2003 Expedition Face Lift Begins

[ExplorerTom]

The color matched steel bumper will be pretty cool.

 

[scoot0073]

Looking good thanks for keeping us updated

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[Vancouver Bob]

The color matched steel bumper will be pretty cool.

I'm thinking so too. Turns out the shop that's helping me out did a few bumpers for the Hoffman crew. Looks like he went with color matched too. Maybe it helped them find more gold . I work with a guy who's Todd's son-in-law. Whenever I see him I can't help but bring up the Gold Rush thing.

 

[Vancouver Bob]

It's painful having to wait two weeks to get my bumper mounted. In the mean time I'm going to replace the belt tensioner, idlers, and the water pump (while I'm in there). I've been getting this slight smell of rubber whenever I park the Expedition in the garage and I've also been getting that little "chirp" when the AC compressor kicks on. I read somewhere that it can be the belt not quite at proper tension. With 200K miles I figure it could very well be that the tensioner isn't quite doing it's job. Haven't had any problems with the water pump but I do notice that the heater gets cool now and then. Water temp seems OK.

 

[Vancouver Bob]

I received a note from Natalie from WAM... just checking in to see how the bumper is working out. Told her about my plan to get a few things modified and have it powder coated. I told her I noticed a few little things about the light mounts... mounting hole is too small and the opening for the light seems a bit large. At first I thought they sent the wrong lights but they were correct. Not a big deal to open up the mounting holes and the light actually sits in the light opening pretty nicely...

 

[Vancouver Bob]

I'm kind of at a stand still... waiting for the weekend to get the belt and tensioner/idlers swapped out. Nothing to do with the bumper, although I've been meaning to get a 12mm drill bit so that I can drill out the mounting slot for the lights. Meant to do that today but just got too busy.

I have been snooping around for wheels though. I'm starting to like these... Maybe because they're like what's on my Expedition now, just more bad ass looking. I'll keep looking.

Been wondering about offsets though. Seems like a lot of the 10" rims I'm seeing are running around -24 offset which may not work well with 35" tires. Based on what I've read so far, most are running -6 to -12. Those running -20 to -44 have 33" tires.

 

[Vancouver Bob]

Got the water pump and all the idlers replaced today. Pretty straight forward. The hardest part was getting the fan off of the water pump pully. I had watched a good Youtube video on how to replace the water pump and they mentioned a special tool. Went to O, O, O, O'Rileys and borrowed one. Bought some anti-freeze from them while I was at it... figured I'd give them some business since they let me borrow some tools.

I enjoy working on the car but there are two things I hate...

1. My shop light ALWAYS, no matter how I position it, ALWAYS ends up shining in my face!
2. Even though I have a box of rubber gloves to keep my hands clean while working on the car, I ALWAYS forget to put them on before starting to dig into things. By the time I remember, my hands are filthy... actually it's the filthy hands that reminds me I have gloves.

 

[Vancouver Bob]

Oh, I tried drilling out the mounting holes for the lights on my bumper. Ended up breaking my drill. Not the bit, but the entire drill. The slot was probably 10mm and I was trying to open it up to a 1/2inch (12.7mm). The bit caught, regardless of how slowly I was trying to approach it. After several of these bites and instantaneous stops, the drill started making weird noises and then just stopped driving the chuck. Decided I'd let the HNC Customs guys deal with it come Thursday... can't wait to get the bumper on!!

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

Oh, I tried drilling out the mounting holes for the lights on my bumper. Ended up breaking my drill. Not the bit, but the entire drill. The slot was probably 10mm and I was trying to open it up to a 1/2inch (12.7mm). The bit caught, regardless of how slowly I was trying to approach it. After several of these bites and instantaneous stops, the drill started making weird noises and then just stopped driving the chuck. Decided I'd let the HNC Customs guys deal with it come Thursday... can't wait to get the bumper on!!

You probably would have been better off grinding with stone or a rotary file instead of trying to drill it. Smart move to let them do it. Of course now you have a good reason to get a new drill

 

[Vancouver Bob]

You probably would have been better off grinding with stone or a rotary file instead of trying to drill it. Smart move to let them do it. Of course now you have a good reason to get a new drill

Thanks, Andy! I never would have thought of the grinding approach but would definitely have been smarter. Next time .

 

[Jb14]

Hi Bob I am running 17 x 8.5

 

[Habbibie]

Always use oil when drilling & tapping metals. Use excessive oil when working with aluminum and stainless steel.

Not sure what brand drill you had but if if you're looking for a new one let me know, I've used every brand and type avalible on the market and I use them so much with every application possible and it's so much usage that usually the housing shroud around the motor melts and the plastic housing will become into liquid form.

 

[Vancouver Bob]

Hi Bob I am running 17 x 8.5

Thanks for sharing that, JB. Your tires appear to be pretty close in. What offset are you running... +10 or so?

 

[Vancouver Bob]

Always use oil when drilling & tapping metals. Use excessive oil when working with aluminum and stainless steel.

Not sure what brand drill you had but if if you're looking for a new one let me know, I've used every brand and type avalible on the market and I use them so much with every application possible and it's so much usage that usually the housing shroud around the motor melts and the plastic housing will become into liquid form.

It was a Makita electric that I got from Home Depot... nothing special.

