2015 Limited EL Personal Touches

[Muddy Bean]

Running a business and taking care of my two little girls keeps life full, so I’m ever so slowly personalizing my Expedition 4x4. I’m fully loaded at nearly Platinum level minus the CCD suspension and 22” rims.

Captains chairs in the second row, and heavy duty tow package with brake controller and 10,000 lb hitch. Running BFG KO2’s for rubber. Very happy with this tire. It’s the tire I used on my triple locked Land Cruiser 100 series before I sold it.

My new-to-me Expedition purchased in Fort Worth Texas October of 2017 with 58,000 miles:



Brought it home to Michigan and introduced it to some real snow:



First mod was to debadge. Love the cleaner look and not having to wipe between letters anymore during a wash/dry. Basically used a heat gun and dental floss to remove the badging and then used my fingernail to remove foam tape. Once most of the tape was gone, I used rubbing alcohol to remove the adhesive. Wrapped it up with a spritz of spray wax and a buff with a microfiber.



Alphabet soup:

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[Muddy Bean]

Tonight I took my headlamp apart so I can perform an amber delete. I was able to disassemble the housing and then carefully snap the amber lens out of the reflector. Will hopefully reassemble tomorrow and take some photos of the completed side.




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[Muddy Bean]

Had the truck Rust treated at Krown Rust Control in Canada. My past vehicles were treated and never rusted.



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[Muddy Bean]

And then towed 8400lbs of tractor and trailer across the state without drama.



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[JExpedition07]

Nice thread muddy, but I think I went into cardiac arrest seeing you pull those badges off . It’s a clean look nice.

 

[cmiles97]

I like it. Great idea on the rust protection. I'm originally from Northern NYS and man does the salt kill vehicles up there.

I have a black 17 XLT EL. I was thinking of getting rid of the badges and replacing all the chrome accents including the grill and expedition bar across the back with black. Your ideas have given me some inspiration.

PS you are going to miss that very nice LC.

 

[Black]

Nice. I feel you. I work full time and have 3 boys under 5. While cars used to be life they have taken the backseat until they get a little older. I have a 1992 Mustang that is in the process of quite the transformation full suspension, rear end, built Turbo motor, standalone ECU. It has been stalled for a couple years. I have all the parts just prefer spending time with the boys and they are too young to actually be helpful in the shop.
I almost picked up a 100 series instead of the Expedition. Found a mint 2007 LX in Cincy with 80k unreal condition. Fella walked on my offer but called back a month later asking if I still wanted it. I had already bought something else a Sienna which we hated and dumped for the Expedition though I think I'll be happier with the Expedition as it has a lot more room.
I'll keep this one fairly simple. Will be adding Katskinz leather to the front seats and heaters. Also upgrading the radiator and adding the brake controller for better cooling and more towing as I just have the tow prep package.
My wife has a 2012 Highlander Limited but rarely drives it as the Highlander does not fit 3 carseats only 3,700 miles last year. She loves the Expedition and wants one of her own. Hopefully spring of next year we'll get another Expedition to replace her Highlander. She'll get this one as it has a lifetime power train warranty. That way with the new one I can get a bit more aggressive with it Tune, lift, so on and so forth.

Glad to hear you like those tires. Pretty quiet for an A/T tire I have heard. I am looking at them as well but the dealer I bought from just put brand new tires on this so I will wait awhile.

Tell me more about this Krown rust proofing? Is it a one time application or does it have to be reapplied every so often?? How much did it cost you? We don't nearly have it as bad as you but in the past few years they have started using the liquid salt brine which makes everything rust so much worse. I have been looking to do a yearly fluid film application myself to help with the rust as I hope to have the vehicle 10 plus years.

Here is a shot of mine behind our weekend cabin actually the house my great grandfather started building in 1927 but the boys call it the cabin.

 

[gixer2000]

Seeing those lenses open brought a tear to my eye... Then I realized you weren't doing a retro.. Nice work bud!

 

[Muddy Bean]

Seeing those lenses open brought a tear to my eye... Then I realized you weren't doing a retro.. Nice work bud!

Haha. Yeah. I actually would still like to lens swap to the Lexus units you’re using. Someday. Baking open the lights was hard. Even at 300°F for 15 minutes the butyl never softened much. And putting them back together is the same. I’m having to add some sealant to fully seal the lens. Arg.

J: I was careful so the lettering and badge are still in perfect condition and ready to go back on should I ever need them to. Lol.

