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The wife and I decided that since we have retired and are about to move back to Colorado, we needed another 4x4 as I had sold the three I used to own. We currently only own two rwd cars.
So we just purchased an 05 Ex Limited 4x4 V-10...
The funny part of the story is, we just moved from Keller, Tx to San Angelo, Tx. We started looking for a nice Ex. The wife found this one.
93K miles, looks to be in good shape - it was at a used car lot in Arlington, WASHINGTON. They bought this 05 Ex at the Dallas Car Auction and had it hauled up to Arlington, Wa.
We paid the asking price of $13,995 with no complaints. Then had to arrange a transport back to San Angelo. That took a week, trying to find someone who would pickup in Arlington, Wa and deliver to San Angelo, Tx.
After a week of calling every lead we were able to find, we finally got a company to agree to deliver it to us in San Angelo for $1400.
It was picked up on Monday afternoon. Hopefully it will arrive here next Monday, 11/14.
I know, I know, pix or didn't happen.
Just before it was loaded up on the trailer, I had the dealer take a few pix of it for me.
It has a 16.5 ti Warn winch on the front AND while the pix don't show it, there is a large TRUCKVAULT gun safe in the back behind the third row seat.
So that was about $4k worth of goodies I did not have to buy.
The wife is taking off tomorrow for a trip to the DFW area with my Mom. They are on a shopping excursion (get it?) so they can buy things that they cannot find in San Angelo.
She should be back on Monday. We can't wait to get this Excursion here, so we can have our mechanic go through it and we 'discover' exactly what needs to be done to bring it back to spec.
I promise to post more pix once it arrives.
Plus a short list of mods
18" tire - prefer to find the FORD wheels off an 04 F250/350 - plus new rubber - probably Michelin's
Mag-HYTECh upgrade on both diffs - Plus changing all oil over to Royal Purple of the correct weight - including Purple Ice in the radiator - might need two bottles given the size of the radiator on the Ex.
Plus I add Prolong to all the oil based fluids
K&N air filter if it doesn't have one already
A FORD Nav system after I talk with the guys at OEMAUTOPARTSCO that provides factory take outs - I WILL post a thread just on this product and it's install - part of this install will be an install of full sound deadening material - I use FATMAT - complete coverage, top to bottom, side to side with an 80mil thick FATMAT called 'Rattletrap'. A couple of 100 ft rolls should do it.
Once the brakes need replacing, I will be upgrading the rotors with Baer Decela rotors and EBC Green Stuff for pads and plus replacing the stock brake lines with stainless steel brake lines.
I could contact the Mag-Hytech people and the oemautopartsco people and order their products, but I'm funny. Not until the truck actually is in my possession. Then, after it's inspected by my mechanic and serviced, will I order those specific parts. K&N I can get pretty much anywhere.
Brakes are easy peezy, but I'm debating just replacing the rotors/pads/lines anyway, just because.
Those will be mixed in with two or three trips up to Colorado as we look for our last house. So there will be several interruptions for a week or so each time as we 'unplug' and head north.
> 18" tire - prefer to find the FORD wheels off an 04 F250/350 - plus new rubber - probably Michelin's
IMO 18" is a better choice than the stock 16" assuming you have a F250/350 suspension. I was very pleased with the Michelins for highway use. I regret switching to Nitto. The off road improvement is not worth the highway negatives IMO.
> K&N air filter if it doesn't have one already
See the current thread. Don't go K&N. Go with the Ford AIS if you want to mess with the intake.
> Once the brakes need replacing, I will be upgrading the rotors with Baer Decela rotors and EBC Green Stuff for pads and plus replacing the stock brake lines with stainless steel brake lines.
Brake lines - do it. If they are still original they probably need replacing anyway and metal or metal jacketed lines are an improvement. As to the rotors and pads - eh. My vehicle is very heavy (almost 9k# without passengers/cargo) and I tow moderate weights often (5 - 7k#). I am happy with the OEM parts. However I do not tow often in hilly/mountainous terrain and so your conditions may need an improvement.
Nice looking EX, I hope it arrives on time and as nice as you are expecting!
For $1400 I think I would have flown up to WA and driven that wagon home, but I'm always looking for a road trip excuse.
Originally Posted by wallew
Plus a short list of mods
18" tire - prefer to find the FORD wheels off an 04 F250/350 - plus new rubber - probably Michelin's
The '04 18"s are a nice compliment to the EX, I run a set (of 5) of the Lariat version with 35"s. When I got my wheels they still had the factory 32" Continental tires (EX stockers are 31.6") which fit fine, you should be able to go as tall as 33" with the stock EX suspension. Just remember that any increase in tire diameter will effectively reduce the gear ratio, and seeing those small mirrors I would assume that your wagon has the more common 3.73 gears now. The V-10 is a great motor but they love to rev a little, so deeper gears are a perfect match for them. CO has a few big hills to climb so keep the tire size and gear ratio in mind if you ever plan to tow anything.
