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Discovered an interference issue - the steering gear hits the trackbar. Turns out the 4WD pitman arm is different than the 2WD one. Good thing we have a donor!
The final results appear to be about 5" of suspension lift over the original 2WD stance. Measurements from center of hub to fender lip are:
Front: 25" & 26.5"
Rear: 28" & 28"
I forgot to measure the front before the swap, but the rear was 23" from center of hub to fender lip.
I'm surprised the left front is an inch and a half lower than the right front. Is this common?
On another front - I bought an adjustable trackbar - wasn't sure I'd need it. At it's shortest setting it is 1/2" longer than the OEM bar. It is about 1/4" too long to slide in while the truck is resting on the front suspension. When I measure the front axle for square (diagonal measurements from the tranny crossmember to the center of the axle spring pad), it is within 1/8" - very slightly off center to the right. By the time I add the bumper and winch, the stock bar might be the right length. I plan to cut 3/8" off each threaded end of the adjustable bar and go from there.
1. 1.5" height difference is a problem, you have an issue that needs to be resolved but before you do anything, have you driven it a bit to let everything work in ? not unusual to have it crooked when first taking it off the lift and setting it on the ground but after a few miles of cycling it should be even, I am nit-picky and would want it within 1/8" but a 1/4 is probably normal to typical.
2. simple way to measure the axle center, at ride height, measure inside edge of tire to the frame on both sides.
I wish I lived closer to take a test drive with that shock setup. I will have to rely on your feedback. while I am a fan of the KYB monomax on a stock heigh rig with stock weight tires I am super curious about that dual setup. definitely thinking outside the box on that one
No I haven't budged it yet. After I swap the pitman arm and install the trackbar, bumper and grill, I'll drive it a few hundred miles, retorque everything and measure again.
Where abouts are you located? I travel pretty extensively.
Thanks,
CR
Well Damn! The pitman arm from the 2002 4x4 donor Excursion does not fit the steering box of the 2000 2WD Excursion. It seems Ford switched from 32-spline to 36-spline in 2001 - decidedly inconvenient!! It appears this would be an opportune time to go with a new Redhead box.
I guess I'm not driving it this weekend. Grrr!
What diff cover is that on the front axle? Looks pretty similar to the OEM finned rear cover.
I believe it is for a Dodge Ram truck - unfortunately it doesn't clear the steering gear on the Ford - so I've had to swap back to the factory steel cover.
Got the new steering box installed!
Bumper and grill installed, washed up and looking good!
Took it for it's maiden voyage to the grocery store. No leaks and no dragging parts. Hahaha! Certainly rides a bit more like a truck.
So I've been drive my new Faux-Wheel-Drive Excursion for a few weeks and have put about 500mi on it. Every thing has been working great - I love it!
I call it my Faux-Wheel-Drive Excursion because I have yet to install the transfer case. I have a NV271F ready to go along with shifter, linkage and boot. I have a new 4R100 being built. I have been concerned over the driveshaft lengths and wondering of the DS from the V10 donor are going to be the correct length for my 7.3L. I have looked up part numbers and they are different - not a good sign. Then last night I crawled under both trucks with a measure tape and discovered the following:
The tranny crossmembers are the same and are in the same location.
The crossmember has about 8 different holes for a variety of truck/tranny applications.
The 7.3L, 2WD tranny mount between the tranny and the crossmember is different than the V10, 4WD tranny mount. I've checked the part numbers - the 4WD mount is the same for the V10 and the 7.3L. I'll need to pull the mount off the donor to use on my truck.
The tranny on my 7.3L sits about 2" further back than the tranny on the V10.
So it would appear that the rear DS from the V10 is going to be 2" too long for the 7.3L Excursion. Although ... I have lifted the truck 2-3" above the stock 4WD height, which would serve to increase the DS length required by something less than 1" (I'm guessing from my trig calcs). So maybe the DS may be only 1.5" too long. Hard to say.
I think what I need is a measurement from the transfer case flange to the pinion flange on the rear axle from a stock 7.3L, 4X4 Excursion. Also what could be helpful is the same measurement from a 7.3L, 4X4 Excursion with Modified B-code springs on the rear.
Is there anyone out there that can help me out with these measurements? I'd be super appreciative!
Woohoo!! We have a transfer case!! A major step toward becoming a 4WD!
The fine folks at A1 Performance Transmissions - outside of Atlanta, built me a sweet 4R100 good for 500-600hp. They swapped it into the truck and installed my new NV271F manual transfer case. As suspected the driveshaft from the V10 donor was too long, so they shortened it 2" and re-balanced it. They also replace the cooler with the 31-row 6.0 cooler and flushed the lines. I dropped the truck off at 8am and I was back on the road by 2pm. The 6hr ride home was flawless. Can't say enough good things about this shop!
About all that is left is to pull the seats out, pull the carpet back and install the transfer case shifter!
As you know the Excursions never came with manual transfer cases. They were all electric shift on the fly. I'm going with a manual - how hard could it be?
After we pull the seat out and pull the carpet back we see there is a cover plate to accommodate the xfr case shifter in the Super Duty trucks. In the Excursion there is a heat duct that blows air from under the driver's seat to the rear passengers.
You're gonna have to tough it out if you sit behind me. No floor heat for you! I cut the duct off to access the cover plate.
Then remove the cover plate and cleanup the body sealer.
I sealed up the duct with aluminum HVAC tape and reinforced it with gorilla tape. Also opened a hole in the under-body insulation.
Next we test fit the shifter. Hmmmmmm Looks to be too far back.
For whatever reason, the transmission and transfer case sits about 2" further back in my 7.3 Excursion than in the V10 gas Donor. I had to shorten the rear driveshaft by 2" because of this. It also appears the shifter sits further back than in the Super Duty trucks. Hmmmmm.
So we'll re-install half the cover plate so the boot will have something to screw into and we'll trim the floor a bit behind the shifter. This pic is with the shifter in 2wd - all the way forward.
Haven't trimmed it yet - lunch break. More to come!
