Stealth Trophy Truck

[TDBrown]

I actually liked the idea at first glance and generally love sleepers. After thinking about it I don't think it is doable in this case because you really need to hack the truck up a bit. A sleeper is generally for racing and I don't know a lot of off-road guys that actually race each other. You'll also find it very hard to "sleep" on someone that would race you off road as the mods become pretty apparent to someone that knows what they are looking at.

jondle, I really appreciate you taking the time to respond with so much detail. I was feeling pretty stupid about the whole thing. I learned a ton from your post. You can probably tell I'm a novice off-roader. I had no idea my tonneau cover wouldn't survive off-road. I thought bumpers/dovetailing were for slow-speed rock-crawlers. And I didn't think the inch of ground clearance from a 37 was worth the spend. My bad. Quick question: Doesn't a +2/+2 mean it sticks out 2" further than stock? Wouldn't it look weird if I did that in the front, but not the bedsides?

Now as to turning a Raptor into a any kind of trophy truck, stealth or otherwise, it's not possible. The Raptor weighs far too much, you can't get the wheel travel out of it that a trophy truck has no matter what you do, you'd spend tens of thousands and fail to achieve your goal, and when you're done you'd have a truck that weighs twice what a trophy truck weighs and won't do half as much.

Thank you Ruger. I clearly shouldn't have used the term "trophy truck." I've read a ton of the posts on here and have visions in my head of running across the desert at high speeds. But I knew that wasn't the same as a trophy truck. I put that term just as shorthand for a very highly capable Raptor. I have in mind something in which I'd want a roll-cage and harnesses. I now understand doing that, and keeping it hidden, it not feasible.

Regarding your earlier question as to motivation, I'm not sure i understand even myself. I seem to have an aversion to anything ostentatious. I blame my Grandma who wouldn't buy a Cadillac in the 70's because she didn't want her friends with less money to feel bad. It made an impression on me as a young man. I don't want anyone to think that I think I'm better than them just because of the vehicle I drive. I guess I'm trying to create an incredibly capable vehicle without making it look like I'm trying to show off. Plus...it's fun to surprise people.

Likely better off to buy a used race “truck” and spend your $ making it street legal

Now that's an interesting thought, PlaynCA. Don't know if it's possible or intended as a joke, but I bet it would be a fun drive.

 

[TDBrown]

On the other hand if you are passionate about converting a truck, do an internet search on Corey Terry’s Raptor prerunner... close to what I think you are talking about

WOW!! Now that's a truck! I read how much money they spent on that and had a heart attack. Seeing that made me realize how far off I was in even referring to a trophy truck. Wow!

 

[Ruger]

WOW!! Now that's a truck! I read how much money they spent on that and had a heart attack. Seeing that made me realize how far off I was in even referring to a trophy truck. Wow!

Exactly. And it's still not a trophy truck.

 

[Booth9999]

WOW!! Now that's a truck! I read how much money they spent on that and had a heart attack. Seeing that made me realize how far off I was in even referring to a trophy truck. Wow!

https://www.race-dezert.com/home/corey-terrys-eversen-ford-raptor-prerunner-183320.html

 

[jondle]

jondle, I really appreciate you taking the time to respond with so much detail. I was feeling pretty stupid about the whole thing. I learned a ton from your post. You can probably tell I'm a novice off-roader. I had no idea my tonneau cover wouldn't survive off-road. I thought bumpers/dovetailing were for slow-speed rock-crawlers. And I didn't think the inch of ground clearance from a 37 was worth the spend. My bad. Quick question: Doesn't a +2/+2 mean it sticks out 2" further than stock? Wouldn't it look weird if I did that in the front, but not the bedsides?

A soft tonneau cover (as opposed to a BakFlip or similar) may survive since it has some flex. The bed has a ton of movement and flex while off-road at speed.

At least in a desert truck, you generally don't want to do anything that will make your truck taller. You want more wheel travel, while keeping it low and wide. Tires are a bit of an exception though. Generally you run <30lbs of air, which increases traction and will mitigate the height. The real, functional reason for bigger tires is the horizontal distance, it should stay on top of bumps and washboard slightly better than the smaller size. I say functional because 37's look better on our truck and a lot of people prefer form over function.

With rock crawlers, approach and departure angles are more important because you can get stuck, but they are definitely a thing in the desert too. Think about crossing a wash at speed. As you drop in, the rear suspension starts to compress before the bed has cleared. A lot of washes are only 20 or 30' wide. So when coming out of the wash your suspension will still be compressed, at least partly. Then your front end smacks the wash until your tires get there. You aren't going to get stuck like a rock crawler, but you certainly bang off the skid plate a lot more. I was on my third factory skid plate when I got a bumper that requires frame cuts. I've had this one for 6 or 7 years and it is still great. Part of that is just the durability/thickness of the after market one, but part of it is the better approach angle.

Yes, +2 inches taller and +2 inches wider. Most people on here would notice, but I think 2" is subtle enough that the general public won't notice unless you point it out. Anything more than that and it starts getting more apparent. What really is apparent is RPG's BOLT kit; in other words, widening the suspension. When you see a truck with that, it really stands out. +2" bedsides would keep the look uniform, but very few people go that far. They are a beast to install because you have to cut the existing bedsides out, as opposed to unbolting the front fenders and bolting on new ones.

