Showing posts with label ford. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ford. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Updating the wiper arms and cowl

Mother nature can be harsh, especially when your garage can't hold your Raptor.  I've had this beast parked outside for 8 years now, and some of the plastic has taken a beating!  I did some research on the forums and Facebook and found that replacing the cowl plastic and wiper arms can really refresh the look and functionally seal up the hood space between the windshield and hood.

Below, you can see how thrashed the OEM parts were from NorCal sun, rain, leaves, etc.  Very faded, cracked and even some sections broken off an missing.  The wiper arms, while they worked just fine - needed a refresh, no more ceramic coating could bring them back.




These are the parts that I used to replace the old OEM parts, it's ~$200 in parts

Removing the old parts isn't too hard.  First remove the old wiper arms.  Start with the driver side.  This is done by sliding out a small tab that holds the wiper arms onto the rotating assembly on the wiper motor.  A small flathead screwdriver works great.  You may need to wiggle the arm a bit to get it off, just keep that tab extended and it will come straight off the wiper motor hub.  


Once you figure out the driver side, the passenger side is identical - just a bit harder to reach. As you can see, my OEM parts are pretty thrashed.

Next up - pop the hood, and lift to full height to get better access to the cowl pieces.  

You can use the flat head screwdriver to pop the snap slots.  There are also 3 clips per side that will pull out when you lift up on the cowl pieces.  The passenger side is where the wiper washers are connected, there is a simple clip that holds the hose to the body, and simply pull the water connector from the hose.








Here are the old cowl pieces off the truck.  The rubber/plastic is hammered.  Also, I cleaned up the windshield and cowl area - used a razor blade to clean the glass really well as the grime is caked on.






Lastly, you replace the old parts with the new parts just the inverse process.  Just to note, the new wiper arms came with a small metal tab that I had to remove, no matter how hard I tried - I couldn't get that tab to fit the small slot in my hubs - your mileage may vary.  A simple flathead screwdriver popped the tab out and they fit fine.


I sprayed the new parts with a good ceramic sealant/wax: 


Now the final result!  Just like new!  Good luck on replacing yours!









Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Got a travel trailer - finally!

My wife and I have wanted to get a travel trailer ever since we got the Raptor 7 years ago!  We finally bit the bullet(haha) and got a used 2016 Keystone Bullet Ultra-Lite 220RBIWE - we love it!  Obviously, Raptors are not really 'towing' vehicles for daily use, but this trailer is 4600lbs, and GWVR of 6400 lbs and 480lb tongue weight.  For a 25.5' trailer it comes nicely setup with dual slides and a center island.  We got a weight distribution hitch (WDH) with the trailer as well which made a HUGE difference in ride quality while towing.

Here are some pics!  






















Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Rebuilt the shocks at a local shop - Forged Offroad

 I have about 57k miles on the Raptor now, and given my driving style it's suggested to have the stock Fox shocks rebuilt around 50k miles.  If you're a major off-roader, you may have to do this every 10-30k miles depending on the daily beatings.  Fortunately, Forged Offroad is about 11 miles away and they do the majority of shock rebuilds for these trucks and are part of an avid off-road community as well!

For local customers, we can bring to the shop in the morning and it's done by end of day.  In my case, I got there about 8:45am and they called me to pickup around 2:30pm - great time! 


M20-2.50 x 120mm Hex Cap Screws, DIN 931, Class 10.9 Steel, 50 Pack
M20-2.50 x 120mm Hex Cap Screws, DIN 931, Class 10.9 Steel, 50 Pack
Aspen Fasteners Lock Nuts
Aspen Fasteners Lock Nuts

Here's how they look after the rebuild - great team, and great work!



Saturday, July 23, 2022

Cold Start - 2017-2020 Ford Raptor 3.5L EcoBoost Trombone Equal Length Resonator Delete, RDFR20EL

Here's a cold start video of my Whipple Tuned 2017 Ford Raptor with the SPD Performance 3.5L  EcoBoost Trombone Equal Length Resonator Delete, RDFR20EL



Definitely louder on cold-startup than with the Flowmaster Flow-FX.  The truck sounds like a race car when you floor it, and really screams!  There is some drone from 1,800-2,200 rpm so I'm not happy with that as that is cruising RPM around town.




Thursday, July 21, 2022

SPD Gen3+ Trombone Equal Length Resonator Delete Installed

 It's been 4 years since I changed the exhaust with the Flowmaster Flow FX setup and was looking for something a little different.  SPD created this new equal-length resonator delete pipe that mimics the 2020+ Raptor exhaust.  It's pretty funky looking!


When I first reached out in February, I asked SPD about "drone" and they said absolutely no drone... well, it's not entirely true.  



The pipe showed up a few weeks ago, so aboutI had mine installed today - ordered February, showed up about 2 weeks ago... almost 5 months waiting!!!

My initial review (sorry no video yet)
  • The truck idles more deeply, and sounds throatier
  • it's definitely LOUDER for sure, but very cool to hear how this engine 'breathes' - you can't hide any throttle wiggle with this pipe!  Seriously with this mod, it sounds more like you're driving a Ford GT - it's pretty crazy!
  • sadly it drones around 2-2.1K rpms which is really disappointing, which is a lot of driving around town RPMs when in sport mode, and hunting right around 6th gear...
Maybe it's just the difference from the FlowFX which tended to rumble more in the middle of the truck - now all the sound has moved to the rear outlets...

I kept my Flowmaster FlowFX if I want to go back but will give it some time to wear in a bit

Hope to record and post a video soon for a better sound review.


Thursday, November 5, 2020

new shoes for the Raptor - Pirelli Scorpions!

 After 36k miles on the BFG KO2s they were getting rather lumpy, noisy and down to about 4-5/32nds so it was time.  Did a lot of research and found the Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus in the stock size 315/70R17 - and decided they were a good choice for my driving style.

Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus 315/70R17 121S All Terrain Tire
Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus 315/70R17 121S All Terrain Tire
 BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A KO2 Radial Car Tire for Light Trucks, SUVs,…
BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A KO2 Radial Car Tire for Light Trucks, SUVs,…
 Nitto Ridge Grappler All-Terrain Radial Tire - LT315/70R17 121Q
Nitto Ridge Grappler All-Terrain Radial Tire - LT315/70R17 121Q
 Dick Cepek Extreme Country All-Terrain Radial Tire - LT315/70R17 121Q
Dick Cepek Extreme Country All-Terrain Radial Tire - LT315/70R17 121Q

Pirelli’s new SCORPION™ ALL TERRAIN PLUS offers light truck and SUV drivers a durable, high performance driving experience in a wide range of challenging on or off road conditions. The product feature a self cleaning pattern aimed at increasing integrity while delivering excellent wet, snow, and mud traction.



These are E-rated tires, so heavier duty sidewalls - not the best for MUD and crawling, but then again my truck is 90% road so I won't be that concerned.  The tire comes with a 50k warranty as well, as compared to the BFG KO2 - with no warranty.

The feel on the highway is excellent, and these tires are nearly silent.  Maybe it was just the wear on the KO2 but it was like riding in a 747 - you had that constant drone of the tires...

A little cheaper than the KO2, and 50k warranty - plus all the features - time will tell if these were a good switch!

Updating the wiper arms and cowl

Mother nature can be harsh, especially when your garage can't hold your Raptor.  I've had this beast parked outside for 8 years now,...