I've been collecting parts over the last year and a half as the wallet would allow and now have (I think) everything I need along with a week off to wrench around under the truck.

In case some think it's overkill to do all of this: I got excessive play in *every* joint in the steering. almost four inches of turn on the steering wheel without moving the wheels. It's a little scary sometimes. And the springs and shocks are just tired.

So, on tap for next week are the springs (Vs and modded Bs) with help from:
wpnaes https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...y-turn-vs.html
and
robert_l_ross
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...p-by-step.html

The only trouble I had with parts for the modded Bs was center pins. I ended up buying two 7/16" grade 8 hex bolts and having a machine shop take the hex off on their lathe.



Then I'm going to tackle the steering with help from the awesome Christina
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...r-dummies.html
and
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...s-updated.html



After/along with that the sway bar bushings are being replaced with Moog urethane. I bought the F250 and the Excursion addition. Help with that came from W3EZS
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...with-pics.html



And finally, changing out the front and rear shocks and adding a dual shock mount to the front. Do I need dual shocks on a v10? Probably not. Don't tell my girlfriend though. Dual shocks are absolutely necessary for the proper function of this truck. It's a safety issue!

The only thing here I'm concerned about are the j-nuts or u-nuts for the rear shocks. None of the auto parts stores around here even know what they are. I'm going to swing by the Ford dealer early tomorrow and see if I can pick some up or worst case have Tousley/Black Bear overnight me some.



Last but not least: the tools:



Wish me luck!

 

Good luck! Reps sent for doing your homework and getting your hands dirty!
Thanks for the mention also. I too used grade 8 bolts in my modded X/B codes, I just left the hex heads, they did fit OK.
Keep us posted on your progress and keep those pics comming!

 

Kinda looks like my pile. I'm doing Procomp 4" lift and Rancho 9000 though. Good luck!

 

Got a late start this morning. Half the cribbing I use in place of jack stands apparently didn't make it on the truck when I moved last month. So, off to Sears for high lift jack stands.

All things considered everything broke down relatively easily. 5-foot black iron breaker bar helped a little.

Got passenger spring off, modded and back on, but the axle is still hanging. FYI, when someone says ratchet straps are helpful in realigning, get ratchet straps. I think the body racks when jacking and on stands and that puts the axle out of alignment with the spring. Could be wrong.

Today was about 4 hours of work. Hopefully with the lessons learned I'll have the back end done tomorrow.

A couple of pics from today:
Used the little floor jack to take pressure off the spring to remove the front spring to frame bolt. Did the same for installation.



Side by side springs pre-mod. Hard to tell in the pic but the new spring is 1" shorter than the old and 1.5" taller before the mod. Old spring were spruuung.

 

Looks good - certain you are going to have a whole new driving experience. I would also, highly recommend a rear stabilizer bar. Makes a world of difference in the overall stability and handling of the Ex. These trucks are big, heavy and long - the rear stabilizer bar connects the rear suspension to the front - no lag when changing lanes or turns between the front and rear of truck. Also, let us know what you think about the Redhead steering box. Good luck with the rest of the install.

 

Ran into issues with the center pins yesterday and spent most of the day sorting that out.

W3EZS, what size center pin did you use?

My first 7/16 set that I had the heads rounded on were perfect...except that they were 1/2" too long. The nut bottomed out on the shank before good torque on the spring. So, I walked (Eunice is my daily driver) to the hardware store and got 7/16 bolts 4.5" long. Didn't check the hole clearance first and neither the nut nor the head would fit in the block hole.

Back to the hardware store (getting fit working on the Ex). Took all the bolts I had and the block to test fitment. I ended up with 5/16 bolts 4" long. They are just long enough for three threads showing past the nut and fit in the block hole, but I'm concerned that the bearing surface isn't big enough. Next time I go to a city with a spring shop I will pick up EXACTLY what I need and install.

Hex head in round hole.


Left to right: 7/16x4.5, 10mmx3.5, 5/16x4


But the good news is that the rear springs are on and the new Bilteins are mounted. Almost 2.5" of butt lift.

Before:




After:



Front end starts tomorrow....

Note to moderator: Block hole is not a euphemism for anything.

 

Thanks Tsquare. Mine is apparently one of the '03s that came with a factory rear sway bar. I checked the bushings and they were in pretty good shape. 100% better than the front.

 

I've had the bulk of the pile for almost a year only lacked the time to do it. Just finished a business contract and have some time before the next contract starts so I'm calling this my working vacation.

 

Working vacations can be fun with projects like this.

 

My mistake - didn't realize yours was 2003 - Ford got smart and started equipping these rigs with rear sway bars from your year on.

 

Don't think so, few folks opted for the rear sway bar. Hellwig has a huge following on here as a result.

Sent from my Sprint PC36100 using IB AutoGroup

 

I feel so dumb so frequently, you'd think by now I'd be used to the feeling and I wouldn't find it so troubling........
Sorry, I have no idea of the size bolts I used, I just took my old cut off center bolt to the hardware store and matched up a new grade 8 bolt to the same diameter and the correct length of what I needed. I do remember that the hex heads fit (very snugly) into the holes though.
Your EX is looking good so far! Looking forward to seeing the profile after the frontend is done. Good luck!
My '05 EX XLT didn't have a rear sway bar, I put a Hellwig on it.

 

Did any model year Ex come std with rear sway bar?

 

Nope, Later models would get one with the heavy duty trailer/tow package option, included the big tow mirrors and rear bar, ALL EXs got the wiring and reciever hitch. After adding mine I agree with many of the fine folks here that these buggies should never have left the factory without one!

 

Std, i don't think so. I believe it was avail as part of trailering package.
Std was towing pkg, which included rear hitch, because it also serves as a blocker beam to keep small cars out from underneath.

The tow mirrors were avail seperately, so you really have no visual clue besides looking to tell if a rear sway bar is there.

I recall claims early excursion 4x4 came with rear swaybar, but can't confirm/reject that.

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