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Nose Job Part 1: Freshening Up the Front of a Super Duty

While Ford Super Duty trucks are just as popular today as when they were first released in 1999, the truth is that the older trucks are beginning to look a little dated. Aside from the usual wear and tear, their once bold styling looks a little pedestrian when compared to the current generation of trucks. While upgrading to a newer model is an option for some, the hefty price tag puts the newer trucks out of reach for many budgets. Plus, many Super Duty owners have spent a lot of time and money upgrading their trucks and accessorizing them to suit their exact needs, and the thought of starting over with a new truck just isn’t that appealing.

Such was the dilemma facing the owner of the 2006 Super Duty that’s the subject of this article. Aside from having relatively low miles, the truck had already been outfitted with a host of accessories, including a water-meth injection system, side steps, leveling kit, and a host of bed storage and other upgrade accessories. The usual known issues of the 6.0L under the hood had all been addressed, and the owner wanted to avoid dealing with the complicated emissions equipment of the newer trucks for a few more years, namely DEF. In short, he had a truck that was exactly the way he wanted it, yet he wanted to do something that would freshen up the looks of the truck for a more modern feel.

1. The subject of our nose job is a 2006 Super Duty. It's already equipped with lots of nice accessories but the front of the truck is pretty pedestrian. The owner of the truck wanted to fix that.
1. The subject of our nose job is a 2006 Super Duty. It’s already equipped with lots of nice accessories but the front of the truck is pretty pedestrian. The owner of the truck wanted to fix that.
2. The stock bumper, while decent, won't take much of a hit and is a big reason why the front of the truck looks so ordinary. The truck’s owner made the decision to replace it with a burly, all-steel, TrailReady bumper with a built-in prerunner guard. Weighing in at nearly 200 lbs., it’s constructed of ¼- and 3/16-in. steel. Make no mistake, this bumper is a beast capable of taking a licking and keep on ticking. The decision was made to go with one that doesn't have a winch mount, though TrailReady has a version with a hidden winch platform built in. Note the windows cut into the front of the bumper, which help with cooling and also provide access to the winch on winch-ready models.
2. The stock bumper, while decent, won’t take much of a hit and is a big reason why the front of the truck looks so ordinary. The truck’s owner made the decision to replace it with a burly, all-steel, TrailReady bumper with a built-in prerunner guard. Weighing in at nearly 200 lbs., it’s constructed of ¼- and 3/16-in. steel. Make no mistake, this bumper is a beast capable of taking a licking and keep on ticking. The decision was made to go with one that doesn’t have a winch mount, though TrailReady has a version with a hidden winch platform built in. Note the windows cut into the front of the bumper, which help with cooling and also provide access to the winch on winch-ready models.

One of the most dramatic ways to completely transform the look of any truck is to change the front end, so we focused on two key areas: the front bumper and grille. Both components are easy to swap out, yet they make a huge difference in the attitude of the truck when finished. To see just how big a difference two upgrades can make, we chose to install a TrailReady front bumper and a Royalty Core grille insert. This month, we’ll follow along as the crew at 4Wheel Parts of Phoenix, Arizona, tackles the bumper install, and next month we’ll show you all the details on installing the Royalty Core grille. The end result is dramatic and much easier on the pocketbook than a whole new truck. DW

