Second Chance — Current Flagship
Project Tremor
2023 Ford F-150 Tremor — 5.0L V8
A salvage-title 2023 F-150 Tremor, bought at auction and delivered days ago. The plan is to repair it correctly before modifying anything, then build it into a Raptor-inspired truck that still works as a daily driver and tows a 6,500-lb Airstream.
Won at auction for $21,000. Out the door — including Copart fees, AutoBidMaster fees, and $1,200 towing — the total was about $24,500.
- Vehicle
- 2023 Ford F-150 Tremor
- Engine
- 5.0L V8
- Cab
- SuperCrew
- Bed
- 5.5 ft
- Rear axle
- 3.73
- Factory options
- Adaptive cruise, moonroof
- Target tire size
- 35 in
- Tow load
- 6,500 lb Airstream
- Front end
- Full OEM Raptor conversion planned
- Parts fitment
- Gen 3 Raptor spec
- Title
- Salvage — rear impact, both headlights, rear leaf springs
Why this truck
It starts with a downsize. The F-250 had gotten too tall for the kids and for aging family members to climb into, but the Airstream still had to come along. The search criteria were specific: a 3.73 axle, adaptive cruise, and a moonroof. On top of that, the damage itself was a criterion — the goal was a truck wrecked on the panels already headed for replacement, so that fitting Raptor-inspired bumpers and fenders wouldn't mean throwing away good factory parts. This one fit.
What happened to it
According to other owners in the Tremor Nation Facebook group, the previous owner came up on a highway pileup outside San Antonio and ended up sandwiched between two vehicles — losing both headlights on impact, then being struck from behind, which broke the rear bumper and snapped the rear leaf springs. That's secondhand, not a confirmed accident report, but it matches the damage that's actually on the truck.
How it's being approached
Everything gets inspected and repaired personally, with one exception: the rear differential was pushed back from the transfer case in the impact and goes to a professional before any work happens behind it. The build isn't chasing a Raptor badge this truck was never sold with — it's bringing Raptor-inspired proportions, materials, and capability to a Tremor that's been put right first.
Goals
- Return the truck to fully roadworthy, safe condition before any cosmetic or performance work begins
- Build a Raptor-inspired appearance using exposed carbon-fiber bodywork and matched proportions, without claiming Raptor equivalence
- Comfortably and stably tow a 6,500-lb Airstream
- Stay accessible enough for kids and aging family members to ride in comfortably, after downsizing from an F-250
- Choose every component for engineering fit to this specific use case, not manufacturer hype
- Document both the parts that work out and the ones that don't
Build philosophy
- Repair correctly before modifying
- Preserve factory functionality where possible
- Avoid replacing the same part twice
- Choose components based on engineering and use case, not hype
- Retain daily-driver comfort
- Improve towing stability
- Create a Raptor-inspired appearance without pretending the truck is a Raptor
- Document both successes and compromises honestly
- When choosing a salvage vehicle, look for damage that overlaps with planned modifications, so nothing good gets thrown away
Timeline
Bought at salvage auction; picked up and transported within the week
Full self-inspection, with the rear differential referred out for a professional check
Rear suspension repair and direction decision
Roadworthy restoration complete
Exterior and lighting component sourcing
Suspension and towing upgrades
Final assembly and testing
Concept direction
Where this is headed
Exposed carbon bodywork, Raptor-inspired proportions, and a topographic surface treatment that nods to the ridgelines this truck will actually spend its time in. This is the target the component decisions are being made against — not a mood board.
As acquired
Open decisions
What's still being decided
This truck came home days ago. Nothing has been ordered, which means every component below is still genuinely undecided — and where alternatives are already being weighed, those are named openly rather than kept quiet. Collision repair is handled with OEM parts and isn't listed here; it appears in the full build list instead.
