Quicksilver - APG ProRunner Shop Build

[APG]

Before we get to this super rad truck build I got cookin' in my head, I feel it's necessary to introduce myself and my company. My name is Matt Moghaddam, and I'm the Sales Manager at APG. We are an enthusiast owned and operated company based out of Orange County, CA that specializes in aftermarket parts manufacturing, installation, and sales for the 2019+ Ford Ranger platform. We're thrilled to be a part of Ranger 5G as a sponsor to this amazing community of truck enthusiasts.

Our philosophy is simple: Aftermarket parts should be made to the same or higher quality than OEM parts. We're all passionate about what we do, and are dedicated to changing the perception of aftermarket parts manufacturers in the consumer world. The cornerstone of our operation is high-quality body panel manufacturing, using aerospace grade carbon fiber, manufactured with the highest level of quality and scrutiny in the aftermarket world. We pride ourselves on our process. From raw materials to a finished, painted and installed product, we take every necessary step to ensure your parts fit, look, and work better than factory. Our current offering is our ProRunner conversion, which consists of a full carbon-fiber wide body system for the Ranger 5G, paired with our own long travel front suspension system and aluminum bumpers, all working in unison to dramatically increase the performance of your truck. Not only will it look 100 times better than a stock truck, but it's engineered to perform in any environment. Our conversion has many facets to it that make it a much better option than simply bolting on some fiberglass fenders and piecing together a suspension kit. It's a system designed, engineered, and manufactured to perform.

Additionally, we are a full-blown Ranger shop, and install all sorts of aftermarket parts for these trucks. We are also a parts supplier, so feel free to reach out to us if you need anything for your truck, whether we're installing it or you are. We'd love to help.

But that's enough about what APG is and what we do. A little about me...I'm first and foremost an off-roader. Before I started working in this industry, I was a young buck with great ambitions of building my truck into the ultimate off-road rig. Fast-forward about a decade, after working in a wide variety of aftermarket off-road companies, and doing everything from building high-end Jeeps and Toyotas, to working at a dealership, overseeing the tech team at one of the world's largest performance exhaust companies to serving as the Truck Editor for Driving Line Magazine. I've wheeled everywhere from the Arctic Circle to the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula, testing parts, creating content, and participating in some of the world's toughest off-road races. I've owned and built dozens of off-road trucks over my career, each unique in it's purpose and form. To put it simply, I've been around the block, not to mention, found myself in some crazy situations miles from the nearest human. Off-road adventure travel is my life's passion, and if I could, I'd do it every day of my life.

With that said, I'm extremely excited to introduce my newest obsession. Last weekend, I became the owner of a 2020 Ford Ranger XLT Sport in Iconic Silver. This build will serve as my daily-driven weekend toy, getting me around town as well as to any remote destination I feel like heading for. Whether it's a day trip with buddies a few hours away, or a two week trek chasing the best tacos down the coast of Baja, Project Quicksilver must be able to handle it.

As you can already guess, I'll be performing a full APG ProRunner conversion on this build to start, with a few added goodies made by some other fantastic off-road aftermarket companies. But this truck will also be used as a learning tool, helping us develop new and exciting parts and manufacturing processes to bring you guys even more options when it comes to modifying your trucks for adventure travel. Being a pretty loyal Toyota owner, I'm honestly stoked to see what I can do with this new Ranger, and hopefully learn a lot from you guys as well. In the meantime, I do my best to answer any and all questions regarding our products and services, or even if you just have a general or technical off-road question, I'm your guy.

Oh, and I'm also a professional photographer and video guy, so expect a TON of content coming from APG and myself going forward. I'm working on getting our YouTube channel loaded with new videos from APG HQ and our adventures. That's all for now, but expect LOTS of updates....and soon. I really can't stand driving a stock truck lol.

Contact info:
p: (714) 418-4457
e: [email protected]
instagram: @desertchief (personal) @apgoffroad (company)

Que the camera roll!

And here's a few photos of two of our other ProRunner builds. Quicksilver will look similar to the Ingot Silver one, with my own personal flair

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[RangerRick19]

Love what you guys are doing at APG, nemesis’s truck is a beast! Can’t wait to see what you do with project quicksilver Matt!

 

[Whiskeybilt]

Those look amazing.

 

[DocE3Gun]

I can't afford all that.....but won't stop me from drooling over pics!

 

[APG]

Time for an update with some photos!

It's been incredibly busy here at the shop over the last several weeks, and customer builds take priority, of course. So we've been working on Quicksilver at a slower pace, but making lots of headway! I've been taking photos for this thread during each phase of the teardown and build to show you guys what goes into converting a stock Ranger into an APG ProRunner.

Pulling the truck into the shop, I had to throw the 35" Nitto Ridge Grapplers up against the stock tires just to show the difference!

