The 50 isn't as bad as people make it out to be. It's fairly stout and will handle 35's without any problem. I ran 37's on mine and wheeled it VERY hard with no problems. Like you said though, 38+ is pushing your luck if you wheel hard. To me, the biggest benefit of going with a newer D60 is a significant turning radius improvement which on a truck as wide and as long as this, is a big deal. You can also do an even newer setup D60 with coil buckets and radius arms. The cost isn't too bad and it's almost a bolt-on affair. The springs provide a huge ride quality improvement.
The massive interior space of the Excursion will ruin your future expedition vehicle opinions. I've had Rover's for years and was perfectly content. Now that I've had the Excursion, everything is too small. I miss being able to have a full size bed in the back, a fridge, all my gear, and still have plenty of space for changing, storing dirty clothes, sitting down and eating in the rain, etc.
35s will fit pretty much stock with some trimming and the right backspace wheels. I don't like the v/b swap or any of those for an offroad rig. It stiffens things up and beats you up on the dirt roads. Pretty much every lift kit out there is too stiff for offroad use. They all retain the factory tow rating and with that high of a rating, you need stiff springs, no way around it. The v/b is even stiffer. You need some serious weight on the truck to start getting the suspension compliant.
You are correct that a 2.5" f250 kit will net you 4.5 on the Excursion. The Excursion really needs a decent lift to get the most out of it off-road. I had a 6" and I think I would have been happy with a 4.5" and 37" tires. The truck is long so you do need quite a bit of height to clear the rockers over obstacles. Even at 4.5", you better start shopping for a decent 10" drop hitch if you plan to tow.
A lot of places say it won't, but you can clear a 37" tire with this lift and some minor trimming up front, practically no trimming if you do an aftermarket bumper. A 34" tire will look tiny in there. 35" will look small as well but will work and be better for power/driveability. With the 35s and the 7.3, you won't win any races, that's for sure, but in my opinion, you don't really need to regear. It will be a noticeable power loss but still very manageable.
I love ARB stuff. I have a ton of it. I've had their bumper on a Range Rover I used to have. It's great. There is no comparison when you stack it next to a Buckstop or some of the others. The ARB is thin and not up to the same quality standard. Plus I think it's ugly on the Excursion/F250 of this generation. Buckstop I think makes a smaller top grill protector bar than I had. I like the other one a little better. Make sure you get the correct bumper brackets. The Excursion had a different bottom anti-run over bar or whatever it's called for each year of existence.
I think someone else above mentioned a traction device. These trucks are absolutely miserable in any kind of slick conditions without a rear traction device of some sort. They don't hook up at all! With the stiff suspension you can also lift tires fairly easily, even with the massive wheelbase. This rig is far too heavy to be bouncing down the trail with tires spinning. With a locker, everything changes. It just becomes a beast.
The 08+ mirrors are a massive improvement in functionality, especially towing, and the 05+ front end looks so much nicer.
I've never seen an excursion that is that clean. You running board brackets and bolts are like new! That's nuts. Most of them rotted off years ago. Good find!
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