The truck was virtually complete before any lift hardware was purchased. As a matter of fact, the custom-painted tribal graphics on the roof were visible at one time. (Now you have to look down from a second-story window to see Keith's artistry!) The lifting process began with Superlift's 7-inch suspension lift. It uses new Select Series front springs and urethane compression travel stops to maintain the Excursion's excellent ride quality. The factory rear stops were relocated, a dropped pitman arm corrected the steering geometry, and the track bar was lowered to keep it in phase with the drag link. Sway bar brackets were included to prevent bar preload. In the rear, lift was achieved with a combination of 4-inch blocks and Add-A-Leaf springs. Keith plans to replace the standard Superlift shocks soon with reservoir versions. Finishing touches up front include the Fab Tech dual-shock steering-stabilizer kit that improved directional stability while the long, custom-made ladder bars in the rear minimized axlewrap.
Although both front and rear differentials are stock Excursion, the internals have been replaced with 4.56 Detroit gears. To add a little bling, the rear differential cover was painted candy blue to match. Keith waited until all the ride height details were in place before choosing the tires. The set of Eagle Alloy rims-22x9s-were wrapped with 37X13.5-R22 Toyo Open Country rubber, providing aggressive handling without compromising ride comfort.
Of course, you can't have a custom truck and forget about the vast array of aftermarket options for increased power. Keith began the upgrade of the 7.3L turbodiesel by equipping the turbo with a Banks Wicked Wheel to control surge. The Banks Big Head wastegate maintains more boost throughout the powerband by eliminating premature wastegate blow-open. A Garrett inlet was fitted with a BD Diesel Performance X-Intake airbox for a dense charge and a TS Performance chip with six power settings was flashed to accommodate all the mods on the motor. Stacked on the TS is a Banks Six-Gun tuner for even more gains, with a 60-shot NOS nitrous setup thrown in for good measure. A 4-inch downpipe feeds a 5-inch straight-through exhaust. Since the combination produces an estimated 450 hp, Keith reworked the Ford 400RE transmission with hardened input and output shafts, adding a Banks billet torque converter, carbon clutches, and Bully Dog shift kit.
The completed truck is great fun on the road and Keith drives it on a regular basis. Designed to be a cool street ride, the truck provides an added benefit for this full-time automotive professional. One look at his careful craftsmanship and you'll be more than comfortable letting him customize your truck. Special thanks goes to Brad Tilson, Adam Fletcher, and especially to Michelle, Keith's wife, for their help in creating his dream truck.