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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
They're ARH headers for a Lightning, yes- MISTERgadget
- Post #103
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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Anyone remember the Expedition with tips (4) out the trailer hitch hole?
This corny setup?- MISTERgadget
- Post #6
- Forum: General Discussion
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
If you're gonna spend the money, my vote would be to wait till the 2018+ is in the cards. You could also spend $10k on the 2001 and have a very sweet and unique 1st Gen, and keep the other 25K earning for you in the stock market.- MISTERgadget
- Post #99
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
Thanks man! It has been a long road. A lot of little stuff to iron out. Swapping all the wiring turned it from a 3-4 month project into a yearlong slog... and two big kicks in the nuts that are coming in future posts [emoji23]- MISTERgadget
- Post #97
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
The passenger side gave me a little more drama.... the heads I got ported were used cores and at some point, somebody wasn't so nice to the exhaust manifold threads... There was another one that was even worse....I definitely regretted not taking a thread chaser and tap to all the holes while...- MISTERgadget
- Post #95
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
Next challenge - getting the headers in. Again silly me figured, you already had them on, how hard can it be to just get them back in? ABS module was still out on the driver's side, so it was pretty smooth except for a couple of the bottom bolts that are tough to reach. Getting my hand...- MISTERgadget
- Post #94
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
Spent a little time getting the interior more buttoned up and here's what the engine bay looked like at this point Now for a quick sugar rush to power through the rest of the fuel system plumbing. I'm using 60# injectors with stock 5.4 fuel rails (they're all the same for...- MISTERgadget
- Post #93
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
Changing the output shaft on a 2wd transmission requires disassembling it completely. Either way, that wouldn’t do the trick. It’s just too long. The Lightning yoke is on the steel DS for now, eventually I’ll probably take it to a DS shop to have the aluminum DS shortened and fitted.- MISTERgadget
- Post #92
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
So I had everything ready to do my fuel system stuff... and then nerves set in....before I did my fuel system plumbing, I wanted to practice on something that felt a little less critical....although it's still a fire hazard so maybe it's all in my head. Added the 5/8-18 IF to -6 AN adapters...- MISTERgadget
- Post #90
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
Next up, plumbing! I started with the suction end of the fuel system... my original pump was not gonna cut it to feed enough fuel for all the air that Whipple can push... A Walbro 450LPH pump went into place after some tweaking of the stock bracket. I also drilled out the wiring pass...- MISTERgadget
- Post #89
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
Those are vintage harbor freight from circa 2003... when all their stands and hoists had this awful pasty orange finish on them. They don’t build em like they used to!- MISTERgadget
- Post #88
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
So, in the continuing saga of "this should bolt right in" and then reality tells you no :chair: I had the OE Aluminum driveshaft out of my Lightning also sitting on the shelf. The spec sheet says the Expedition has a 119" wheelbase and the Lightning has a 120" wheelbase... I figured that must...- MISTERgadget
- Post #86
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
Next step was getting the transmission in. It's always a nerve racking how high you have to get these to clear the trans jack and the bellhousing on a 4R100. Every time I tell myself I'll buy a better trans jack, and then when it comes down to it I keep using the harbor freight cheapie :Big...- MISTERgadget
- Post #85
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
I went over it in one of the posts and it might have gotten lost a little in the whole explanation... but basically, all the wiring swap work was to be able to use a Lightning PCM and control a 4R100. 1. I got a deal on a used built 4R100 that’s normally $5000 new, and buying a E4OD built to...- MISTERgadget
- Post #84
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
Got the donor completely torn down... ...and then began the process of cleaning everything up and getting everything organized. It's deja vu all over again in taking this apart... Oh, and remember what I mentioned about the 99 making some things easier? The 99 used an airbag module...- MISTERgadget
- Post #82
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
Back to the paint booth as well with my headers. The white Swaintech looks great when new but quickly gets gross just from installing it, never mind how bad it looks after some road time, so they got a few coats of high temp black for cosmetics.- MISTERgadget
- Post #80
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
So, a few weeks later, back from vacation and after a near miss from a hurricane, and lots of time spent scouring some wiring diagrams and manuals... the plan was in place. Time to load up and get it done! After lots of research and some more trial and error with the parts I had on hand, I...- MISTERgadget
- Post #79
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
Now it was finally time to at least get all the harnesses plugged in and see what happens... it wasn't pretty, but at least I could test a few things We had power, and I had expected to see all the idiot lights on, but all dashes for the odometer wasn't quite right.... then I figured, let...- MISTERgadget
- Post #78
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
In the interior, a few hurdles popped up in converting to the 2000 dash harness I had. The first was the RCM (airbag) module in a different location, had to weld that bracket to the floor. Now all put back together, the lower AC ducting and the bottom attachment to the HVAC box were different...- MISTERgadget
- Post #77
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
Once the motor was in, I started putting everything else in the engine bay around it. Got my Superduty trans cooler mounted, and the header panel brackets on. Couldn't help myself putting the radiator tank in right away with the custom lid on it. (Even though it was still gonna have to come...- MISTERgadget
- Post #76
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
Ok, so a little explanation on the 10mm socket gag... On the OEM "cups" on the framerail for the motor mounts, there's two studs pressed in on the passenger side that you then tighten nuts onto from below. The go into these two slots in the crossmember. The AutoFab motor mounts use a nut...- MISTERgadget
- Post #74
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
Thanks Tom!! I still remember seeing your truck run at NMRA in Maryland in 2013. Loved it!- MISTERgadget
- Post #73
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
Mine had some surface rust that was wire wheeled off and rust preventative was sprayed into all the cavities. I live in FL and the Expedition has been in my family since new and garaged the majority of its life, so not really one that would have had much rust. Likewise, it's been babied and...- MISTERgadget
- Post #71
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
They’re a 97-03 F150 fitment. Since the Expedition is the same from the B-pillar forward they’re a bolt on.- MISTERgadget
- Post #68
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
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"Thunder" 1998 Expedition Build Thread .... fixed pics!!
The framerails and the 20 year old factory goop stuck out pretty bad, and half of that came off when I pressure washed the bay, so everything that was in sight got wire wheeled, then a coat of primer and satin black. Front fenders went back on, with some stainless allen bolts and...- MISTERgadget
- Post #66
- Forum: 1st Gen - 1997 - 2002
