Kevin's (slow) Excursion mod/upgrade thread

[Kevin B.]

Brother has a bachelor party in Moab in a week and they wanna see the sights - the Behemoth has let herself go a bit and needs some work. New rod ends and drag link on. Next up is the front driveshaft ujoints (three of them), then I want to pull apart the front packs and remove a leaf, try and level it out and add a little flex in front. And if I have time left I want wire up my fancy new lights. All with two bum shoulders and a bad ankle. While I'm working 10-12 hours a day and keeping the boys alive. Plenty of time!

Got to thinking about the list I made when I started this thread and I'm decently far along. I have @Johnny Quest's Warn M12 in the pipe so I think mounting that is going to be the next project. Then a rear bumper/swingout, and I'm strongly considering Rocky Road's Supersliders instead of making my own. Then it'll be coil swap time, and I'm half keeping an eye out for a deal on a complete axle if anybody sees one...

 

[dutchman]

Too bad I'm not closer, haven't done a wrenching party in awhile and this looks like a good occasion to have one.

 

[Kevin B.]

Too bad I'm not closer, haven't done a wrenching party in awhile and this looks like a good occasion to have one.

We just stripped the head of one of the driveshaft bolts. NOW it's a party.

 

[Kevin B.]

Finally had a minute to crawl under there with the welder. That worked pretty good.

 

[Kevin B.]

I've had a little set Rigid Duallys follow me around through four trucks now, but one of them started flaking out last winter so I decided it was time to invest in some legit fogs. Diode Dynamics had a sale a little while back and I grabbed a pair of their Series Three Max fogs, which they say are DOT rated and that's good enough for me.

That required an afternoon of rewiring, because I had the pods wired up together with these chineseum bunny burners and tied to the factory fog light switch. But now I've got the bunny burners on their own circuit and the new fogs alone on the fog light circuit.



High beams:



Bunny burners:



Fog lights:



That's legit, I haven't screwed with that photo at all. That's actual output.

 

[Kevin B.]

Leaving this here for later. Thoughts?

 

[N-Smooth]

Boat sides are a game changer for sure!

It’s easy to be like meh, that’s a lot of work for 3” more clearance but if you consider that rock sliders would take away another 2” it’s actually really impressive. 5” of clearance is YUGE!

 

[bryson]

Leaving this here for later. Thoughts?

I dig it. If you've got rusty rockers, or really want the clearance I'd say it's a neat option. Boatsiding a vehicle like that is a LOT (like a whole LOT) of work though...

It makes me want another Excursion!



I'll troll this interesting bit of info since the Jeep Gladiators have been all the talk here on RME lately:

Wheelbase > JT 137.3" - Ex 137.1"
Axle width > JT 68.5 (Rubi) - Ex 69"
Body length > JT 218" - Ex 226.7"
Body width > JT 73.8" - Ex 79.9"
Weight > JT ~5000# - Ex ~7000#

My point? An Excursion has the same trail footprint as a Gladiator, but has more power, stronger axles, WAY more cargo capacity (sleep in it!) and won't get you ducked. 🦆

 

[Kevin B.]

Well, ok, but that Gladiator has a turning circle four feet narrower and a LOT more room for tires. Everything is a compromise.

If you've got rusty rockers, or really want the clearance I'd say it's a neat option.

Mostly I'm concerned about leverage on a traditional set of sliders. Maybe I'm making a mountain out of a molehill but the frame rails are tucked in quite a ways and they're C channel, not boxed. I'm worried about 8000ish pounds landing from a couple feet up and putting the slider into the body, or worse tweaking the frame.

I've looked at the Randy Ellis design that rivets? over the rocker as it sits, I've looked at the Rocky Road sliders that bolt up to the running board mounts I guess? Neither is cheap and I've still got a $4000 axle swap looming. I didn't think that boatsides would work, with the way the door wraps under the truck. I hadn't thought about cutting the door too, and now I'm all fired up and ready to go buy a plasma .

 

[Gravy]

Kevin if you commit to cut up that excursion I will give you my plasma cutter! 100% free
Have been itching for a reason to buy a new one...

 

[Kevin B.]

I've had the truck into the dealer for diagnosis of what sounds like a rod knock or spun bearing. They just called back with the news and it isn't good. She's pooched, and it'll be $15,000 or so to have them drop a fresh long block in. I could source a motor and do it myself for less, but... I don't want to. A tired motor isn't the only thing wrong with it, there's been all kinds of electrical gremlins, not to mention the fuel pump fiasco, and I think I'm going to take this as a sign from the Truck Gods and move on.

