2012 F-150 XLT "White Elephant" | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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2012 F-150 XLT "White Elephant"

MrQ

Smokey the clutch is; Missed shift you did
Elite Explorer
Moderator Emeritus
Joined
October 5, 2008
Messages
3,201
Reaction score
436
Location
Humid, Damp, and Hot
City, State
Houston, TX
Year, Model & Trim Level
'98 EB, '93 Limited
Why name him "White Elephant"? Well apart from the obvious, "white elephant" sales are based on the original concept of "another man's trash is another man's treasure". When I saw Elephant 3 years ago, he was beaten, abused, and on his way to auction to the lowest bidder; his previous user leaving him in a state that would put Elephant on a flatbed to the nearest junk yard. However, I stepped in and made the case to the company to keep him because I saw the diamond this truck was, but everybody else only saw coal. For the next few years I drove Elephant as the company shop truck, having his issues repaired one by one; every time getting in him vowing that I would take him home one day.

And after much patience and planning, on October 30th, 2020, I fulfilled my promise and purchased my treasured White Elephant...


2012 F150 SuperCrew XLT 4x4
225k

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Drivetrain:
5.0 DOHC "Coyote" V8 (360hp/380tq)
6R80
Ford 8.8" IFS - 3.73 open
Ford 9.75" - 3.73 with electric locker
6.5 ft bed
Off-Road package
36 gallon tank
Bedliner
Backup sensors
Tow package with factory trailer brake system

Suspension
Leveling Kit

Interior
Cluster LCD display
5 passenger seating (center console instead of jumpseat)
Electric 6-way driver/manual 2-way passenger
Cloth Seats
Sync Radio with SiriusXM and Bluetooth
Redundant steering wheel controls
Sliding rear window
Auto darkening driver's side view mirror (love this!)
Turn signal mirrors
Auto darkening rearview mirror
Manual A/C

Wheels/Tires
265/70/17 BFG All-Terrains

Completed Work:
New front struts
New rear shocks
New Brakes F+R
New blower motor
New transfer case
Rebuilt rear diff
New windshield
New coil packs
New spark plugs
New battery

Mods:
Step bars (11/5/20)
OEM Tow hooks (11/6/20)
Factory Remote start (11/7/20)
Custom fit floor mats (12/12/20)
New front speakers (12/30/20)


Future
Pedal Commander
Weight assist springs
(Factory?) Backup camera
 



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That's a good find being you know it's history and any issues. I hope it fits in your garage!
 






Brought "White Elephant" home today. Stripe wanted to say hi to his younger brother.

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And because I just HAD to test out the 4wd system and the locker, for purely maintenance purposes; no fun to be had here. 🤪

Local service road behind my old neighborhood:

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Surfside beach

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Everything seemed to work, but more testing is warranted... I wonder if Moab is too far away?

Oh and no, I checked, it will not fit in my garage... 🙁
 






Added the OEM remote start thanks to Amazon and FORSCAN. It is so cool as I have never had a vehicle with that option before. I also got a great deal on some OEM F-150 black tow hooks which were missing on mine and I added a set of step bars to make it a little easier to get in and out for others. It's not that big a deal for me at 6'1", but they do add to the look.

I got the new wheel bearing in the mail and I need to take some time to put it in. I already changed out the EVAP purge valve on the intake that was causing a rough idle and no-start after fill up.
 






30 days later and I have put 2000 miles on the truck already, mostly going back and forth to Austin for family and to hit up Kris and Russell while I'm in town.

So far the truck has been flawless, but that 6r80 HATES these cold mornings, apparently its just the nature of the transmission until the fluid heats up. I went ahead and ordered a set of precision cut floor mats for the truck; for $160 bucks they work really well and are totally worth the cost in my opinion.

I also changed out the malfunctioning volume button module on the steering wheel and replaced the broken license plate holder with one from an EcoBoost version (yep they are different, the ecoboost has the license plate holder off to one side of the bumper instead of in the middle so as not to block the intercooler) I have got plans for that center space if Santa puts a little more green in the stocking this year.

And I took one last fishing trip out to the beach before it got too cold. Truck did amazing in all the soft sand and salty marsh around Galveston and Surfside. That locking rear diff saved my ass a few times and also enabled me to pull a stuck minivan out of the sand. But I didn't catch any fish because my dog kept trying to play fetch with the bobber. :rolleyes:

Did get some cool pics out of it outside of the skeeter and sand flea bites.

(Bunch of kites flying out on the beach)
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Coming up on 228k miles. Taking a lot of trips back and forth to Austin and Elephant just keeps on going. MPG is not all that great, 14-15mpg, better if I keep my foot out of it, but I LOVE the sound of that Coyote V8. It makes this perfect rumble when I get on it and definitely lets people know there isn't a V6 of any kind under THAT hood.

Every time I look at it, I still can't believe it's mine. 😁

I did blow the driver's side speaker so I get a "bzzz" whenever the bass hits. I don't know why Ford puts such anemic sound systems in their cars :rolleyes: However,I was planning on going aftermarket anyway, this just upped the timeline.

On another tangent, my dad's explorer, Baxter, finally gave out, so my parents were in the market for a newer car. After some searching and then haggling with a slimy finance manager, my dad brought home a 2013 F-150 Platinum Ecoboost with only 118k miles. It's 2wd but it has the locking diff and is fully loaded. Only option it didn't get WAS the 4WD.

Made my dad so excited, he hasn't had a truck in 40 years.

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Now my brother @96AWD5.LOL is looking at getting one as well. Looks like we will be a Ford family for quite a while.
 












Truck turned over 245k this past week. I'm definitely getting my money's worth out of Elephant. Should be at a 250k miles by the end of the year.
 












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