Ford Escape e/x Build

[OuterLimits]

Have you been over on escape-city? There's a couple offroad builds over there.

ET, It's good to see a "brother from another mother"! Thanks for sharing the adventure pics.

You clearly have the "Drive what ya got" attitude. Slap a hard topper on the roof and let the adventures begin!!!

I am a member at Escape City. The people are great, but its focus is mostly 2013+. There isn't even a sub-forum for us Gen 1 folks, but a few of us that hang out there anyway.

The Gen1 information gold mine was Escape-Central. Lots of info and very active. Amazing site! Then.....

In 2014 it took a massive dump on us. It had some kind of fatal database error. The Front page hasn't been updated since. You can't directly access the forums anymore. If I'm lucky I might get one page from a google cache, but that's it. The weird thing is, it's broken, no one has fixed it, but they continue to keep the servers running and pay for the communication lines.

It's neither alive or dead. It's a Zombie website!

 

[kojackJKU]

When I was going to buy a scape back when, I was a member of escape-central too! it was a great site.

 

[OuterLimits]

PISMO BEACH AND OCEANO DUNES!!!

With fresh tires and a sweet skid, it was time to get a bit dirty (or at least sandy). I joined up with a group of off-road explorers for some playtime at Pismo Beach and Oceano Dunes.

After a brief meet-n-greet it was time for the sacred off-road ritual.... Please everyone, take a knee.



With no dune experience I tried to get a consensus on correct tire pressure. All the Jeepers were telling me 12 lbs. 12 lbs. 12 lbs.
12 lbs they say... 12 lbs it is!

While I was airing down, the group leader asked about my tire pressure. He has played in the dunes before with a CUV and said, Try 18 lb. 18 it is!

Seems 12 lbs is great for a solid axle (to prevent wheel hop) and 18 lbs for independent suspension.

We headed out caravan style to the beach. As soon as we hit the surf, the whole bunch slammed on the brakes for what became a massive selfie fest.



With initial pics out of the way, we paraded down Pismo Beach.

We finally arrived at the first access point to the Oceano Dunes. It's a left turn for fun!!!

We hadn't even hit the big dunes and I already had a grin plastered on my face and was giggling like a school girl.

(poser pic)

It was pretty easy at first. Then the dunes got bigger and BIGGER! I have driven sand and beach before, but dunes were notably lacking from my resume.

The leader dropped out of sight over the edge of a large dune. 2nd in line, I eased up to the edge and looked over. Gulp! Leader yells "You'll be fine". I hit the gas and over I went. I was fine (and it was fun).

Now comes time to climb the steep back sides of the dunes. Momentum seemed to be the solution to the dune puzzle. It was a bit disconcerting hitting the dune with enough speed and momentum to clear the top. As the dune face gets closer, it starts looking like it's a 90 degree vertical wall and I'm going wayyy too fast.

There is a bit of a hit, then up and over the dune I go!

After about an hour, my confidence grew. I was throwing CUV style sand roosters and driving up and down anything and everything I thought possible.

I was really pleased with the Escape's performance in the dunes. I think the light weight, short wheel base, and independent suspension gave me a nice edge in the sand.

18 lbs pressure worked brilliantly. It allowed me to salvage a bit of ground clearance, and I never came close to getting stuck.

(vintage dune buggies frolicking in the dunes)


The beach side of the big dunes was often a long, moderate slope. I saw a couple of straight axle rigs that were struggling with the climb. Their rear axle and tires were hopping on the sand. I can tell you with certainty, a hopping tire has little traction. I taxied up to one hopping rig and shared the wisdom of 12 lbs. He adjusted his pressure and cruised right up the dune.

After hours of play it was getting dark and time to head out for dinner. The leader was busy extricating a stuck rig and asked me to lead the rest of the group out of the dunes. I nodded yes and put the Escape in gear.



My problem was, I didn't know where "out" was. You can't just drive from dunes to beach. There are specific designated access points. The good news: There was still some light to the left. That means West is left. "Out" is somewhere to the left. Head left young man!

The bad news: It was hard as hell to pick out a path. Dusk left very little visual contrast, and there were massive dark shadows in every direction. I didn't want to lead the crew into some dodgy, sandy, dead end.

Over the years, I've seen so many off-road rigs that are plastered with external lighting. On the bumper, under the bumper, on the grill, in the grill, on the cowl, on the roof rack, under the chassis. Here a light, there a light, everywhere a light-light! I really don't care what others do with their rigs, but I have never felt the need for more than stock Lo/Hi beams and fogs. On road you can't use all those fancy lights. Off-road, I'm going slow enough that Hi beams give me all the lumens I need.

That said, trying to navigate the dunes at dusk, I'd have given my left spleen for a half dozen well placed light bars!

Somehow I managed to lead my trusting caravan out of the dunes. It was back to the beach, then on to Fin's for dinner. Fin's serves up a fine order of fish-n-chips and some of the best clam chowder around.



