SEMA 2017: Custom 2018 F-150 EcoBoost Unveiled!
Last Updated April 18, 2024 | Andrew BoyleSEMA 2017 At The Las Vegas Convention Center
Among the car community, The SEMA Show is one of the hottest talking points every year. It’s not only the go-to event for all of the latest parts for your Mustang, F-150 or other Ford, but for other automakers as well. Every November, there are thousands of automotive aftermarket industry professionals that gather at The SEMA Show in Las Vegas to unveil some of the hottest parts and prototypes when it comes to aftermarket parts for your vehicle.
Last year at SEMA 2016, over 70,000 domestic and international buyers made their way to the Las Vegas Convention Center to check out the latest parts in the automotive aftermarket industry. Segmented into 12 different sections and a New Products Showcase, The SEMA Show featured over 3,000 newly introduced parts, tools and components. This goes for parts fitting everything from your Jeep Wrangler to your Ford F-150 or Mustang!
The SEMA Show is not open to the public. Being a trade-only, industry-centric event, this show is the absolute perfect place to debut your latest project vehicles and parts, much like our custom 2018 F-150 SEMA Truck!
CJ’s 2018 F-150 EcoBoost SEMA Build
For 2017, we worked very closely with both Ford Motor Company and Ford Performance in an effort to create the ultimate F-150. And, we couldn’t be happier with the final product as it truly wasn’t too far off from the rendering that that our talented graphics team put together this spring. We’d even go as far saying that this SEMA F-150 looks even better in person than it does on paper. This 2018 F-150 is truly like no other vehicle that has driven out of CJ’s shop. A big thanks goes out to the folks in our Purchasing Department who worked hard to track down all of the best parts from some of our amazing vendors such as Ford Performance, Addictive Desert Designs, Rigid Industries, Fuel Off-Road, ReadyLIFT and more. And an even bigger shout out to Bill & Freddy along with our video team for putting the truck together on such a short timeline!
CJ’s 2018 F-150 EcoBoost SEMA Build Rendering
With that said, we are ecstatic about touring shows and off-road events all over the country with this truck throughout the 2018 season and beyond!
Our goal with this F-150 build was to create something that not only looked tough, but can back up that look with massive off-road capability. This 2018 F-150 EcoBoost build does just that! From the massive ReadyLIFT 7” Lift Kit and 20”x10” Fuel Hostage Wheels to the aggressive Addictive Desert Designs Stealth Fighter Front & HoneyBadger Rear Bumpers, we upgraded every soft aspect of this F-150 to make it a rugged, capable off-road machine. On top of that, we took the extra measure to pay close attention to the minor details like the head-turning Quicksand Paint with killer Matte Black Graphics, powder coating some of the lift kit components, adding custom exterior orange LED lighting and even custom stitching in the headrests with the CJ logo!
Perhaps our favorite part about building this truck is the fact we plan on using it. This won’t be a SEMA Build that will live out the rest of its days in a garage under a cover that slowly makes its way outside on sunny days. We have full intention of using this F-150 as it was intended - whether that’s towing Project 50/30 or our SEMA Mustang to Mustang Week 2018 or unhooking the trailer and tackling the trails wherever they may lead. Thanks to some of the awesome parts on this truck, you can truly do almost anything with this build!
F-150 EcoBoost SEMA Build Final Product
2018 F-150 EcoBoost Build Parts List
With this year’s build, we didn’t cut any corners! As we said earlier, this F-150 build was set out from the start to turn heads both on the street and on the trail. Working with such amazing vendors throughout this process and a talented video team to put it all together allowed for a final product that certainly fit the bill, both inside and out.
Modifications by CJ Pony Parts:
Base Vehicle:
- 2018 Ford F-150 Lariat 4x4 SuperCrew
- 3.5L V6 EcoBoost Engine
- 10-Speed Automatic Transmission
Performance:
- Ford Performance by Borla Dual Side Exit Sport Cat-Back Exhaust System with Black Tips
- aFe Momentum GT Stage 2 Cold Air Intake System with a Pro 5R Filter
- Bully Dog GT Platinum Gas Tuner
Chassis & Brakes:
- ReadyLIFT 7" Lift Kit with SST3000 Shocks
- Custom Powder Coated Suspension Components by PA Powder Works
Addictive Desert Designs Chase Rack with Spare Tire Carrier
Wheels & Tires:
- 2-Piece Forged Fuel 20" x 10" Hostage Wheels
- BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM2 Tires; 37x12.50-20, Front & Rear
- Simulated Beadlock Hardware Custom Powder Coated by PA Powder Works
Exterior:
- Ford Performance Rear Differential Cover
- Addictive Desert Designs Race Series Chase Rack
- Addictive Desert Designs HoneyBadger Tire Carrier for ADD Chase Rack
- Addictive Desert Designs Stealth Fighter Front Bumper
- Addictive Desert Designs HoneyBadger Rear Bumper
- Addictive Desert Designs Rock Slider Side Steps
- Bushwacker Matte Black Pocket-Style Fender Flares
- Custom T-Rex Grille
- Custom Quicksand Base Paint With Matte Black Graphics and Sunset Pearl Accents by GCR’s Auto Collision
- Custom Bullseye Retro Headlights
- Illuminated Tailgate Rear Ford Blue Oval Emblem
Lighting:
- Oracle Lighting Bluetooth ColorSHIFT LED 8-Piece Underbody Rock Light Kit
- Trigger Accessory Control System With Wireless Remote
- Diode Dynamics Switchbacks and Demon Eyes For Headlights
- Rigid Industries 40" Radiused RDS-Series Pro Spot LED Light Bar
- Rigid Industries 50" Radiance Plus LED Light Bar with a Backlight
- Rigid Industries LED Radiance Pod Lights With Orange Backlights
- Custom Exterior Orange LED Lighting
Interior:
- Ford Performance 2017 Raptor Steering Wheel with an Orange Sight-Line and Orange Stitching
- Ford Performance Door Sill Plates with Ford Performance Logos
- Ford Accessories Full Floor Console Vault With Keyless 4-Digit Lock
- Custom Embroidered Lloyd Mats Black Carpeted Floor Mats
- Custom Painted Interior Trim Panels
- Custom Stitching On Headrest With CJ Pony Parts Logo
As always, a large portion of these F-150 parts are available right here at CJ’s for your own F-150! Be sure to check out our wide selection of Ford F-150 parts to build your own SEMA truck!
