oxfordraptor
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Be warned, long review but a worth while read.
So it goes like this....I had been searching since January on which setup I wanted to go with for bumpers and lighting. I looked at all the available cleaner options that didn't make the truck look buck toothed or have some gigantic thing hanging off the front of the truck.
I narrowed it down to Addictive Desert Designs Race Series R and RPG Raceline front bumpers. Before I go further here, I thought I should list my goals for getting a new bumper.
Goals for new front bumper:
- Increased approach angle
- Clean look that doesn't take from factory lines
- Increased clearance
- Good integrated lighting option
- Function over form with great looks still
- Minimal weight add if any to the truck
- Something that wouldn't block the front camera at all with a light bar mounted
For the longest time I thought I was going with the ADD Race Series R after seeing their Shelby truck it looked sweet. I started speaking with ADD who were very helpful and answered any questions I had in a timely period. Here is the thing though, I started adding up how much the bumper was going to be with lighting and the options I wanted and it was adding up really quickly. I started thinking these bumpers are way overpriced for what I am getting. Essentially they are cosmetic only, except for they are stronger than stock. They are very heavy and were not adding any extra functionality over the stock bumper except for looks. I guess I looked at ADD first because so many people have them and they look nice.
I think I would have looked at RPG Offroad first, but like many others had thought to myself, should I cut the frame to accommodate the front bumper? So my thought process was this...I don't plan to ever sell my truck and I want to build it over time to be a beast of a truck. No linked suspension or anything crazy like that, but more power, better looks and upgrade the suspension. I'm keeping this thing until it won't go anymore.
Since the truck comes with 411HP and 2.5 Fox shocks stock, the looks were coming first. Whipple and RPG Offroad Stage 4 kit to come down the road.
I now scrapped my idea of any ADD bumper and opened communication with Corey from RPG and he sent me some pics of their new Trophy bumper that fit all of my wants and needs. It hit all my bullet points on my goal list and was ****** sweet looking at that. So after speaking with Corey on several occasions, here is what I ended up deciding to go with. I am not going to disclose any cost, but lets just say it was much less than any of the ADD stuff.
List of items to be done by RPG Offroad:
- RPG Trophy Front Bumper
- 21" Vision X Xmitter Prime Extreme LED Bar
- Glassworks 2" Front Fenders w/Glassworks fender liners
- RPG Raceline Rear bumper w/integrated backup sensors
- Dovetail the bed
- Trim and cut for 37's and to be able to accommodate a 37" spar tire under the bed if needed
- Vision X LD Solstice LED lights for the rear bumper to be integrated in holes between the sensors for rear lighting
- Chop the exhaust prior to the rear axle, cut and re-weld the pipes turn down style out of the muffler
- Relocate tow hitch 4.5' higher in rear on new bumper
- Integrate lighting on rear bumper for license plate at night
- Bumpers powder coated Prismatic Grey to match stock bumper color
It was going to be quite the change when completed. The looks I wanted and the added functionality needed to take the truck to that next level. Let me just say that I started speaking with Corey in the end of June and had stated I was pricing things out for an August purchase/install. He could have blown me off until then as I am sure vendors here this all of the time with little follow through from customers. He treated me like we had known each other for years as well as if I was going to be there tomorrow to purchase. We spoke via text on his cell and via email. I always expected delayed responses, but never got one. Always an answer within a day or by Monday if over the weekend. I couldn't feel more comfortable with my decision I was making based on their pre-purchase service I was given.
So it finally got close to August and the last week of July I sent Corey a deposit to get things rolling. Normally things take about 5-6 weeks for build etc. With my job and what was coming down the pipes, I knew that time frame would be difficult for me, but I was going to work it out and didn't say anything to Corey just yet. We spoke over the phone when providing the deposit and I advised Corey I lived in Sacramento and wanted to drive down and have them do the install as well.
Now the question of how long will it take to do all of this work? I asked Corey because my plan was to take a couple vacation days and stay at a hotel while the work was being done. Corey told me it was a lot of work, but if they planned right and had all hands on deck, they could do it in 2 full business days which would mean one night in a hotel for me. That was great I thought, but could it really be done in that time frame? I had my doubts. I have modified several vehicles and nothing goes as planned ever. We then started to discuss time frame for install and to my surprise, Corey said he could do it within two weeks on August 14/15. That fit in well with my schedule for work and was prior to the hecticness on the horizon, so I said **** yeah let's do this. We scheduled the date and I booked a hotel room and got the vacation days scheduled.
