Ford F-150 and Raptor chrome delete, wraps and PPF

Chrome delete across trims and years

An F-150 can wear a lot of bright work or almost none, depending on the trim and the appearance package it was ordered with. The usual candidates are the grille bars or surround, the front and rear bumpers, mirror caps, door handles, the tailgate handle and the badges. The 2021 redesign and the 2024 refresh both changed the front end, so tell us the year along with the trim. Smooth plastic and metal pieces are covered in gloss or satin black film, or in a color that matches a wrap. The wheels can be powder coated in the same visit.

Chrome bumpers: wrap or powder coat

Bumpers are the biggest chrome pieces on a truck, and there are two ways to black them out. Wrapping is the quicker one. Film goes over the chrome, gives a satin or gloss black finish and peels off when you want the stock look back. The trade-off is wear: a rear step bumper gets boots, cargo and trailer hitches, so film there needs some care. Powder coating is permanent. The bumper comes off, the chrome is stripped or blasted to bare metal, and the coating is baked on, which stands up far better to scuffs. It only works on metal, so plastic chrome parts get film.

Wrapping a full-size truck

A SuperCrew with the longer bed has a lot of surface: tall doors, long bed sides, a wide hood and a high roof. Those big flat panels make film easier to lay than on a curvy sports car, but they also show any waviness when light runs along them, so the film is laid without stretching and each panel is checked from a low angle. Satin and matte hide minor waviness better than gloss. The body has been aluminum since 2015, and film sticks to its paint the same way it does on steel. The hood and roof take the most sun, so shade or a garage helps the film last.

Raptor PPF

The Raptor is wider than a regular F-150, and its flared fenders stick out into the spray from the tires. On dirt, mud and gravel hit the flares, rockers, lower doors and the bed sides behind the rear wheels, while the front end takes freeway chips like any truck. A typical Raptor plan is full front PPF plus the flares, rockers and lower doors, with the bed sides added if the truck leaves the pavement often. Matte PPF suits the Raptor's look and protects just the same. Cameras and front sensors are trimmed around, so they keep working.

Tint, price and care

Price follows cab size, bed length, trim and film: a Regular Cab uses far less film than a SuperCrew, and a chrome-heavy trim makes a bigger delete. Ceramic tint is a common add-on. California lets you go as dark as you like on the rear side windows and back glass, because the truck has two outside mirrors, but the front door glass must stay at 70% light with clear film only, plus a windshield strip at the top. After a trail day, rinse mud from film edges before it dries, then hand wash with a pH-neutral soap.