My 2000 Diesel Excursion

[locknload]

Since my Excursion is more than a dedicated tow rig and I'm always adding to it, I've decided to start a build thread.

I bought it from the original owner with 104,000 miles on the clock. 4" lift, 35's, exhaust, and Hypertech programmer. CB, Airbag kit with incab control, and a brake controller.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/11-22-08033Medium-1.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/11-22-08026Medium.jpg

Some interior shots.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/Picture_5Medium.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/003Medium.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/004Medium.jpg

For better cooling, I added an aluminum diff cover from an '08 1 ton. Link to specifics, http://www.midatlantictoyotacrawlers.com/showthread.php?t=4371

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/08-29-09008Medium.jpg

I decided the Hypertech sucks and ordered a DP Tuner chip. This is a custom tune chip with multiple setting that can be changed on the fly. I chose, no start, stock, 80hp tow, Drive Thru, 80hp Econo, 120hp Race. All I can say is, HOLY SHIT, what a difference a custom tune makes. This chip piggy backs on to a port on the factory ECU. After cleaning the contacts, I installed the chip and used a little hot glue to keep it from vibrating loose. I then cut open the back of the ECU plastic cage, this way I won't have to unbolt the ECU if I have to remove the chip.

Chip
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/09-22-09016Medium.jpg

ECU mounting cage.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/09-22-09019Medium.jpg

You don't want to run a hot tune without a good set of gauges so I opted for a set of DiPricol Optix with a pyro, boost, and tranny gauge. These are very high quality with stepper motors and LED back lighting. Add an Autometer A pillar, matching paint and a custom DP remote mount for a finished look. I was afraid of the gauges being too close or 'in my face' but they're not at all. The green LED back lighting matches the Ford dash perfectly.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/09-22-09061.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/09-22-09058Medium.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/09-22-09059Medium.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/09-22-09060Medium.jpg


After months of searching, I finally found a set of factory headlamps and parking lamps off a 2004. A guy updated his truck with 2005 lights so I got these for a steal. I actually like these more than the 2005 style so this was a great deal for me. These clear lenses put out at least 50% more light than the 2000 model fluted style I replaced.

Comparison, can you tell which side is origiinal 2000? :Hillbilly:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/12-06-2009014Medium.jpg


Suspension is next. In the spring I'm installing new factory Ford F250 leafs and Bilsteins. The Excursions have a much softer rate leaf pack which is too mushy for me.

All finished with a much better performing and updated look.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/12-19-2009001Medium.jpg

[BeaterToyota]

Plus, this thing has fancy new tires and a new water pump.

[locknload]

Oh yeah, tires. It came with BFG AT 315/75/16 D rated tires which were super old and dry rotted beyond my liking. So before our Moab trip I picked up some Dunlop Rover M/T Maxx Tractions which are E rated. I like them, they ride great are aren't that loud. Since money was tight I needed to keep these wheels, it's hard to find something clean looking these days. Seems like everythings black and chrome two tone in 24". :rolleyes:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/10-3-09005Medium.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/10-3-09004Medium.jpg

[1stgenrnrdude]

i like it!

[Sleepy Cannon]

I like those tires.

[Stinson]

Ive got a DP tuner has well. Had it for about a year now....

No Start, Stock, High Idle, 60 Tow, 80 Econ, 120 Race, and 140 Agressive

Totally different truck!:Pimp1:

[locknload]

I think if Ford would have equiped the 7.3 trucks with the DP, Chevy and Dodge would be out of the diesel market.

What kind of difference do you see from the 120 to the 140?

I was going to have Jody do a super smoke tune, not listed, just to blow coal on ricers bumping their stereos but my order was already getting up there and another $50 tune would have hurt.

The drive-thru setting is really nice.

[Stinson]

From what I have read, the 120 is actually more powerful on a stock truck then the 140. But I feel like the 140 has a slight edge on the 120. I have only used it a few times, but the other day I got a wild hair and threw it into the 140 tune. First of all with a stick the 120 and 140 are to aggressive to drive smoothly, but they are fun. I took off pretty easy, got to the meat of the power and hit second fairly hard as I was making a left turn. I proceeded to drift my 8000 lb truck leaving a cloud of tire smoke and diesel smoke. As I drove off I couldn't help let out an evil laugh:Pimp1:

Yes the tires and road were cold and I had no weight in the bed, but that is a massive difference from stock. I had forgotten what 140 was like cause I am always in tow or econ, plus I am to much of a pussy to beat on my truck.