After dinner, it was back to the dunes for some night moves!

(to be continued)

 

[ExplorerTom]

Is that a HAM I see?

Good lights are nice. But I agree, when I see people with those big (expensive) light bars, I wonder how much they actually use them. I've night wheeled occasionally and what lights I do have are nice, but for the most part, I want to be in camp sitting around a fire by the time it's dark enough to need extra lights.

Speaking of lights, have you ever heard of Daniel Stern?
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/relays/relays.html
Basically, he sells you everything you need to upgrade your headlamp circuit so your headlights are actually running on full power. All you have to do is build the harness. I did it on my Expedition and I can tell you that it improved the light output.

If you have a ScanGauge, you can monitor the amount of 4wd engagement. As you know, or should know, the 4wd engages at every stop and feathers completely out around 35mph. Or if you hit a slick spot at 65...... It would be fun to watch in the sand.

 

[OuterLimits]

Is that a HAM I see?

It ain't no sandwich! A Comet 2m antenna with Icom HT and external mic. Plans are to get an ICOM 2100h into the dash, but there are some mounting issues that I still need to sort out.

Speaking of lights, have you ever heard of Daniel Stern?
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/relays/relays.html
Basically, he sells you everything you need to upgrade your headlamp circuit so your headlights are actually running on full power. All you have to do is build the harness. I did it on my Expedition and I can tell you that it improved the light output.

I have unsuccessfully been following Howard Stern for lighting advice. Daniel seems far more knowledgeable. That is an intriguing mod. More candlepower with stock lighting. Cool. I'll add that to the list. Thanks for the link.

If you have a ScanGauge, you can monitor the amount of 4wd engagement. As you know, or should know, the 4wd engages at every stop and feathers completely out around 35mph. Or if you hit a slick spot at 65...... It would be fun to watch in the sand.

It would be fun to watch as a co-pilot. When I'm driving in the dunes, I'm not looking at the dash much.
The driving is challenging enough worrying about dodging psychotic quad drivers!

 

[kojackJKU]

awesome pics. Looks like you had a blast. With regards to your light comments. In our neck of the woods, big lights are life and death items. Being able to see the infamous "newfoundland speedbump" (moose), is a welcome addition to our rigs. They are not so much for seeing trails...but seeing animals. However, that being said, it's awesome having the extra visibility on the trail too! I am working on getting my lighting on my 3 rigs now. 2 7" HID spots and 2 4" hid floods for my patriot and my suburban. I am adding a 20" single row LED bar on my micra so it don't look weird having it bolted externally. I can mount it behind the lower grill under my micra licence plate.

looks like you were Hittin' em with the Hien too!

 

[OuterLimits]

awesome pics. Looks like you had a blast. With regards to your light comments. In our neck of the woods, big lights are life and death items. Being able to see the infamous "newfoundland speedbump" (moose), is a welcome addition to our rigs. They are not so much for seeing trails...but seeing animals. However, that being said, it's awesome having the extra visibility on the trail too! I am working on getting my lighting on my 3 rigs now. 2 7" HID spots and 2 4" hid floods for my patriot and my suburban. I am adding a 20" single row LED bar on my micra so it don't look weird having it bolted externally. I can mount it behind the lower grill under my micra licence plate. looks like you were Hittin' em with the Hien too!

If you need big lights, you need 'em. I've just never had the need till the Pismo outing. After that experience I'll probably add a little something up front, just in case.

My only close encounter with large fauna was a trip through Montana a few years back. We were driving through a valley with a raised roadbed, at Montana's Autobahn like speed limit. Nothing but blackness to the left. Nothing but blackness to the right. You could see nothing but the long, straight road ahead.

Out of sheer animal impulse, an elk decides to use my headlights to make his mad dash across the road. My first indicator that something was not kosher was the image of a massive elk filling my windshield! :yikes: It was like 3-D meets Imax! I didn't even have time to get my foot off the skinny pedal. It felt like the beast was jumping over my hood. Crap!!! It was over as quickly as it began.I almost bagged me an elk without a gun or license! No people or animals were harmed that night.:elkgrin:

A wall of lighting would not have helped me that night (but a change of shorts would have been golden).

If you live where large creatures like to play night frogger, I get why some extra illumination would be appreciated.

 

[kojackJKU]

It's not just appreciated, its almost mandatory in our parts. I don't know how many times my lights have saved my *** on the highways at night. You can spot them ALONG way off with the HID lights up front. I don't even like LED bars. I have used both, and most of the light bars here only light up to your high beam lights...then nothing. My HID has the punch needed to get FAR down the road!

I hit one in a 3 day old pathfinder with **** bulbs in the headlights. I did 20g worth of damage to the rig. Luckily I picked the smaller moose. If I hit the big one, I probabaly would not be here typing this! My brother, same thing..hit one in his tempo, broke the steering column in three pieces. We have no explanation how he drove the car to the hospital. but it was totally destroyed.

