don't you love it?

I just traded my F-250 in for this Excursion and I've been fixing "little thing" daily. I actually enjoy it. I get bored easily and this gives me something to do periodically. Just as long as the motor/trans stay running fine.

 

Bought a WIX, as well as some fuel filters and an oil filter (motorcraft of course!). I'll do it all in one big shebang.

Thoughts on flush and fill cut and splice kits for a garden hose? I don't mind cutting a hose to tap in, not in the least. I'm more curious if anyone has ever used one on a 6.0. I think they're great.

I'll be doing the proper procedure with everything else - removing block drain plugs and radiator plug, drain, remove tstat, add VC9, run for an hour, drain, flush with tap water, drain, replace tstat, fill.

One guy (Sr. Master Tech or whatever on YouTube - seems to really know his stuff - owns a specialty shop) recommended idling/revving it with the hose attached for a while to make sure everything is entirely blown out. Also the heater core backflush. This just makes sense. I've done plenty of flushes, but this is my first on a 6.0 - not brain surgery - but I never would have known about the drain plugs had I not been told. I'm not afraid to ask if I don't know something

 

that's the most important thing about having a 6.0. Ask!

Hang out in the 6.0 section. Those guys really know their stuff and how to keep a 6.0 healthy

 

Well played Craig, great info.......reps sent

 

New Tailgate:

Spent some time Friday night fixing the cracks on the left latch (the guy's bed started to spread, and pulled the sheet metal and latch with it. I disconnected the latches, bent the sheet metal back straight, and welded it all back up. Been a few years since I welded, but it went pretty smoothly. Not perfect, but I really don't care lol. It was late at a buddy's house and I just wanted to get it done.







Got it up and mounted, swapped the lock cylinder, connected the Ford camera to my Pioneer (super easy) by running a harness all the way back from the cab. The harness through the firewall does the transmission temp sender, camera video, and camera power. That has an 8-pin weather pack connector to make cab removal easier. The tailgate has a 4 pin weather pack connector to make removal possible.







Finished the bodywork, including a few pretty significant dents and gouges, and got it primed. All ready for paint!

















Finished with a guide coat and some blocking, came out perfectly smooth. Psyched, just needs paint, clear, some wetsanding, and polish!

 

Is this going to be another famous rattle can job?

 

I may do it at my buddy's house. He has a gun which would obviously be easier. Duplicolor has 'universal black' that they say matches the ford black - but i'm not sure. I'm going to buy a can and paint something and check it in all sorts of different sunlight. If it matches, that's the way to go (in either quart cans or spraybombs). If not, I'll get the exact black from a body shop supply place.

I'll probably shoot it with a nice gun - but rattle cans are the backup plan.

 

very nice. wish I had 1/2 the toys or the talent to do that sort of work

 

Thanks. To be honest, the toys are cheap - all I usually use is a D/A sander, and hand sanding. I got a dewalt sander a while ago for drywall/joint compound (which is just like doing bondo lol). The welder is a buddy's - I hear you on the toys part. I want one very badly, but for now borrowing one is cool. Then paint is all rattlecans. Like I said before - they don't make the best paint job - but as long as you have good even coverage, you can fix any orangepeel dusted paint job with wetsanding and polish.

As far as talent, it's just been practice for a long time. My first project was a bondo nightmare from hell, and it's just gotten better from there. My first paint projects had horrible drip marks and overspray grossness. After that i learned the wetsanding "secret" and my sub-par clear jobs turn out pretty awesome. I'm still clearly no welding expert. That was my first time welding in probably the last 8 years. I used to be pretty good at it - i'm going to take a stab at my rusted cab corner next. The tailgate is sort of a precursor to that, and that'll be more practice before i attack the infamous rusty rear wheel arches. And to be honest I wasn't even going for perfection on the tailgate because you won't see it. If it was an exterior panel i would have put a little more effort into filling pinholes and grinding smooth. It was late and I wanted to be done!

I still live in a condo - we'll hopefully be selling next fall to buy a house. She can have whatever curtains and rugs and pillows and wall colors she wants - as long as my ONE requirement of a garage (preferably with a lift already installed) is met

 

I know where you are coming from. We went from renting a house to buying one and I did get my 2 car garage. My quad is the only vehicle that clears the doors though lol. It wasn't a total loss on my part

For the record, my experience buying a house SUCKED! Make sure you have way more money than what you need to put down. The biggest surprises in the road were all money related....

 

Ya, I hear ya. The good part is, we own the condo and don't rent. I've done a buttload of work to it (literally every room down to studs, new insulation, walls, trim, windows, electrical, plumbing... everything). The place is in incredible shape, and I did all the work myself saving huge money. We're hoping the market helps us out with the sweat equity. We've been saving our pennies (outside of truck parts of course lol), and she's finishing law school next year so should be making bank.

A garage would be the cat's ***. Buy cheap cars with "major" work needed like head gaskets, ball joints, blown trannies, etc... fix 'em and flip 'em. That's my goal

 

Courtesy Lights?

Thoughts on this? I'm interested in adding a 'courtesy light' feature, like newer trucks and SUVs. I also hate that the only way to turn the bed light on, is with the interior light switch. So, I made up a schematic to solve both problems.

I'll be adding a switch to manually turn on the bed light. I'll create a 'courtesy light module' that turns on the fog lights, reverse lights, bed light, and added mirror (puddle) lights, and possibly lights on the underside of the step or even just under the cab somewhere (undecided still).

When the truck unlocks, all the lights will come on. a normally closed relay to ignition will kill the whole thing, so if the truck is on and the dome lights are triggered, the 'courtesy light system' won't come on. Everything will be diode isolated so the fogs, reverse, and interior lights will still function normally.

The lights will each have their own relay, so i'll have the option of adding auxilliary lights later (like bigger reverse lights, trailer reverse lights, bed lights on a back rack, or bed lights also in a trailer).

Let me know what you think... A buddy and I were discussing how to wire his puddle lights on his jeep, and it got me back into this thought. Something I've wanted to do since I got it.

 

I am going to definatly going to start on page one of this thread and learn from what you are doing. You got all kinds of good ideas in the few pages back I did read..,.Good job

 

Thanks man, I appreciate it

 

Wade, this one is for you buddy: