Back in late December I purchased a 1998 EB Expy for $500. 4WD, 4.6.
This is me buying it from the PO.
The 8.8 rear axle was dead with chunks of bearing races and stripped ring and pinion teeth lying in the housing. Body was great, Interior was fair. 239,000 miles, bypassed heater cores.
Hey $500
I purchased a set of 3.55 takeout gears from a late model Mustang and a used 31 spline TL carrier from an Explorer. Got a rear bearing/seal/shim kit and set to work. Total cost about $215. I pulled the rear axle completely out just to make it easier to work on. A week later the rear was back in.
Picked up front and rear heater cores and blend door. $135. Three days later I had good heat.
Since I purchased this thing with no test drive you could imagine I was a bit worried what else might be wrong with it. Initial test drive went great. Other than the drivers side exhaust manifold leaking it ran and shifted great. The rear was even quiet. I drove the truck about 50 miles.
Then I found out Monday I had to get 1300 lbs of iron castings from Suffolk Virginia to Rahway New Jersey NOW
Tossed the 15 castings in the back of the Expy and off we went. Steady cruise at 70 mph with no issues. Hell, it even averaged right at 16 mpg. The 450 mile cruise up went by with no issues. Didn't have any problems until I stopped at the machine shop to deliver the castings. I went inside and locked the truck. When we came back out I couldn't get the truck unlocked. None of the door key holes would rotate and the remote chose to die. The unlock button simply stopped working.
Eventually we got the remote to unlock one last time by dismantling it and jumping the terminals inside. Unloaded and back in the truck. The 450 miles back went easily until I was about 50 miles away....
You guys remember that the south east had a BIG snowstorm (for us) Tuesday night. Yup. 6" of snow. Dropped her into 4WD and did the last 50 miles with no problems except it was so cold the windshield washer fluid froze. I had to stop several times just to clean the windshield.
Total trip averaged 15.8 mpg and went flawlessly for a truck that had literally been rescued from going to the junk yard 4 weeks earlier. It used just a tiny bit of oil in the 1000 mile drive.
This is me buying it from the PO.
The 8.8 rear axle was dead with chunks of bearing races and stripped ring and pinion teeth lying in the housing. Body was great, Interior was fair. 239,000 miles, bypassed heater cores.
Hey $500
I purchased a set of 3.55 takeout gears from a late model Mustang and a used 31 spline TL carrier from an Explorer. Got a rear bearing/seal/shim kit and set to work. Total cost about $215. I pulled the rear axle completely out just to make it easier to work on. A week later the rear was back in.
Picked up front and rear heater cores and blend door. $135. Three days later I had good heat.
Since I purchased this thing with no test drive you could imagine I was a bit worried what else might be wrong with it. Initial test drive went great. Other than the drivers side exhaust manifold leaking it ran and shifted great. The rear was even quiet. I drove the truck about 50 miles.
Then I found out Monday I had to get 1300 lbs of iron castings from Suffolk Virginia to Rahway New Jersey NOW
Tossed the 15 castings in the back of the Expy and off we went. Steady cruise at 70 mph with no issues. Hell, it even averaged right at 16 mpg. The 450 mile cruise up went by with no issues. Didn't have any problems until I stopped at the machine shop to deliver the castings. I went inside and locked the truck. When we came back out I couldn't get the truck unlocked. None of the door key holes would rotate and the remote chose to die. The unlock button simply stopped working.
Eventually we got the remote to unlock one last time by dismantling it and jumping the terminals inside. Unloaded and back in the truck. The 450 miles back went easily until I was about 50 miles away....
You guys remember that the south east had a BIG snowstorm (for us) Tuesday night. Yup. 6" of snow. Dropped her into 4WD and did the last 50 miles with no problems except it was so cold the windshield washer fluid froze. I had to stop several times just to clean the windshield.
Total trip averaged 15.8 mpg and went flawlessly for a truck that had literally been rescued from going to the junk yard 4 weeks earlier. It used just a tiny bit of oil in the 1000 mile drive.
