Decisions, revisions and sources
The decision record for the F-150 build. Conflicts between sources, superseded plans, the ten document revisions and the full source list.
Source rule
Section titled “Source rule”My own documents are treated as most accurate. Where they disagree with an imported chat, the document wins. Where I gave a later instruction (6 Oct: U-Lites in the upper punch plate, light bar under the lower tube; 7 Oct: light bar on its own L-brackets with stainless ties), that instruction wins. Every remaining disagreement is listed below.
Status labels used across these pages:
| Label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Confirmed | Stated in my documents, a manufacturer data sheet, or checked against a product page |
| Estimate | Typical price, a figure read off a photo or drawing, or an estimate awaiting a tape measure |
| Unconfirmed / inferred | An assumption or inference that still needs checking |
| Superseded | Replaced by a later or more authoritative source. Kept for the record only |
Conflicts between sources
Section titled “Conflicts between sources”| Topic | Source A | Source B | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head location | Design brief: overhead ranked 1 and 2 | Config sheet: no overhead mount (sunroof) | Resolved 21 Oct: overhead console on the Ben3DBuild mount, in the sunglasses holder opening |
| Center console | Parts log and config sheet: “no console” | Design brief: flow-through console with armrest bin | Both true: the truck has the factory console, but no equipment console |
| Ground point | Project document: bare chassis near the guard; UBL manuals: battery negative | Ford SVE Bulletin Q-231 and Ford body builder guidance | Ford wins: Q-231 point or the side of a steel frame rail, never battery negative or aluminum body |
| Roof | Project document: “sunroof” | My standing notes: panoramic roof | Either way, nothing mounts on the roof |
| U-Lite rear washer | Diagram: #6 stainless fender washer | Hardware table: black stainless #8, 1-1/4 in across | Table used; it must span the punch hole |
Superseded
Section titled “Superseded”| Topic | Earlier | Later |
|---|---|---|
| Lower tube size | Photo estimate about 1-3/4 in, then about 1-3/4 in with about 1/8 in gap (6 Oct) | Tape, 7 Oct: 1.91 in OD, under 1/16 in gap |
| Color Flood control and color | Proposal: one 10A output; light bar chat: 3 modes + 2 arrows; earlier note “amber” | 6 Oct: amber/white with white flood. Now seven CanTrol outputs with modes and arrows (bench-tested 11 Oct) |
| Front warning light | Alibaba LTDG9111 traffic advisor ($35 sample) | UBL Color Flood 2.0 20” amber/white |
| Light position | Tube clamps on the top crossbar, then above the lower tube | Under the lower tube, above the license plate |
| Light clamps | Nilight 91074B / STEDI 60–65 mm, sized to 2 in | None: the light’s own L-brackets with stainless ties (7 Oct) |
| U-Lite position | Lower corners of the punch plate | Upper left and right corners |
| Controller for the truck | Whelen 295HFSA6 | Whelen CanTrol WC (11 Oct). The 295HFSA6 stays a bench-test unit, never installed |
| Control head | Whelen CenCom Sapphire CCSRNT3A (3-position slide, 18 buttons), custom 3D-printed mount | CanTrol WC 21-button WeCan head on the Ben3DBuild overhead mount |
| U-Lite color | Single color, $44.99 each (proposal) | Amber/white, bought $85.50 for two |
| Speaker mount | L-bracket bolted through the plate with 1/4”-20 hardware and aluminum backing plates | Speaker’s own 1/4”-28 center bolt straight through the plate, no L-bracket (6 and 7 Oct) |
| Mount hardware list | Clamps, corner braces, aluminum flat bar and neoprene added between 5 and 6 Oct | Final list (8 Oct): corner braces, clamps, aluminum flat bar, neoprene sheet and the separate flat black can dropped; ties, washers and nuts added |
| Front-light fuse | 10A, 16 AWG for a 72W bar | 5A for the Color Flood feed, on a 10A J1 output |
| Touch-up plan | A larger touch-up kit | A small kit: sanding sponges, self-etching primer and satin black (22 Oct) |
| Amplifier location | Console bin | Under the driver-side rear seat (8 Oct) |
| Rear window light replacement | Used Whelen 8-head Dominator Plus TA, all amber, $325.00 listing (11 Oct option, never bought), on J1-3 plus LED Outputs 6–8 | Strobes N’ More E68Xtreme LED Stick, R/A/W/W/W/W/A/R, on the Federal Signal SLB-FRD15ND kit, one CanTrol LED output per head (6–8, 27–31) (27 Oct, planned). The BooYu stays until then |
| Spare outputs | LED 6–8 and 14–32 spare; X1 and X2 were LED 7 and 8 | LED 14–26 and 32 spare; X1 is LED 32; X2 removed (27 Oct) |
Revision history of the project document
Section titled “Revision history of the project document”| Rev. | Date | Changes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 Oct 2026 | First compilation from the five imported chats and the project threads |
| 2 | 6 Oct 2026 | My five documents and Tech Sheet 2 adopted as primary sources. Placement decided: U-Lites in the upper punch plate, Color Flood under the lower tube |
| 3 | 6 Oct 2026 | Actual spend list added, including the Optima battery |
