2 months later I'm finally back on the road-Pic heavy

[BatDoctor]

Hello all, it has been a while I know. but LOTS has happened. First off I had lot$$$$$ of work done on the suv. Or HAD to have lets say, the dealership had it for 7 weeks!
PTU replaced- Ford actually warrantied this under PIU extended and below 100k...whew! Would have bee 2k bucks!
front drive shafts replaced
all sway bar bushings replaced
serpentine belt replaced
front wheel hubs replaced
all wheel alignment
all brakes replaced with factory parts (first set lasted 89k in the hands of police!)
steering flash update to ECU
Front blower motor replaced
Drove it for 3 days then...
After finding out that the vehicle is not technically off road rated what so ever, and I was even being careful with it on a semi maintained Nevada pathway ...
oil pan (4 holes punched in it)
exhaust cross over piping
catalytic converters
new HVAC lines run to back
AC recharge
coolant change
oil change
BOTH motor mounts broken!

...and very close to 4k bucks out of my pocket I now have a decent riding and driving vehicle. I have way more money in this that I ever wanted to spend...but its paid for. So, then I decided that I just couldn't live with the well sat in interior parts. That led me to Sacramento Ca to buy almost an entire interior out of a wrecked limited. Actually got a very good deal from them at 900 for the entire interior minus the console as it was already spoken for ( but I had one already anyhow)

I spent 2 days last week removing the coverings and pads from all 4 seats as the electronics and connections weren't even close to the PIU wiring, and just recovered the old frames. I will say it was a large learning curve and I have a new appreciation for people that do this work as a profession. It is very labor intensive and even with factory designed equipment!

The door panels and dash panels were more of the same. Wiring not even close to the civilian models, mostly disassembly is required of your considering this type of upgrade. Nicely though the rear doors do have speaker connections that are plug n play, and already wired to your stereo. It helps fill in the sound nicely.

All in all I am very happy with the results, color and comfort change. This vehicle out of the 5 police vehicles I have owned has been the most expensive and most difficult vehicle to work with/on I have ever had.

Lastly I finally installed my public safety radio for work and my ham radio in there completely yesterday. Again fighting me every step with challenges, however again it turned out really nice and everything is hidden well without the cost of an aftermarket console!

Thought Id share my trilogy with you all.
Cheers!

 

[KayGee]

I've always liked the contrasting tone interiors - looks good. Did you get the matching rear seats from the retail explorer also?

 

[lovemyfordpiu]

On my PIU, I did a lot fo the thing and pulled stuff from a nice totaled Explorer. The center console fit perfectly, but I have a floppy shifter in the center. Where did you get the little panel to fill the hole where the shifter went?