When Ford launched its Australian-converted F-150 in local showrooms back in 2023, part of the left- to right-hand drive process was made possible thanks to the Ranger Raptor.
With no other markets offering a Ford-backed conversion, Thai-based outfit RMA used the Ranger Raptor’s steering rack to connect the steering wheel to the front axle, in addition to a unique intermediate shaft and adaptor bracket.
However, the Ranger Raptor rack is no longer fitted to the recently launched updated F-150, after Ford’s cybersecurity protocols necessitated a change.
“In terms of engineering work that we’ve completed on this model, the scale of the program was almost as large as the original program, but a lot of the work that we did was mostly behind the scenes and undercover,” said Tom Dohrmann, Ford Australia SVE conversions supervisor.
“The big ticket item was the new electrical architecture that came through on the left-hand drive donor vehicle. We’ve gone from an FNV2 to an FNV3, which is Ford jargon, but what that means is the electrical architecture – how the computers talk to each other – we’ve gone to a system now that is a lot stronger in cybersecurity.
“So that protects the vehicle better against external threats coming through cyberspace. As a result of that change to the electrical architecture, we also had to make modifications to the steering system, because the steering system is one of the few modules that we add to the vehicle.
“That module was a Ranger module that we were adding. Ranger is on a different electrical architecture, so we had to change the steering rack to suit that new electrical architecture.
“Along with that, because we made those modifications, our team down at the You Yangs proving ground also did their great work in tuning and calibration, so not only the steering, but also the ADAS systems, lane keeping etc.”
When asked where the new steering rack comes from – as it is different still to the one fitted in the donor vehicle – product marketing manager Peter Zikas confirmed Ford was able to work with its existing suppliers.
“We worked with the original supplier to find us an appropriate power pack, so it’s a meld of parts.”
In addition to losing the Ranger-sourced steering rack, RMA’s converters also no longer need to make the F-150’s headlights and tail lights Australian-compliant by taking them apart, with Ford’s suppliers also making Down Under-specific versions.
“The previous ones, those of you who joined us at RMA, you might recall all the work that we did with disassembling and reassembling headlamps,” said Dohrmann.
“Because we are Ford and we can do this and we’ve got the supply chain network contacts, we’ve gone straight to the original suppliers of those headlamps and tail lamps in the US, and they are making those headlamps for us, so there’s no longer headlamps getting opened and closed at RMA.
“These are getting done in the original assembly plant, along the same line that the left-hand drive headlamps are made in the US, which is great. We’re really happy with that because that’s all about increasing quality for our customers.”
The new Ford F-150 is already in Australian showrooms, and includes a new flagship Platinum variant.
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