foot garden hose and an adjustable spray nozzle.

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You have to use this like an RV shower. Turn it on to get wet. Lather up. Turn it on again to rinse off.

I secured it to the cross section of the bed rack.

There's 87-inches of 4-inch pipe which holds 4.73 gallons (39.49 pounds) of water and probably weighs around 54 pounds when full.

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[Jim Oaks]

Seat Covers For The 2019 Ford Ranger

I was tired of how easily the factory cloth seats stain in my 2021 Ford Ranger.

I looked at Katzkin, but they were like 3-months of my truck payments.

I was going to settle on Seat zcovers Unlimited. They were way more reasonable at around $600.

I had also found seat covers through Coverland for around $280-$300 but they only had the front seats in stock and we're out of the full set.

I found these EKR seat covers on Amazon for $234. They had good reviews and fit my budget, so I decided to give them a chance.

Here's my factory driver's seat:

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Here is the new seat cover. It's leatherette which is a fancy term for 'fake leather'.

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Here's the passenger seat cover right after I installed it. The seat smoothed out within a day.

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[Jim Oaks]

Installing The EKR Seat Covers

I found these EKR seat covers on Amazon for $234.00

Installing the EKR seat covers isn't that difficult. Each cover has a tag on the underside that tells you where it goes.

I started with the front lower seat covers.

You slip it on and tuck it through the back if the seat. The sides tuck in as well. You can see a white zip tie attached to a loop in the photo below. That's so you can push it down between the cushion and the trim, and then grab it from the bottom to pull it through.

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There are straps with buckles and loops that hold the cover in place.

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The biggest obstacle is this yellow plug below. It has a red sliding lock that keeps it secured. You have to slide that red clip back before you can squeeze it and unplug it.

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Once it's unplugged you can remove the black loop above it that secures the factory seat cover.

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Once you have the rear flap on the backrest unclipped you can fold it up and tuck it under the new cover that goes over the backrest (After you remove the headrest). You have to undo this part of the factory seat cover so you can tuck the seat covers through the seat and secure them.

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Here you can see that I'm connecting the loops on the new seat cover under the seat.

In the picture above you're seeing that new cover for the backrest stuck through the seat, and the back part of the seat cover hanging down on the back.

You fold the bottom section up, remove the green strip to expose the Velcro, and attach it to the bottom have that you folded up.

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The back is easier.

Remove the headrests.

I installed the bottom cover first. It slides over the seat and has straps and buckles that secure it.

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It even has openings for the straps that release the seat.

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Then slide the back section on.

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Just like the front, it has a flat that goes under the cushion and connects with the back side with Velcro.

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Again, remove the green strip to expose the Velcro.

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Work your way across the back of the seat and slide the cover down around the headrest mounts and pull the straps for the back release through their opening.

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Then slide the new headrest covers on and secure the Velcro on the bottom.

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The seat cover has a zipper opening that covers the center armrest. You can unzip the opening, pull down the arm rest, and then zip the cover back closed down to the armrest if you want to use it.

So far, I've been pretty happy with the covers. I like the look of the truck a lot better with the new covers on.

I also added Husky Floor Liners. I had a set of these in my F-150 and F-350 and really liked them. My dog Marley travels with me and having the seat covers and floor liners will make it a lot easier to vacuum up the dog hair and keep the truck clean.

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[Robertmangrum.rm]

Are they vinyl or ultra leather or something like that? Hate how I stick to the wife's leather seats in the summer. I've been looking at the Carhart covers. I need something. I've cleaned stains out of these seats multiple times. Luckily, his wife has one of those green little portable scrubby cleaning machines. Plus, it gets the as she calls it "man scent" out, haha

 

[Curious Hound]

Plus, it gets the as she calls it "man scent" out, haha

In other words, you fart too much.

 

[Jim Oaks]

Are they vinyl or ultra leather or something like that? Hate how I stick to the wife's leather seats in the summer. I've been looking at the Carhart covers. I need something. I've cleaned stains out of these seats multiple times. Luckily, his wife has one of those green little portable scrubby cleaning machines. Plus, it gets the as she calls it "man scent" out, haha

Yes. They're definitely not leather. I looked at Seat Covers Unlimited but they're about $600. The nice thing with them is the different color options.

I was going to go with Coverland for $280, but they were out of full sets. They only had covers in stock for the front seats.

I found these EKR seat covers on Amazon for $234.

 

[Jim Oaks]

My Dash Bracket

@Robertmangrum.rm had a dash bracket that he made at work that fit into the tray on the top of the dash. I was able to get him to make me one.

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It even says TRS III on it.

I painted it satin black.

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Then put Velcro down in the tray and on the bottom of the bracket feet to hold it in place.

I added a cell phone holder and a mounting bracket for an action camera to snap into.

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I also purchased a (4) Port USB hub and attached to the bottom of the bracket and some 6-inch USB cables.

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This way anything I mount up there can just plug into the USB port for power instead of having multiple cords hanging down from the dash.

The phone is an extra Motorola that I was given. It's not connected to a cell plan. It's blue toothed to the Wi-Fi in the Ranger so it can access the internet to display Gaia GPS or Google Maps. Or I can just use the camera feature as a dash camera.

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I also installed the Arkon Tablet Mount that I used in the Loan Ranger and mounted my tablet in it. Now I can run Gaia GPS and Google Maps at the same time, or use the navigation maps and have a weather satellite map displaying the weather if there's storms in the area.

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