Here's a few photos to show you what we deal with on a nightly basis

Usually the occupants do not survive. We were lucky!

but in most of the states, mostly it's deer, they are like hitting a big dog.

 

[OuterLimits]

What do you get when you cross a moose with a Ford Tempo?

 

[kojackJKU]

yep! Not much hope if you don't see them. In the night, I switch on my HID and reduce speed to between 80 and 90 km/h. Most moose will not bolt quickly. Most accidents are from people who don't see them until its too late and they are travelling faster than their lights! back to your regularly scheduled program. Did you think about putting the bigger escape roof rack on yours? I liked that one...I think it folded over the back to load or something?

 

[OuterLimits]

Did you think about putting the bigger escape roof rack on yours? I liked that one...I think it folded over the back to load or something?

The rack you speak of came with the "No Boundaries XLT" package. It was sort of an Xterra rack for the Escape. The rear slid back, then down, and locked into the rear bumper. You could put bikes and other goodies back there.



It's been years since I looked for one, but I recall issues with availability, cost, and shipping. You need a "No Boundaries" rear bumper, and I think there were other mounting issues if you didn't have a No Boundaries Escape. It's a cool looking rack, but too much hassle for me. Plus, you lose rear access with the rack extended. At the time, I needed a hard topper far more than a rack.

I don't need that big of a rack anyway. I don't want the temptation to put too much gear up there ;-)

 

[ambulancemonkee]

I came here for the moose carnage, I'm staying for the Escape build. Nice work.

 

[OuterLimits]

I came here for the moose carnage, I'm staying for the Escape build. Nice work.

AM,

You made my laugh out loud! Didn't see that coming! Thanks for the compliment.

If you don't mind sitting up top, I can clear out some room on the roof rack for you. Glad to have you join the ride.

 

[kojackJKU]

Yep. That was awesome. I like the functional aspects of the no boundaries rack. Even to slide down and put stuff on it and slide it back up minus the bumper peice would be good to have

 

[OuterLimits]

NIGHT MOVES!!!

Most of the crew made the prudent decision to call it a night. I was having too much fun to stop on account of darkness. A handful of hearty souls headed back out for more sand.



It was actually easier to see at night, than dusk, due to the improved contrast. The down side is, without a compass, I had absolutely no clue where I was going.



Playing in the dunes at night is a bit surreal. So many vehicles were covered in colorful, flashing, led lighting. A quad flies past me, lit up like a Christmas tree and blasting death metal, like some kind of demented ice-cream truck. Crazy!


(Yin and Yang)

While out playing, I hear a deep, throaty, diesel growl. It got closer and louder. Could it be??? Yes! Yes! A fully restored WWII vintage Deuce-and-a-Half! What a sight to see! It was a gas (pun intended) watching this beast assault the dunes. Several times the front wheels caught some air! Sweet!



It was getting late and time to get out of the dunes and off the beach, if you are not paying for camping. Our leader was trying to pick a path out of the dunes in the darkness. We were slowly following the crest of a large dune, with massive and steep bowls to each side.

Suddenly our headlights show the crest we were navigating was ending in another dune climb. This one was maybe 20ft, but very steep, and sloping precariously towards the massive bowl to the right. Worse, there wasn't much room to get some momentum going.

Our leader, in his Ford Explorer mashed his gas pedal and woke up his V-8 engine. He hit the face of the dune and started to climb, as well as slide to the right, towards the bowl. A second later. He somehow pops over the top. Whew! That was close!

The next up was a Jeep. He hits the gas, takes a line too far to the right and slides sideways right into the bowl. He is now 20ft down the bowl, at a bad angle, with his front left wheel lifted. I have no clue how it didn't roll to the bottom.

I was 3rd in line. It was my turn. Gulp... I was blocked going backwards, so I hit the gas and picked a line as far to the left as I dared. (I may or may not have closed my eyes). Next thing I know, I'm sitting on top of the ridge with a surprised look on my face.

The remaining rigs wisely and carefully backed-up along the crest and found another way out. I should have had everyone behind me clear out so I could have backed up as well. Lesson learned.
(random night pic)

Now how to extricate the Jeep? There was fortunately one remaining rig with a winch. He parked at the top of the bowl and hooked up to the front of the tipping Jeep. Another vehicle drove down the opposite incline and used a tow rope to anchor the winch rig (no point in having the winch rig get pulled into the bowl on top of the tipping Jeep).

There was no room to pull the Jeep to the top, instead the winch line muscled the front of the Jeep to get it straightened out. Then cable was let out to allow the Jeep to creep backwards to the bottom of the bowl.

I wasn't sure the Jeep would be able to drive out of the bowl. After careful examination, there was one small area in the bowl that was a slightly less steep. That was the target. The Jeep impressively was able to claw its way out!

A nail biting ending to an amazing first experience in the Oceano Dunes! I can't wait to come back!!!