2003 Ford Expedition Full Size Overland Build

[Subzilla]

Following ! I love full size builds! and am working on a 97 Suburban now (I love the square body GMS) although I am flirting with the idea of getting an 80s AMC 4x4 eagle wagon for shorter trips, I like unique! Anyways I had to chuckle at needing the full size so everyone can have their space! I went Suburban for the same reason and it's just me and 2 dogs!

 

[James Deaton]

Nearing completion on the 1” EMT Conduit roof rack build... sorry for lack of build pics of it. Hope to show it on the roof of the X in a couple days.







James

 

[James Deaton]

Roof rack complete and mounted up... Testing begins this weekend, then powdercoat in a week or two.

James

 

[James Deaton]

RTT mounted up, along with travel cases for camping gear.

James

 

[Gregory Youngblood]

RTT mounted up, along with travel cases for camping gear.

James

View attachment 47471

You've got lots of room up there, that's pretty nice. I wish mine were a little longer myself.

Seems like to storage cases up top coule vibrate and shift forward or backward while driving. Or is there a lip or something I didn't see?

 

[James Deaton]

No lip, though I did change the strapping configuration this evening. Gonna take the junky Harbor Freight lashing straps back because they slip. Instead I am now using two Powertye tie down straps per case. They are rock solid now.

Testing more tomorrow, going on a day trip and will pop the tent for fun.

James

 

[Gregory Youngblood]

No lip, though I did change the strapping configuration this evening. Gonna take the junky Harbor Freight lashing straps back because they slip. Instead I am now using two Powertye tie down straps per case. They are rock solid now.

Testing more tomorrow, going on a day trip and will pop the tent for fun.

James

That's good. I was wondering how secure they really were with that configuration. :)

I've got a couple of front runner stratchets for my traction tool on top, they've held well for a while, but those powertyes look interesting, and not near as pricey.

 

[James Deaton]

I’ve been using the Powertye brand of tie down straps for all my motorcycles for about 15 years. They have never failed to keep a $10,000 motorcycle upright, so I think they will do okay with these cases :):):)

James

 

[James Deaton]

Test drive today on a 150 mile exploration trip to Owyhee Reservoir, OR. Mostly asphalt, with a little fun thrown in...

James

 

[James Deaton]

Reset the Plano Sportsman Trunks today.

One is for cookware. We use a lot of backpacking stuff because it is lightweight and nests well. MSR is a great company for this.

Second is for 5 sleeping bags, pillows, hammock. This could eventually lessen if we keep three bags and pillows in the RTT.

Third (not pictured) is for food supplies.

James

 

[James Deaton]

Today was another great test day. Rack works perfectly, rooftop tent and cases didn’t move it all. I didn’t touch anything on the rack the whole trip, but that’s what the test was for, to make sure it held up an offer and conditions and 75 mph freeway driving.

My next step will be to build holders for the knock off max tracks that I have.

Today we did 90 miles off road, plus some freeway driving to get there. Followed the north fork of the Boise River and the South Fork of the Boise River. Beautiful scenery.

 

[Dakota Houligans]

Looks like some great country to explore. Nice work on the build.

 

[Johnboy]

Nice to see another full size rig. My wife has been driving an expedition since 1999, its the only car she wants. It had 220,000 plus miles on it and she still wanted to drive it but I got her a new one 3 years ago. I drive a 2014 4wd ExepeditionEL and I love it. Just traded in my jeep for a new Ford F150 4x4 and that will be our overland vehicle. We are retired now and have lots of trips planned this summer.
Your expedition looks great, nice job.


Sent from my iPad using OB Talk

 

[James Deaton]

Thank you! We have a 2006 F150 as well, it has few miles than the Expedition, and I use it on my short commute to work. The Fords have been good to us so far... In this instance I’m glad we didn’t get an EL. That overhang in the back wouldn’t offroad quite as well.

James

 

[James Deaton]

Spent some time in the Owyhees last Saturday. Tried a trail I’ve been eyeing, headed up to a place called Tiddie Springs (or Tiddie Creek depending on who you talk to). We were only a few miles away when my friend and his wife called quits on that trail. To their credit they are in a 2007 Expedition EL with worn out tires and no lift. I was actually pleasantly surprised they went as far as they did.

I found the A4WD setting worked best in the snow with all the ruts we encountered. It just clawed its way through as long as I picked a good line.

So, we headed back down and tried heading up a graded road to Silver City, an old ghost town. We were one corner away from New York Summit, and only two miles away from Silver City, when my friend’s Expedition EL got stuck, and we had to MaxTrax him out. I dunno if we would have made it to the top, there were 45 degree snow drifts covering half the road, but our Ex was just plowing through them :):):)

So, down we went again. I wanted to try and get down to Sinker Creek, for some creek crossings. We wound our way down this narrow Jeep trail in our Expeditions, my wife driving ours, and my friend scraping the paint off his color matched running boards :(

We got to the bottom and my wife got to cruise through 5 or 6 creek crossings.

It was lots of fun. Snow driving. Recovery. Geocaching. Drinking river water through my Sawyer Mini. Water crossings... fun!!!

James

 

[James Deaton]

Got the Maxtrax (knock-offs) mounted yesterday. Used 5/16-18 all thread, some steel, and rubber fuel line to cover the all thread and basically rubber mount the maxtrax.... nuts on top for now. Security nuts or padlocks coming soon...

Also mounted the shovel with 89 cent conduit clamps and quick-fist rubber clamps...

James

 

[Gregory Youngblood]

Got the Maxtrax (knock-offs) mounted yesterday. Used 5/16-18 all thread, some steel, and rubber fuel line to cover the all thread and basically rubber mount the maxtrax.... nuts on top for now. Security nuts or padlocks coming soon...

Also mounted the shovel with 89 cent conduit clamps and quick-fist rubber clamps...

Any noise or rattles from the traction aids on the metal? I ended up using a rubber strip between my rack and what I have to keep it from rattling.

I am using a resin based grid/flooring material with a gritted surface from American Grating. It's 2 inch square, 2 inch thick, and can support 2,000 pounds spanning 36", so it's not just traction but also bridging. When I first put it on the roof, oh the racket. Haha. So glad the rubber strips quieted that down.

 

[James Deaton]

No noise so far, tested to 60mph. I have them pretty tight. More testing will ensue before the design is finalized.

James

 

[Gregory Youngblood]

No noise so far, tested to 60mph. I have them pretty tight. More testing will ensue before the design is finalized.

Glad they're not rattling.

I had things pretty tight as well, though I was only using a couple of long bolts, big washers, and wing nuts to clamp it down to the rack in two points. Now I'm using a couple of straps that are easier on/off and spread the force to hold them down across the length of the track. Who knows, now that I think about it, maybe the rubber strip isn't doing anything, and spreading the force around is doing more to keep them quiet.

 

[Bouncer]

Awesome little build, have you encountered any more issues with clearance and the running boards? How much more clearance would you get if you unbolted them?