I'm still confused as to why you would hang a filter where it required pulling the grill to change.. I change my external filter every oil change, so to me it would be a bit excessive pulling that every time.

It's four tiny bolts and some clips. Takes less than a minute. I was playing with the idea of cooler air blowing across the filter. One good reason was it was very easy to route the lines and mount it here. No drilling in the frame. I only plan on doing it once a year so it's not a big deal.

I stuck some Gordon Lightfoot in the cassette deck shifted into low range and plowed out my cousin's driveway (no pics because it was dark).

Now that's od school, I haven't seen a cassette in years :-X04

Got a call this morning from the :oval dealer. My F650 dash panel is finally in .... only a 6 week wait on back order. Looking forward to picking it up early next week.

:):)

Installed a little fire extinguisher next to the drivers seat, may pick up another one for the passenger side. Peace of mind for only $10.99 at the PX. Pulled the panel and put in a backing plate for the screws, so hopefully it stays in place.

Got ya.. mine was a bit of a pain to get bolted into place on the inside of the frame, but my luck if I mounted it to plastic, I'd end up breaking it off some how when removing the filter. Lol

Dual battery in an Ex
 

I've been wanting to add a 2nday battery to my Ex for sometime, but I'm scratching my head as to where to put it under the hood. Reason being is for outdoor time around the camp fire, you know the ones where a few to many cold adult beverages get drank and you forget to turn the truck on to charge the battery or you pass out and wake up to a dead truck. Thank God for jumper cables. Also I've got a rather decent stero system and the family and I enjoy going to the drive in theater, which drains the battery super quick, plus no one enjoys listening to other people's rigs run while trying to watch a movie.

I'm sure someone here has done so before and I'm curious as to how you set it up.

That was a fear I had with it cracking/breaking, but this header panel is some pretty thixk heavy duty stuff. It's solid and I have confidence now that I have done a filter change on it.

You'll want to figure out where to put things but the design is simple.

Get a starter solenoid for a 1987 Ford Mustang with the 5.0 v8 (302ci). Lots of other Fords used the same thing, I just know that vehicle in particular uses it.

Get a basic toggle switch. Single pole single throw.

Connect the 2nd battery ground to the chassis or block.
Install the solenoid so that the base of it is grounded.
Connect the positive of the 2nd battery to one of the large posts on the solenoid.
Connect the positive of the original battery to the other large post of the solenoid.
Install the switch with one side connected to the 2nd battery positive with a fuse close to the battery, and the other side to the small post on the solenoid.

Turning the switch on will use the 2nd battery's power to engage the solenoid and connect the 2nd battery to the system in the same way jumper cables do.
​​​​​​

If you're sure you want it underhood, then set it up like the diesel rigs are. It'll take some manipulation of your gasser rig, but it can be done, you'll just have to be creative when you move whatever is the gassers have in the way.

If you wanna go under the Ex, get a battery box and wire it in.

Stewart

I'm pretty sure Sean did this under the hood Stewart... wpnaes

Here is a conversation about the OEM frame mounted battery box from the diesel Econoline vans and cutaways.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ttery-box.html

And there is the Torklift HiddenPower frame mount battery box.
Under Vehicle Battery Mount - HiddenPower | Torklift International

Had my fuel pump replaced. While the tank was down, the mechanic noted that the lines were leaking, which would explain why my Ex sometimes left a puddle when pumping gas.
Thankfully, they were able to fix the lines, install a new pump, and a new hose from the filler neck to the tank.

I was surprised to find out that my Excursion is a California model, as the Cali pump part number is listed on the invoice. I was fairly certain my Ex had been a Texas truck its whole life, but maybe not. Oh well, it's clean and rust free.

I had been debating doing the pump myself, but I think the lines might have stumped me. Oh well, good to go now!

just carry a battery on the passanger floor when you go do that, and a set of jumper cables. keep it on a maintainer at home.