shazel's Lariat

[shazel]

Hi everyone,
I'm starting this build journal to document everything I've done to my truck since the list is getting longer and longer. I took delivery of my Maverick on 9-30-22 from Lakeview Ford Lincoln in Battle Creek, MI. My build was a 2022 Alto Blue Lariat Lux with FX4, Tow package, and full size spare. Ordered on 12-22-21 with $100 down. Dealership experience was excellent. My salesman gave monthly updates even though there wasn't much to say. Upon taking delivery, I stacked the Ford X-Plan with the student discount. Sticker price was $37,615. OTD price was $39,150. Financed through Ford Credit and got the price protected 3% for 60 months. The way my dealership handled the discounts was Student Discount was instant rebate but X-Plan was a rebate check sent after 60 days. I was nervous about never seeing that money again but Dealership cut a $1,581 check to me in December.

Here are some delivery pics and more logs to come:

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[shazel]

Within three weeks of taking delivery, I applied two coats of Carpro Cquartz 3.0 ceramic after decontamination wash, some claying, and polishing. I did not polish the entire truck because I found that I was putting more scratches on than I was taking off. So I gave up and just went for it. I did two coats of Cquartz and one coat gliss v2 which is supposed to be a top coat for carpro Cquartz. One mistake I made was not buffing off completely, which may be because I was adding a second coat. I didn't use the spray after coating, which I think would help take off any high spots. I thought that the spray was not required if doing multiple coats and then gliss. I will be polishing the high spots out in the Spring. Overall I like the result and am more concerned about paint protection than ultimate shine.

Some before and after pics:

Before:

After 2 Coats Ceramic:

After Gliss:

 

[shazel]

Added the Ford oem chrome tailgate lettering, tailgate assist, chrome ford door sill plates. Removed dealer installed sticker. Installed the Bakflip MX4 hard trifold tonneau cover from Realtruck using forum pricing ($850ish at the time). Love the low profile look of the Bakflip. I was looking at the oem soft trifold but with Realtruck discount the MX4 was close enough in price and so much better. I have a temporary D-ring tie down in place of the lost tie down for the tailgate assist until I order the special one from a forum member here.

 

[shazel]

Added the auto-dimming KIA mirror that everyone has. I ordered it well after the craze and had no issues from the KIA parts place after I provided a VIN from the internet. Hardwired from the fuse box 12V, ACC, and ground. I used fuse #3 for ACC, #20 (spare) for 12V. Ran 16awg stranded wire (overkill) to the CP360 module area are used wago connectors for future expansion. Works great.

 

[shazel]

Next mod was in the bed adding a 12v panel to the right cubby. I used the included Ford flex bed wiring adaptor to plug into the right flex bed power adaptor. I wanted the panel to be hidden in the cubby so I could still use the cubby normally for storage and make everything look clean. The panel has two USB ports, two 12v outlets, and one switch that powers it all so it's not always on (even though the flex bed power switches off after so long). Wiring above the wheel well was not the cleanest, but it's somewhat easy to get to if I have any issues. The panel and it stays on long enough after leaving the vehicle that I'm happy keeping it on the the flex bed power and not it's own source from the battery. I used it to power my 12v camping fridge.

 

[shazel]

I have towed this 5x10 ft enclosed trailer several times now and the truck feels great especially in tow mode. This project was buying 38 bales of fiberglass blown-in insulation (2 pallets) and the rental blower machine from Home Depot.

 

[ABMich]

Great write up, on the Cquartz 3.0 did it make it look glossier? It’s hard to tell from the pictures also would you recommend the gliss topcoat? Great looking truck and looking forward to seeing more upgrades.

 

[shazel]

Next addition was Lasift LEDs all the way around. Great improvement over stock. Very bright and love the instant on/off. Makes the truck feel like a higher trim. Turn signals seem to have a wide angle though so I hope it's not too bright. When pulling up to an intersection, I can see a reflection on all traffic signs (even up high) that I did not notice before.

I also added the VIOFO A129 Plus Duo dashcam, which includes a front and rear facing camera. I hard wired this camera to the wiring I ran from the fuse box when I installed the auto-dimming mirror. I'm happy with the camera's feature set and price point. I hid all of the wiring so it's very discrete. The front facing camera hides in front of the rear view mirror and has both power and data cables running into the CP-360 trim piece. Rear camera data line runs tucked under the header on the driver's side to the back. Both cameras capture footage when the truck is off and is wired such that it should not power off as part of Ford deep sleep.

 

[shazel]

Great write up, on the Cquartz 3.0 did it make it look glossier? It’s hard to tell from the pictures also would you recommend the gliss topcoat? Great looking truck and looking forward to seeing more upgrades.

