Uberlands slow-but-hopefully-steady Excursion build.

[Uberland]

Where is that new intake pulling air from? It looks like it's pulling air from the grille area. That could be really bad if you go through and moderately deep puddles. Eeek!

Thanks for the question, which is a fair one. The S&B intake mimics the stock one, which draws from both behind the grill and the left fender. I didn’t realize this before I bought it. Fortunately, I don’t have to do too many water crossings, but I’ve been thinking about seeing how the truck reacts if I only draw from the fender. There’s always the one supplier for a snorkel intake which should increase airflow via the fender as well, but I’m not a huge fan of how it looks...

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

So, turns out that Ford’s Hydroboost system works great...until it doesn’t. What makes you say that, you ask? Well, let me tell you...

Had a great day last Friday at Tasker’s Gap in the Shenandoah, which I basically treated as a mild shakedown cruise for the (as-yet unnamed) Ex. Decent climbs, a couple of decent puddles, etc...nothing major, but a good means of testing the truck’s 4x4 system (high and low) and engine/ transmission braking, which was awesome.

Truck behaved beautifully. No problems with the 200-plus round trip or the hill climb/descent. Took the missis out for dinner that night...aside from being dirty, truck was great. Next morning she and I took my 18-month old for his second haircut about two miles from home. That went well (praise be!), but when we went to leave I noticed that I had no power steering or brakes...and when I grunted the truck back into the parking spot, I saw that the truck was puking super-dirty power steering fluid. No bueno.

Long story short: tow truck to a local garage, which eventually found the leak in the high-pressure steering hose. New hose, system flush and labor set me back around $700, which will put a dent in the ol’ Overlanding budget.

Got the truck back today...steering seems fine, but it’s scary to think about what I would’ve done had that happened on the trail. I’ve driven vehicles without power steering or brakes, but I had a hard time applying enough pedal pressure to stop the Ex from IDLE, never mind down a grade! Or on the highway! Definitely some intervention from above. I really wanted to tear out and replace the whole 20-year old system, but the shop assured me everything else looked fine.

Here’s to hoping!

Also, new license plates came in today...

$700 for a high pressure hose replacement was a rip off as far as I am concerned. If nothing else was replaced this is an awful price to pay. NAPA and an auto parts parking lot was all anyone would get out of me. I'm feeling your hurt !

 

[JCWages]

Thanks for the question, which is a fair one. The S&B intake mimics the stock one, which draws from both behind the grill and the left fender. I didn’t realize this before I bought it. Fortunately, I don’t have to do too many water crossings, but I’ve been thinking about seeing how the truck reacts if I only draw from the fender. There’s always the one supplier for a snorkel intake which should increase airflow via the fender as well, but I’m not a huge fan of how it looks...

That makes sense. And please don't take my question as a critique. I was just curious and with something so critical I'd rather risk being rude by asking than ignore it and then read about you hydrolocking an engine because it wasn't something you considered in the build. I'm diggin the build. I've always liked the diesel Excursions.

 

[Uberland]

$700 for a high pressure hose replacement was a rip off as far as I am concerned. If nothing else was replaced this is an awful price to pay. NAPA and an auto parts parking lot was all anyone would get out of me. I'm feeling your hurt !

Well, it also involves a flush/bleeding of the power steering system and, given that the Motorcraft replacement hose was $250 alone, I’m not sure I was completely taken to the cleaners! [emoji23] Definitely couldn’t have done that in a parking lot!

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Well, it also involves a flush/bleeding of the power steering system and, given that the Motorcraft replacement hose was $250 alone, I’m not sure I was completely taken to the cleaners! [emoji23] Definitely couldn’t have done that in a parking lot!

WOW, After I got to see the rest of your post and see what else you've done to your rig, the Power steering hose was only a drop in the bucket and probably un-noticed or lost in the build. Your have a nice rig there....

 

[Uberland]

Happy Thanksgiving. It's been a while!

I've been lazy with the updates, but the pictures are backing up to the point that if I don't do it now, I never will...

So, since we last spoke, Creedence received:



A new gauge pod, and...



and a Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform for our...



CVT Mount Denali RTT ahead of our first "real" trip with the rig. Possible review to follow, if there's interest.

Additionally, I added some dedicated fire extinguishers (one up front, one in the rear) and a cheap-and-easy place to mount the air line:





The missus, my youngest son, the dog and I headed out earlier this fall with the intention of driving the North Carolina section of the Trans-America Trail, but we got a late start/sidetracked and ended up pivoting with more of a lengthy road trip and exploration in some few national forests in western Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Didn't do a very good job of taking pictures, but here's one of the rig (and dog) at a creekside campsite in the Cherokee National Forest:



Quick shot of the RTT mostly deployed (WAAAY up in the air!) to dry out during our not-so-fun post-trip cleanup:



Since then, mostly maintenance on the rig, including replacing a few electrical shorts:



Finally getting around to cleaning the dirt out from the engine bay...look at that puddle! Also installed a new degas bottle and a coolant filtration kit.