Mag-HYTECh upgrade on both diffs - Plus changing all oil over to Royal Purple of the correct weight - including Purple Ice in the radiator - might need two bottles given the size of the radiator on the Ex.
The Mag-Hytech covers do look cool, but those things are pricey! The additional fluid they carry doesn't really offer any true benefits in the real world though. I use the finned aluminum '08 rear cover with a temp sensor in the fill port plug, the highest temps that I've seen were about 220'F. My Mobil 1 75W-140 is good to 320'F+ so the heat I'm seeing while pulling our 11,000lb TT isn't enough to challenge a stock(-ish) setup. But hey, it's your money and the Mag-Hytechs do look good and they have a dipstick!
Plus I add Prolong to all the oil based fluids
K&N air filter if it doesn't have one already
Do yourself a favor and skip the K&N. Those oil/gauze filter have their place, I've run them on track cars but they are not a good choice for a street car. The factory cold air intake on your V-10 is a good unit which can handle more flow than the motor can pull at redline and the OEM paper filter will keep more dirt out of your engine than the K&N. The ONLY thing you will gain with an aftermarket air filter on a V-10 is more noise (and more frequent MAF cleanings).
A FORD Nav system after I talk with the guys at OEMAUTOPARTSCO that provides factory take outs - I WILL post a thread just on this product and it's install - part of this install will be an install of full sound deadening material - I use FATMAT - complete coverage, top to bottom, side to side with an 80mil thick FATMAT called 'Rattletrap'. A couple of 100 ft rolls should do it.
I've read your other posts about this, I hope it works out for you and you can post the installation here.
Once the brakes need replacing, I will be upgrading the rotors with Baer Decela rotors and EBC Green Stuff for pads and plus replacing the stock brake lines with stainless steel brake lines.
That should do it for now.
If you are looking to boost the V-10's performance a little then there are proven mods that will get you more than that K&N. I have made 3 mods to improve my 6.8's performance to help with our heavy towing work. The easiest improvement would be to get a handheld tuner loaded with a selection of good custom tunes from a shop like 5Star Tuning, a site sponsor. They have done a ton of work with these V-10s and their tunes will wake up the motor a bit, quicken the throttle response and vastly improve the transmission shift strategy.
Next up would be to uncork the factory exhaust. The stock exhaust manifolds are somewhat restrictive and the Y pipe is more of a necked down T abomination. Simply replacing the T pipe with a proper Y setup will make noticeable gains, spending some more money on quality long tube headers will make both the motor and your right foot happy. I went with the Banks stainless steel headers on my 6.8 and they were a nice performance boost. Snappier for daily driving but really shine when working harder at higher RPMs towing especially in the mountains.
Without question the biggest performance increase I've done has been the deeper 4.88 gears, these made the rig feel like a completely different truck. With my current 35" tires the effective ratio is reduced back down to 4.39 (very close to the factory option of 4.30) which is great ratio for the V-10 as it moves the RPM range up where the engine makes better power/torque. I highly recommend deeper gears for anyone looking to improve their V-10's performance!
The EX is a big vehicle, those mirrors you have are adequate but check out the upgraded towing mirrors, they offer a lot more viewing area and usefulness.
I'm not wanting to up the power of the V-10 as I rarely tow anything - this will be our 'land yacht' for long trips with our dogs in tow. I'm sure if I can nurse 250 - 300 hp out of a 12 year old engine, I will be more than satisfied.
18" tires. Yes to everything you said. This is one update/mod that gives the platform 'surer footing' with a slightly wider, slightly taller tire. especially in inclement weather. And Michelin's are ALL I RUN. Every vehicle I've owned has had them installed when tire replacement occurred for more than 30 years. I have no plans on 'lifting' this truck at all. It will be hard enough for my wife to get into as it is.
K&N - not trying to pick up hp/tq, just trying to have an air filter that will be on this truck for the rest of it's life. I'm not going to upgrade the intake or anything like that, just put in a filter that when it gets dirty, I can clean it and be on my way in 24 hours (or less). Every vehicle I've owned for the past 30 years has had a K&N air filter installed as soon as I got it home. It's a longevity thing.
Brakes. I've used Baer Decela rotors on my 07 Magnum (along with the EBC Red Stuff brake pads and the stainless steel lines). The difference over stock is night and day. I can get the rotors for like $350 A PAIR. Which isn't great, but not bad for a quality known name disc rotor manufacturer. Plus they work GREAT. And they are drilled and slotted.
I've been using Royal Purple since the early 1990's. I also use an additive called Prolong. It's kept my wife and I from being stranded near Amarillo one Christmas. We had just had a great time with my parents in San Angelo and were on our way home to Denver. About Amarillo, I lost my cruise control.
Turned out my tranny was going south. But it got us home. I had the 700R4 rebuilt and added a tranny cooler the next week.
The guy who rebuilt it was curious, saying he didn't see the tow truck that dropped my Sub off. I told him I drove it in. He said no way and held out his hand. He held four or five plastic pieces, saying 'this was floating around in my transmission'. It was my high speed impeller pump. He said there was NO WAY I drove it over to him. SO I related the above tale and he was shocked. So have most people I've told that story to. But it is true.