So I'm going to get it back home, get some stuff off it, and sell it on as a mechanics special or rolling parts truck. I'm going to miss it, it's been great for what it is, but I'm ready for something a little more nimble again. I'm ready to be in a Toyota again.

 

[Hickey]

I've had the truck into the dealer for diagnosis of what sounds like a rod knock or spun bearing. They just called back with the news and it isn't good. She's pooched, and it'll be $15,000 or so to have them drop a fresh long block in. I could source a motor and do it myself for less, but... I don't want to. A tired motor isn't the only thing wrong with it, there's been all kinds of electrical gremlins, not to mention the fuel pump fiasco, and I think I'm going to take this as a sign from the Truck Gods and move on.

So I'm going to get it back home, get some stuff off it, and sell it on as a mechanics special or rolling parts truck. I'm going to miss it, it's been great for what it is, but I'm ready for something a little more nimble again. I'm ready to be in a Toyota again.

View attachment 170621

I’m a little sad to see the demise of another Excursion. A Godzilla motor will go in there pretty easy. I know where you can buy new take-out motors with the 6 speed auto for under $10k.

 

[Kevin B.]

A Godzilla motor will go in there pretty easy.

Dude, I thought about it. I thought about it hard. A Godzilla in there would be so rad. Between my changing rig priorities and the trouble I've had with this particular truck, I landed on the side of New Truck Day.

I would make a SMOKING deal to anybody on RME who wanted to pick it up for a motor swap though. I'd be very sad to see this girl get parted out.

 

[Herzog]

I've had the truck into the dealer for diagnosis of what sounds like a rod knock or spun bearing. They just called back with the news and it isn't good. She's pooched, and it'll be $15,000 or so to have them drop a fresh long block in. I could source a motor and do it myself for less, but... I don't want to. A tired motor isn't the only thing wrong with it, there's been all kinds of electrical gremlins, not to mention the fuel pump fiasco, and I think I'm going to take this as a sign from the Truck Gods and move on.

So I'm going to get it back home, get some stuff off it, and sell it on as a mechanics special or rolling parts truck. I'm going to miss it, it's been great for what it is, but I'm ready for something a little more nimble again. I'm ready to be in a Toyota again.

View attachment 170621

Damn. End of an era for that big truck, but excited to see what you come up with next

 

[TRD270]

I know where a 7MGTE is we (@dutchman) can swap in 😬

 

[TRD270]

Godzila Ford Excursion - Swap happening now - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

Excursion - King of SUVs - Godzila Ford Excursion - Swap happening now - Hello everyone, Just a quick thank you to the forum. I've owned my X since 2015 and have spent entirely too much money on a V10 gasser, but love the truck. Over the past year, my X has been slowly dying and I got the bad...

www.ford-trucks.com

Ford V10 Triton Engine Assembly | eBay

This is a pre 2005 2 (two) valve engine assembly. What you see in the photos is what you will receive. There are very minor scratches and such cosmetic damage as small dents on oil pan etc. The Valve covers were damaged and therefore not included. There is nothing included that is not described...

www.ebay.com

 

[Hickey]

Prices are in Maple leafs, so it should be less than what’s posted for Bald Eagle slips.

7.3L Godzilla Engine/Transmission takeout Package

7.3L Godzilla Engine package includes: engine 6R140 transmission (6 speed automatic) alternator power steering pump air conditioning compressor starting motor exhaust manifolds exhaust y pipe engine mounts wiring harness pcm computer plug wires coils fuel injectors clutch fan Engine packages are...

godzillashop.ca

 

[Stephen]

Prices are in Maple leafs, so it should be less than what’s posted for Bald Eagle slips.

7.3L Godzilla Engine/Transmission takeout Package

7.3L Godzilla Engine package includes: engine 6R140 transmission (6 speed automatic) alternator power steering pump air conditioning compressor starting motor exhaust manifolds exhaust y pipe engine mounts wiring harness pcm computer plug wires coils fuel injectors clutch fan Engine packages are...

godzillashop.ca

I support this.

 

[Gravy]

I know where a 7MGTE is we (@dutchman) can swap in 😬

Does my/ Karl's 7M still exist? I think I just threw out a set of head gaskets for that last year.

@Kevin B. Dang bro. Sorry about the truck. I've still got that orange yota if you want a project.
What will you get?

 

[Kevin B.]

Off to @chicken77's house, so a twelve year old can learn how to rebuild a motor.

Thanks Sage. I'm stoked to see what he does with it.