[Stinson]

oh I changed my lights too:)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v283/Stin8m/IMG_0141.jpg

[locknload]

I heard that too and that the 140 was nice with injectors. Nice lights, and new grill too.

[locknload]

I ordered a few goodies recently. ATS ported turbo housing, oil cross over line, fuel rail cross over with regulator, and a silcone intercooler boot kit so I can installl the 6.0 intercooler.

The turbo housing came in yesterday. Yes it's purple but that's their color. Anyway, when the modding starts so does the turbo surge. A modded engine demands more air than the intake turbo wheel can support so it's pulled in ways it shouldn't be which can lead to an untimely turbo death. You can hear this air struggle because the turbo wheel emits a loud fluttering sound. We saw this alot in the rockies and towing in general. I can get this truck to do it just half way getting on the throttle and it will definatlely do it shifting into 3rd. Maybe being the Excursion and the added weight puts an extra demand on the system but it never surged until I installed the DP Tuner.

I'm waiting for the other parts to come in so I can install them at the same time. The spider or Y-pipe has to come out for the boots and this will give me added room to get to the lines.

Here's the stock housing,

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/11-20-08002Medium.jpg

Here's the new one. Notice the increased size of the outter intake? There are four ports that allow air to bypass and enter the intake behind the wheel removing some of the load from it.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/09-02-2010009Medium.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/09-02-2010007Medium.jpg

The air passes through this ring
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/09-02-2010006Medium.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/09-02-2010005Medium.jpg

More to come.

[1stgenrnrdude]

looks good. update plz

[locknload]

More goodies came in. I may start ripping shit apart this weekend.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/003Medium-1.jpg

[BeaterToyota]

Friggin' ricer. :flipoff:

[locknload]

Friggin' ricer. :flipoff:

Yep, I have an 8 foot aluminum wing on order too.

[locknload]

OK, I installed all the parts this weekend and let me say one thing. Kneeling on the radiator core support and holding myself up with the AC compressor and alternator is not the most comfortable position. Oh yeah, forgot to mention the turbo is halfway underneath the cowl so you really have to stretch out. On to the install.

First thing was to remove the stock fuel pressure regulator from the side of the fuel bowl. After the fuel bowl was partially draiined and the fuel return line was disconnected, the regulator could be unbolted and removed.

[IMG]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/009Medium.jpg


The new regulator was 'shimmed' in the machining process so a few more pounds of fuel pressure is achieved.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/012Medium.jpg

Here's the fuel crossover kit on my comforter burrito. This saved the knees and shins from actual loss of skin.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/010Medium.jpg


The two ends of the kit thread into test ports on each head. Driver's side rear and passenger front. Both were not in the easiest locations but I was able to get my booger hooks in there to install the fittings and attach the lines. Some other kits require cutting of the factory lines, this kit was plug n play, very nice.

The oil crossover also plugs into test ports. These are much easier to reach. The plugs come out, the new fittings go in then the line attaches to the fittings. Simple enough.
I didn't take pics of the ports but can later. Here are the two lines installed, green arrow is the oil crossover and the blue is fuel.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/023Medium-Copy.jpg

The fuel line connects the heads and eliminates the dead head system from International. This upgrade gives the needed fuel to the 8th injector and evenly distributes fuel pressure to the other injectors.
Since the injectors are run by oil pressure, this oil crossover also balances the oil flow to all eight injectors. Faster starts, smoother idle, quieter injectors, and more power are all outcomes from these upgrades.


As explained earlier, the turbo housing has a larger inlet and is ported to allow a bypass of the incoming aircharge. This setup eliminates turbo surge and the stall created by surge. Surge isn't something that happens with a stock diesel but when power mods are added, namely a custom chip, surge becomes prevelant and can be deadly to turbos.