I sent Corey a couple payments over the two weeks paying the balance in full for all of the work to be done. We had a go/no go of Thursday August 13th as I would be driving down from Sacramento at midnight to get there when they opened at 8am on Thursday. Well as I though above, nothing ever goes as planned. We had an issue with the powder coater and their ability to get the bumpers done in time, so we rescheduled for the following Monday/Tuesday the 18th/19th of August.
I'm not gonna say I wasn't disappointed because it was like Xmas for me and I was dying to go get it done. No biggie though, I shuffled my vacation days and changed my hotel reservation for Monday night instead.
Sunday rolls around and I leave at midnight from Sacramento driving through the entire night and arriving at RPG's shop on Monday at 7:45am. Corey had texted me maybe 5 minutes later asking when I though I would be there. I said I had just arrived and he said he was at a bagel shop and asked if I wanted anything and that he would be there shortly. After driving all night I took him up on the offer and he brought me a coffee (no reason for him to do that, just a nice guy). He pulled in to the shop, we discussed everything again and they got right to work trimming, chopping, removing bumpers, fenders, etc. The guys there at the shop really know what they are doing, professional all the way through.
My hotel was about a 20 minute walk and I didn't really want to rent a car since I would be going to the hotel to catch up on sleep and then go back to RPG the next day. I have seen LA more than enough times and had no want to cruise around while being there. Derek, one of the guys there offered me a ride over to the hotel with my things and I said sure, why not thank you. Again, RPG is not a taxi service but these guys are great guys and offered so I took them up on it.
I got a call later that day that the fenders were in and Corey said he sent them back because he wasn't happy with the paint match and that they would be done still tomorrow. I couldn't be more happy to here that because most companies will just slap it together and hope you don't notice. RPG obviously has standards and they must be met or it goes back. I love it and am of the same mindset, pant is my pet peeve when done wrong so I would have been pissed if he didn't send them back. Corey treated it like it was his personal truck and oversaw all of the work being done.
Well Tuesday rolled around and I walked over to the shop after checking out of the hotel eager to see what was done. I got there and it was still looking iffy that it would be completed that day. I figured I should get out of their way and go somewhere so they aren't worried about entertaining me and can focus on work.
Again Derek was going out to run some errands and offered to drop me at Buffalo Wild Wings because I said I wanted to grab some beers, lunch and watch some TV while waiting for the work to be done. They did not have to do this and was just one more reason they went above and beyond in my book. I had a couple beers and some lunch and watched some sports then headed back after a couple hours to RPG's shop which was a 5-10 minute walk from there.
There was still some work to be done but I hung out and we shot the shit while they finished up. They fired it up when it was done and the exhaust being chopped prior to the axle made the truck sound completely different and now had a nice low deep growl to it. I was stoked on that alone haha. They backed it out and I was so happy to see how it turned out. We chose not to install the rear Vision X LD Solstice lights yet until I get a chase rack and move the spare to the bed so I can access the hole to lower the spare under the bed until then.
I cannot say enough good things about RPG Offroad and their crew. I am more than happy with the outcome and would highly recommend those that are fearful of cutting frame horns, look seriously at RPG before making your decision. The frame horns get cut, but the bumper has them built in when mounted back up in a way (see pics below). These guys went out of their way to make sure I got what I wanted and that everything went as closely to schedule as it could while looking as good as it possibly could. RPG Offroad has a customer for life out of me after this. I already have plans to back to have more done by them and do the upgrades in stages for suspension, chase rack, etc.
THANK YOU SO SO MUCH COREY AND CREW AT RPG OFFROAD. I COULDN'T BE MORE HAPPY WITH THE WAY THINGS WENT. KUDOS TO YOU GUYS, YOU DESERVE IT!
The website for those unaware: Raptor Performance Group | "The Bump Stops Here"
@RPG
RPG Offroad
4 McLaren, Suite B
Irvine, CA 92618
866.691.7750
[email protected]
Now on to the pics. The first bunch is at the local mall parking structure after being cleaned so I could show some of the work more easily. The second set are from camping in Tahoe this weekend with the beast at my friend's privately owned valley/lake called 7C Ranch. The Donner party came through here and the campsites are passed down through family and no outside buyers can buy in. Some of the original wagons are still there in the valley. Pretty neat. Anyways on to what you all want...the PICS!
Arrived At RPG Pics:
Progress Pics At RPG:
(You can see where they marked in white what to trim to accommodate the 37" tire under the bed)
Somewhat Nekked!