Do you have much experience with impact wrenches by chance? I'm looking to get one and could use a recommendation.

Thanks, Habbibie!

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

I have a couple of Chicago Pneumatic impact wrenches, and pneumatic ratchet that I've had for 30 years. I don't use them every day. I always add a couple of drops of oil to them. I wish my impact gun had a little more torque to it for some of those tough jobs; I've thought about getting one of those Earthquake impacts from Harbor Freight.

 

[Habbibie]

It was a Makita electric that I got from Home Depot... nothing special.

Do you have much experience with impact wrenches by chance? I'm looking to get one and could use a recommendation.

Thanks, Habbibie!

As far as Cordless
DeWalt DCF899P1
$350
Milwaukee 2763-22
$450


Electric
DEWALT DW292
$150

Air
Ingersoll-Rand 231C 1/2-Inch Super-Duty
$130

Best bang for the buck is IR air if you have an air compressor with a long enough hose, but obviously it's the least Mobile unit, and it's loud so no impacting after 9pm so u don't piss off the neighbors.

I personally don't use air driven tools anymore but it's only because it's more of a hassle setting up a compressor and dealing with the hose continously but my coworkers who still do set up air compressors swear by this exact model as the best of the best wrench.

The electric has same rules apply as air but an extension cord is far easier to deal with than a bulky air hose.

My favorite is cordless though it's heavy as all hell When working with it all day, however it's best aspect is mobility & it too runs on the same battery as my drill, impact driver, saw and vacuum so less headache finding a power source to power it up.

If you look online for reviews of any of these you'll notice DeWalt and Milwaukee run neck & neck with each other as the top two usually, I use both brands but for a good reason

Almost all DeWalt tools I use including the impact are faster and lighter than Milwaukee, also weaker in power output but that is beneficial if you start working with critical items that strip easily or small screws and bolts or wood work.

For every Dewalt tool i have I also have a Milwaukee M18 counterpart (not the Fuel version) they are heavier, too strong for light work but top end power is unmatched and the big pack battery outlasts dewalts 3:1 so less down time.

The "Fuel" brand by Milwaukee I found out is weaker than the M-18, closer to the Dewalt specs but it's slower than all and heavier too, battery life is still superior to Dewalt.

Also Not to upset Andy but Chicago tools are not made to last (matter of fact anything from harbor freight) ,, in the beginning of my career I went through them like toilet paper... Poor build quality and can not handle abuse or drops for heights higher than 12"

Also I still stand by this chart and so do all my coworkers
Dewalt, Milwaukee, hitachi & Makitta are best, Dewalt and Milwaukee are great for industrial & commercial use, Makitta & hitachi are better off for less use such as a dedicated DIY person or mobile mechanic.

Avoid Craftsmen, Bosch, Chicago, Black & Decker, Ryobi.

However after all this air tools are far more still superior just as I said no mobility and the constant need for an air compressor is a killer for most.

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

Also Not to upset Andy but Chicago tools are not made to last (matter of fact anything from harbor freight) ,, in the beginning of my career I went through them like toilet paper... Poor build quality and can not handle abuse or drops for heights higher than 12"

Not upset at all. Like I said I don't use them every day and if I did, I would certainly buy better tools, but for the occasional mechanic, they have served me well all these years.

I have considered switching to some of the electric impacts and It's good to know which ones are the good ones. When trying to get my lug nuts off I have to rat-a-tat on them for a while before the impact gun moves them and that's at 150 PSI. I can break them loose with the breaker bar easier, so I know it's getting tired. I think my Chicago Pneumatics came from Sears back in the day. I now have my dad's air tools so I have three impact guns.

Where is a good place to by the Milwaukee electric impact? Do you have a favorite supplier?

 

[Habbibie]

This won't be much help for you but if you can find direct suppliers by you then that's the best route to go, I buy from two different suppliers one only for dewalts and one only for Milwaukee, prices aren't the cheapest like you would find sometimes online but they're neck and neck with big home improvement chains, also no headache of waiting on shipping to and back for warranty exchange only for them to pull an excuse out of their rear-end on why they can't honor the unconditional warranty suddenly.

I buy direct from supplier not to save every possible penny but more for convenience, warranty exchanges, replacement parts, upgrades and add-ons are far better, faster and easier with them as its usually done on the spot in minutes or if not they give brand new identical loaners to minimize down time.

Also they're not so religious about the deadlines of warranty expiration unlike home improvement stores example:I had a drill 6 months past full replacement warranty yet since I purchased it from them they feel a happy customer is a returning customer (I agree)

 

[Vancouver Bob]

Thanks for the recommendations! I'm trying to decide on which impact I may want and then get a drill that uses the same battery.

Also discovered a step drill which could be used to open up the existing slot. Got one to try out.

A couple of days away from my appointment to get the bunper modified for mounting. Mods in Thursday, powder coat on Friday. I'm going to see how much they would charge to add a couple of the smaller pre-runner style bars on either side, assuming they would even fit. Not sure when I would get it back. Maybe late Friday. Can't wait!

 

[scoot0073]

So the steel bumper is made for the Expedition and u still gotta modify the mounts to bolt on ??
Or does it have to mount to the horns differently than the stock location bc of the weight ??

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