And removing a TON of hack-job wiring, an old tuner, and a remote start installed by a previous owner...some wiring was done with scotch tape!



What's next? Hoping to get out on some not-too-cold weekends this winter. In terms of upgrades, I'd really like some taller tires, but that'll probably require some regearing to protect my 20 year-old transmission. Stay tuned!

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

That pile of wiring is scary. You've come a long way. I doubt your transmission is in any danger from larger tires. Your diff gearing may suffer from the high gear ratio you currently have. You have a full size rig so everything is pretty beefy if your not a wild man. New gears are very costly and you wont know for sure if you will need them until you try. You have a low range transfer case and that will handle the slow driving part. Just don't go bonzi on the tire size and it will probably be okay with modestly large tires. this is my opinion for what it's worth.

 

[Uberland]

That pile of wiring is scary. You've come a long way. I doubt your transmission is in any danger from larger tires. Your diff gearing may suffer from the high gear ratio you currently have. You have a full size rig so everything is pretty beefy if your not a wild man. New gears are very costly and you wont know for sure if you will need them until you try. You have a low range transfer case and that will handle the slow driving part. Just don't go bonzi on the tire size and it will probably be okay with modestly large tires. this is my opinion for what it's worth.

Thanks! Another reason to regear is to help with this big rig’s acceleration and fuel mileage...I’m already down for the +1 tire size and the RTT, so I need whatever help I can get when I go to +2!

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Thanks! Another reason to regear is to help with this big rig’s acceleration and fuel mileage...I’m already down for the +1 tire size and the RTT, so I need whatever help I can get when I go to +2!

Gears will give you better acceleration but your mileage will suffer. Gears give you more RPM, RPM eats more gas. Larger tires give you back your mileage. So, you should have about the same acceleration with gears and larger tires that you have now.

 

[Uberland]

Well, the engine/transmission does have to work harder with bigger tires to GET the vehicle up to speed...and the close to 9,000 GVW means that the ol' 7.3 has a LOT of weight to move!

 

[Andy J.]

If you're going to re-gear then you might as well get a locker (or two)

 

[Uberland]

If you're going to re-gear then you might as well get a locker (or two)

The plan is to do an air locker in the rear; not sure I can justify one for the front given that the beast won’t be a crazy rock-crawler.

 

[Daryl 32]

Great build - really like how this is coming along.

Addressing your power steering issue at the start of your thread and other things. All of us that own older vehicles like a 7.3 powered Ford - or what ever. The engine may be good for 500,000 miles or more but not most everything else on the truck is.

If you own a 7.3 PS I would advise you put new high pressure oil lines on your engine before one breaks. If one does break the engine will not start/run until it is replaced.

There are many other things that we all should replace before they break, as in the power steering - brake lines.

 

[The other Sean]

Gears will give you better acceleration but your mileage will suffer. Gears give you more RPM, RPM eats more gas. Larger tires give you back your mileage. So, you should have about the same acceleration with gears and larger tires that you have now.

Can't be used as a blanket statement. Changing to the PROPER gears will put the engine in its power curve and make the entire operation of accelerating and driving down the road more efficient. having improper gearing that lugs the engine or over revs it is where bad MPG and performance comes in. Many vehicles leave the factory with improper gearing.

 

[Daryl 32]

At 230,000 mile I had the rear end in our E99 F250 rebuilt - changed from 3:73s to 4:10s and had a Detroit locker put in it. Also the bearing were replaced.

We now have 268,000 miles on the truck and love the gearing and the locker. Air lockers are great but can stop working on the trail for to many little reasons to me, the Detroit locker is way less costly, proven, simple and more then strong enough for our heavy rigs and the torque of the 7.3.

I run Cooper AT3 XLT 285/75-17s that are about 33.8" in diameter. They are quiet give great mileage and work realy well for us off road.

Just my opinion.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Can't be used as a blanket statement. Changing to the PROPER gears will put the engine in its power curve and make the entire operation of accelerating and driving down the road more efficient. having improper gearing that lugs the engine or over revs it is where bad MPG and performance comes in. Many vehicles leave the factory with improper gearing.