On the teardown! We begin the conversion process by getting the Ranger down to a "blank canvas" state, removing the wheels, tires, front fenders, wheel well liners, front bumper, steps, rear bumper, tailgate, tail lights, and completely remove the bed.

 

[APG]

Next, we completely remove the stock front suspension, including the upper control arms, lower control arms, struts, tie rods, sway bar, and CV axles. Basically, we're only left with the factory spindle and hub/brake.

Our ProRunner long travel suspension system is designed and engineered to utilize your OEM ball joints and bushings. These can either be salvaged from your stock control arms, or purchased new from Ford if yours have seen better days. We designed the suspension to accept the factory components for several reasons. The first being the OEM joints and bushings are incredibly strong. When compared to other joints and bushings you'd find on competitor mid-size trucks, the Ranger's parts are far better built for longevity. Just good old fashioned Ford engineering. Secondly, you've already paid for them. Doesn't make sense to simply throw away a well-built part and buy another set. An added benefit of running stock ball joints and pivot bushings is that our suspension system, once complete and installed on your truck, can be serviced by any Ford dealership. What aftermarket suspension company can say that about their kit?

Below, you'll see our ProRunner +3" wider upper and lower control arms (without bushings or ball joints), our billet aluminum heimed steering extended tie rods, our heat-treated 4130 Chromoly steel extended CV axle shafts, and the OEM upper and lower control arm ball joints and pivot bushings (salvaged from my stock control arms). These joints and bushings will next be pressed into the control arms, and the CV axle shafts will be installed onto the OEM CV joints to complete the front drivetrain.

Meanwhile, our refinishing team works on the body panels. The front fenders are removed by simply removing the bolts holding it to the body, and cutting away some insulating foam between the inner fender and body. The rear bedsides, however, not so easy.

After removing the plastic bed caps, we proceed to remove the factory bedside skins. There are over 54 spot welds on each rear bedside holding the skin to the bed structure. We drill out each spot weld on BOTH sides (108+ spot welds) individually, with a special bit designed for the task. Once the skin is loose, the entire panel can be removed like the photo above, and you're left with the inner bed structure below.

The raw carbon fiber panels are shot with primer and block sanded to ensure a perfect surface. Our refinishing team takes careful measures to prefit our body panels on each truck many times throughout their process to ensure fitment, body gaps, and mounting positions remain consistent. It's an extra step to keep checking this, but it's what's necessary to get the OEM-like fit and finish we pride our wide body panels for having.

Back to the truck itself. While the fenders and liners are out, it's a good time to spray some rubberized underbody coating on the inner fender structure to protect against damage from rocks and debris.

Shown here, the front fenders are loosely laid on the truck, as our refinishing team continues to test-fit the fenders, and make any adjustments as necessary for perfect fitment. This angle gives you an idea of just how much wider the ProRunner is than a stock Ranger!

Reassembly is the fun part. Finally installing all the cool components in place of the stock stuff is where the build starts to really pickup steam. Below, you'll see the front bumper and suspension system (now complete with ball joints and bushings) ready to be installed. You might also notice the rear axle is MISSING from the truck. We can't exactly tell you guys why...at least for now. But we'll talk about that soon

TO BE CONTINUED! ?

 

[APG]

So I know it's been a while, but we finally got a few crucial parts in that we were waiting for. It's crazy the backlog some companies in our industry are having this year!

With no further delay, here's a quick teaser of Project Quicksilver as of yesterday. It's "done" for now, whatever that means!

Full photoshoot coming this weekend, I'll update the thread with detailed shots.

 

[Jeffsmith13]

Trick or Treat that build is Sweet need more pics than just a peak .

 

[APG]

I'm very proud to announce that my truck is (kind of) complete! There will undoubtedly be more upgrades along the way, but this first stage is a perfect platform to keep building on. Didn't hesitate one bit to get it out into the dirt, and I can't emphasize how impressed I am with how it handles some of the toughest terrain in the world. Sand, rock gardens, canyons, lake beds, even small whoop sections were no match for this truck. My team at the shop did an amazing job, not only making it handle amazing, but to look just as great. Here's the details:

APG ProRunner Conversion Series 1 including:
-Carbon fiber fenders and bedsides
-Long Travel suspension system
-Aluminum front bumper
-Winch plate
-Paint matched Lariat grille and rear bumper
King Shocks 2.5 front extended travel coilovers with compression adjusters
King Shocks 2.5 performance rear shocks with compression adjusters
Fifteen52 Turbomac HD wheels in bronze
Nitto Tire Ridge Grapplers 35x12.50R17
Baja Designs XL Pro Flood/Spot bumper lights
Baja Designs SAE Fog Light kit (amber)
Baja Designs A-pillar light kit with Squadron Pros
Baja Designs S2 amber chase and white cargo light
GJ Motorsports Third Brake Light mount
Switch Pros SP-9100 auxiliary switches
SDHQ swith pros mount
Warn M8000-S winch
Factor 55 Flatlink-E
Mountune Intercooler
Type-S Blizzard Box fridge/freezer
Type-S LED bed light kit
Decked bed organizer system
PCI Race Radios NMO antenna
Yaesu FT2980R Ham Radio


Here's the full photoshoot from her maiden voyage this weekend at The Hammers!