Wheel selection
- Method · leaning — MR305 wheels
- ICON Alloys — Rebound
- Fuel Off-Road — Off-road wheels
Tire size
- No candidate yet
- Toyo — Open Country A/T III
- BFGoodrich — All-Terrain T/A KO3
- Falken — Wildpeak A/T4W
Front suspension
- Bilstein · leaning — B8 6112 front suspension kit
- Fox — 2.5 Factory Series coilover with DSC
- ICON — 2.5 Vehicle Dynamics coilover
Rear suspension load support
- Deaver — Progressive rear leaf springs
- Ford OEM — Stock-style replacement leaf springs
Rear sway bar
- Hellwig · leaning — 1 in adjustable rear sway bar
- Roadmaster — Active Suspension system
- Ford (OEM) — Retain factory rear setup
Rear load support method
- Timbren — SES Tremor rear helper spring kit
- Air Lift — LoadLifter 5000
Rear shocks
- Bilstein · leaning — B8 5100 rear shocks
- Fox — 2.0 Performance Series shocks
- ICON — 2.0 rear shocks
Weight-distribution hitch
- ProPride — 3P hitch
- Hensley — Arrow hitch
- Blue Ox — SwayPro weight distribution hitch
Front bumper
- Addictive Desert Designs · leaning — Gen 3 Raptor front bumper — model TBD
- SVC Offroad — Gen 3 Mojave Bolt-On Front Bumper
- Ford (OEM / take-off) — Factory Gen 3 Raptor front bumper
Rear bumper
- Addictive Desert Designs · leaning — Gen 3 Raptor rear bumper — model TBD
- Addictive Desert Designs — Phantom Rear Bumper
- SVC Offroad — V1 Rear Bumper
Bed rack
- WOLFBOX · leaning — MTB-R1 modular bed rack
- Leitner Designs — ACS Forged Tonneau bed rack system
- Front Runner — Slimline II load bed rack
Gen 3 Raptor grille
- Ford (OEM) — OEM Gen 3 Raptor grille
- Aftermarket — Raptor-style replica grille
Raptor-shape hood
- No candidate yet
- Anderson Composites — Raptor-style carbon hood
- FiberwerX — Raptor-style carbon hood
Headlight upgrade
- Diode Dynamics · leaning — Elite Max LED headlights
- AlphaRex — NOVA / LUXX series LED headlights
- Ford (OEM) — Factory Gen 3 Raptor headlights
Taillight upgrade
- Morimoto · leaning — XB red-lens taillights
- AlphaRex — PRO / LUXX series LED taillights
- Ford (OEM) — Factory Gen 3 Raptor taillights
Amber bumper pod lights
- No candidate yet
- Baja Designs — Squadron / S1 series
- Rigid Industries — D-Series
Brake upgrade
- PowerStop · leaning — Z36 Truck & Tow pads — front
- Hawk Performance — LTS / truck pads
- Akebono — Pro-ACT ceramic pads
Interior storage/mounting system
- Bulletpoint · leaning — RubiGrid F-150/Raptor dash mount
- ProClip USA — Vehicle-specific dash mounts
- RAM Mounts — X-Grip and vehicle mounts
Upfitter switch wiring
- Open Trail Creations · leaning — Upfitter harness extensions, 6-wire
- sPOD — Switch panel systems
- Switch-Pros — Power control systems
Nothing here has been ordered, and nothing has been committed to.
19 of these 19 decisions are open. Some show a manufacturer as currently leaning — that's a preference at this stage, not a selection, and the alternatives beside it are still genuinely in play. Only the carbon fenders and bedsides have actually been bought.
Whatever the arrangement, the write-up stays the same: reasoning, trade-offs, price, and how it held up. How support is disclosed.
Get in touch about a componentMaster build list
Every component decision on this truck, organized by system. Rows with more than one option are open decisions — see exactly what's being weighed and why. Expand any row for reasoning, trade-offs, and status, or open its full decision page for all-in cost, install notes, and a long-term verdict.
Browse the decision logCollision Repair
Repaired with OEM parts as a matter of policy — these are damage items, not upgrades, and they come before anything cosmetic. What's outstanding is part-number identification, not a choice between brands.
Suspension & Wheels
Towing
Exterior
Lighting
Drivetrain & Brakes
Interior
Budget
Running total of logged component spend, drawn directly from the build list above — separate from the $24,500 spent acquiring the truck itself. Entries without a price attached haven't been purchased yet.
$0logged so far
Build journal
All entriesRoadworthy before cosmetics
Committing to a repair-first order of operations before any visual or performance upgrades begin.
FiberWerX lead-time call
Deciding to order the fenders and bedsides together to keep a consistent carbon-fiber finish, despite the wait.
Why Elite Max headlights
Reasoning behind selecting Diode Dynamics' Elite Max headlight housing over other LED options.
Airbags vs. Timbren
Comparing active air helper springs against passive Timbren SES helper springs for towing support.
Project partners
No manufacturer support to disclose on Project Tremor yet. Every component above is documented because it was selected for the build, not because it was supplied — and if that changes, the disclosure appears on the specific part it applies to. How support is disclosed, or see what's still open.