Ive built up numerous vehicles, motors, etc(mostly for my Mustangs), but this is the first time doing a truck so i figured i would throw down a post now that a lot of it is done.
2005 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer, Heavy Towing Package, 4x4, power everything...
So I bought the truck with the intent to set it up nice for a planned family vacation as hauling 5 people plus supplies and baggage across the country was not going to happen in the vehicles we had which are:
04 Hyundai Santa Fe, a tuna can of an SUV
07 Mustang GT, (My Modded out Street Car)
13 Hyundai Elantra, another tuna can
I Decided i wanted an 05+ Expedition because i know ford pretty well, especially the 3V V8 engines which is the same as my mustang just a 5.4 vs a 4.6, meaning lots of experience and even spare parts carry over. Was going out for an 07+ but decided 05 and 06 were acceptable too just without the nicer tranny.
Scored my 05 on Offerup, i was on there live when it was posted and went right then and there to see it only about 6 miles away, and after digging all through it and test driving it i dropped 2500 bucks on it cash. I got it cheap because the previous owner admitted to trying to tow some 30 foot flatbed loaded to the piss with shit and even another vehicle when they moved here, and they blew out 3rd and 4th gear allegedly while going up a hill with way to much load, he also admitted they forgot to turn off OD. So they popped the tranny. And the amazing folks who i now love at AAMCO told them it would cost $4000 to pull, rebuild, and reinstall the transmission, (which is absolute rape and robbery btw), so the owner didnt want to spend the cash to fix it, the transmission was its only issue, even the DVD player still works...
So i brought it home, and on the way home found out they werent so smart, 3rd gear was fine, but the truck was jumping so fast from 3rd to OD and going free spin that 3rd seemed like it was also dead, popped off the OD button and 3rd gear is perfectly fine all the way home, and no more free spin or slip at all, so seems they just blew out overdrive.
So my dad is a diesel engineer and knows a guy for damn near anything, so i got his transmission guys number and dropped off the truck, which kinda sucked as i had to drive about 40 miles without OD/4th gear, and very little freeway so i wasn't running high RPM for too long. They threw in a fully rebuilt 4R75 Transmission off the shelf, and even noticed a broken ball joint and asked, so i had them fix that too, all considered including labor and fluids i was only out 1300 bucks.
Now that its solid, i began the modding and ill keep it short, this is what i did.
Ford Roof Rack Cross Bars (they were missing)
Extended Full Length Roof Rack from Amazon
5 x 2.5" LED Pods (Mounted forward on the roof rack as offroad lights)
2 x 8" LED Bars (Mounted rear on the roof rack as offroad/backup lights)
2 x 7" Sealed Beam Buckets in the Grille with LED 90w headlight bulbs
3 x 3Amp Dual USB Charger inserts (front & middle row, and back cargo area)
1 x 3Amp Dual USB Power port replacement socket (cut a hole, and installed for 3rd row)
Android 8, 7" Head Unit (Quad Core, 4GB RAM)
USB Surface mount extension (on dash, exposes Head unit rear USBs to dash use, flash drives, etc)
Pilot Auto Wireless Remote Relay Controller (Controls all the additional lights i added)
Frontier Truck 200-10-3004 Heavy Duty Steel Grille Guard/Push Bumper
Trail Ridge Tow Mirrors (Power, Turn Signal, Puddle, Memory, Telescoping, etc)
The push bumper is fantastic, Very thick steel compared to others ive seen, and mounts to 6 points on the frame, We stood and hopped on it and it didnt move at all. We got it here:
https://bumpersuperstore.com/i-1145...4-grille-guard-ford-expedition-2003-2006.html
I had Audio Express run a 4 conductor cable up the front pillar to the roof to provide power and connectivity for the offroad lights, and mounted the controller on the roof rack up high so i can control the lights from extreme distances away from the truck if needed, it goes through the roof with a waterproof trailer plug so i can easily unplug and remove the rack if needed. It almost looks factory esque, they may not always do things properly on their own, but audio express seem to be awesome at following directions if you tell them exactly what you want, with a drawn up plan.
The rear diff had a small leak i discovered, so i had a shop ive used for my mustang diff swaps fully rebuilt the 9.75" pumpkin case of the expeditions IRS rear, bearings, seals, the works. Front diff checked out fine. This was when I learned it was a heavy towing edition, the ordered the parts for a standard and nothing was right, hehe...
4x4 and heavy towing package, SCORE!!!!!
We tore through California on I-8 even during a big wind and rain storm at 85-90 from arizona to san diego and onto base at NAS North Island, one of our required stops, on a single tank with some to spare. Truck did perfectly and the Vaca went without a hitch.
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