Ford F-150 Pickup Serves as Marketing Platform for Car Products

Nov 30, 2016

2016 Ford F-150 with Metra Electronics product unveiled at the 2016 SEMA show

Jonathon Brothers' Ford F-150 that debuted at the 2016 SEMA show

The retail trade can be intense for the manufacturers who make products and the stores that sell them. Competition between companies is expected to be tough. However, every once in awhile someone comes up with a way to benefit several companies who are not competing with one another, but who target the same market.

One such person is Jonathon Brothers, Regional Sales Manager for Metra Electronics, a company that manufactures products for the 12-volt industry. Brothers travels to shops in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas selling Metra products.

“I visit car audio stores, truck accessory stores, automotive performance dealers, and marine and powersports stores. I show off new innovative products and provide dealer support and training,” he explained.

The Undercover Ridgeland bed cover raises and lowers with help from Metra linear actuators

A Metra Electronics motorized actuator raises and lowers the Undercover Ridgelander bed cover

His employer, Metra Electronics, based in Hollyhill, Florida, manufactures light bars, installation dash kits for aftermarket radios, backup sensors and cameras, wiring, connectors and more.

Brothers came up with the idea of creating a demonstration vehicle that showcases products from different companies that don’t compete with one another and target the same stores and consumers. Having been in the industry for more than 12 years, he is familiar with these companies and the products they sell.

“We all have a similar dealer base, but we don’t compete with each other as far as products are concerned,” said Brothers. “So I thought of coming up with a vehicle that showcases everyone’s products to help each other out.”

Brothers brainstormed the idea, selected a few companies to work with as well as some of the products they offer and he decided that a 2016 Ford F-150 pickup truck would serve as the perfect platform.

Bodyguard Bumpers rear bumper on 2016 Ford F-150

The rear bodyguard bumper is home to an array of Heise LED lights and a massive Monster hook

“I had an idea of how I wanted the truck to be built,” he said. “So I reached out to Keg Media, a company that does vehicle renderings, told them exactly what products I wanted in and on the truck and they did a rendering.”

Brothers then used the rendering to sell the concept to other manufacturers who he thought would want to participate in the project. It wasn’t long before he had commitments from Metra, K&N Engineering, Brenthel Industries, Sony, Magnaflow, Bodyguard Bumpers, Heise Lighting, M-Racks, Fiber Tech Performance, Undercover, Rhino Racks, Monster Hooks, Addictive Desert Designs, DropStar Wheels and Hercules Tires.

Brenthel contributed a Baja suspension kit, a pre-runner kit with a 4.5-inch lift that provides 12-inches of wheel travel and widens the stance of the truck 3-inches on each side. King 3.0 coilovers and upper and lower pre-runner control arms were used for the front set up. The rear suspension includes Deaver leaf springs and King 2.5 piggyback shocks.

K&N provided a 71-2591 Blackhawk induction air intake system that includes a free-flowing, mandrel-bent aluminum tube, a washable and reusable air filter that has an oil-free synthetic filter media that can be used for up to 100,000 miles before cleaning is necessary, depending on driving conditions, and a heat shield that blocks hot air from the engine compartment from getting into the intake. The intake system offers an estimated 11.39-horsepower boost on the F-150 EcoBoost engine.

The K&N 712591 Blackhawk air intake is one of many products showcased in the F-150.

The K&N 71-2591 Blackhawk air intake system offers an estimated 11.39-horsepower to the F-150.

Magnaflow contributed a cat back performance exhaust system to help the 5.0 liter Coyote engine exhale a little better. Bodyguard Bumpers up front and rear help to give the truck a meaner stance and provide better approach and departure angles.

Heise LED lighting 30-inch blackout series light bar, cube fog lights, and spotlights, and flush mount cubes that all fit into Bodyguard front and rear bumpers help to light the way. In addition, a Heise 50-inch LED blackout series light bar for the M-Racks stealth roof rack and four LED single row lights for the four corners of the roof and a 40-inch Slim line on the rear ensure that Jon is never left in the dark. Metra also supplied their newest Turbo Touch installation kit for a Sony 6.4-inch Media Receiver with CarPlay.

Bodyguard bumpers front bumper with Heise lights and monster hook shackles

Just like the rear bumper, the front is filled with Heise lights and Monster Hook shackles

Fiber Tech Performance donated a Ram air hood and Brothers added Heise LED lights into the hood vents. An Undercover Ridgelander bed cover tilts up via a Metra Electronics install bay motorized linear actuator and control module for easy bed access. For added storage capability, a Rhino Racks Xtray was mounted seamlessly to the Ridgelander bed cover along with a mountain trail bike rack system.

Monster Hooks front Reaper forged shackles and rear mini shackles attach to the Bodyguard bumpers, while Addictive Desert Designs Baja XTR fenders and bedsides offer added wheel clearance.

Speaking of the wheel and tire package, Jon had a set of DropStar wheels wrapped in Hercules Terra Trac M/T tires from ATD wheels.

Extreme Off-Road in Katy, Texas, was responsible for the majority of the build. Brothers noted that he and six employees of Extreme Off-Road worked for one month straight on the vehicle after hours from 6 p.m. until 3 a.m. some nights to have things ready in time for the SEMA show.

2016 Ford F-150 from Metra Electronics drifting in the dirt of the Las Vegas desert

While this may be Jon's daily driver, he is still confident in the products to get a little wild

“We chose Extreme Off-Road to build the truck because they are a dealer for the manufacturers who supplied all of these amazing products; they built a total of nine SEMA vehicles that included Metra products and have a great reputation for building some of the nicest show trucks in the industry,” said Brothers.

Brothers, who lives in Houston, Texas, has control of the vehicle. In fact, it is his daily driver as well as his business vehicle.

The truck was featured in DUB Magazine’s LFTDxLVLD booth outside the South Hall at the 2016 SEMA show. It will be exhibited at many Texas and surrounding states’ events including the Austin Texas Heatwave Show, DUB Show Tour, the Keystone Big Show, Meyer Distributing Show, and the Lifted Truck Nationals. It will also appear in LFTDxLVLD magazine.

The truck has been built for off-road driving, but also for practical everyday use visiting dealers.

“I’ve taken it out and have had a lot of fun with it in the desert during our photo shoots,” Brothers concluded.

Dale Martin and Mountain Motion Media snapped the pictures.

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