Gigantor - a 2000 Ford Expedition 4x4 build

[bikelanta]

After an overnight camping trip this weekend, I've decided it's time to start putting together a build/brainstorming/idea thread for my vehicle. Hopefully, as it progresses, others will be able to point me in the direction for appropriate resources.

Gigantor became my vehicle in mid-2012 when my brother decided he wanted a new Grand Cherokee. Rather than trade it in for the paltry sum of money the dealer proposed, he offered it to me for the same price. Upon parting with my $1,200, I was the proud owner of a 2000 Ford Expedition 4x4 Eddie Bauer with 190k+ miles. Over time, I've considered 4Runners, Land Cruisers, Wranglers, and Tacomas. I just couldn't turn down such a good deal though. Besides, I'm more interested in road tripping, forest service road camping, and generally enjoying the outdoors than I am in turning this into a hard core wheeling machine. Still, it's time to start putting my stamp on this machine.

For those curious, the Expedition has been a pretty good platform so far. It has tons of space for sleeping inside the vehicle, which I like for the stealth factor and the ease of arriving at and departing from campsites. It has tons of storage cubbies for stuff. Gas mileage sucks, but it does with Land Cruisers and others too.

My first modification has been the removal of the minivan-like running boards. From the photos below, you can see the before and after.

Before

After

For camping trips, I've folded the second row seats, removed the third row bench, and thrown a full-size futon mattress in the back. It's pretty comfortable, but the slight wheel hump on the passenger side does get in the way. I'm considering a sleeping platform and removing all the rear seats entirely.

We'll see where this build goes in the coming months. Ideally, I'd like to keep the weight down, since it's already a pig. Some things I'm considering:

• Beefing up the rear suspension, it sags with weight in the back
• Installation of a fridge
• All-terrain tires, when the ones I have wear down
• Navigation and audio improvements
• Sleeping platform with storage
• Rear lockers or limited slip differential (though for all I know it has one, since some Expos did)

T.J.

 

[d67u57]

nice looking roller. 1200 is a steal for a sound mechanically and esthetically unit.

how much use the escavator in front has gotten?

will you also lift it a couple inches?

 

[cop car]

when you change the spark plugs be careful. those trucks have a bad habit of spiting spark plugs out and pulling all the threads out becasue there are only like 3 threads. i am not sure about those motors, but on my dads 04 when the plugs were changed it broke 6 off in the head, ***** to get out. impact keeps those from breaking.

i dont want to tell you to use an impact on that year, becasue i dont know, i do know that they spit out spark plugs though

 

[fnjeep314]

Hey someone from Atlanta!! Where are you located? I am very interested in your build as it is one that I have been contemplating myself.

 

[bikelanta]

how much use the escavator in front has gotten?

Haha, it is quite a bumper, isn't it?

will you also lift it a couple inches?

Maybe one day, but it's not one of the first modifications I plan. At this point, most of the roads/trails I explore wouldn't really require it.

 

[bikelanta]

when you change the spark plugs be careful. those trucks have a bad habit of spiting spark plugs out and pulling all the threads out becasue there are only like 3 threads. i am not sure about those motors, but on my dads 04 when the plugs were changed it broke 6 off in the head, ***** to get out. impact keeps those from breaking.

i dont want to tell you to use an impact on that year, becasue i dont know, i do know that they spit out spark plugs though

Thanks for the heads up on this front.

 

[bikelanta]

Hey someone from Atlanta!! Where are you located? I am very interested in your build as it is one that I have been contemplating myself.

Indeed. ITP. In the midtown area. Have you been out to any of the Country Fried Weekends?

 

[pnorvell]

I like em Big.... Mmmmmmmm...

Looks good man! What's the suspension on these things? IFS up front and leafs rear? If leafs Ironman sells what they call Load Plus. Essentially it's an overload spring that you install on top of the existing leaf, not requiring the entire disassembly of the whole leaf pack. I'm not certain it will work on a Ford (only used on Tacoma's and Tundra's) but the result has been great! If it's springs in the rear, then you could go spacer.