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3. 4Wheel Parts Wholesaler's Brett Corder handled the wrench spinning on our project. He started by unbolting the stock grille, which is held in place with four small bolts along the top and some retaining clips along the bottom. Removing the grille is unnecessary if you’re only replacing the bumper, but we have some other tricks up our sleeve that we'll detail next month.
3. 4Wheel Parts Wholesaler’s Brett Corder handled the wrench spinning on our project. He started by unbolting the stock grille, which is held in place with four small bolts along the top and some retaining clips along the bottom. Removing the grille is unnecessary if you’re only replacing the bumper, but we have some other tricks up our sleeve that we’ll detail next month.
4. Next up was removing the factory front bumper. It’s held in place with bolts near the factory tow hooks on each side, and there are also a couple of bumper brackets near the outer ends that need to be removed. The bumper was in pretty nice shape and will probably end up on Craigslist to help offset the cost of our modifications.
4. Next up was removing the factory front bumper. It’s held in place with bolts near the factory tow hooks on each side, and there are also a couple of bumper brackets near the outer ends that need to be removed. The bumper was in pretty nice shape and will probably end up on Craigslist to help offset the cost of our modifications.
5. The factory tow hooks also need to be removed. The TrailReady bumper has provisions to retain the tow hooks if you choose, but they become a little redundant since the bumper has two built-in recovery points that are suitable for D-rings. The owner of the truck chose to leave them off for a cleaner look.
5. The factory tow hooks also need to be removed. The TrailReady bumper has provisions to retain the tow hooks if you choose, but they become a little redundant since the bumper has two built-in recovery points that are suitable for D-rings. The owner of the truck chose to leave them off for a cleaner look.
6. The bumper incorporates four light ports, which is a nice touch that's not often found in other bumpers. The inner ports are for 6-in. diameter lights, while the outers accommodate 4-in. lights. We opted not to add lights for this install, due in part to the LED light bar planned for later, but Corder went ahead and installed the port inserts along with the provided brackets so it will be easy to add lights later. The inserts simply bolt into place.
6. The bumper incorporates four light ports, which is a nice touch that’s not often found in other bumpers. The inner ports are for 6-in. diameter lights, while the outers accommodate 4-in. lights. We opted not to add lights for this install, due in part to the LED light bar planned for later, but Corder went ahead and installed the port inserts along with the provided brackets so it will be easy to add lights later. The inserts simply bolt into place.
7. With a new grille mounted (details on this Royalty Core grille are coming next month), Corder needed a couple of extra sets of hands to mount the bumper. As we mentioned, the TrailReady bumper is constructed of heavy-gauge steel and weighs in at nearly 200 lbs., so it's not something you want to try and hang on your own. Corder and an assistant held the bumper in place while fellow technician David Smiley started the supplied bolts in the front of the bumper.
7. With a new grille mounted (details on this Royalty Core grille are coming next month), Corder needed a couple of extra sets of hands to mount the bumper. As we mentioned, the TrailReady bumper is constructed of heavy-gauge steel and weighs in at nearly 200 lbs., so it’s not something you want to try and hang on your own. Corder and an assistant held the bumper in place while fellow technician David Smiley started the supplied bolts in the front of the bumper.
8. With a couple of the mounting bolts started, Corder went to work attaching the rest of the bumper support brackets, which are included with the bumper. You will want to start all of the brackets and hardware, but don't tighten anything yet.
8. With a couple of the mounting bolts started, Corder went to work attaching the rest of the bumper support brackets, which are included with the bumper. You will want to start all of the brackets and hardware, but don’t tighten anything yet.
9. With the hardware loosely in place, Corder used a large floor jack to support the bumper and make some adjustments. The TrailReady bumper is designed so that the bumper's position can be fine-tuned to match the lines of the body exactly and also even up any gaps between the bumper and the frame.
9. With the hardware loosely in place, Corder used a large floor jack to support the bumper and make some adjustments. The TrailReady bumper is designed so that the bumper’s position can be fine-tuned to match the lines of the body exactly and also even up any gaps between the bumper and the frame.
10. In addition to properly aligning the front, the wraparound design of the bumper dictates some attention must be paid to the sides as well. Corder could have gotten fancy and broken out the tape measure, but the “eye-chrometer” is faster and nearly as accurate. Once he was satisfied with the position of the bumper, he tightened up all of the hardware.
10. In addition to properly aligning the front, the wraparound design of the bumper dictates some attention must be paid to the sides as well. Corder could have gotten fancy and broken out the tape measure, but the “eye-chrometer” is faster and nearly as accurate. Once he was satisfied with the position of the bumper, he tightened up all of the hardware.
11. The TrailReady prerunner bumper also included this additional light bracket, which is perfect for mounting an LED light bar between the body of the bumper and the prerunner bar. We mounted it on the bumper and would have used it except for the LED light bar already built into the grille insert. It turned out to be unnecessary for our application but it’s a nice addition for anyone running a stock grille or different grille insert.
11. The TrailReady prerunner bumper also included this additional light bracket, which is perfect for mounting an LED light bar between the body of the bumper and the prerunner bar. We mounted it on the bumper and would have used it except for the LED light bar already built into the grille insert. It turned out to be unnecessary for our application but it’s a nice addition for anyone running a stock grille or different grille insert.
12. The finished product completely transformed the nose on our project. Not only does the bumper look aggressive, it has the strength of ¼- and 3/16-in. steel to match. The lightly textured semi-flat powder coating is perfect for our dual-purpose daily driver/hunting rig, and we'll probably add some lights to the ports in the bumper to complete the look. Stay tuned next month for all of the details on the grille insert.
12. The finished product completely transformed the nose on our project. Not only does the bumper look aggressive, it has the strength of ¼- and 3/16-in. steel to match. The lightly textured semi-flat powder coating is perfect for our dual-purpose daily driver/hunting rig, and we’ll probably add some lights to the ports in the bumper to complete the look. Stay tuned next month for all of the details on the grille insert.
SOURCES:

4Wheel Parts Wholesalers

800.877.4821

4WheelParts.com

Royalty Core

541.343.3643

RoyaltyCore.com

TrailReady

888.910.2999

TrailReady.com

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