Alex 
With supply chain issues as they are, it might be hard to get the vehicle you’re looking for. Let’s consider the Ford F-150 Raptor, for example. And if you can find one, chances are it’s significantly marked up. And that’s gonna go double for the upcoming F-150 Raptor R. So, what to do? Well, in this case, there is an alternative. Courtesy of tuning house PaxPower, you can have the Raptor you always wanted, sort of.
The magic all starts with a standard Ford F-150. From there PaxPower swaps the body panels out for Raptor panels, including the front fenders, hood, grille and fascia, inner and outer bedsides, fender flares and liners, bumpers and skid plate, and “better than OEM paint quality”, they say. Even the F-150 PowerBoost hybrid is eligible for the conversion.
Depending on the powertrain you start with, PaxPower will upgrade it. If it’s the PowerBoost, there’s an intercooler upgrade. If it’s the standalone 3.5L EcoBoost, the company will make a significant amount of tweaks for it to produce some 500 horsepower and 625 lb-ft of torque. But wait, there’s more.
An F-150 with a 5.0L Coyote V8 will get upgraded with a massive 3.0L Whipple supercharger in order to produce a TRX-beating 770 horsepower. Though, if you prefer, you can keep the stock engine and change everything else, but why would you do that?
It wouldn’t be a Raptor without knobby tires and suspension upgrades, and PaxPower outfits its trucks with 17×9 Off-Road Wheels with 35×12.5R17 Off-Road Tires, while 20-inch wheels with 37” Tires are available as an upgrade. Suspension conversions underneath leverage second-generation Ford F-150 Raptor rear leaf springs, as well as the upper and lower control arms.
If you want to take things a step further, the PaxPower Alpha Widebody F-150 Raptor conversion features extended wheel arches to contain the dirt flung up from those 37-inch tires.
PaxPower doesn’t show pricing on its website, likely because of the high customizability of each truck, as well as the cost of the donor vehicle. Considering what dealers are charging for Raptors these days, you might as well give it a look.