OH AND ABSOLUTELY UPGRADE THE TOWING MIRRORS. Forgot that as a mod on the original post - but it is an upgrade my wife and I both agree with. 1A Auto will get my business on that purchase.
I kept the same 89 Harley for 20 years. I owned a 91 GMC Suburban for 13 years.
I currently own an 07 Dodge Magnum for almost 4 years now, that I intend to keep until I can no longer get behind the wheel - hopefully another 30 years. It has the 5.7 V8 and yes it's a Hemi. It is fun to drive.
The same for this 05 Excursion - I'm hoping to keep it in good shape for at least for the next 30 years.
Oh, I also recently purchased from the prez of the MVCC, who is a good friend of mine - a 1970 Kaiser/Jeep Deuce and a half. It's currently waiting for us in Denver. I saw no reason to drive it all the way down to San Angelo, when we are moving back to Colorado after the first of the year.
I also have an MKT75A military kitchen trailer and an MEP003 10Kw diesel generator trailer (all mil surp stuff is 100% functional)..
The wife owns a 2002 MB SLK 32 AMG she's had for 3+ years.
Looks like I've finally got the three retirement vehicles I want.
1) hot rod - 07 Manum
2) 4x4 SUV - 05 Ex
3) LARGE truck - 70 Duece
This FOG doesn't do 'new' that often. I prefer to understand the history of any vehicle platform I have an interest in. Thank god for the access provided to all of us by the internet. (FOG is a FRAKKIN OL GUY).
As soon as the truck shows up, my camera is at the ready to chronicle it's unloading and delivery into our lives. We can't wait.
We are going back to Colorado. We won't live in the mountains (at least I don't think we are) but we will go up in the mountains every so often just for fun. So I'm less worried about overheating as I am with really low temps during the winter. It can get really cold in late January and early February. That's why the Mag-Hytech covers. To make sure,even in below zero temps, both front and rear diff are still being lubricated.
Cursory inspection shows almost brand new Michelin tires and Rancho Shocks (don't know which ones yet)
And the interior is spotless
And the 'TruckVault' is in perfect shape.
that's the front winch remote control cable in the TruckVault
I do not know who the previous owner was, but I'm liking this person already.
Michelin tires, Rancho Shocks, TruckVault - it appears to be well taken care of for a 12 year old Ex.
Just have to wait until Monday as I already have an 8am appointment with our mechanic for a complete once over.
If this Ex is in as good a shape as it appears, then I think we did good. The wife found AND PURCHASED this one with only a few questions to me. I am very proud of her find and how she went about the purchase. Very well done.
The Ex has had it's first inspection by my mechanic and the engine oil changed over to Royal Purple and a bottle of Prolong.
Initial inspection shows a truck in good shape. A few minor issues.
The Degaus bottle had a hole in it that someone plugged with some kind of clear sealer (almost like a clear JB Weld type product). I picked up a new one at the local Ford dealer - I ordered it yesterday, it arrived today.
I also ordered the Mag-HYTECH front & rear Differential covers and the transmission cover as well. These should be here on Thursday. Then the Ex goes back in to the shop and my mechanic will replace all of those items. When the diff covers get changed, I will have him use Max Gear in the axles plus one bottle of prolong oil additive split between the two axles. And with the new tranny cover, I will have them replace the filter (the transmission cover should come WITH a new filter) and replace the transmission fluid with the stock transmission fluid. Strangely enough, Mag-HYTECH were out of the transmission pan and one of the diff covers. So they gave me the number of Az Off Road Performance and I talked to Ron. They had them in stock, so I placed an order with them and they have already shipped. Hopefully here in two days.
I will have my mechanic test the radiator fluid, but to be honest, I am probably going to have him drain and replace the radiator fluid. Along with two bottles of purple ice.
I do have ONE question regarding the transmission. It has a transmission cooler, correct? How good/large is the transmission cooler? Is there a suggested FORD upgrade for it?
Just a few things to get this truck 'road worthy'. And then we are going up to Colorado for a week or so. A road worth test so to speak.
I also find myself getting ready to order the rear lift gate longer lift shocks. That extra 1.87" in lift will make it easier for me to get into the rear of the truck without hitting my head.
I'm also considering adding the cell phone booster as shown in a build up of an Ex. Not very expensive or hopefully that difficult to install. Not sure which one I'm going to get. Wilson seems like a promising company.
The V-10 has the mid sized trans cooler compared to the 7.3 which had the smaller one and the 6.0 which has the bigger one. The factory V-10 cooler does a good job, we have pulled 9,500 and 11,000lb trailers 30,000 miles all over the East without any issues. The highest trans temp that I've seen was 205'F after pulling a very steep grade in VT from a stop at the bottom of the hill, it cooled back down quickly after we made the summit, this was with the 11k TT.
I will be upgrading to the 6.0 cooler next year just for the added capacity and future towing plans farther West. With no towing plans you should be fine with the stock cooler.
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