Factory Five’s new XT-1 kit can turn a Ford F-150 crew cab 4×4 from 2015 to 2020 into a desert prerunner. The F-150 has a ladder frame, but the XT-1, which starts at $24,990, has a whole-tube frame with a long-travel suspension. Factory Five says that the F-150’s doors are 90 inches wide and that the widebody Raptor R has hips that are 87 inches wide. The new frame adds 100 pounds and makes the F-150 wider. Are you tired of all the Raptors, TRXs, ZR2s, and other factory-built Baja cars on the market today? You’re in luck because Factory Five Racing just came out with a new package that will turn a 2015–2020 Ford F-150 into something more like a prize truck than a Raptor. The XT-1 kit changes what it means to do a “frame-off restoration” by changing the ladder frame of the F-150 with a full tube frame with a new long-travel suspension. You need a truck, some understanding of how to fix things, and $24,990. Accept blame For the first time in an original Five design, the original interior is used in the XT-1 kit, and the finished car has an all-stock interior. The stock Ford frame has been replaced with a tube-steel monster that Factory Five says is 100 pounds heavier but twice as strong. Because the new structure pushes the front and back tracks out a lot, an XT-1 is 90 inches wide at the bumpers, which is 3 inches wider than a Raptor R, which isn’t a skinny car, to begin with. Because the car is now more comprehensive, the hood, front end, front and back fenders, and other body parts must be changed. The body parts are made of fibreglass, but for $6999, you can get them made of carbon fibre. But because of the suspension, the XT-1 was made. The front suspension has an independent control arm with 16 inches of travel, long-travel Fox remote-reservoir dampers, CV joints, and four-wheel drive. The back end is even crazier because it has a four-link coil suspension with 20 inches of movement instead of the F-150’s leaf springs. Both the XT-1 and the Raptor R are made with 37-inch tires. Bonuses that cost more Besides the carbon body pieces, you can choose from a few other things. The $699 tow package comes with a hitch, a panhard bar, and axle-limiting straps to make the F-150 capable of pulling again. Even though back anti-roll bars cost $399, don’t desert trucks have funny body roll even though they don’t have them? We will know how much the race cage for the cab will cost later. From 2015 to 2020, you’ll need an F-150 crew cab 4×4 with a 26-gallon gas tank. A 2021 or 2022 model will also work, but it will take more work to change. You can choose between the 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost twin-turbo engine and the 5.0-liter V-8 engine. Ford just came out with a 700-hp bolt-on kit for that 5.0, right? We have a great idea, so get your credit card ready. Since you’ll be able to buy the XT-1 kit in August, you can start cleaning out your shed right away. You can pull in with an F-150 this fall and leave in the spring ready to ignore speed bumps.
