This is our 2012 Ford Raptor Project Truck.

It has been dubbed "The Dark Assassin" as it will be "killing" opponents in the 2012 NMRA Drag Racing Series.

First I want to thank our sponsors that are helping to make this race season possible.

Stainless Works Exhaust, Dyno Jet Racing, Wicked Performance Shop, Finish Line Performance, and Evolution Performance.

We will be performing many upgrades to the truck including exhaust, tune, as well as some trick bumpers by Wicked Performance Shop | Off Road Ford F150 Raptor Parts | Bumpers | Hitch | Nerf Bars | Custom Fabrication | Race Vehicles

Stay tuned to our page for ongoing performance updates as well as our standings in the 2012 NMRA Drag Racing Series.

You can follow our build at The Dark Assassin

I will try to keep the build thread very well updated here too.

A couple stock pictures except for the front window tint.





One of the first things that's always good with a truck is a spray in bedliner. We chose Line-X just because of their quality, reputation, and warranty.



After that it was off to Doghouse Racing for a baseline dyno on the truck.
Dyno pulls needed to be done in 3rd gear as the truck will hit the factory speed limiter in 4th ending your pull well before the top of the RPM range.



The truck laid down 323 rwhp on the dyno. Torque came in at 354 ft/lbs.
Just to see if the stock filter was a restriction, we popped the top of the airbox to see how it would affect the truck.

The truck picked up 2 rwhp to 325. The thing that was interesting, is the a/f richened up from 12.6 to 12.1/2 range.

This leads us to believe that a good flowing air kit, along with a tune to recalibrate the a/f should yield a good 15 rwhp or so.

Here is the dyno video


Up next will be a full Stainless Works Exhaust system. We went with the Stainless Works Headers and catted x pipe. We also opted for the S-Tube mufflers as well. Part # LMF which stands for Loud Mother .... Well, you get the idea!

Here are a few shots of the exhaust.





My buddy was real happy at how "free flowing" the exhaust appeared!

 

Next on the list of things was a cover to stow our drag strip goodies, or whatever else might need to be carried.



We opted for the new Painted to match Undercover.



I've never been a huge fan of the Undercovers due to the "plastic" look. I like the A.R.E's, but the downside is the weight.



The painted to match Undercover is the hot ticket. Only weights in about 58 lbs, yet looks very clean on the truck. The model also has a sort of build in wing to give it a nice look.



The first thing we noticed was how well the cover appeared to be packaged.











Install was pretty simple, and with the reduced weight compared to an A.R.E. or other heavy brand, the time from start to finish was maybe 20 minutes.







Charlie hard at work!







My man Gary lending a hand. If you think Gary looks familiar, go back to your Kansas City Chiefs or Tennessee Vols roster from way back!







The finished product looks great on the truck! A little bit of snow today, but you get the idea!















The cover also comes with a preinstalled light which is nice.







With our trick bumpers in the process of being built by the guys at Wicked Performance Shop, we figured it's time to get to work on the fender flares.



We pulled off the fender flares (without breaking one clip I might add!).



We thought about going with a line x coating for that look to match the bumpers / running boards. But, due to the thickness and worry of scratching the oem paint, we decided to go a different route.



What we will be doing, is scuffing them up, adding "rock guard" to the flares, and then painting them with a flat black. This should give a slight textured look to the flares, and provide excellent protection out on the road.

 

keep it coming!

 

A couple pics of the flares in progress. We were able to get them off without breaking any clips.







After the rock guard and flat black, we added 2 coats of semi gloss. This helped to keep a more "black" look, vs gray. It wil also make them a little easier to clean.



BEFORE



AFTER - These match the running boards perfectly and will match the Wicked Performance Shop bumpers perfectly.





Next on the list was to install an Airaid CAI and Lund tune. A nice care package from our partners at EVO arrived just in time!







CAI Install was simple and straight forward. It really was as simple as popping the top lid to the stock airbox, removing the mass air sensor, and then loosening a couple clamps to pull the intake tube.

The Airaid CAI is nice as it utilizes the bottom portion of the stock air box. The factory air box utilizes fresh outside air, and the Airaid kit contiues to take advantage of that.

Install was completed in less than 15 minutes from start to finish.



Stock ECU downloading and custom tune uploading!



As with most of Ford's drive by wire vehicles. The throttle response is noticeable from the first touch of the pedal. Ford softens up the throttle response to cater to the "average" person, not the enthusiast.

With the snow on the ground, we were not able to take advantage of the new found power. Shifts are noticeably more crisp though, and we will be hitting the dyno soon.

 

awesome build!

 

Sweet! Can't wait to see more!

 

looks sick

 

Truck is looking great, what is the end goal?

 

go fast..

 

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L-L raptor dude i love how you did the flares like that. I have a friend with a raptor they are awesome machines. If i was you next i would ditch the a/t's and get some bfg km2's or toyo m/t's that would make the truck make much more aggressive. I also wonder how your truck would look with the wheels powdercoated black.

 

you mean something like this?

 

Freaking awesome thread and pictures! And a great name (Dark Assassin)!
When's the first race?

 

Yea i think thats looks reeally cool, I saw a raptor with general grabbers yesterday it looked nice it was all black too

 

very nice truck!

 

Next up is getting the graphics package ready on the truck. Our friends at GCI Digital here in Cincinnati, OH were up to the task of putting everything together on the truck.









Here is a video of our first trip out to the drag strip!

Team Beefcake Racing 2012 Raptor First Dragstrip pass - YouTube