2003 Expedition Face Lift Begins

[Vancouver Bob]

View attachment 20100

I'm having a bad case of buyers remorse. I'm thinking the chrome wheels aren't going to go well with the bumper. The bumper will give the off road look but the wheels are more bling.

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

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I'm having a bad case of buyers remorse. I'm thinking the chrome wheels aren't going to go well with the bumper. The bumper will give the off road look but the wheels are more bling.

Can you call them and stop the shipment?

 

[Vancouver Bob]

I tried but they were already enroute. I should have waited until after the bumper got mounted but I was getting impatient. That'll teach me. Maybe I shouldn't be second guessing myself.

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

I tried but they were already enroute. I should have waited until after the bumper got mounted but I was getting impatient. That'll teach me. Maybe I shouldn't be second guessing myself.

If it costs too much to send back, you can always get them painted. Might be cool if they matched bumper.

 

[Vancouver Bob]

Yea, there's the cost to send them back and I believe they charge a 20% "restocking" fee. I think I like the chrome because it's like what's on there now but not nearly as off road looking as I'm shooting for. We'll see.

 

[Vancouver Bob]

OK, it's been decided.... wheels are going back! Just doesn't fit the look I was after. Here are two strong candidates...

Fuel Beasts



Fuel Couplers



Fuel Vapors

 

[Vancouver Bob]

Same line up but with 17" wheels...

 

[Stepcajun]

For what it's worth ,I like the 1st ones in 18s.
What's the latest on your bumper?

 

[Vancouver Bob]

Thanks, SC... that was the style I was leaning towards until I went with the Rockstars.

Word on the bumper is a bit nebulous... I left a message with the HNC shop on Thursday to see how likely I'd be able to get in this week but never heard anything back. I'm going to call them on Monday to get a read. There's also a 4x4 shop near by that I'm going to call as a plan B. Sucks that the bumper doesn't just bolt on.

 

[Habbibie]

For what it's worth ,I like the 1st ones in 18s

That makes 2 of us

 

[Stepcajun]

What needs to be welded?
I have a mig welder but I haven't had alot of time to get used to it.
Is it just welding mounting brackets to the back side?
If you get tired of waiting for a shop let me know, maybe we could figure it out, I just wouldn't want to mess anything up.

 

[ExplorerTom]

I wasn't going to say anything about the chrome wheels but...... Good choice on sending them back.

I'd caution you on getting wheels that have the same color as your trim color. If it's not the same, you may notice the difference.

 

[Vancouver Bob]

I wasn't going to say anything about the chrome wheels but...... Good choice on sending them back.

Yea, I figured there were some out here that were biting their tongues .

 

[Vancouver Bob]

What needs to be welded?
I have a mig welder but I haven't had alot of time to get used to it.
Is it just welding mounting brackets to the back side?
If you get tired of waiting for a shop let me know, maybe we could figure it out, I just wouldn't want to mess anything up.

Thanks for the offer, SC! If things don't work out I may just take you up on your offer.

They provide mounting brackets that get bolted to top and bottom of the chassis members (beams) and the bumper then gets welded to them. It's kind of a weird approach and I even question how strong the mounting scheme really is given the weight distribution. The HNC guys were talking about tying into the existing mounting brackets which makes a lot of sense to me so was really jazzed to have them work on it. These pictures are from the install instructions.

 

[Vancouver Bob]

Good news from Custom Offsets... they said they would waive the 20% restocking fee since it's an exchange... wheeeew! Still have to cover the shipping charges. Anyone heading to Texas in the next couple of weeks?

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

I like the first one two I always prefer a wider spoke because of the weight of the vehicle and what you are going to ask it to do. As far as size I don't have a preference. On my truck I like my 20" wheels but then with an EL it is unlikely that I'm ever going off road.

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

I wasn't going to say anything about the chrome wheels but...... Good choice on sending them back.

I'd caution you on getting wheels that have the same color as your trim color. If it's not the same, you may notice the difference.

My 05 had wheels from a '10 F150 King Ranch. They didn't match but they were close. They looked okay

 

[Vancouver Bob]

I'd caution you on getting wheels that have the same color as your trim color. If it's not the same, you may notice the difference.

Good point... things look like a close match in the mock ups but the colors are pretty different. Trim is Arizona Beige which is almost more a gold color.

My 05 had wheels from a '10 F150 King Ranch. They didn't match but they were close. They looked okayView attachment 20162

Those look good! Are those painted or are they polished aluminum? Either way, the color works.

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

Those look good! Are those painted or are they polished aluminum? Either way, the color works.

The were painted aluminum. They came off a 2010 King Ranch F150 but they were very close to the paint on the 05. They were a little more to the silver side than gold but they really looked good in person in the sun.

 

[Vancouver Bob]

The new wheels arrived today!

Even though the plan is to send them back, I just had to look at one. Gotta tell ya... they're pretty damn sexy!! If it weren't for the off road bumper, I'd be slapping these ******* on there!! Ha ha!!