Having owned and driven my Excursion since it was new it is now time to spend some money on the old girl. I have set aside 7k to make some needed cosmetic and mechanical changes but would like yalls opinion as to where I can expect the most bang for my buck. Here is a little about the truck. It's a 2000 Limited 4x4 with the 7.3, it has 277k and other than an old Superchips retune, 4" exhaust, cold air intake and a boost fooler I have not made any other improvements to the engine. It has a 6" lift and I have several tire and wheel combos but it seems that Mickey Thompson no longer makes the Baja Belted tires so I guess I may be stuck finding some other options for my 16.5" center lines. Here is what I am thinking and would appreciate some ideas as to which turbo and tune that may be best and whether or not I need to replace my injectors.
Paint (all black, which will require new bumpers, grill, etc)
Turbo upgrade
Tires for 16.5" wheels (temporary beach use only as I have a highway set)
Running boards (possibly powered)
Tune.
Not included in the 7k is a needed transmission rebuild and wonder if there is one that may be best with the upgraded power.
Thanks in advance for your ideas.

 

Badass Excursion! Love the tires.

 

Are you going to do the 05 front conversion? 08 mirrors? What do you have in mind for the mechanical side?

 

Stage 1 injectors and a 38R with delete pedestal and TurboSmart wastegate with a newer tuner makes sense for the power department, especially with that mileage on what I'm guessing are original injectors. Perhaps a T500 if your pressure is low. Updated tunes will eliminate the need for the boost fooler, and you'll open up the option for custom tunes and more modern techniques and such.

My trans build is overkill for my current setup, and will fit the bill once I ditch the 38R and swap out to a T4 flange turbo. It was $3800 in parts alone, excluding fluids. It's a stage above the TowMaster from John Woods or Brian at BTS's similar option. If you'd like, I can shoot you the build sheet from mine and we could talk about cost savings and optional upgrades on your end, etc.

Alternatively, either aforementioned prefab aftermarket trans from John Woods or BTS would work just fine for you - either will set you back around $5500.

Yet ANOTHER option is snagging an HD4R100 from Ford, and throwing away the stock converter and stepping up to an aftermarket one. Trans I think averages in the $1900-2500 range pending hook ups and local pricing. @Nicmike just did his recently and used an aftermarket billet converter that was in the $500 range. Mine was $1100, but it's built to sled pull specs so it's never going to die in my application. Razzi has been running stage one sticks, 38R, and an HD4R trans for years and years and around 180,000 miles with zero issues.
Don't forget to throw on a 6.0 trans cooler while you're at it, it's good stuff and keeps your trans happy.

I hate to say it since your wheels look pretty damn good, but entertain stepping up to at least 17's. 18's would net you a plethora of options since so many OEM vehicles are coming with 18's and 20's these days. I got lucky and scored mine off CraigsList for $400 for the set, but it took nearly three months to find a set I liked.

 

Those look like Nitto Mud Terrains , I ran a set of 40's but on 17" rims.

If you want to stick with 16.5" rims check out Interco tire.
I have been happy with their 39.5 IROKs Truxus MT in the past.
They are one of the few companies still doing 16.5 tires.

I'll leave the power mod comments to others but suggest if you haven't regeared your axles yet, start by doing that before adding engine power enhancements.

I would also ditch the cold air intake and go with the Ford/Donaldson AIS for superior dirt filtering.