2003 Ford Expedition - Zesty Appeal

Although the new '03 Expedition has only been sitting on dealers' lots for a few short months, a number of enterprising companies and individuals have jumped on the Expedition bandwagon, customizing these beefy SUVs to reach their full potential. First up in this special look at modified fullsize new Ford SUVs is this tasty, orange ride, a project vehicle from Street Scene Equipment.

Street Scene, located in Costa Mesa, California, manufactures a variety of SUV accessory items, including the company's very own Speed Grille, Cal-Vu mirrors, urethane body styling pieces, and more. This '03 Expedition was designed and built by Street Scene to promote the company's products and to explore the aftermarket possibilities of this popular sport utility vehicle. This big Ford made its debut at the 2002 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, where it received the Best of Show, Interior Category, as presented by the Ford Motor Company. The Expedition also received the Meguiar's Modifier of the Year award for best SUV at the SEMA Show. In fact, one of the judges for the Meguiar's award was none other than Truckin's managing editor, Carl Calvert. A number of other awards for this special project vehicle were also bestowed on this orange beauty.

After looking at the Expedition that graces these pages, you'll understand the reasoning behind all of those accolades. Naturally, the star of the show is that world-class paintjob. Jerry Sievers of Paint 'N' Place, in Placentia, California, expertly sprayed those juicy citrus colors on the Ford's body, resulting in an SUV with a definite zesty appeal. House of Kolor Tangelo Pearl is highlighted with Sunset Pearl ghost flames for a very dramatic overall effect. Additional exterior refinement comes by way of Street Scene urethane side skirts, a lower urethane valance, Cal-Vu forward and back-facing Muth signal mirrors, and a wiper cowl. In addition, Street Scene Satin Speed Grilles now adorn the main and lower valance to spruce up the Expedition's front end. Additional outside mods include Johnson window film tint, a shaved roof rack, and a trailer hitch cover with back-up parking sensor.

The rolling stock and suspension setups are also first-rate and definitely add to the Expedition's appeal. This Ford can enjoy a variety of ride heights, thanks to a factory Lincoln Navigator airbag setup at all four corners. The system also uses Firestone Ride-Rite compressors, gauges, and solenoids, installed by Billet Super Store in Placentia, California. Impressive 22x10-inch Boze Alloys Six-Speed wheels now fill up the wheelwells, and are wrapped by P305/40R22 Toyo Proxes. The Boze wheels feature Speed Grille inserts in the spokes and are a brand-new product from this company.

Pop open the hood on this bright Ford and you're greeted by a variety of performance parts, the main player being a Magna Charger supercharger kit that dramatically ups the Expedition's power. The supercharger installation and related fuel system and calibration were performed by Allen Engine Development of Ventura, California. Additional power players include a FIPK intake from K&N, a Gibson Exhaust after-cat system, and for more electrical power, an Optima Yellow Top battery. To provide some sparkle to the engine bay, a number of billet accessory items were installed by Billet Super Store.

Step into the interior of this Exceptional Expedition and more goodies greet the eyes, and ears. The stock seating has been replaced by Street Scene's new line of luxury leather bucket Street Seats in the front and rear. In addition, a custom Street Scene center console now sits between the two front seats. Adding further style to the interior is Deco Tech's Blackwood dash and interior kit, and American Stitches' Blackwood steering wheel.

For audio entertainment, the Ford now sports Cutting Edge Audio amps and speakers, with a trio of 12-inch subwoofers, for a total of 12 speakers in all. On the video side, an Icon TV system is on call to entertain passengers, and includes two 9-inch flip-down LCD monitors and an in-dash DVD player using a 7-inch monitor. This impressive audio/video system was installed by Audio Innovations in Glendora, California.

As mentioned earlier, the flashy Expedition made its debut at SEMA last year and picked up numerous awards and accolades in the process. More recently, it appeared at the 2003 L.A. Auto Show in the Meguiar's Car Care booth. Presently, the Expedition is hitting the car show circuit, being displayed at several industry and enthusiast truck shows throughout the United States. It also acts as a family hauler for Mike Spagnola, president of Street Scene, who can be seen cruising around the Southern California area or pulling the family ski boat across the California desert to Bullhead, Arizona.

Whether cruising the roads or sitting proudly in a truck-show booth, this is one Expedition with a definite appeal, and one that stops traffic, and show-goers, wherever it appears.