Hello all! I have been a prowler here for many, many years and appreciate the information everyone shares on this forum. I just acquired my dream truck: a 2004 Excursion V10 that I plan to tow with. I don't have a travel trailer yet, but it will be in the ~9-10k range for weight. I know the headers on a V10 topic has been discussed already. However the information I find is from older postings. Most are prior to 2022, advising to go with either Banks or Doug Thorley headers. I would love to, but they are no longer available. If anyone knows where/how to get them, please let me know (doubtful). Currently it seems only 3 companies offer headers for the V10 Excursion: Hedman, JBA, and Gibson. In my searching, nobody seems to have any insightful real-world or first-hand experience with any of these brands. If I missed a thread about it, please feel free to post a link. If we can refrain from "don't bother" comments, that would be appreciated. I can get any of these headers at a discounted rate because of my job, so the cost is not a factor. I am seeking advice on which of the 3 brands would be most recommended. If there ARE other brands available, please let me know. The one difference seems to be that the Hedman are 18 ga while the JBA and Gibson are both 16 ga. Anybody using these on their trucks? Any known problems/QC issues? Are there headers for another application that fit? What studs are recommended?

As always, your help is much appreciated!

P.S. I also plan to change the restrictive factory Y pipe and muffler, along with a 5 star tune, suspension upgrades, gear change, etc., etc.

 

Welcome to the EX forum! Let’s see some pictures of your new wagon!

Are any of the options you mentioned long tube or are they all shorties? Long tube headers should be superior for the planned towing work.
Back when I bought my Banks headers (2011) Thorley was between build batches and they were not available when I was buying so Hedman and Banks were the top choices, but Hedman was having issues with their ball and socket joints stretching and leaking, I don’t know how well that issue was sorted out.

 

Hello and thanks for the greeting! I am excited to become a part of the forum. All the available options for headers I can find are bolt-on shorties. All have 3/8 flange thickness. The JBA seem to have quality issues according to reviews (however I always take reviews with a grain of salt). The Hedman headers are purportedly for the '99-'05 Super Duty (any reason these would or would not fit an Ex?). The most [logical] choice appears to be the Gibson set, which are available ceramic coated. I know the long tubes would be better for towing, but finding them is impossible. Occasionally I see a full Banks 'power pack' (or whatever) system with air filter, tuner, long tubes, muffler, etc., but I assume they no longer exist since it states "ships directly from manufacturer" on retailers' websites. However, we all know Banks don't make 'em any longer... My struggle to find long tubes is all too real. But short headers are better than no headers. Here is a pic of the truck the morning I picked it up. 77k miles, rust free. I am told it belonged to a fire department and it was used as an EMT vehicle:



The 3rd row bench is missing and there is a fire extinguisher mount in the back (which I eventually plan to fill with a fire extinguisher)

P.S. - Not to get off-topic, but if anyone happens to have any leads on a grey cloth 3rd row, I would be very interested lol

 

Welcome to the club, looks like a beautiful ride, have fun making it yours. As you start your journey with your new Ex know that our members are here to help you with any problems that you may encounter and also help you spend your money!!!! Looking for a grey cloth third row might be a challenge but they are out there. Your local pick and pull are always a great source for scarce parts and eBay airways has them listed (grey is tough) , set an alert on eBay to notify you when they become available so you don’t miss out. Good luck to you and greetings from the most Southern part of the state.

 

Clean looking XLT wagon!
I see the period correct towing mirrors, do you know what gear ratio it has?

 

Didn't all the V10s (and all the diesels) get 3.73 gears?

I thought the 4.30 gears where only an option with the 5.4 engine (and generally really only found in stripped down, rubber floor, hand crank window, work trucks).
...

 

I drove from Buffalo NY to Wilmington NC, bought it, then drove straight back. Nearly 27 hours of driving straight... but sooo worth it! Can't find a rust-free example up here. Truck has 3.73 open diff. That will be changing for sure. Gears will depend on what size tires I ultimately run. Planning on the F350 spring swap F+R, so depending on how much higher it rides will determine my choice of tire. Then, re-gear to something starting with the number 4. It has the trailer tow package with the tow mirrors, rear sway bar, OHC trip computer, etc... I used to own a 2000 Expedition EB and this Excursion feels quite similar. Just much bigger and I am loving it! Anyway, I see Banks offers a set of long tubes but they are for later 2V V10 engines on RVs... any chance these can be installed on the Ex? Probably require more modifying than its worth... I think for me this will end with ceramic coated Gibson shorties, along with the SPD Y pipe and a decent muffler. With a tune, I imagine this setup would be decent. I'll be the guinea pig for providing some actual numbers with the shorties if i go that route. If I can, I would like to provide some before+after dyno numbers to help put this to bed. However that would be a while since it was 7° this AM... I see Stage 8 makes header bolts for these engines. Any experience with them?

 

All of the oil burner EXs came with 3.73s. Standard gear for V-10 EXs was the same 3.73 with an optional 4.30 ratio from the factory. 4X4 5.4 EXs came with standard 4.10 gears, not sure what the RWD 5.4 wagons came with.

 

If I recall correctly, the RV headers won’t fit the trucks or wagons as they are designed for the more wide open F-53 chassis under the typical V-10 RV.
As for a muffler, I like the Aeroturbine (Jones) 3030XL which has a builtin resonator, to my ear it’s the best sounding muffler behind the 6.8.
I used the included bolts from the Banks headers, 14 years, 100K miles and lots of heavy towing later they have yet to need retightening.

 

You can google the original brochure and it lists the options. Gears are on the last page - Here is a link to the '03 brochure for reference:

https://www.auto-brochures.com/makes...rsion_2003.pdf

The 5.4L was available with 3.73 or 4.10 (4x4 was 4.10 only), the 6.8L was available with either 3.73 or 4.30, and the diesel was only 3.73 (at least for '03 models)


That makes sense, otherwise people would be doing it. I have read your muffler recommendation in other threads and watched the video. In another thread someone had used the 3030, which seems to provide the grumble I may be after. Only concern is drone on road trips. But the Aeroturbine seems to be the one I would want to go with. I did come across the Banks Dynaflow muffler whilst searching for their headers... anybody have experience with those?

 

I have the Banks muffler that came with their full exhaust header kit. I like it because it is relatively quiet. At one point I swapped it for the 3030XL. That lasted for one week, then I put the Banks back on. For me, the 3030XL sounded like I was overcompensating for a short reproductive organ. Not my style. I also didn't want an entire campground waking up and looking at me while I drove in or out. Too loud and not my style. Each to their own.

 

Thanks for the feedback 4Kids. On a side note, we're driving the largest production SUV ever made, so it is hard NOT to look like overcompensating I am in NY and we have a very strict exhaust noise law... I almost forgot about that. So, quiet performance is intriguing. I like the sound of the Aeroturbine but it is most likely too loud. The campground noise is a good point as we do go camping 2-4 times/year. I don't wanna be that loud guy rolling in camp at midnight because we were on a day trip somewhere that ran long. Its a shame cutouts are strictly illegal here too

 

I know that the 3030 muffler is a bit aggressive but I found the 3030XL to be fairly tame, are you sure it was the XL model with the internal resonator?

 

Specifically, it was the Jones JT3030XL. I don't think there is any difference between the Jones and the Aero 3030XL mufflers. Loud cars and motorcycles annoy me, so my opinion of loud may be different than other's. It just wasn't a good fit for me.

 

if I can hear it, it is loud....

that is why I put a Walker Big Truck muffler on my Excursion.