Project TC (Two Chances)

[MustangShane]

Welcome to my 98 Expedition Project. Originally this was an under-the-radar project right due to an issue with the title. This project is going to be done with mostly junkyard parts. My Buddy put a used trans in it (per the customer). The owner never came and got it, and while he had it they also got a title loan on it. Then they filed bankruptcy. So, my Buddy had the deepest lien on it with the trans and storage fees. So he has first dibs basically. So I paid the title loan place 200 bones for the title, and it is now mine. It took about 2 months before I officially had the title in my possession.

Needs when received:
Radiator
Alternator
Transmission Leak (Filler Tube)
Battery and Terminals
Front Wheel Bearings
Radiator Hoses
Needs a douching
Needs oil changed
Blend Door

So far I've added a new battery and terminals, and also replaced the alternator. The alternator did charge well, but it had a bad bearing. I will probably attempt to repair it for a spare for this vehicle and my truck.

I picked up this 2 year old Motorcraft battery at the junkyard for 30 dollars.

The new alternator on the left was a junkyard find for under 20 dollars. I think it is fairly new.

I picked up this brand new radiator for an F150 on the equivalent to Craigslist for 25 dollars.

Here is a video I took of it idling after I swapped the alternator. It is much quieter.

[Youtube]n-yUNTcTVT8[/YouTube]

Stay buckled. More to come.

Edit: paint code - F7

 

[MustangShane]

Since it was a used trans, that means you get to deal with crap hack jobs from the PO. It was leaking like a civ when I got this.

I swapped out the center console lid I found at the yard. Much much nicer.

My Buddy also had to put a used t-case in this because of a fatal crack in the case of both the trans and t-case due to bad u-joints (pics later in the thread). I also wasn't sure if the transfer case worked, so I just did a short video checking function.

[Youtube]wTPuL6Mb5xs[/YOUTUBE]

 

[MustangShane]

I noticed that the face on the stereo seemed loose on the Expy. So today I investigated. Some horses butt has been in here dicking around. The tabs for the drivers side were all jacked up, and that made for one hell of a time getting it out. I have the factory deck from Hoss, so I decided I'd swap them out - especially after seeing how messed up the Expy stereo is.

So I pull it out and find this. Yes, that is freakin' MASKING tape.

The wiring was as wonky as you get. So I cut my losses with dealing with factory trash, and did this.

To get to this point though, it was quite the ruckus. I had to also remove the factory amp.

Let me tell you.... Ford bumped their head when they found a spot for the premium sound amplifier. To extract it, either something needs to be cut, or the dash needs removed. I took the dash all apart and had to pull the center console out again to gain access to this pig.

Here is the plug that needs viewing it with my mirror.

Pulled!

Then it is pretty tricky to snake it up to the top where the stereo resides.

This is the part that kind of irritated me. As suggested by Metra, I bought the Metra 70-5513 amp "bypass harness" which is not really a bypass by my definition. You have to cut one side off and wire it directly to the stereo. None of which was in the instructions. After discovering only one side matched the amp connectors, I did a Google search to discover this.

So, here it is wired directly.

 

[MustangShane]

When I got it, it only blew hot air out of the vents and would click all the time. I thought for sure it was a busted blend door, and the dash was coming out. I was quite surprised to find that the issue was just the blend door motor being bad. This is the little buggar below, and it is a big PITA to get it out.

You can see all of the busted teeth on the gear that is in contact with the motor. In fact, that piece stuck to the motor is one of the teeth.

I replaced it with this new unit from Dorman.

 

[MustangShane]

As I mentioned above, when my Buddy put a trans in this thing, it was not because the trans was not working.... but rather because the case was broke. In the first 100 or so miles I put on it, I determined that the driveshaft had some issues. It vibrates like an SOB above 40, especially upon deceleration. I took it to a place here called GRS, which uses Spicer joints. He did all five u-joints, the CV joint, and rebuilding the sleeve on the front driveline for 180 dollars. It is all Spicer stuff he uses as well. He said balancing them would be a waste of money because everything (weights) was still intact.

Pics and a short video of BEFORE.

This is unreal.
[YOUTUBE]y-nytPiHLt8[/YOUTUBE]

 

[MustangShane]

All better! Here is the 2 u-joint/CV setup Ford used. I kind of wish my F150 was like this.

All Spicer joints were used. I elected to use greasable this go around. He talked me into it.

 

[MustangShane]

I've got this stuff to put on it. Just need to get the time, etc.

Ret to go!

 

[MustangShane]

When I went and got the State/IM done, it was rejected for the one thing I did not check. Parking brake. So, I got it home and the adjusters wouldn't turn. I took the disc off and found this mess. The glue that holds the brake material to the metal failed. This is the drivers side only in this pic, but the passenger took me slightly wiggling is to fall off.

I put new shoes on it from Autozone. Not too hard off a job at all, but the adjusters did need to be cleaned to get them moving again. The Aerokroil broke the rust up really well.

The Wife and I decided to drop off the kids at my parents house and go out on a date. The old Expy started acting up. Apparently this used trans my Buddy put in it is a well used trans. The trans started slipping occasionally from take off and it gave me a couple flares going into 3rd. Shit. I wonder how many more favors I'm going to need to pull from my Buddy? He's probably getting annoyed by me. When I was down there last, two weeks ago, he had three 4R70W's sitting in crates. I don't recall if they are 2WD or 4WD though.

 

[MustangShane]

As mentioned above, the trans took a dump. We pulled the pan, gagged from the smell

So, he had one built and sitting on a shelf. And it went in the next day.

 

[MustangShane]

New problem however is the windshield leaking on the GEM and Fuse Box. All hell breaks loose when it gets wet. It becomes possessed and tries to start itself with no key. I took out the GEM/Fuse Box (they are connected with 3 screws and a plug) and found it had been wet on the two bulkhead connections on the Fuse Box. The GEM looked perfect. I noticed Ford put a plastic cover over the GEM to protect it from moisture. So, I extended that cover to also cover the bulkhead connections.

Here is the GEM only before I added some window material.

It got wet here

Da puddle.