Not Your Typical First Truck: A Custom F-150 Prerunner

AS SEEN IN OUR Tread Sept/Oct 2026 ISSUE – Buy Now!

A 2001 Ford F-150 Lariat combines a custom TTB suspension with the everyday purpose of a son’s first truck.

A first truck usually starts with a budget, a set of keys, and a warning to take care of it. Vincent Muñoz took a different route. He began with a 2001 Ford F-150 Lariat and turned it into a daily-driven prerunner for his son. The goal was not to build a trailer-only race truck. It was to create something that could handle the road, spend time in the dirt, and give his son a first truck with a story already built into it.

The project came together over roughly four months, although Vincent is quick to point out that it is still not finished. About $45,000 has gone into the build so far, with much of the effort focused on the suspension and chassis. That makes sense when the truck’s defining feature is its custom twin-traction beam front setup.

The original frame remains, but it now carries front shock mounts, an engine cage, a bed cage, and rear shock mounts. Drive Concepts in Yucaipa, California, handled the framework and suspension installation, with Dustyn at the shop helping bring the system together. Setting up the front TTB suspension became the hardest part of the build. The solution came through teamwork with other people in the shop, along with the patience Vincent says was his largest lesson learned from the project.

Up front, custom TTB beams work with King 3.0-inch internal bypass shocks and King springs. The rear uses Deaver springs in a spring-under arrangement with King 4.0-inch bypass shocks. The setup gives the F-150 the travel and control expected from a prerunner while keeping the truck connected to its daily-driver purpose. A 2.5-inch ram-assist steering system helps manage the front end, while the factory Ford steering box remains in place.

The drivetrain follows the same approach. The factory 2001 Ford transmission and transfer case were retained, as was the 5.4L V8. A K&N cold-air intake is the only engine modification listed. Rather than chasing engine output, Vincent put the money into the areas that support the truck’s use.

Both differentials were set up with 4.88 gears and lockers. The rear axle is the factory-style 9.75-inch F-150 unit, while the front driveline uses a custom 1350-to-1330 U-joint arrangement. Wilwood six-piston brakes were installed up front, with the original rear brakes retained. The factory master cylinder now sits on a custom swing mount to create clearance around the shock structure.

The exterior keeps the F-150 recognizable while making room for the suspension. McNeil Racing fiberglass widened the wheel openings, and the factory side moldings were removed. A custom front bumper carries five Baja Designs lights. The body is covered in a silver wrap completed by Aviwraps in Beaumont, California.

Inside, the truck continues the mix of function and street use. Impact bucket seats provide support, while a Sparco Comp R steering wheel gives the driver direct control of the truck. A Kenwood stereo handles audio duties, and a starlight headliner adds a detail not normally found in a prerunner cabin.

Vincent built the truck for his son, but the project also reflects the influence of off-road racing. King of the Hammers and SCORE off-road events are part of the truck’s world, and the suspension follows the same basic principles found in vehicles built for desert terrain. The difference is that this F-150 still has to work as daily transportation.

There is more planned for the truck. Vincent would like to add a roll cage and increase the rear ride height. Those changes fit a truck that remains in progress rather than frozen in a finished state. Even the advice he offers to anyone considering a similar project is direct: save plenty of money.

That honesty may be the best way to understand the build. A custom TTB conversion is not a shortcut, and Vincent did not find one during the process. It required fabrication, repeated setup work, help from the right people, and enough patience to keep moving when the front suspension fought back.

For his son, the result is more than a first truck. It is a 2001 F-150 built to be driven, changed, and learned from. It is meant to earn miles, teach responsibility, and give its driver room to grow with it. The silver Lariat still carries its factory V8 and Ford roots, but the suspension, chassis work, and family purpose give it an identity of its own.

Upgrades

1974 Ford F-100

Owner: Eric Conner
Color: Silver wrap
Build Time: Four months and ongoing
Estimated Build Cost: $45,000
Purpose: Daily-driven prerunner and owner’s son’s first truck
Engine: Factory 5.4L Ford V8
Engine Modification: K&N cold-air intake
Transmission: Factory 2001 Ford transmission
Transfer Case: Factory Ford unit
Front Axle: Custom TTB beams
Rear Axle: Ford 9.75-inch axle
Gear Ratio: 4.88 front and rear
Differentials: Front and rear lockers
Front Driveshaft: 1350-to-1330 U-joint conversion
Front Suspension: Custom TTB system, King springs, and 3.0-inch internal bypass shocks
Rear Suspension: Deaver spring-under setup with King 4.0-inch bypass shocks
Steering: Factory Ford three-bolt steering box with 2.5-inch ram assist
Chassis: Front shock mounts, engine cage, bed cage, and rear shock mounts
Fabrication and Suspension: CDrive Concepts, Yucaipa, CA
Skid Plates: Custom
Front Brakes: Wilwood six-piston system
Rear Brakes: OEM
Master Cylinder: OEM with custom swing mount
Fiberglass: McNeil Racing
Front Bumper: (5) Baja Designs lights
Body Modifications: Factory side moldings removed
Wrap: Aviwraps, Beaumont, CA
Tires: Toyo
Seats: MImpact/MasterCraft bucket seats
Steering Wheel: Sparco Comp R
Stereo: Kenwood
Interior Detail: Starlight headliner
Future Plans: Roll cage and additional rear ride height