YouTuber Lands the Ultimate Ford Truck for Off-roading!
Used Border Patrol Raptor has lived a hard life, which has taken its toll on the body and other parts, but not the Raptor’s V8 heart.
Last week, we told you about a 2012 Ford Raptor formerly used by the Border Patrol that found a new home with Tyler Hoover, the man behind the popular YouTube channel Hoovies Garage. When he got the off-road monster, it had already racked up 159,000 miles serving this country for six years and enduring the ownership of a Florida man who drove it on the beach until it stopped running. Hoover’s mechanic pal David Long, aka “The Car Wizard,” got the Raptor on the road again by replacing a $20 fuel pump relay. But Hoover expected his costs to go up significantly once Long performed a full inspection.
As you can imagine, Border Patrol duty is not easy on trucks. One of Hoover’s viewers, who used to work for the agency, wrote to him and told him, “I can guarantee that this truck has been in countless vehicle pursuits, on-road and off-, jumped and maxed out to the top speed – probably on a weekly basis.”
Years of off-road action (and the previous owner’s antics) left its mark on the Raptor in the form of “hickeys and tattoos” (Hoovie-speak for dents and scratches on the body) and damage to the transfer case. Hoover’s truck makes a worrying noise when he’s goes quickly in four-wheel drive. As Hoover describes it, “It’s a really bad popping noise. It’s like something’s banging under there.” The good news is that one of his parts sponsors is sending him a replacement transfer case for free so Hoover will just need Long to install it for him.
Long puts the battered Raptor up on his lift and gives it a thorough examination. He quickly finds another problem with its four-wheel drive system. Make that three: the differential mounts are blown out.
Aside from those, there aren’t really any other major issues with Hoover’s truck. Long doesn’t mention needing to do anything to the Raptor’s 6.2-liter V8.
The things that need to be replaced are mainly wear-and-tear items, which makes total sense given this beast’s lot in life. The beefy tires are missing chunks of tread so those will have to be completely replaced. According to Long, Hoover’s Raptor will also need an oil change, fresh tie rod ends, a replacement windshield, a spare wheel and tire, and a new rear license plate light.
That’s better than what Hoover was expecting. We’re kind of shocked, too, considering what this truck has been through. There’s a catch, though. Even though Hoover is getting a free transfer case, putting that, the new diff mounts, and all of the other necessary hardware in will require a significant amount of Long’s labor….and $3,500 of Hoover’s money.
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