What did u do to your raptor today?

[Gumby]

The truck Got new Kicks (tires) today!!! bank account got a little lower.

 

[wjoutlaw]

@wjoutlaw Is there a raptor in this settlement or we just a sounding board for your problems? Not trying to be a A$$ but just curious. and I am sorry for the loss of your mom!!!!

Sorry for the rant and rave. I have not been in a good place since I got the initial call mom was sick back in April.

I promise there is a Raptor in this story. I used my 2014 Blue Flame to tow my RV trailer to Amarillo so I could have a place to stay close to be with her. Although the hotel was fine, I was getting tired of paying $1k a week on it.

I also had to take another couple of trips back to meet with the attorney to discuss options, meet with the realtor and make another sweep of the house for hidden valuables and important papers/documents. I also took the RV back with me on the last trip. The Raptor performed flawlessly.

 

[Jhollowell]

The truck Got new Kicks (tires) today!!! bank account got a little lower.
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I'm about to pull the trigger on those same tires. Its crazy how prices have gone up. Back in 2016 i bought 4 Trail Grapplers and 4 Method wheels and it was $2600. Pretty sure 4 tires are in the $2200-2300 range. Maybe i'll drive down to Oregon and save on tax

 

[Gumby]

I went through four wheel parts. They were like 2K with new lugs (gorilla) and unlimited rotation.

 

[badm0t0rfinger]

 

[SJC8713]

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love it. Hows it like the weight in the back? What else you got under the tent? I went this route on previous vehicle, not sure i want to do it again but yours makes me want to.

 

[MurderedOutSVT]

love it. Hows it like the weight in the back? What else you got under the tent? I went this route on previous vehicle, not sure i want to do it again but yours makes me want to.

Never ask a dude what else is under the tent......unless you follow with a no hom-o

 

[MurderedOutSVT]

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Where's your adventures at today?

 

[badm0t0rfinger]

love it. Hows it like the weight in the back? What else you got under the tent? I went this route on previous vehicle, not sure i want to do it again but yours makes me want to.

Right now after about 500 miles give or take with the leafs I'm really starting to like them. Its Icons on option 3, I had originally asked for option 2 but miscommunication happend and I wound up with option 3; was a bit miffed but now it aint so bad. They've settled and will all my crap in the back its at just under 44 inches (fender to ground) and when I tow my jet ski its about perfect. I also got Geisers up front on bottom perch. I probably could of gotten them at middle perch but was worried they would be too stiff... flat out they're not nearly as stiff as some people on this forum make them out to be. They also raised the front end to just about 41 inches. So going forward I'll probably either get a drop shackle to get the ass end down to just under 43 inches or go to option 2. That way there is still a rake to the truck but not nearly as bad as it was.

Weight in the back is probably just about 400 pounds with nothing in the bed. The tent is just about 225 lbs, the rack is probably 175 lbs give or take. When I throw all my camping shit in the back its probably closer to 600, thats when the truck feels amazing on the new springs. Thats why I'm still tempted to go down to option 2, because I really like how it feels weighted down on option 3, and I drive with it empty more than packed so to have that feeling day to day would be great. Heres about average packout for a few days camping, albeit as I was unpacking (see below for more details)



I honestly didn't buy the Raptor at all with the intention of making it an overland style vehicle, but over time it just kind of developed that way. I wanted to go full desert runner style, but living in Hawaii put a damper on that with the absurd shipping costs... and buying my first house. While in Hawaii I used it as a work truck and surf rig, then as I moved back to the mainland and started doing more car camping it just kind of gradually grew into what it is now. Had I planned on building it from the beginning like this I probably would have picked up a normal F150 Screw or a F250 SCAB w/6.75 bed and the 6.7 Diesel (though if I were to be buying that truck now, I'd get the 7.3L gasser). Before my Raptor I had built up my D2 to be pretty gnarly. I loved that truck. It was a *************. I miss it a lot.

Where's your adventures at today?

I was up at Rock Glen in Arkona, Ontario. Its about 45 minutes from London. Has a cool nature preserve with 2 sets of waterfalls. The upper one is about 30 feet, and the lower set is about 8 feet. There is also an area where you can pick through the rocks for fossils and other cool stuff. I went there a bunch as a kid.

Upper Falls:

Lower Falls:

I ended up crossing the border and going home but I decided to take a bunch of the country back roads and farm routes instead of the highway, at least for as much as I could. Really allowed me to stretch out the new suspension setup.



Not content with that I decided to start cleaning up my truck since I won't be doing any camping for at least a week (this weekend I have to catch up with chores and maybe do a bit of local fishing!). I ended up popping up the tent and letting it air out a bit, and threw the fitted sheet in the wash. I got everything out of the back seat (lots of crumpled fast food receipts) and started reorganizing the bed (see above). Then noticed some corrosion that had started really making its effects on my a pillar mounts more apparent, I finally bit the bullet and pulled my lights off and sanded down the mounts and cleaned up the lights themselves. I threw a coat of flat black on them and will do another in the morning.




So yeah... thats what I did with my Raptor today. Tomorrow is cleaning it with the new pressure washer.

Edit/Addition: I forgot! I also drained the power steering reservoir and threw on a new filter before filling it with new MERCON LV.



BTW my gasket ring on the top of the cap is shredded, so if any of you know what size it is off the top your head... that information would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Big Blue]

Part 2 of bed upgrade.