Hey all, i am new around here, and want to make a thread about my car, don't know if thats normal around here, but in Norway we do it on the Mercedes forum i hang around in.

So i was in the need of a truck that can be used as my business car, i am planning a new business that i want to start by the end of this year. After many hours of searching for a car that would suit my budget and demands, i finally a found a black 2002 7.3 Limited for sale, its only driven 200.000km, and is a 2 owner car (now 3) The Excursion is big, has heavy duty engineering behind it, and is a diesel (must have around here)

I absolutely love this thing, its so practical, and you feel like a road boss driving it, it is very rare to see such a huge car in Norway.

Its not problem free though:
There is some rust underneath it, and it clunks in the steering when i make full turn (sway bar bushings?)
I also noticed today that when i tried out 4H, the front wheels would shake and vibrate, i also had a harder time turning the wheel, when i turned it off the problem would not go away But when i turned off the car and started it again it worked fine (thank god) So this has left me wondering what the cause of this was. I know a great deal about cars, i currently own 4 other cars that i maintain regulary and fix myself if they get a problem, but i everything here is new for me, so i will use this thread if i get problems i can't find out myself.

I have grand plans for the Excursion, air suspension, 5 inch lift, and 20 inch wheels on 38s is just some of it, i want to add a rear away bar, poly bushes, new shocks and whatever suspension mods i can do to make it better on crap norwegian roads, before anything else. After that exterior mods, then interior, then tuning. I might give it a white wrap, or just paint it all black.
All of these updates will be found here on this thread

 

Hello Norway, Welcome to FTE

We like pictures.

 

awesome, Norway

clunking and hard to turn in 4x4, first depends on the surface you are on, on dry pavement that might be normal. but check the steering joints, if they are worn that would cause clunky hard turning in 4x4.

also might look at the ball joints if they are worn the truck will clunk during a turn as the tire takes up the force of the turn it will settle against the ball joint, does not usually make it hard to turn though.

 

Hey thanks for the info The clunking sounds only comes at turn, its the 4wd that makes it vibrate and hard to turn

Some pictures of the Ex, the wheels a bad, so i am
looking for another set in Norway, hard to find, like everything else for this truck over here

With 2 of my benzes




I buy most of the parts for it in the US, so if anyone has something to sell for the Ex, and can ship it to Norway or a post box, send me a PM

 

I have the factory set off my 2005 if you want them.

I am sure we could figure out some way to ship them,
also you might try Black rhino wheels, they have sets that fit the ex and they are on more than on continent. I am sure they would ship

 

Thanks, i might consider them, but i have not decided yet, shipping wheels and such is cheapest with ocean freight.
If it was the 20" king ranch wheels i would be very interested, i think they look great on a stock Excursion
But please, i don't want my thread to contain items for sale

 

Whats with those tail lights?

 

No idea what they were thinking, but its how they all look over here, i might have something to do with the fact its registered as a "Light Truck"
Also got indicator on the front fenders

I will replace the tail light with some new LED lights, and remove the indicators

Big Sky you have an Ex with anti sway bar and air suspension, do you feel it corrected the wandering at high speed and the overly bouncy ride it gets if you hit a pothole?

 

The anti sway bar was a big help in driving around corners etc. Definitely worth getting. I installed the Air Lift bags in the rear to help with the sag when I tow my boat. They work great but when unloaded the ride can seem a little stiff. I plan on replacing all of the leaf springs one of these days. The fronts springs are pretty saggy especially with a 7.3 in the front.

 

Installing a rear sway bar will be my first mod to the car, might go with a hellwig front sway bar too, if there is any gain from it.

I also want a lift for it, i plan on buying a Icon kit that gives 5 inch lift with leaf spings front and rear, so many kits contain rear blocks.
However i have no idea whats a good lift kit and whats not, so if anyone has any tips on how to find the best lift kit, it would be much appreciated.

I want a kit that is known for its durability, and if there is any that offer better handling on road, its a bonus. I've heard Icon is the thing, but i've also looked into a brand called BDS, they offer both 4 and 6 inches lifts (10 inch too, but that's just not necessary)

 

Neat to see all the differences in your EX. The tail light adapters (still trying to figure out what vehicle they borrowed them from), that center bumper step above your plate, side fender lights and rear reflectors. If you go 5 inches or more in lift, you will want bigger wheels and tires or it won't look quite right. I also like the big two door mercs!

 

I think it is so cool to see folks with these big wagons running around in foreign countries, and I give them a lot of respect for keeping them on the road there! Between the high cost of fuel, licensing and the difficulty of getting parts and supplies really shows your commitment to owning the King of SUVs!

If Norway requires that your rig has to have amber rear turn signals (maybe the reason for those adapted lights) you could swap in set of the 92/94 Econoline van rear tails which have the amber turns and will fit perfectly on the EX as our wagons share tails with the vans. http://www.carparts.com/details/Ford...HRg&redirect=1

I agree that with 5" of lift you will want bigger tires and likely rims so don't worry too much about finding new stock rims.

 

Hey, showing off my new 22's with 305/45 tires, the ride is much better and it feels a bit more like a car now, i am very happy with them. I have also orderd a new set of aftermarket headlights and stock us tail lights, and i'm going to buy a 05 facelift kit with harley grill, and 08 mirrors.
I really would like to convert it to the 2015 look though, but i can't find much info about it.



After the exterior has been updated, i will give it a complete BDS 4" lift kit and change all the bushing with poly bushings. Going with the single shock setup with the BDS, as i heard those offer the best ride comfort on road.
As for tires, i think they make 325/50/22 so that is the size i will go with lift

I have also orderd some interior wood for the Ex, or stickers i would call them. And i am going to replace the leather on all seats, but the price for real leather comes up to around 2500. So im starting to think how much it cost to replace to seats with newer ones, i really like the center console in the late f250s, so do anyone know what interior parts that can be bolted on? Ive seen some pictures on the web of facelifted interiors, and most of them seem to keep the stock steering control buttons. So i guess its not straightforward, but nothing in the ex seems complicated to me, compared to what other cars i have been working on.

 

There anew a few right ups on here on the 2008 and 2015 facelift process. There's some fab work required, some spacers (or washers), etc. A few companies offer swap kits that have all the conversion brackets and whatnot as well. The 2015 bed sides swap right on if you have a good body shop that can cut out the rest quarters and weld in the bedsides. The body lines flow perfectly with the Excursion doors and such so it maintains a clean appearance. Check out 5HUB's thread on his conversion, I believe it was carried on from his intro thread.

Smack the search button and then advanced search, you'll be able to narrow your criteria down to username, forum, and keywords. Works way, WAY better than the basic search