So here's some initial photos of the 97 XLT that I'm picking up hopefully this weekend. This truck was used as a delivery truck and it ran between two stores that are about a 1.5 hr drive apart. All it needs is a head gasket on the left bank, but I'm going to replace them both (might as well while I have it apart). Its been undercoated every year and looks to be well taken care of. The third row isn't in the truck right now, but it does have one.















I also have the opportunity to pick these up with the truck on the cheap:


Never been worn!

 

Wow looks pretty good kept, im not a fan of the green interior nor cloth seats but hey its an expedition p.s i like the straight bench in the front....that way the lady can be next to you. but anyways dose it have aircondition on the roof of the truck?

 

Yup, this truck is fully loaded.



I'm not the biggest fan of this interior, but for what I'm paying, I am not going to complain! hahaha

Now, I was wondering about those rear controls. Do the controls above the driver's seat override the controls in the second row?

 

yes they do, are you thinking of panting it?

 

The paint is actually in really good condition. There's no flaking or peeling anywhere, and even the roof and hood haven't faded. I'm just going to peel all the graphics off (except the factory pinstripe, for now) and give it a good buffing to match it all up. Some of the black trim has faded and looks kinda oily, though. Hopefully I can get it cleaned up and looking good. I have a bottle of Mother's Back to Black, maybe it'll do some magic!

 

Alrighty, finally got this baby home and in the garage. Couldn't get it started so we ended up flat-towing it.

Good news: factory 6-disc CD changer under the front seat

Bad news: where the PO started to peel the graphics off the doors he took the clearcoat with them... so now I'm going to have to have at least the rear doors re-cleared...

Its starting to sink in just how big these trucks really are. I wasn't getting an appropriate sense of scale until now as all four tires were flat and it was somewhat buried in snow. But when they're all pumped up and its sitting on level ground, its as big as our 89 K1500 plow truck that has add-a-leafs and cranked torsion bars!

 

YEah, they be big. Until you park next to an Excursion.

 

An update on the situation with this truck...

It seems the engine is seized. Any attempts to start it or turn it over by hand have failed. I've tracked down an engine in a Crown Vic for $400 and I'm waiting to hear back from another junkyard that has one from an F-150, but they're not sure if it is any good. They're trying to contact the guy that sold them the truck to find out.

On the upside, I've taken all the graphics off, except for one on the hatch that gives this truck its nickname...






I had taken the bug deflector off to clean it as there was a bunch of leaves in there, and it looks like its never been off... the paint on the front of the hood is bubbling.


I call it "The Grape"

Its not really visible in the picture but all the graphics that were on the hatch managed to fade the paint in such a way that even with them off, its still visible. Not sure how to get rid of that...

 

great time to upgrade to a 5.4..... much easier to swap than to do head gaskets... cheaper too....

 

Well, the way I see it is this: $400 and I get a 4.6 I can drop right in. If I get a 5.4, I still have to mod the exhaust, fiddle with the harness, get the ECU tuned, etc. Probably looking at a lot more than $400...

 

a good buffing with some good stuff (not auto store crap) should bring back the paint and hide the spots where the stickers were

 

I don't think I've ever seen an Expedition optioned like that with a bench & no console. Is the interior green, or is it just the pics?

 

The bubbling on the hood i wouldent worry about. Its really not rust, its a paint/metal reaction. Ford didnt seem to prep the hoods very well on many many F150-Expy's. I have personally seen over 15 and ive owend 5 of them. Nothing a bug shield wont cover up. By the looks it had one on it at one point.

 

The truck has a bug shield; the reason the paint is bubbling like that is because it was never removed and cleaned out. This truck was painted in 97 under warranty due to paint issues...

And yes, the interior is green. According to the door jamb the colour is Willow Green. Rare to have fully loaded and a bench, eh? Well, the truck was used as a mobile office so I'm sure there's a reason for the bench...