Frame Horn Pics:
Local Mall Pics:
Pics From Tahoe This Weekend:
So it goes like this....I had been searching since January on which setup I wanted to go with for bumpers and lighting. I looked at all the available cleaner options that didn't make the truck look buck toothed or have some gigantic thing hanging off the front of the truck.
I narrowed it down to Addictive Desert Designs Race Series R and RPG Raceline front bumpers. Before I go further here, I thought I should list my goals for getting a new bumper.
Goals for new front bumper:
- Increased approach angle
- Clean look that doesn't take from factory lines
- Increased clearance
- Good integrated lighting option
- Function over form with great looks still
- Minimal weight add if any to the truck
- Something that wouldn't block the front camera at all with a light bar mounted
For the longest time I thought I was going with the ADD Race Series R after seeing their Shelby truck it looked sweet. I started speaking with ADD who were very helpful and answered any questions I had in a timely period. Here is the thing though, I started adding up how much the bumper was going to be with lighting and the options I wanted and it was adding up really quickly. I started thinking these bumpers are way overpriced for what I am getting. Essentially they are cosmetic only, except for they are stronger than stock. They are very heavy and were not adding any extra functionality over the stock bumper except for looks. I guess I looked at ADD first because so many people have them and they look nice.
I think I would have looked at RPG Offroad first, but like many others had thought to myself, should I cut the frame to accommodate the front bumper? So my thought process was this...I don't plan to ever sell my truck and I want to build it over time to be a beast of a truck. No linked suspension or anything crazy like that, but more power, better looks and upgrade the suspension. I'm keeping this thing until it won't go anymore.
Since the truck comes with 411HP and 2.5 Fox shocks stock, the looks were coming first. Whipple and RPG Offroad Stage 4 kit to come down the road.
I now scrapped my idea of any ADD bumper and opened communication with Corey from RPG and he sent me some pics of their new Trophy bumper that fit all of my wants and needs. It hit all my bullet points on my goal list and was ****** sweet looking at that. So after speaking with Corey on several occasions, here is what I ended up deciding to go with. I am not going to disclose any cost, but lets just say it was much less than any of the ADD stuff.
List of items to be done by RPG Offroad:
- RPG Trophy Front Bumper
- 21" Vision X Xmitter Prime Extreme LED Bar
- Glassworks 2" Front Fenders w/Glassworks fender liners
- RPG Raceline Rear bumper w/integrated backup sensors
- Dovetail the bed
- Trim and cut for 37's and to be able to accommodate a 37" spar tire under the bed if needed
- Vision X LD Solstice LED lights for the rear bumper to be integrated in holes between the sensors for rear lighting
- Chop the exhaust prior to the rear axle, cut and re-weld the pipes turn down style out of the muffler
- Relocate tow hitch 4.5' higher in rear on new bumper
- Integrate lighting on rear bumper for license plate at night
- Bumpers powder coated Prismatic Grey to match stock bumper color
It was going to be quite the change when completed. The looks I wanted and the added functionality needed to take the truck to that next level. Let me just say that I started speaking with Corey in the end of June and had stated I was pricing things out for an August purchase/install. He could have blown me off until then as I am sure vendors here this all of the time with little follow through from customers. He treated me like we had known each other for years as well as if I was going to be there tomorrow to purchase. We spoke via text on his cell and via email. I always expected delayed responses, but never got one. Always an answer within a day or by Monday if over the weekend. I couldn't feel more comfortable with my decision I was making based on their pre-purchase service I was given.
So it finally got close to August and the last week of July I sent Corey a deposit to get things rolling. Normally things take about 5-6 weeks for build etc. With my job and what was coming down the pipes, I knew that time frame would be difficult for me, but I was going to work it out and didn't say anything to Corey just yet. We spoke over the phone when providing the deposit and I advised Corey I lived in Sacramento and wanted to drive down and have them do the install as well.
Now the question of how long will it take to do all of this work? I asked Corey because my plan was to take a couple vacation days and stay at a hotel while the work was being done. Corey told me it was a lot of work, but if they planned right and had all hands on deck, they could do it in 2 full business days which would mean one night in a hotel for me. That was great I thought, but could it really be done in that time frame? I had my doubts. I have modified several vehicles and nothing goes as planned ever. We then started to discuss time frame for install and to my surprise, Corey said he could do it within two weeks on August 14/15. That fit in well with my schedule for work and was prior to the hecticness on the horizon, so I said **** yeah let's do this. We scheduled the date and I booked a hotel room and got the vacation days scheduled.
