New Factory Five XTF Stage 1 Is a Less Complicated Desert Racer
If the Factory Five Racing XTF truck caught your eye but seemed like a little much—both financially and mechanically—there's now a new, simplified version called the XTF Stage 1. It keeps the original version's massively flared desert-racer bodywork but eschews the full frame replacement in favor of a more traditional bolt-on suspension swap. The result looks much the same but costs $9990 instead of $24,990. And, perhaps more important for the not so mechanically inclined, the new kit should require 50 to 60 hours of installation labor (not including paint) versus the original's 200-plus hours. Like the full-strength XTF, the Stage 1 is 90 inches wide and accommodates 37-inch-tall tires. It's also designed for 2015–2020 Ford F-150s with either the 5.0-liter V-8 or the turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6. But you won't need to pull the cab off and ditch the frame, instead bolting on new upper and lower control arms and Fox dampers up front, and fitting new long-travel progre...