A direct comparison.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/019Medium.jpg

Installed.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/029Medium.jpg

I didn't take any pics of the intercooler install but here's one on the stock IC under the core supprt. Everything on and including the core support needs to come out for ICs to get swapped. The 6.0 IC is 30% larger and nets a 100 degree drop in EGTs, maybe a little power increase also due to the increase of cooler air coming into the intake. The new IC is taller and was hitting the transmission cooler lines just past the fittings. I reached down and bent the lines a tad and the cooler fit fine.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/025Medium.jpg

All buttoned up. I wrapped the cold side tube with header tape to help keep the cooler air well... cool.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/001Medium.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/006Medium.jpg

Next project is to install the F250 springs.

[1stgenrnrdude]

looks purty! nice work. so wut are the f250 springs gonna do?

[locknload]

They'll give me a firmer ride. The Excursion springs were made soft for more of an SUV ride but with 8K lbs, it's too soft. With the stiffer new springs I will get 1 1/2" additional lift but hopefully it won't be too bad. I like the height now and although 1 1/2" doesn't sound like much, it always appears to look double that when lifting or dropping a vehicle. We'll see. Looking forward to losing the mushy front ride.

[locknload]

After not being able to fill up at the big boy pumps a couple times I decided I needed to fix the tiny fuel filler neck. I was towing both times and really needed to use the big rig pumps, the second time I had my 33 foot tt behind me and clogged the gas station just a bit. Anyway...

I read about a simple mod to 'open' up the fuel filler neck to allow the use of the big rig hi flow nozzles. My 2000 has a reduced inner hole with a spring loaded trap door. This piece is made of some sort of nylon and is pressed inside the fill neck. To keep plastic shards from falling in the gas tank, I removed the fill neck from the tank. It took a little work after loosening two hose clamps from the fill hose and vent hose. Once the clamps were loose, I had to twist the filler tube about 180 degrees counter clockwise to get enough room to get it from under the fender. It's kind of a PITA but not too bad.

Once the tube was out I used a Dremel with a roto type drill bit and cut the guts out. I then used a small sanding drum to smooth it out. Re-installation of the hoses was alot easier than removal, just had to start 180 degrees out then twist it in. Oh yeah, don't forget to blow out all the plastic shavings before you re-install the neck. All in all it took about an hour, not a bad mod, especially for the added convenience on the road. Glad I finally did it.

Before.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/313Medium.jpg

After.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/314Medium.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/315Medium.jpg

[BeaterToyota]

There are so many jokes to be made about you wanting a bigger hole so you can accept a bigger nozzle, but I'll leave them to somebody else.

Nice work dude. Will come in handy when you tow my rig around for me next season.

[locknload]

I already had a 4" hanger lift installed by the PO and my stock front springs were super duper droopy. I finally installed my V-codes that have been in my garage for the last year and F350 tapered blocks. I installed an adjustable track arm to center the axle, much better.

The front came up 1 3/4" and the blocks leveled the rear, maybe a hair high in the ass. The truck's suspension works now. I was concerned about additional lift but I'm extremely happy with how this turned out. Also installed a set of Bilstein 5100 shocks and steering stabilizer. What a difference!! This truck rides awesome now.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/003Medium-3.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/001Medium-4.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/002Medium-2.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/006Medium-2.jpg

[locknload]

My father in law bought a brand new Dodge Cummins and when he parked it in front of my house, I felt I had to mark my territory.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/004Medium-3.jpg

[HOODLUM]

Too bad his window was up.

[BeaterToyota]

The front came up 1 3/4" and the blocks leveled the rear, maybe a hair high in the ass. The truck's suspension works now. I was concerned about additional lift but I'm extremely happy with how this turned out.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/003Medium-3.jpg


Looks good dude. But you missed a spot when you washed and waxed it. Look closer. Yeah, right there.

[BeaterToyota]

My father in law bought a brand new Dodge Cummins and when he parked it in front of my house, I felt I had to mark my territory.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/locknload223/Excursion/004Medium-3.jpg
You claim to NOT be from WV, but I'm second guessing that. :flipoff:

[94krawler]

you claim to not be from wv, but i'm second guessing that. :flipoff:

rofl