 

[melvimbe]

Regarding your earlier question as to motivation, I'm not sure i understand even myself. I seem to have an aversion to anything ostentatious. I blame my Grandma who wouldn't buy a Cadillac in the 70's because she didn't want her friends with less money to feel bad. It made an impression on me as a young man. I don't want anyone to think that I think I'm better than them just because of the vehicle I drive. I guess I'm trying to create an incredibly capable vehicle without making it look like I'm trying to show off. Plus...it's fun to surprise people.

I don't think you're alone in these thoughts in a general sense. The same idea comes up often when discussing whether bedside decals come off as trying to show off or if it's good styling. It really comes down to what you're intent is more than what the final result looks like in my opinion.

As well, I think there is a difference between getting a luxury car and getting a capable truck that happens to be expensive and comfortable inside. I think you could make an argument that a big part of the reason why cars are out and SUVs and trucks are in is because SUVS and trucks are more capable than cars. People are more interested in capabilities than just shows of wealth. There's also the customization aspect of it. People aren't going to look at a vehicle that's been customized as a show of wealth so much. Even if you didn't do the mods yourself, you took the time to chose which mods to do.

But as far as stealth, people expect a raptor to be capable offroad, so you can't make that ability stealth. You'd need to make the truck capable of something it isn't expected to be good at.

 

[TDBrown]

At least in a desert truck, you generally don't want to do anything that will make your truck taller. You want more wheel travel, while keeping it low and wide. Tires are a bit of an exception though.

My gosh I'm glad you said that. The Raptor is the first truck I've ever owned. There seem to be a lot of posts about lifting and leveling and I could not figure out why. Thought I was missing something obvious and was embarrassed to ask. I thought it would be generally desirable to keep the center of gravity as low as possible while maximizing wheel travel. Glad to hear I'm not completely crazy...just mostly. I'm guessing a lifted truck is good for rock crawlers and for people who just like the look. I can appreciate that. But sounds like a serious desert runner would do everything possible to keep the truck as low as possible.

With rock crawlers, approach and departure angles are more important because you can get stuck, but they are definitely a thing in the desert too. Think about crossing a wash at speed. As you drop in, the rear suspension starts to compress before the bed has cleared. A lot of washes are only 20 or 30' wide. So when coming out of the wash your suspension will still be compressed, at least partly. Then your front end smacks the wash until your tires get there. You aren't going to get stuck like a rock crawler, but you certainly bang off the skid plate a lot more. I was on my third factory skid plate when I got a bumper that requires frame cuts. I've had this one for 6 or 7 years and it is still great. Part of that is just the durability/thickness of the after market one, but part of it is the better approach angle.

Are full skid plates under the body important? Or do you just run with the skid plate on the front?

Yes, +2 inches taller and +2 inches wider. Most people on here would notice, but I think 2" is subtle enough that the general public won't notice unless you point it out. Anything more than that and it starts getting more apparent. What really is apparent is RPG's BOLT kit; in other words, widening the suspension. When you see a truck with that, it really stands out. +2" bedsides would keep the look uniform, but very few people go that far. They are a beast to install because you have to cut the existing bedsides out, as opposed to unbolting the front fenders and bolting on new ones.

Thank you, I didn't realize the long-travel kits (RPG BOLT or others) widened the suspension. Do you happen to know which kits provide the most wheel travel without widening the suspension? I ask just in case you know off the top of your head. If you don't, I'll do the research. Don't mean to be a pain. But since I'm already a pain...I've seen the posts where people have put 37's on with minor modifications to the stock body. Is it possible to combine 37's with a longer suspension travel without fiberglass? Or are those things incompatible?

jondle, thank you again for the detailed responses. I have learned a ton from you and will try to pay it forward.

It really comes down to what you're intent is more than what the final result looks like in my opinion...as far as stealth, people expect a raptor to be capable offroad, so you can't make that ability stealth. You'd need to make the truck capable of something it isn't expected to be good at.

melvimbe, your post was excellent and put things in perspective for me. Thank you! The Raptor will never surprise anyone with off-road capability. And I don't want it to be a track car. You made me think about my intent. My intent is not to show off, but to build a very capable truck. I'm sure a ton of people on this forum are the same. I actually don't mind those that want to show it off...they have every right to be proud of what they bought/built. Just not right for me personally.

 

[jondle]

I only have the front skid plates, but wish I had the full kit. A few vendors on here sell full kits. There is just so much money to go around and I haven't put any there yet. I also haven't broken anything that the skid plate would have prevented YET.

I don't know of any kit other than the RPG BOLT that noticeably widens the suspension. I'm sure most kits that replace everything up front are at least a little wider, but not noticeably. I think SVC has one of the more popular setups in this vein. Keeping 4x4 working with that increased angle is another trick that I don't think anyone has perfected. If that is important to you, I would really talk to the shops and this forum about the specific setup before committing.

Not all 37's are equal. I think the BFG KTO2's, for example, come in at 36.5. I've heard people with those tires that don't rub. I have General Grabber non-DOT's and they rub a little with the Fiberwerx fenders. Your best bet would be find the exact wheel and tire combination you like, mount it, do compressions and turning tests and go from there. It all tends to snowball from here though. I put my 37" tires on factory rims and the sidewall just barely rubbed the tie rod, so I got wheels with a 1" offset (from stock). Then there was a little mud and it ripped out the clipped in fender liners, so my new set of liners are now tucked up as high as they can be and are bolted in.

All I'm saying is, once you start tinkering with it, it is never going to "just work" like a stock truck does. You're forever tinkering, fixing, replacing, etc. as things break. I just bought a second car so I can tinker on my truck in the winter (motorcycle in summer) without needing it to get to work (or freeze my ass off on a motorcycle in the San Diego winter).