F-150 to Raptor, RAM to TRX: What a Facelift Conversion Kit Really Includes
By the PartMate team · 13 August 2026
A ten-year-old truck with a healthy engine and a tired face is the most common vehicle in the UAE, and a conversion kit is the most cost-effective thing you can do to it. Done right, a 2016 F-150 wears the current Raptor front like it left the factory that way. Done wrong, it is a truck with mismatched panel gaps and a bumper held on by hope. Here is how to be in the first group.
What is actually in the box
A front conversion kit typically includes the front bumper, grille, hood, fenders (or fender flares) and the trim that ties them together. The two things to check on every listing:
- Lights — included or not? Kits come both ways, and it changes the price meaningfully. Our F-150 → 2022 Raptor kits include the lights; the RAM → TRX kits are listed without tail lights — the listing name says which, on purpose.
- Paint. Kits arrive unpainted or primed. Colour-matching to your truck is the body shop's job, and it is a real part of the budget — ask for the paint quote before you order the kit, not after.
The year-range trap
The same “F-150 to Raptor” conversion exists as 2015–2017, 2018–2020 and 2021–2023 kits — because the truck underneath changed. Mounting points, radiator support, wiring routes and fender lines all differ between generations, and the kit is engineered against a specific donor. The kit for the wrong years does not “almost fit”; it fights the installer at every bolt, and the labour bill eats whatever the kit saved you. Match the kit to the year your truck is, not the year it will look like.
The same logic applies to our Land Cruiser 2008–2021 → 2023 upgrade, the Range Rover Sport L494 SVR facelift and the Tundra → 2022 kit.
What the body shop will actually do
A proper conversion is a bolt-on job on the truck's existing mounting points — no cutting, no welding on a well-engineered kit. Budget the work realistically:
- Strip the old front end (half a day).
- Test-fit the new panels dry, before paint. Any shop that paints first and fits second has done this in the wrong order.
- Paint the new panels to your colour code (one to two days including cure).
- Fit, align, wire. Panel gaps and headlight aim are the difference between factory-look and obviously-converted (one day).
Two to four working days end to end is normal. We supply the parts and will answer the shop's technical questions on WhatsApp — we do not run a fitting service, and honestly, any competent body shop in the UAE has done a dozen of these.
Registration and insurance: ask first, not after
A facelift within the same model family — an F-150 wearing a newer F-150's front — keeps the vehicle's character and generally passes without drama, but the rules on modifications are applied by your emirate's vehicle testing centre, and insurers have their own opinions. Two phone calls before you order save you a season of arguments: one to your testing centre, one to your insurer. Tell them exactly what is changing (bumper, grille, hood, lights) and keep the invoice — certified lights and a tidy install are what they want to see.
Is it worth it against just buying a newer truck?
Run the numbers honestly: kit + paint + labour usually lands at a small fraction of the price gap to a genuinely newer truck — and you keep the vehicle whose history you know. Where the maths stops working is a truck with structural rust or accident damage underneath: a conversion makes a straight truck look new, it does not make a bent one straight. If the chassis is tired, spend the money on the chassis.
Frequently asked questions
Will a conversion kit affect my resale value?
A clean, colour-matched conversion with certified lights typically helps an older truck sell — buyers see the newer face. A rough install does the opposite. The kit is only ever as good as the fitting.
Do you install the kits?
No — we supply the parts and advise. Any good body shop can fit them; the kits bolt to factory points. Send us your truck's year and photos through a part request and we will confirm the right kit before you commit.
My truck is an import. Does that change the fitment?
Sometimes — US, Middle East and other market trucks can differ in small ways. Send the VIN with your enquiry and we check against it.
Can you ship a kit to Saudi Arabia or Qatar?
Yes. Bulky kits carry a per-unit delivery surcharge that is shown on the product page and at checkout before you pay — no surprises on the invoice.
Not sure what fits your car?
Send us your make, model and year — we check fitment before you pay, and we would far rather answer a question than process a return.