That's what I was saying. The tire size and the GEARS has to be balanced. Doing one mod (gears) usually requires the other (tire diameter) or else the engine will over rev (rpm's) because of gearing or under rev (lug) the engine because of gearing. Modest gear change my not require a tire change and visa versa. Any change will affect gas mileage including tire width that changes the amount of contact the tire makes with the road surface (friction) !
My sources have said that the gearing (also timing of the engine) is determined a lot by where the cars original destination is located based on altitude. Engines perform differently at sea level than engines at 6000 feet altitude. That is why some cars perform better at sea level than at 6000' altitude. That is why many people claim gas mileage is not what is on the window sticker of a new car. This can be verified by knowledgeable professional mechanics.

 

[Daryl 32]

That's what I was saying. The tire size and the GEARS has to be balanced. Doing one mod (gears) usually requires the other (tire diameter) or else the engine will over rev (rpm's) because of gearing or under rev (lug) the engine because of gearing. Modest gear change my not require a tire change and visa versa. Any change will affect gas mileage including tire width that changes the amount of contact the tire makes with the road surface (friction) !
My sources have said that the gearing (also timing of the engine) is determined a lot by where the cars original destination is located based on altitude. Engines perform differently at sea level than engines at 6000 feet altitude. That is why some cars perform better at sea level than at 6000' altitude. That is why many people claim gas mileage is not what is on the window sticker of a new car. This can be verified by knowledgeable professional mechanics.

This is very true for gas engines - but not as much for the older diesels. For me I picked tire size and gearing to get my 7.3 diesel into it's best engine rpm power band at 65 mph for towing in overdrive. Towing at 55 needs to done with overdrive off up steep grades while most of the time 65 works great in overdrive.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

This is very true for gas engines - but not as much for the older diesels. For me I picked tire size and gearing to get my 7.3 diesel into it's best engine rpm power band at 65 mph for towing in overdrive. Towing at 55 needs to done with overdrive off up steep grades while most of the time 65 works great in overdrive.

That's not a bad idea for gas engines too.
My LRD2 with stock tire height and stock 3.80 gears gets its best gas mileage @ 2200 rpm, which transfers to 63 mph. On my my Dodge truck it dosent care what speed you drive or how much load, it gets 9 mpg all the time and is why I don't take long trips in it. My Ford Escape gets great gas mileage @ 75 mph and 2200 rpm. I have a friend who has a diesel and he says his best gas mileage is also 2200 rpm. Personally I go by how the vehicle feels to me, my vehicles kinda tell me, I like this speed or rpm, so I try to keep the engine in that sweet spot. I would rsther drive vehicles that ate geared on the low side and I drive slower. I do NOT want to lug the engine, which is very bad for the main bearings on any engine, and have a shorter life span.

 

[Daryl 32]

The plan is to do an air locker in the rear; not sure I can justify one for the front given that the beast won’t be a crazy rock-crawler.

Uberland - sorry just realized I hi-jacked your build thread. Hope my post do give you positive things to consider.

 

[Uberland]

Uberland - sorry just realized I hi-jacked your build thread. Hope my post do give you positive things to consider.

No worries at all...I've been remiss in my updates, and just realized that I wasn't getting notifications for replies. Oops.

Updates: I have some.

In my goal of de-chroming Creedence, I replaced the "chrome" (read: chrome-wrapped that was peeling) updated grille for a matte black one.





Then, it was time to replace the old steering wheel. It turned the vehicle just fine, of course, but the "leather" was 20 years old, had lost most of its padding and was loose on the wheel, and was just plain unsightly.

Unfortunately, nobody really makes "new" wheels for the previous Super Duties and Excursions, so I was left with a wheel cover (unsightly), trying to find a better-quality used wheel, or...I happened to stumble on a guy on Ebay (search "Autowoods") who recovers wheels. For about the price of a used wheel, and less than I was quoted for a hand-stitched partial cover, I got a recovered wheel that is pretty darn close to the original leather. Solid. Can't recommend enough. Also learned how to properly de-charge an airbag and use a puller to remove the original wheel.







Lastly...since the lift was done last August, Creedence looked like he kept skipping leg days. The 285/75R16 tires, while +1 from stock and capable enough (got me up Bald Mountain Jeep Trail without any problems) aren't quite as wide as I'd like, and made the truck bog a bit because the gears were stock 3.73s. So...an installation of Yukon 4.11s front and rear, an Eaton True-Trac (decided against the air locker...I wanted something that was functioning all the time), new bearings, seals and axle universal joints a few weeks ago set us up well for the delivery of 35x12.5 General Grappler AT/Xs on 17x8.5 Method 701s. They fit, but I had to lose my front mud flaps, air dam, and I may have to trim the bumper a bit until I can get my aftermarket one in (looking at Buckstop Truckware).

But. They. Look. Awesome.



Until next time...