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:
T.J.
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
![i-hG5Nb5W-L.jpg](http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-hG5Nb5W/0/L/i-hG5Nb5W-L.jpg)
After
![i-7qZCGGG-L.jpg](http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-7qZCGGG/0/L/i-7qZCGGG-L.jpg)
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.