When I saw that first photo, I thought it was my dash LOL. Looking sharp!

VLEDS are great, but for some of the interior done/map bulbs I've started to shift away from them. Also, I felt the running board lights did more to blind me than anything. Alternatively, consider installing a strip of LEDs along the bottom of the door; they'll do a better job illuminating what you're stepping on without glaring at you.

VLEDS is second to none on brake and turn signals. It's been probably two years now, and I'm still amazed at how bright my tails are. Likewise, my front turns are the V6 Extreme and with the fluted turn signal it's a solid bright bar of orange when I flip the turn signal.

Over the last two months I've played with a boatload of different bulbs from Amazon in search of the the best performance at a realistic value. For reverse lights both on my F250 as well as my wife's Grand Cherokee, I achieved 90% the performance with Auxito Bulbs from Amazon. The only downer (for me) is they're 6000K and I genuinely prefer 4000-5000K. That's part of what drew me in to VLEDS in the first place, they had 5000K bulbs available. I'll try them in my F250's front turn position next. I know they won't pop like my V6 Extremes, but for 1/10th the cost, if the performance is decent, I'll be happy.

 

Today I started removing some non-working crap that the previous owner(s) had installed. There was a WOLO brand horn (maybe part of an alarm system?) and what I think was a remote starter system. On the dash was a pushbutton thingy that I cut the wire to and removed and an unhooked LED labeled "CLIFFORD". See below, but both are gone now.


Once the stuff under the hood was removed and I got to inside the firewall I found an interesting wiring harnesses. I don't know if it is associated with the aftermarket stuff or not. There was a thing called an XCRS (Extreme Capacity Relay System). Is this aftermarket and I am okay removing it?


Finally, there is a mysterious push button. This actually looks OEM, so I thought maybe it would be an inertial switch reset button, but apparently that is on the passenger's side. What is this?

 

Today i used the Excursion as a mobile toolbox and went out to the family ranch where i keep my 30 foot trailer, and my Taylor Dunn solar electric vehicle project.

I swapped both rear wheels forward on the EV as both front wheels have small leaks, and then installed brand new 18x8.5x8 skid steer tires on the rear since it has had problems with traction as well as sinking in soft dirt and mud, problem solved, tore all around on it even in the wet arena that got an inch of rain yesterday, no more sinking and getting stuck although the front end with 3.5 inch wide tires did not give me the same confidence as the new rear tires, so i will be upgrading the fronts to skid steer tires as well.

it rides better on the wider rear tires and definitely has tons more traction now, but go figure with this little boggers on the back instead of the factory edition 18x3.5x8 warehouse tread weenies.
https://www.prioritytire.com/bkt-ski...l-season-tire/

tore through the mud like butter even though the front tires did carve in enough i suspect i would have gotten stuck if the rears had any less pushing power thanks to the new width and super aggressive tread pattern. So I ordered another set for the front to give it the wider stance front and rear.

 

Today, I stared at it while getting other things done. Maybe I'll drive it tomorrow just to get it moving a little bit. Time permitting, tomorrow or Tuesday I'll toss on my throttle body.

 

It was Sunday that we finished the installation of Kilmat into the cargo area, rear quarter panels and cargo area floor. in summary; the first project was the four doors, second was the barn doors, third was above the headliner, and finally the rear quarter panels and under the cargo area carpet. Each step yielded an improvement and now that it's all done, I have to say the interior is so much quieter and the truck feels more solid. Of course it is! Another advantage is the truck doesn't get as hot since the Kilmat is a good insulator even though it's inside and the sun still beats on the painted steel body. The a/c cools the inside much faster and more effectively. The next thing is to coat the roof with Line-X and there is sure to be a huge temperature improvement.

 

Brake upgrades on the front. I forgot to grease the back of the pads cuz I spaced out and everything was assembled and so easy and the directions didn't remind me, so I have to pop the wheels and calipers off again to calm the squealing =P
Stops quick tho. I have power stops on the rear and had power stops on my 2WD Ex, but when I bought my 4x4 I just kept going on the Duralasts or whatever were on the front - I won't really have an opinion until I get my trailer behind me on my next trip. Glazed my pads and warped a rotor on my last tow, so that was excuse enough to upgrade.

 

Don't be shy about downshifting the trans to aid in braking in high load situations, like into a traffic light at the bottom of a grade while towing. And ensure the trailer brakes are doing their part too!

 

Today I popped on the Accufab SCTB96-98 and a Volant CAI. If you have a V10, stop what you're doing and go buy that Accufab.

 

Today I started poking around inside my engine bay to tidy things up as I wait for suspension parts to arrive. While in there I noticed that I am missing the hold down for the lug wrench/pry bar and some other mystery item. Can anybody fill me in on what to purchase to replace them?

Also, with some down time should I start replacing all of the hose quick clips with stainless worm gear hose clamps? Any particular hoses I should just replace while I'm at it since they are 22+ years old?

Thanks!

 

Are you lifted? If so, that scissor jack can go the way of the dodo bird, and the extensions with it. Personally I prefer a 4-way to the OEM tire iron.

You're gonna laugh when you realize what happened in that slot you're asking about.



That wing nut in my photo is welded to a bolt. The bracket it holds down is something you could easily make as well. Everything in the Fords is metric, so perhaps a M8?

 

Ha! Yeah, it looks like the PO was in a hurry or something and not only missed the slot for the jack extensions but also never replaced the hold down for that stuff. I'll fab something together.

I am starting to add a 4" lift via the Pirate4x4_camo Pro-Comp recipe so I'll probably ditch the scissor jack crap once I get a new roadside repair kit setup.

Thanks!!!

 

Heading to the Black Rock Desert in a few weeks and prepping for the adventure. Not sure if the white insert is going to hold up long term. Working on the rack cross bars to install today Hopefully I can get on to the EGT gauge install next

 

Replace all 5 of the flexible brake lines this weekend. Actually, a good friend with 20+ of Ford certifications swapped them, I just assisted.

For those thinking about undertaking this be forewarned, it's a bigger PITA than you might think!

 

Added some 7.3L badges. A little marketing can't hurt, right?

People *who know* will appreciate it when they pull up at a stoplight and have their windows up...

...or when it's sitting in a parking lot


Also installed Tire Pressure Monitoring System. It works great and keeps it's charge entirely via solar during the summer. Will see how it does during winter.

Got this one here:

Amazon

Amazon

 

“People who know” might think that you’ve done a Godzilla 7.3 gasser swap into your EX as those are the emblems that you mounted.

Also, keep an eye on your rubber valve stems with the screw-on TPMS sensors, that extra weight on them can cause some fatigue issues. I have the TST system with flow through sensors and they recommended metal stems, which I have.