The Airliner

[tsingson]

Thought I would start my build thread here. Just a run down of my previous SUV to my newer SUV. They are still named the same and have the same goals in mind. Here is The Airline V1.0. 2005 XLT 4x4 with power folding third row and towing package.


I love how comfy it is and long drives are great in it. I will be documenting my build for a comfortable cruiser and I do apologize if I go out of order as I don't have many pictures and I haven't done much.


So on to the build......


Sep 2013- Front Grill


I couldn't stand the gray grill on the front and decided that I needed a black grill. I had seen numerous Expeditions on the road that had the black grill so I decided to paint mine. Plastidip to the rescue. I think it turned out pretty good.

Feb 2014- The Winter Storm


So this happened.

Freaking people don't know how to drive in the snow here and was driving in the middle of the lane and ran me off the road. I thought it was going to roll when it when into the ditch. My face was heading towards the passenger side window and then flung me back when it landed. Town of Cary Maintenance workers saw me in the ditch, asked if I was ok and if I had a cell phone and then drove off. Nice. A guy in a orange Jeep must have been looking for people to pull out because he circled around a couple of times before stopping. He hooked up a nice tow strap to his hitch and to my front tow hook. Mine in 4x4, his in 4x4 and we were able to get it out of the ditch. I assessed the damage and my passenger side taillight was busted and a piece of my rear bumper was broken off. The truck tracked straight and drove like normal. Damn, this thing can take a lick.

 

[tsingson]

Found a taillight at a local junk yard for $35. Good, because the red and clear tape on the taillight was not working well. Fixed that. My rear bumper was bandaged and a drift stitch was placed on the rear. This is temporary until I can spend some money on it.

Aug 2014- The Inevitable


So I had been getting an intermittent misfire when slightly accelerating and going up hills. I had not replaced the spark plugs since I first bought the truck and I had a feeling it was the plugs. The problem is that with the 2004-2008 Expeditions (and other trucks), Ford had this wonderful design where they used 2 piece spark plugs and the plugs would fuse to the head of the modular engine due to carbon buildup. When removing the spark plugs, the plug would break in half and leave the center electrode in the engine.


My truck was at 113,000 miles so after 6 months of putting it off and researching, I figured what the hell and got everything ready to do it. My uncle, who has a 2004, had the Lisle Tool for removing the spark plugs.


I ordered my plugs from Rockauto and prepared myself for the worst. I expected to break all 8 plugs. I did not have $500 to give to the dealer and that is a minimum. I have read people paying almost a grand because of broken plugs.

 

[tsingson]

Well as I get started, the first one breaks. Great. Used the tool to remove the remaining piece. Tool worked great, by the way. Put anti-seize on the threads and on the body, careful not to get any near the electrode. Ford recommends this to prevent any carbon build up on the body. Went to work on the second plug and that breaks also. Even better. Continued on. Third plug came out without breaking. YES! Things are looking up? Nope. The remaining 5 break.


Here is the carnage:

They get my middle finger. One plug even broke into 3 pieces. At least, next time will be easier.


Gearing up for the upcoming winter, I had to get some new tires. My Nitto Terra Grapplers were shot. They were loud as hell too.


Here is a shot of them:

I had been researching tires for a while and finally settled on a set of Hankook Dynapro ATM RF10s. Reviews for them were great and a lot of people loved them in the snow and their price point. Sold. It was a good thing that I got them put on this morning. Snowflakes started falling as I was waiting. Perfect timing.


Here are the pictures of the tires after installation.

 

[tsingson]

I did manage to pick up some new wheels from a guy on the Expedition Forum. He lives in Winston Salem and he met me in Greensboro at the Coliseum. He was taking his kid to the Monster Truck Rally, I believe. I was able to score some 2010 OEM 6 Spoke Expedition wheels for $75. For all 4. Could not pass that up. The wheels were pristine. He had them on his truck for 10k miles before doing a slight lift and adding wheels and bigger tires. I will probably head that route in the future as well, minus changing the wheels. I had them put on today after work. Local used tire shop put them on for $60 and did the work in 20 minutes. I was impressed.

So after driving this around and trying to keep it as long as I could being a Northeast vehicle, I traded it in for a 2013 Ford Expedition EL Limited, The Airliner V2.0. The dealer gave me $500 less than what I was going to ask for on Craigslist so I said ok. They also didn't notice the rust damage to the front where the radiator is mounted. Not my fault. Paid it in cash and was very excited.


Here it is:

I have an appointment scheduled for the remote start and alarm the Saturday after I bought it and was also adding a nice drop down monitor for entertainment. Same goals for this truck that I had with the previous.

 

[tsingson]

So after a week of buying it, I had it lifted about 2.75" and threw on some 18x9 Fuel Trophy wheels and Hankook Dynapro ATM tires. Same tires I had on the other ones. I just couldn't keep the 20" anchors that it came with. I wish there were more polished or silver wheels for trucks but majority of them are a black finish.


Here are some pictures:


Before:

After:

So after months of debating, I had bought a new front grill. I hated the chrome one that came with it and if it had been color matched, I would have kept it. I may color match this one eventually but I like it. Just need to find the Ford emblem to finish it off. So here it is.


Before:

After:

And here it is with the Ford emblem:

That's it for now. Sorry for the long read.

 

[boss324]

Like the new rims and tires. What kind of lift did you put on? Was that lift front and rear or just the front?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using OB Talk mobile app

 

[tsingson]

It was a ReadyLift 3/2 kit.