2014 Ford Expedition EL Build

[PoLar_BeaR]

Meet my 2014 Expedition I lovingly refer to as the "Polar Bear", a fitting name for one of the largest SUVs on the road. This past summer I spent a few months converting it into a fully functional camper rig with the ability to fit a full-size mattress, portable power system, and a 12v refrigerator on top of a drawer platform capable of storing plenty of gear and kitchen necessities.

About Me: A NC resident with a deep love for the Appalachian mountains and all the adventure opportunities offered in this great state. I've spent the last several years fixing up an old house in Charlotte, and in the process I have developed an above average DIY skillset while acquiring more tools than I ever thought I would. I also got into fly fishing during my time living in NC, so the ability to spend days in the mountains at a time really appeals to me.

About the truck: After a few years of searching, I was pretty set on a full size SUV as my starting platform for my build. I wanted something multi-functional that could serve as an everyday grocery getter as well as a bada$$ adventure rig that I could comfortably sleep inside of. This 2014 Expedition spent the majority of its life as a North Carolina fleet vehicle, seeing only 93k miles of use during that time, but a detailed service history nonetheless. The 'fleet' trim package offered limited options but it came equipped with 4 wheel drive and the heavy duty tow package, and with an already deleted third row it was the perfect blank slate for my build. I scooped it up at auction for a cool $6,750. And on the drive home from Raleigh I averaged almost 20 mpg which was impressive.

I'll spend some time detailing my build out in the next few posts, so plenty more to come!

 

[RealTruck]

You captured a stunning shot of the Polar Bear! Welcome to the forum!

 

[Kingsize24]

Welcome to the forum! Nice looking indeed!

 

[PoLar_BeaR]

A few highlights from my build out:

My drawer system and platform accommodates a full-size mattress while still retaining use of the back seats when needed:



The cavernous interior of the expedition allowed for 5 foot long drawers:




I wanted a tilting fridge slide, and most I had seen the fridge sliding out length-wise. I figured out how to do it width-wise which allows us to have the fridge inside the truck with the mattress:

 

[PoLar_BeaR]

For electricity I added a 12v blue sea fuse panel hidden behind the drivers side rear interior panel. It's powered by DC power supply via a male cigarette plug which gives me the ability to plug it into an external power source like my jackery, or to the car if I need to power something up without the battery pack.





One highlight was adding 12v fans where the 3rd row seatbelt roof attachments would go. These have been amazing for sleeping with some airflow:

 

[RealTruck]

My drawer system and platform accommodates a full-size mattress while still retaining use of the back seats when needed:

Impressive! The storage space you created is ingenious, especially without sacrificing the rear row seats.

 

[Kingsize24]

Impressive! The storage space you created is ingenious, especially without sacrificing the rear row seats.

Agreed! It's a SOLID design.

 

[PoLar_BeaR]

Thanks guys. Here's a few action shots this past summer making breakfast on the blue ridge parkway:





And my 6'4" frame fits pretty comfortably in the back with the fridge, water and Jackery inside:

 

[PoLar_BeaR]

And one of my favorites, a sunrise coffee after a night of watching meteor showers this past August:

 

[RealTruck]

And one of my favorites, a sunrise coffee after a night of watching meteor showers this past August:

View attachment 823667

Sunrise coffee... this one makes my soul happy

 

[The Impossipede]

Awesome to see you following up with more posts. Seems like a lot of the Ford Expedition posters disappear after a short introduction.

Can I ask how your drawer system is anchored to the vehicle?

 

[PoLar_BeaR]

Awesome to see you following up with more posts. Seems like a lot of the Ford Expedition posters disappear after a short introduction.

Can I ask how your drawer system is anchored to the vehicle?

I'm glad you asked. One of the most challenging aspects of the build was designing a drawer platform that would still allow access to the spare tire underneath as well as contour to the shape of the floor with everything removed. Here's what it looks like stripped down:

 

[PoLar_BeaR]

My solution was 3/4" plywood cut to fit the space with a cutout to allow access to the spare tire compartment, and additional cutouts for emergency gear as well as some weight reduction. I bolted the platform to the floor with a stainless steel bolt, washer and nut. The floor already had two holes in it from equipment that had been mounted and removed:


Here's what the underside looks like:

 

[PoLar_BeaR]

The front half of the platform sits flush on the floor of the expedition, and the back half transfers load through the legs providing plenty of support. With the platform figured out it was time to start building out the drawers. The next challenge was the middle drawer support and allowing access to the jack. I had to mount the drawer slides higher on the support so I could notch the middle support and get the jack equipment in and out:

 

[The Impossipede]

I'm glad you asked.

I'm glad I asked, too! Thanks for the detailed response and the great photos.

I really like that the platform has multiple cut-outs to make use of the floor storage. I still have multiple family and friend passengers, so I'm not going to be able to pull the third row like you've done, but the idea is inspiring all the same. I also don't have previous holes to use, so I'm probably going to through-bolt the piece after drilling holes near where the jack rests. Any worries about the relief holes you've drilled for the bolt heads significantly reducing pull-through strength?

I also really like the way you've done the raised drawer slide for jack access, but in order to save weight, I'm going to see how I like living without drawers and just using containers in that space. Just thinking about lift-out covers for the jack space and the others for now.

Again, fantastic write-up so far, and much appreciated.