Sometime in the nearish future, I'm planning to buy either an Excursion or possibly a CC with the V-10. If I go with the truck, it will be an '05 and up to get the 3V motor which is obviously not an option for the Ex.

My question is, what things would you put on the "immediate" list when purchasing an older V10. I'm guessing it is going to have 100K+ on the clock. If I go with the Ex, I'll likely have $4-8K to put into the truck, depending on purchase price. Prices for CCs can be double or more the cost of an Ex, so if I go that way the upgrade path will be different.

Right off the bat, I'm thinking I'll need to address the exhaust studs, possibly with headers (worth it?). I'd also go with new diff covers front and back, and possibly a new trans pan. I'm also considering an upgrade to the trans cooling and looking at 4:30 gears, a small lift, and tires/wheels.

Basically, I want to hit any areas of the V10/Excursion that are known weak areas. The truck will be a secondary vehicle but will used for hunting/fishing/camping and long-distance hockey and softball trips - I need it to be reliable and comfortable.

Longer term, I'll be upgrading the stereo and related stuff, but I'd want to fix the running gear first.

Many thanks!

 

Many great options out there for headers if yours end up showing significant wear or are leaking. Gears make for a wonderful change. A bit more pep in the step via tuning is a great touch. Plugs/wires are a must given your upcoming trips in the vehicle.

 

Add a transmission service to the list. They are a tough tranny but do need services

 

Skip the transmission pan and larger differential covers. They aren't necessary for cooling and the extra capacity will only cost more during fluid changes.

The 2008 aluminum rear diff cover is a nice touch and will require longer bolts. 6.0 cooler would be nice but not necessary for the transmission.

When you find some vehicles of interest post the links and we can help further with what you want/need.

 

First would be all fluid changes. Then all plugs replaced as well as the air and fuel filters so you have a baseline. If you're towing, I would get a Scangauge 2 to monitor the trans temp. Those are just a few things off the top of my head I would do.

 

I bought a 2005 F350 cc 2wd dually with 140k miles last summer, for the express purpose of hauling a 12k lb fifth wheel from Michigan to Texas for the winter. I only paid $4500 for the truck, but knew in advance that it's a 12 year old truck that would require some cash to get it ready for a long trip and to take me through the winter.

My recommendation is to forget the bling and concentrate on function and pm. In my case, I did a couple of oil changes in the first 1500 miles of local driving to flush the engine, a plug change, a couple of coils, rear brakes, fresh air filter, new battery, repacked the wheel bearings, a new windshield (original was cracked) , rewelded the tailgate hinge, installed a new hitch receiver, a new fifth wheel, and two new front tires.

All in all, I've probably put an additional $3000 into the truck, but it got me and that heavy trailer to Texas for the winter and I have confidence that it will get me back in the spring.

Fuel mileage sucks w at 7.5 to 9 mpg towing, and it's a pita to drive as a daily driver for sightseeing and shopping.