It may have been designed to be stealthy in the woods, but at the 2002 SEMA show in Las Vegas, this '01 Ford Excursion was as obvious as, well, a massive camo behemoth surrounded by men in suits. But lest you think that this truck is simply about its camouflage skin, we can assure you it's not. This diesel-powered mongrel has been built to be all brute, and it generates lots of force. It's owned by SPAL Advanced Technologies in Des Moines, Iowa (makers of scores of automotive accessories like aftermarket power windows, power door locks, remote car starters, axial cooling fans, and much more), and it was built entirely by full-time SPAL employees to be displayed at various trade shows across the United States.
A look under the hood reveals a 7.3L Power Stroke engine that may appear stock. It isn't. It's been seriously beefed to provide a significant increase in horsepower and torque. It features a slew of Hypermax components including a 5-inch-diameter air intake and exhaust system, a performance intake manifold, and performance turbocharger. The air intake, intake manifold, and exhaust have all been coated with Jet Hot, the injectors have been bored out for more fuel flow, and C&R Racing of Indianapolis, Indiana, custom-designed a radiator and intercooler. Other mods include SPAL cooling fans and an Optima Red Top battery. With these mods in place, dyno testing indicates that the powerplant is generating more than 1,000 lb-ft of torque and more than 450hp. To help the transmission control (and survive) this increase in power, a Hypermax valve body kit was installed, and C&R Racing built a custom transmission cooler.
Underneath the Excursion, the durable solid-axle/leaf-spring suspension was lifted 6 inches using a Skyjacker suspension lift, which included all the needed components such as a drop pitman arm and extended brake lines. Further, a Skyjacker steering stabilizer helps keep the Pro Comp 315/75R16 Mud Terrain tires on the straight and narrow. The Pro Comp meats are mounted on beefy Weld 16x10 Sidewinder aluminum wheels.
The exterior of the truck was fitted with a number of functional bolt-ons, including powdercoated Putco stainless-steel nerf bars, a stainless-steel Superwinch front nerf bar, and Husky 10,000-pound winch (with Superwinch's new wireless remote unit), four pairs of Pro Comp auxiliary lights, a Wilderness roof rack, and Hi-Lift jack. After all of these items were installed, the entire truck (and many of the accessories) was covered in Advantage Wetlands Camoclad 3M vinyl covering, which further enhances the truck's go-anywhere look.
The interior of the Excursion was enhanced with a number of creature comforts, including a massive, dual-amplifier, 6-speaker Bazooka stereo system, a Concept DVD player, VCR, and a VDO Navtech GPS/mapping unit. Other interior mods include an upgrade to white-face APC dash gauges, Nu-Dash wood grain interior appoint-ments, and the addition of Hypermax turbo and pyrometer gauges. To make sure the truck doesn't disappear in the night, a high-zoot SPAL AS-100 security system was installed, and it includes remote-starting capability, power-window interface, door-lock control, and carjacking resistance.
The SPAL Advanced Technologies Excursion doesn't just look mean, it is mean, thanks to its beefy underhood mods and scores of functional touches. All this, and it can haul eight passengers, too.