 

[Jeffsmith13]

I want to go for a ride , great job . Wow!

 

[StezenW]

WOW..

I follow you on IG (@ford.chariot) and have been watching your build with bated breath since it started. Felt like that was a hot minute ago, but I am sure client builds take priority at APG.

This color on the ProRunner is absolutely astonishing.. The lights the wheels that fine piece of winch-ery on the front, it's all top of the line and top-notch. I think a set of Lariat headlights (and maybee the RK Sport hood ) would round this look out but it's already a master-crafted, fine fine example of what's capable at the far end of the spectrum with this Ranger platform.

Thanks for sharing your build - and please keep the pictures (especially the off-road variety) coming for those of us on the forum!

PS, you got a pretty fly Taco-Trophy-Truck I've see as well.

 

[APG]

WOW..

I follow you on IG (@ford.chariot) and have been watching your build with bated breath since it started. Felt like that was a hot minute ago, but I am sure client builds take priority at APG.

This color on the ProRunner is absolutely astonishing.. The lights the wheels that fine piece of winch-ery on the front, it's all top of the line and top-notch. I think a set of Lariat headlights (and maybee the RK Sport hood ) would round this look out but it's already a master-crafted, fine fine example of what's capable at the far end of the spectrum with this Ranger platform.

Thanks for sharing your build - and please keep the pictures (especially the off-road variety) coming for those of us on the forum!

PS, you got a pretty fly Taco-Trophy-Truck I've see as well.

Thank you for the kind words! Yes, the build was started back in July, but we soon became slammed with customer builds, and they definitely take precedence over the lowly Marketing Director's personal truck

I was an off-road enthusiast before I got my first job in this industry years ago, so you can bet there will be many, many more wheeling photos (and videos) to come from this build.

And I appreciate the compliment on the Toyota! Scarlett is my trail rig these days, and a very capable 4x4 rig ready for quite literally anything. But the cage, manual transmission, and lack of technology/creature comforts makes her a poor choice for a daily driver. That spot is now taken by the Ranger build! She's undergoing a major makeover in my backyard shop, now that I can focus my efforts on that build.

And one day, I'll finish my diesel Ford E350 camper van build. It's 95% done, just can't seem to find time to finish it up lol

 

[JaysOnTheEDGE]

Nice build , those tires are huge. liked the build pics everything was nice and neat and orderly my kind of shop.

 

[Superdannyboy]

I'm very proud to announce that my truck is (kind of) complete! There will undoubtedly be more upgrades along the way, but this first stage is a perfect platform to keep building on. Didn't hesitate one bit to get it out into the dirt, and I can't emphasize how impressed I am with how it handles some of the toughest terrain in the world. Sand, rock gardens, canyons, lake beds, even small whoop sections were no match for this truck. My team at the shop did an amazing job, not only making it handle amazing, but to look just as great. Here's the details:

APG ProRunner Conversion Series 1 including:
-Carbon fiber fenders and bedsides
-Long Travel suspension system
-Aluminum front bumper
-Winch plate
-Paint matched Lariat grille and rear bumper
King Shocks 2.5 front extended travel coilovers with compression adjusters
King Shocks 2.5 performance rear shocks with compression adjusters
Fifteen52 Turbomac HD wheels in bronze
Nitto Tire Ridge Grapplers 35x12.50R17
Baja Designs XL Pro Flood/Spot bumper lights
Baja Designs SAE Fog Light kit (amber)
Baja Designs A-pillar light kit with Squadron Pros
Baja Designs S2 amber chase and white cargo light
GJ Motorsports Third Brake Light mount
Switch Pros SP-9100 auxiliary switches
SDHQ swith pros mount
Warn M8000-S winch
Factor 55 Flatlink-E
Mountune Intercooler
Type-S Blizzard Box fridge/freezer
Type-S LED bed light kit
Decked bed organizer system
PCI Race Radios NMO antenna
Yaesu FT2980R Ham Radio


Here's the full photoshoot from her maiden voyage this weekend at The Hammers!

Sweet build! Does that skid plate come with the front bumper?

 

[APG]

Sweet build! Does that skid plate come with the front bumper?

Thanks! That's just the factory non FX-4 skid.

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