More F-150 Build Photos
SEMA 2017 Highlights
Throughout the week, the team at CJ’s will give you an inside scoop as to what’s going on at SEMA. This show is absolutely huge, so there will be plenty of things to see and cover throughout the event. Be sure to check back periodically to see the latest info on one of the hottest industry shows of the year!
SEMA 2017: Tuesday, 10/31
CJ Pony Parts is out in full force in Las Vegas, Nevada at SEMA 2017! Not only are we searching for the latest and hottest parts out there for your own vehicle, but we are so excited to share some of this industry’s best and most outrageous builds. Everything from unbelievably clean F-100s to highly modified Jeep Wranglers, Super Dutys, 2018 Mustangs and much more.
The first thing we have to say about SEMA this year is, “WOW!” As if we didn’t think it could get better, it definitely did! Everything from the official unveiling of our Ford F-150 build for Ford’s Booth, to some of the most high-quality builds out there from head to toe. On top of that, we were able to check out tons of amazing new parts from some of the hottest vendors out there - whether it’s Mustang, F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, Jeep Wrangler or Focus ST, we’ve got you covered!
Now on to some of the photos to recap SEMA Day 1!
SEMA 2017: Wednesday, 11/1
Without one of the coolest cars we saw here at SEMA 2017 is the Goodguys Fox Body Pace Car. This car is done up from head to toe and is nearly perfect when it comes to a high quality restomod build. Featuring an extremely clean Coyote swap, you definitely have to tip your hat at the craftsmanship behind this build.
On top of that, this show isn’t just about Mustangs either! Walking around you see everything from the classic pickup truck builds to brand new exotics and everything in between. With that said, let’s get to some of the photos to recap Day 2 here at The SEMA Show 2017!
SEMA 2017: Thursday, 11/2
Thursday was jam-packed with fun from beginning to end! We were really excited to see one of our favorite vendors, cp-e, and their new developments regarding the 2017 F-150 Raptor. From a new full exhaust system to a cold air intake and more, be expecting to see cp-e parts available for your Raptor soon!
We were also excited to check out Roush Performance and their demonstrations running in the Ford Out Front area! On top of that, there were plenty of other awesome (non-Mustang) vehicles to highlight throughout the day.
SEMA 2017: Friday, 11/3
Wrapping up SEMA 2017 was bittersweet, but the CJ Crew had a great time from beginning to end. We were able to check out some of the hottest parts hitting the market and see some of the most intricate and detailed builds in the world right here in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Today, we were able to check out the cars that were all invited to the 2017 Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational on Saturday at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. There were certainly a lot of awesome cars invited including some quick looking Fords. Check them out below!
CJ’s At Past SEMA Shows
Being a 30+ year old company, CJ’s is certainly not a stranger to The SEMA Show! This year’s 2018 F-150 EcoBoost SEMA build is our fourth vehicle to make it out to the Las Vegas Convention Center for the show. From our completely custom 1965 Mustang Fastback dubbed “Project 50/30,” to this year’s F-150, CJ’s has had a variety of Ford vehicles on display at The SEMA Show over the past few years.
Most recently at The SEMA Show 2016, we had the privilege of working with Ford Performance in building a 2017 Mustang EcoBoost equipped with a turbocharged 2.3L EcoBoost four-cylinder engine. Pumping out over 390 ft-lbs of torque to the wheels with a few basic bolt-ons and a dyno tune thanks to Revolution Automotive, this build is certainly no slouch and would certainly give a stock GT a run for its money! We didn’t just focus on the performance aspect, either. With custom Stealth Gray Paint, a host of Anderson Composites Carbon Fiber parts and Custom 3-Piece Rotiform KPS Sport Wheels, this EcoBoost is a head-turner whether you’re cruising to a car show or tearing up the pavement at a road course event!
In 2015, we worked with Ford Motor Company in developing a custom 2015 Focus ST with the same kind of mindset - a hot hatch that could tackle the autocross course while dropping jaws at the weekly Friday night cruise-in. With our great vendors like Air Lift Performance, COBB Tuning and ATP Turbo, we were able to accomplish our exact goal!
At The SEMA Show 2014, we were ecstatic to have our first CJ SEMA Build displayed right on the showroom floor in the TMI Products booth! This 1965 Mustang Fastback, dubbed Project 50/30, started its life as The Forgotten Fastback, but quickly transformed into the beast it is today. Project 50/30’s heart is comprised of a Vortech Supercharged Coyote Engine from Ford Performance putting over 550 horsepower to the rear wheels. On top of that, 50/30 is custom painted in Deep Impact Blue with Yellow Accents, sporting Custom 3-Piece Niche Wheels wrapped in sticky Nitto NT05 tires, put off perfectly by the Wilwood Brakes and Ridetech Air Ride Suspension.
