When a company approaches the modification of any project SUV, the main purpose is to build upon the vehicle's stock attributes and create a uniquely modified ride, one that will garner attention wherever it travels and bring notoriety to the company involved. L&G Enterprises of San Dimas, California, has certainly scored an A in project-vehicle basics with the Escape that graces these pages -- and it has gathered its fair share of extra credit along the way.
The Ford Escape is becoming a popular vehicle with aftermarket enthusiasts. Since its '01 model year introduction, we have seen several Escapes that have undergone the modification process, with performance upgrades, interior styling cues, and exterior enhancement leading the way. The viability of the Escape platform as an excellent aftermarket base can be further illustrated by the fact that Truckin's SUV's next project vehicle is a Ford Escape (see the introductory article on our new project on page 62 of this issue).
In stock format, the Escape comes with either a 2.0L 130hp Zetec I-4 engine or the peppy 200hp Duratec V-6 powerplant. The inline-four is mated to a five-speed manual transmission or an optional automatic, while the six comes with a four-speed automatic tranny. A front-wheel-drive powertrain is standard, and an optional Control Trac II full-time 4x4 system is also available. Additional key features of the Ford include a 3,500-pound towing capacity (with the V-6 engine and the towing package), a rear liftgate with flip-up glass, a standard in-dash single-CD player (or an optional in-dash six-disc CD player with 300 watts of peak power), and four-wheel independent suspension.
As capable as the Ford Escape is, L&G Enterprises wanted to take the vehicle to an entirely new level. L&G is well known for becoming involved with numerous project vehicles, mainly concentrating on eye-catching paintjobs -- a company trademark. The battle plan for the Escape would concentrate on some horsepower-enhancing engine mods, suspension and braking upgrades, exterior styling cues, interior refinement, and the addition of some impressive mobile electronics. Dubbed the Icescape Adventurer, the final version would travel to the 2001 SEMA Show in Las Vegas in order for the assembled aftermarket industry to judge its worth.
The first order of business was to enhance the Escape's performance ability with some potent engine add-ons. To this end, the big gun is a twin-screw supercharger kit from Kenne Bell Performance Products. Adding approximately 65 hp to the Escape's powerplant, the supercharger kit has been perfected for the Escape by Kenne Bell, which has developed and installed many of these units for the compact Ford SUV. Also helping out in the power department is a ram-air intake from K&N Engineering and an after-cat Sportman Street exhaust system from Spintek. The exhaust features mandrel-bent stainless tubing and culminates in a stylish angle-cut chrome tip from Muffler City. Lastly, on the performance side, an Optima battery was added under the hood to keep things well energized.
With all of that extra go-power, the Escape was in need of some additional stopping power and suspension upgrades. Beefier brakes come by way of a set of slotted front rotors from Power Stop. In the suspension department, a front sway bar and bushings from Hotchkis Performance were installed, as was a set of rear coil springs from the Custom Truck Shop that served to lower the Escape 1 inch. Naturally, all of this could not be achieved without adding a set of stylish wheels and some upgraded rubber. To that end, the Escape's wheelwells now sport 17x8-inch Maxxim Pursuit wheels from Konig that are wrapped in Toyo Proxes S/T tires of the P285/60R17 variety.
The Escape's exterior upgrades definitely serve to make this Ford unique. Being paint and body experts, L&G pulled out all the stops to make the Escape one unique ride. Prior to being expertly sprayed by the L&G technicians, the Escape's rear quarter glass was shaved and all the Ford's plastic body pieces were smoothed and painted. Using what the company calls a Marbilizer technique, PPG Industries' Frost Blue paint was then applied with tender, loving care. The overall effect is an eye-catcher, as you can tell from the photos that grace these pages.
Additional exterior work includes a tubular grilleguard from Smittybilt, PIAA exterior driving lights, a No Boundaries Ford roof rack, stainless steel door entry guards from the Custom Truck Shop, and window tinting from Quality Motoring. For that final touch, custom airbrushing and lettering was carefully applied by Larry Fator of Quicksilver.
With these extensive mods in place, all that remained to make the Escape a show winner was a revamped interior and the addition of some mobile entertainment. The original front seats were removed, and in their place a set of XR2 two-tone leather-clad bucket seats from Cerullo Performance Seating was bolted into place. The rear seats were reupholstered to match in Taupe and Mellow Blue. Bright-blue, five-point seatbelt harnesses from Deist ensure that the driver and passenger stay in place during spirited maneuvering.
An unobtrusive six-point custom interior rollcage was expertly fabricated for the Escape by Tri-County, lending an extra measure of safety to the interior. Additional interior upgrades include a dash kit from Woodview Automotive Trim that features molded and flat-bronze dash kit pieces.
A pleasing variety of audio and video equipment also fills up the Escape's interior, including a Kenwood DPX-440 head unit, a trio of Ample Audio subwoofers, and an Ample Audio 1200 DX Class X digital amp. The audio installation, which features a custom rear amp box, was expertly installed by Audio Innovations. Audiovox provided the video, including a DVD player, a flip-down 7-inch overhead LCD monitor, and a navigation system.
Finished to perfection, the Escape was ready to head for Las Vegas to be admired by thousands of SEMA attendees. The decked-out Ford definitely received its fair share of attention and garnered many well-deserved accolades, including the title of Best SUV as bestowed by the Ford Motor Company. We're sure you'll agree that this is definitely one Escape that had no trouble finding its way onto the cover of Truckin's SUV.