| 4 | 6 Oct 2026 | Answers to the open questions. Speaker mount decided (no L-bracket), lower tube measured from photos, Color Flood wiring plan |
| 5 | 6 Oct 2026 | Guard part number confirmed. Final mounting hardware list. $375 installation labor added. Every image and diagram collected. Product names standardized |
| 6 | 8 Oct 2026 | UBL support sizes (#6-32, 1/4”-28) and Color Flood wire colors from UBL’s instructions. Amplifier under the rear seat. One master shopping list and spreadsheet. Reference sections moved to a separate appendix |
| 7 | 11 Oct 2026 | Appendix issued at revision 7. The main document’s history skips from 6 to 8 |
| 8 | 16 Oct 2026 | CanTrol WC set with the 21-button head ($425.00 shipped): photos, unit details and the button plan. Budget links and an install tools group. Putco Work Blade bought with the Wireless Remote Kit V3. Plate bracket and two Z-6 brake-pop heads bought 18 Oct, with the CC5K1 kit bought 21 Oct |
| 9 | 21 Oct 2026 | Proposed all-lights five modes plan. CC5K1 bought ($52.98). No grounds on the battery negative post; J17-1, -2 and -5 left unconnected; ham radio rule. Ham radio, antenna and NMO mount installed. Control head on the Ben3DBuild overhead mount ($120.00) |
| 10 | 22–23 Oct 2026 | Guard confirmed as the Steelcraft HD 50-1420C. ZOOSUNX tie tool bought ($18.01). Touch-up supplies bought and the touch-up finished 23 Oct |
| 27 Oct update | 27 Oct 2026 | 99 pages. Strobes N’ More E68Xtreme stick and Federal Signal SLB-FRD15ND kit planned in place of the BooYu; Whelen Dominator option and its listing images dropped; output plan, diagram 9.2 K, schedule K1–K10 and X1 redrawn; CC5K1 arrived 26 Oct. The cover and page headers still read Revision 8, 16 Oct |
Owner documents
Section titled “Owner documents”| Document | Content |
|---|---|
| Grille Guard Siren/Lighting Install Proposal, 10.5.26 (5 pp) | Layout photos and diagram, components, electrical summary, hardware list, scope, pricing |
| F150 Config Sheet and Install Guide, rev 5 (6 pp) | Output plan, EFM config, fuses and wire, parts list, install phases, rocker bars, troubleshooting, open questions |
| Control Head Mount Design Brief (2 Oct) and Tech Sheets 2, 3 and 5 | Mount locations, vehicle details, bracket renderings |
| Siren mounting parts spreadsheet (6 Oct) | Parts brought up to the final choices; dropped L-bracket parts on a second tab |
| Whelen CanTrol WC Installation/Operating Guide, form 14580G (14 pp) | Specs, power, outputs, speaker, inputs, connection map, pinouts |
| CanTrol WC photos, 11 and 16 Oct | Module, head, connectors, mic, cables |
| CanTrol Gen 3 bench test guide (23 Oct) | Ten-stage bench test |
| F-150 project document, revisions 1 to 10, and its appendix | Everything on these pages |
| F-150 project document and file set of 27 Oct 2026 | E68Xtreme plan, Federal Signal bracket, CC5K1 arrival |
Manufacturer documents
Section titled “Manufacturer documents”- UBL Color Flood 2.0 instructions, SKU UBL-CF-2120, version A.1
- UBL U-Lite manual, SKU UBL-UL2-SM, version C.1
- UBL Tailgate Bar Instructions, version A.4 (SKU UBL-TGB)
- Putco Blade LED Light Bar Installation Instructions, form 93009I; Four-Button Wireless Remote, P/N 93020 Rev B; color combination chart
- SpeedTech Lights Z-6 TIR Brake manual G-TZTBL6 and standard Z-6 manual G-TZTSTD6
- SpeedTech Raptor STD Elite TIR manual and Grand Control Elite manual
- Whelen CC5K1 install guide 14C81C; Whelen price list PL18.1CT; Whelen Command release notes
- Whelen CanTrol light and siren system brochure, code 12373N (2016)
- Whelen police catalog, sirens, switches and speakers (CanTrol WC page)
- Whelen 295HFSA6 installation manual excerpts (ManualsLib, pp. 4, 5, 7)
- Strobes N’ More E68Xtreme LED Stick product page
- Federal Signal SLB-FRD15ND instructions 25500520; WFGear listing
- Whelen Dominator Plus TA guide, form 14D06 and form 14D05
- Steelcraft HD grille guard install sheet
- Ford SVE Bulletin Q-231
- Speed Turtle Engineering (EFM 3.0, STE Configuration Utility)
Support contacts used
Section titled “Support contacts used”- UBL support (Tyler), 7 October 2026: speaker bolt 1/4”-28 about 1-1/2 in; U-Lite holes take #6-32
- SpeedTech Lights Support, 8 October 2026: plate bracket is 12.5 x 5.75 in. SpeedTech phone 800-757-2581
Reference links
Section titled “Reference links”- Bearded3D control head mounts
- Precision Mounts headliner mount for Whelen CenCom (precisionmounts.com)
- Rugged Radios center console radio mount (ruggedradios.com)
- K7MFC mobile shack in a 2013 F-150 Lariat (mfcallahan.com, 1 July 2018)
- Etsy Whelen head mount for 2021+ F-150 (listing 1568430400) and surface-mount box (listing 1736387197)
- UBL 100W siren speaker (Amazon B0DJVHWCCD)
- SpeedTech plate bracket (Amazon B01KZ1WD80)
- AmericanTrucks grille guard install video
Changelog
Section titled “Changelog”Added the 27 October update: Dominator superseded by the E68Xtreme plan, spare outputs, revision row and sources.
Rollback: Revert the commit that added the E68Xtreme.
Removed spend, order and group totals (privacy rule). Per-item prices stay.
Rollback: Revert the commit that removed the totals.
Page published from the 23 October project files and appendix.
Rollback: Revert the commit that rebuilt the F-150 section.