It's really hard to tell but I would say just slightly. I think most people would say the shine comes from the polishing and wax (if you didn't ceramic coat) and ceramic coating is the protection part. Carpro Gliss is supposed to be the ceramic topcoat that sheds water like crazy. I did notice that a microfiber towel slid noticeably easier over the surface after applying the Gliss coating. Since Gliss is not as expensive as the Cquartz, I would recommend if you're looking for another coating that protects and can be a sacrificial layer for the Cquartz. I think the Gliss is supposed to last one year. I will be applying another coating of Gliss around Summer.

 

[shazel]

Now jumping into the sound deadening of the project. This was the most time consuming part of the whole build. Probably spent over 100 hours covering everything I could get to. Unfortunately, I didn't get a before measurement for sound level comparison, but I am extremely satisfied with the result.

Starting with the doors and back wall, I covered every surface with 80mil Kilmat and 157mil Siless closed cell foam.

I added Kilmat to the plastic door panels to try to reduce the hollow plastic sound when knocking on it. Slightly better but not by much. Gives a slightly more premuim feel.

 

[AltoBAP]

Now jumping into the sound deadening of the project. This was the most time consuming part of the whole build. Probably spent over 100 hours covering everything I could get to. Unfortunately, I didn't get a before measurement for sound level comparison, but I am extremely satisfied with the result.

Starting with the doors and back wall, I covered every surface with 80mil Kilmat and 157mil Siless closed cell foam.

I added Kilmat to the plastic door panels to try to reduce the hollow plastic sound when knocking on it. Slightly better but not by much. Gives a slightly more premuim feel.

Amazing.

 

[shazel]

Got the under seat storage bins done as well. Same Kilmat and closed cell foam. The bins needed a little encouragement going back in but no more noise coming from there anymore. Also was able to get into the rear foot wells where there is some foam that does not always sit flush to the carpet. A good way to demonstrate this is to get in the back seat and step in the outside back corner. You will see that the carpet is supporting most of the weight before it's pressed into the foam. This bothered me so I purchased this foam and cut it match a section of the back footwell. In this way the carpet does not give into the stock foam as much. Subtle detail but I didn't want worn or ripped carpet from rear passengers entering and exiting over time. Onto the next section!

OEM foam mat in rear footwell

This was only half of the trim that was removed

 

[shazel]

Taking a break from sound deadening to get the truck undercoated. Went to friend's house with a lift and removed all bottom panels and sprayed CRC Corrosion Inhibitor on all body surfaces. Used 6 cans. Marine grade stuff so hopefully will last. On top of that we sprayed about 2 gallons of woolwax and used different nozzle attachments to get into channels and tubes. Also focused on spraying the edges of metal and pinch welds. Overall an amazing job and took two people most of the day to disassemble, spray, and reassemble everything. Should hold up for many Michigan winters.

I also purchased a set of XL steelie takeoffs from someone local for $300! Came with TPMS sensors and everything. It was a crazy deal. I was mostly after the steelies to use as winter tire rims. For winter, I like how the steelies dress down the lariat and it's not as flashy.

 

[numike]

I dont know what it really is but I want a lift kit for my Hybrid Maverick that is coming

 

[shazel]

While I had the truck apart for more sound deadening, I decided to go ahead and replace the B&O speakers all around. Overall a good improvement in sound quality.

In the front: Focal RSE165 Auditor from Crutchfield
Center: Infinity Reference REF-3032CFX
Rear: Infinity Reference 6432CFX

For the Focals, the 6 1/2" door speakers fit right in with Crutchfield's included mounts and wire harness adaptors. The tweeters were a little difficult to place. I added the included crossover to the tweeters because I wasn't sure that the tweeter speaker wire already had the correct frequency range. The crossovers fit in the area below the tweeter mounts and have had no issues. I did end up soldering the wires in the truck instead of opting for crimps. Stupid idea given the risks, but it worked.
The center speaker I replaced with a 3 1/2" infinity reference 2 way that fit right in once removing the OEM mounting alignment posts. The stock speaker is labeled as 8ohm and I replaced it with a 3ohm (effectively 4ohm?). So I may need to go back and add a resistor but I need to see how it sounds first.
The rear speakers were by far the best upgrade over stock. Multiple threads here talk about how bad the B&O rear speakers are. I had originally tried Rockford Fosgate R14X2 which I don't think are improvements over stock. I returned them. I had to hack up my c-pillar trim to get the 6x4" speakers to fit. You can mount them in the 4" mounting spots but I removed the 4" circle to obstruct the speaker less. They sound great. Highly recommend.

My hacked up c-pillar trim. High temp hot glue on the clip plastic. Snapped when I removed it. I got frustrated and ripped it out. Glue has been holding for 1 month now no issues.

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