I sent Corey a couple payments over the two weeks paying the balance in full for all of the work to be done. We had a go/no go of Thursday August 13th as I would be driving down from Sacramento at midnight to get there when they opened at 8am on Thursday. Well as I though above, nothing ever goes as planned. We had an issue with the powder coater and their ability to get the bumpers done in time, so we rescheduled for the following Monday/Tuesday the 18th/19th of August.
I'm not gonna say I wasn't disappointed because it was like Xmas for me and I was dying to go get it done. No biggie though, I shuffled my vacation days and changed my hotel reservation for Monday night instead.
Sunday rolls around and I leave at midnight from Sacramento driving through the entire night and arriving at RPG's shop on Monday at 7:45am. Corey had texted me maybe 5 minutes later asking when I though I would be there. I said I had just arrived and he said he was at a bagel shop and asked if I wanted anything and that he would be there shortly. After driving all night I took him up on the offer and he brought me a coffee (no reason for him to do that, just a nice guy). He pulled in to the shop, we discussed everything again and they got right to work trimming, chopping, removing bumpers, fenders, etc. The guys there at the shop really know what they are doing, professional all the way through.
My hotel was about a 20 minute walk and I didn't really want to rent a car since I would be going to the hotel to catch up on sleep and then go back to RPG the next day. I have seen LA more than enough times and had no want to cruise around while being there. Derek, one of the guys there offered me a ride over to the hotel with my things and I said sure, why not thank you. Again, RPG is not a taxi service but these guys are great guys and offered so I took them up on it.
I got a call later that day that the fenders were in and Corey said he sent them back because he wasn't happy with the paint match and that they would be done still tomorrow. I couldn't be more happy to here that because most companies will just slap it together and hope you don't notice. RPG obviously has standards and they must be met or it goes back. I love it and am of the same mindset, pant is my pet peeve when done wrong so I would have been pissed if he didn't send them back. Corey treated it like it was his personal truck and oversaw all of the work being done.
Well Tuesday rolled around and I walked over to the shop after checking out of the hotel eager to see what was done. I got there and it was still looking iffy that it would be completed that day. I figured I should get out of their way and go somewhere so they aren't worried about entertaining me and can focus on work.
Again Derek was going out to run some errands and offered to drop me at Buffalo Wild Wings because I said I wanted to grab some beers, lunch and watch some TV while waiting for the work to be done. They did not have to do this and was just one more reason they went above and beyond in my book. I had a couple beers and some lunch and watched some sports then headed back after a couple hours to RPG's shop which was a 5-10 minute walk from there.
There was still some work to be done but I hung out and we shot the shit while they finished up. They fired it up when it was done and the exhaust being chopped prior to the axle made the truck sound completely different and now had a nice low deep growl to it. I was stoked on that alone haha. They backed it out and I was so happy to see how it turned out. We chose not to install the rear Vision X LD Solstice lights yet until I get a chase rack and move the spare to the bed so I can access the hole to lower the spare under the bed until then.
I cannot say enough good things about RPG Offroad and their crew. I am more than happy with the outcome and would highly recommend those that are fearful of cutting frame horns, look seriously at RPG before making your decision. The frame horns get cut, but the bumper has them built in when mounted back up in a way (see pics below). These guys went out of their way to make sure I got what I wanted and that everything went as closely to schedule as it could while looking as good as it possibly could. RPG Offroad has a customer for life out of me after this. I already have plans to back to have more done by them and do the upgrades in stages for suspension, chase rack, etc.
THANK YOU SO SO MUCH COREY AND CREW AT RPG OFFROAD. I COULDN'T BE MORE HAPPY WITH THE WAY THINGS WENT. KUDOS TO YOU GUYS, YOU DESERVE IT!
The website for those unaware: Raptor Performance Group | "The Bump Stops Here"
@RPG
RPG Offroad
4 McLaren, Suite B
Irvine, CA 92618
866.691.7750
[email protected]
Now on to the pics. The first bunch is at the local mall parking structure after being cleaned so I could show some of the work more easily. The second set are from camping in Tahoe this weekend with the beast at my friend's privately owned valley/lake called 7C Ranch. The Donner party came through here and the campsites are passed down through family and no outside buyers can buy in. Some of the original wagons are still there in the valley. Pretty neat. Anyways on to what you all want...the PICS!
Arrived At RPG Pics:
Progress Pics At RPG:
(You can see where they marked in white what to trim to accommodate the 37" tire under the bed)
Somewhat Nekked!
Frame Horn Pics:
Local Mall Pics:
Pics From Tahoe This Weekend:
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