Anyways, I like Gigantor, aka Big Black...

 

[jackflash]

That's cool. Used to have a 98 XLT. Not sure what they are talking about spitting plugs. The V10 had that issue in the early years, but the Expo only came with the 5.4 or 4.6. To my knowledge, those engines didn't have that issue. At least mine never did and I never read about it either. The block is aluminum so if you do change the plugs make sure it is nice and cold. I would never use an impact to change plugs. Not even on an iron block, but definitely not on an aluminum block. Talk about destorying the threads.

Anyways, your's is an EB so it may have air suspension, but if not than it is coil sprung in the rear and torsion sprung in the front. Mine fit 285/75-17s BFG ATs with no rubbing, great tires. I put a Tru-Trac front and rear, that made it almost unstoppable.

Those older body Expos are nice platforms. Glad to see someone else building one up.

 

[Mark Harley]

Remove the grille guard, better looks and weight off the front.

Straight axle conversion would be cool!

 

[bikelanta]

I like em Big.... Mmmmmmmm...
Looks good man!

Peter, man, I could have sworn I wrote a response post the other day, but it appears not to be here. Anyway, thanks for checking in. Jackflash has already filled you in on the suspension though. Speaking of which, Jack, thanks for the info. Good to know on tire size. Some further research on the Tru-Trac is on my list. Mine does not have the air suspension. I agree on the platform. It has tons of space and has gotten through some situations in stock condition and street tires I didn't expect it to complete.

Remove the grille guard, better looks and weight off the front.

That's definitely been under consideration. Key at the moment are the driving lamps though. I didn't install them, but I've come to appreciate their benefits. Once I figure out an alternative, the grill may come off.

 

[bikelanta]

Here's a terrible shot of the interior from the tailgate. I've made a few notes on some of the things that I'm thinking. I'm torn over taking out the second row of seats and also leaving room to re-install the third row. Sometimes, it's been nice to have the three rows of seating for shuttling around friends, particularly on road trips. I could build a platform while leaving in the seats, but it would cut down on the storage room. On the other hand, I really do want to be able to move a lot of my camping gear into the vehicle and just leave it there. So, drawers and storage that keep things out of sight would be nice.

What I really need to measure is the size of the gap between the two front seats. The console is pretty large. I wonder whether I could fit an Engel or some other fridge in that space instead, which would keep from taking up space in the rear.

 

[BurbanAZ]

great looking rig especially for that great price.

 

[Kaisen]

That's cool. Used to have a 98 XLT. Not sure what they are talking about spitting plugs. The V10 had that issue in the early years, but the Expo only came with the 5.4 or 4.6. To my knowledge, those engines didn't have that issue. At least mine never did and I never read about it either. The block is aluminum so if you do change the plugs make sure it is nice and cold. I would never use an impact to change plugs. Not even on an iron block, but definitely not on an aluminum block. Talk about destorying the threads.

Whaaaa....????

First, the 4.6L and 5.4L were notorious for stripping and breaking plugs. They're all the same head-style (V8/V10 modular family of SOHC/DOHC motors).
Second, the truck's 4.6L, 5.4L, and all V10s were cast iron blocks. Not aluminum. Ever. Did you mean aluminum heads?

 

[jackflash]

Whaaaa....????

First, the 4.6L and 5.4L were notorious for stripping and breaking plugs. They're all the same head-style (V8/V10 modular family of SOHC/DOHC motors).
Second, the truck's 4.6L, 5.4L, and all V10s were cast iron blocks. Not aluminum. Ever. Did you mean aluminum heads?

Yikes, sorry about that one. Meant heads not block. What the hell was I thinking?

I know the V8 and V10 are from the same family, but there are some major differences in them. Like I said, to my knowledge, the V8s didn't have that issue. The 5.4 in my Expo went over 200k miles and never did it. The 5.4 in my father's truck did the same. The 4.6 in my sister's truck did as well. It also seems that the v8 in the OP's Expo has almost done the same as well. I could be wrong though, but I would still never use an impact to change spark plugs.

Sorry again for the confusion.