Ford Raptor Build: Making a Great Truck Even Better
A few simple mods make a huge difference in power and driveability on an already awesome Raptor.
In all honesty, a stock Ford Raptor is more than enough truck for 99% of the population. Heck, most people won’t even come close to reaching the limits of Ford’s nearly unstoppable off-roader. But stock, as they say, is boring, no matter how awesome your truck is to begin with. And the itch to mod eventually proves too much to ignore for most people. That includes Justin Dugan from American Trucks.
When you work for an aftermarket truck parts company, we imagine you probably get made fun of in the break room is your don’t mod your truck. And yet, Dugan made it a full year owning his Ford Raptor before the desire to modify it became too much. So he got to work making his badass truck, well, even more badass.
Dugan started by removing the revered Fox shocks and springs, which as he says, “make a Raptor a Raptor.” But in their place, he installed even beefier Sway-A-Way 3.0-inch coilovers. They even come with massive, separate reservoirs for improved damping and adjustment. Plus, they’re good for a 2-2.5″ lift in the front, which levels the Raptor out nicely.
Next, an Alcon Big Brake setup went on all four corners. We’ve covered these amazing parts before, which allow the Raptor to stop from 60 mph in just 90 feet. A Corsa Sport 3-inch exhaust gives the Ecoboost a little more grunt, while a bigger intercooler keeps the turbo motor from getting too hot. ADD Stealth Fighter bumpers front and rear make the already badass-looking truck even more menacing.
Throw on a winch, KC lighting, and a Roush cold air intake, and you’ve got a truck that’s infinitely more usable than before. With those simple mods and a tune, the Raptor jumps from 359 hp and 396 lb-ft of torque at the wheels all the way up to 428 hp and 477 lb-ft. But how does it drive? Well, after tearing around a field a little, Dugan admits that he’s speechless. We’ll take that, and his incessant giggling, as a good thing! To see all the parts that went into this impressive build, click here.
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