Cmiles: you’re absolutely right I already miss the Hundy. My wife is pretty much demanding we get a 200 series Lexus when the Expedition goes away lol. I love her taste.





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[Muddy Bean]

Black:

Jealous of your Katzkin...that stuff lasts forever.

I love my KO2’s. Quiet tire that rides crisp but no overly firm. Traction is excellent in basically all conditions I’ve driven in including mud snow ice slush and wet. Tread life is amazing.

Krown uses a very light oil mist that is sprayed at like 160°F into the body panels of your vehicle. They drill lots of tiny holes throughout the truck and use long flexible tubes with misters on the ends to spray the entire interiors of every body panel. Doors, rockers, frame, engine compartment etc. Stuff works. Canadian army uses it on their equipment.


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[gixer2000]

Haha. Yeah. I actually would still like to lens swap to the Lexus units you’re using. Someday. Baking open the lights was hard. Even at 300°F for 15 minutes the butyl never softened much. And putting them back together is the same. I’m having to add some sealant to fully seal the lens. Arg.

J: I was careful so the lettering and badge are still in perfect condition and ready to go back on should I ever need them to. Lol.

Cmiles: you’re absolutely right I already miss the Hundy. My wife is pretty much demanding we get a 200 series Lexus when the Expedition goes away lol. I love her taste.





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Thays because the newwr ford stuff is permaseal. Its a much harder butyl and doesn't soften with heat. If I were you I would pull all the permaseal and replace with a softer butyl or you could risk leaking and moisture. Id hate to see you have a moisture problem down the road. Good luck!

 

[Muddy Bean]

Thays because the newwr ford stuff is permaseal. Its a much harder butyl and doesn't soften with heat. If I were you I would pull all the permaseal and replace with a softer butyl or you could risk leaking and moisture. Id hate to see you have a moisture problem down the road. Good luck!

Ok doing it. Will have to painstakingly razor it out. Will do this tomorrow.


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[gixer2000]

Ok doing it. Will have to painstakingly razor it out. Will do this tomorrow.


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Good luck sir!

 

[powerboatr]

cool.

whos bus is that in the reflection....

 

[Muddy Bean]

That’s my baby. We fulltime in her. Converted it myself. 8” roof raise, full paint etc. Took it from this:


To this:




We flat tow the Expedition:

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[Muddy Bean]

One headlight clear corner done. One to go. It was a huge pain dealing with the permaseal. I’m dreading opening up the second headlight. I have hours into removing the permaseal manually. Going to try the permanator solvent to see how it works.




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[powerboatr]

That’s my baby. We fulltime in her. Converted it myself. 8” roof raise, full paint etc. Took it from this:


To this:




We flat tow the Expedition:

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AWESOME bus.
.we still haul on the trailer, to reduce road rash and tailgating.
plus just when i convince myself to get the gear and flat tow...we get a different car..

 

[Black]

Black:

Jealous of your Katzkin...that stuff lasts forever.

I love my KO2’s. Quiet tire that rides crisp but no overly firm. Traction is excellent in basically all conditions I’ve driven in including mud snow ice slush and wet. Tread life is amazing.

Krown uses a very light oil mist that is sprayed at like 160°F into the body panels of your vehicle. They drill lots of tiny holes throughout the truck and use long flexible tubes with misters on the ends to spray the entire interiors of every body panel. Doors, rockers, frame, engine compartment etc. Stuff works. Canadian army uses it on their equipment.


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Waiting till fall to do the Katskinz and heaters. No real need for them in the summer. Like to spread the costs of projects out a little bit.
I am just doing the front seats as the middle bench is fully covered with a waterproof quilt and then 3 carsests. The 3rd row is always folded down. Once the kids are out of car seats I’ll have the rears done. But that is years away.

How often does Krown need to be reapplied? The closest place is 3 hours (one way) from me. I may just buy the fluid film sprayer and DIY kit as 6 hours is a bit of driving. And it does not look like anything in the area of the shop to make the drive worth while while they are applying it.

 

[Muddy Bean]

They recommend you apply once a year. I typically go once every two years because the oil film is still very much present on the underside of the truck and inside the body panels even after two years. I know this because two years after a treatment I had a smash and grab on my Land Cruiser and had to open the door panel to replace my side glass. It was very oily in there. Made me smile.


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[Black]

Thanks.
Think I’ll give the fluid film a try. I am pretty close to the south so not many places do rust protection.
All I have found so far is places that do the soft undercoating stuff but not what I am looking for.
There are a couple local retail shops i still need to check with.