Offroad Projects

Hey guys, Names andy. I joined a little over a year ago and have been doing a ton of reading on here. I picked up my 98 mountaineer 5.0 awd about 16 months ago, and immediately when i got it, it needed work. I only paid 700 dollars for it which was a steal even though it needed some love, and a transmission. I set out to work on it and so far, i Replaced the transmission, replaced all the brakes, replaced the radiator, added a flow master muffler dumped right in front of the axle, replaced the cracked tube style exhaust manifolds with cast style ones, did a full tune up, fluid change, etc. Before i even drove it for the first time, i replaced the wheels and tires because the existing tires were bald and different sizes which is a...

Hey guys its BeastMode. Like I said before I bought my mountaineer from a close friend who was planning on building it but decided to go another route. I picked up up in great condition and decided to pick up where he left off. I been meaning to start this thread so I could get a little more insight on the explorers/mountaineers 5.0L. So far what I have done is..... I do have another motor that is built for the mounty. Its another 5.0 that has a lot of machine work done and e303 racing cam. I plan on running roller rockers and 24-30lb injectors. And get it tuned correctly. Lowered the front torsion bars 6.5 turns and put a 3inch block on the rear axle. Added 1 inch spacers in the front and 2inch spacers in the rear. Currently...

My project explorer SAS full width on 37's Recently picked a 1997 v8 awd. Had a leaking radiator so the owner kept adding water which in turn rotted out the water pump. After a new cooling system and a new timing set while I was in there.( broken bolt at water pump):mad: it runs like a champ. So I cranked up the torsions and threw some warrior shackles under it with some 33x12.50's on the stock wheels. Yes they fit,yes I trimmed a little Tupperware, yes it rubs on nothing important.I've wheeled it fairly hard,I live 30mins from corral canyon and it made it up bronco peak with some adequate use of the throttle and a don't give a **** attitude.:D:eek:: :thumbsup:. Then I found a 79' bronco project 2 blocks from my house and got my...

I see there is an X entered this year in the 4600 stock class at King of the Hammers. There was a BII that ran a couple years back. Why don't we have anyone from the forum working on a build for the King of the Hammers? I know we have the fabricators and an X could beat the stock XJ's. Even a Ranger would work. Perhaps a Forum build where we all get together and chip in? FYI, They just updated the stock class rules this week. here is the whole rule book link. https://www.ultra4racing.com/sites/default/files/ULTRA4-rule-book.pdf Maybe we can get behind the X that is already entered and chip in to help in one way or the other. Thoughts on why or why not? Ideas?

hello everyone i've been on this site for awhile and slowly have been saving money and building my project. i had an 01 ford ranger 2wd that i started to build with the little knowledge that i had. the ranger wasnt much in performance but looked kool. the more i hung out in forums and went to meets in the desert i started to learn more and i figured out what i wanted. i wanted a truck i can hit over 45 in the desert and when ever i went to trails i would switch to 4wd and have fun there too. so i sold my ranger and bought me a 4wd ranger so i can start the build. BUT i hated the fact i would only fit 2 ppl in it and i also didnt want to be another desert ranger so i sold that ranger (and made a profit) and i bought myself a 2002 sport...

Ok kiddies, time for my bi-annual rebuild thread:p: This time I won't be messing with the suspension...well, maybe the coilovers. I may need new coils so I don't have so much uptravel but I'll deal with that much later. Since i'm barely working progress will be slow since I'll need a few parts and whatnot to get my rig functional again. Main things I need to purchase are new leaf springs. They are totally shot and to have them rebuilt I can buy a new set of Toy springs which i'm gonna try out. In the mean time, i've been removing stuff that either is damaged and won't be used again or just removing to get it out of the way while I work on stuff. Here's my list so far: Front bumper tubework: This will get reworked to accommodate...

Without going into great detail, I have an "extra" Explorer. I'm highly considering making it a dedicated off road truck. I'm looking to keep costs to a minimum. Free is preferable. I have another parts truck as well. What I'm working with is a 2003 4 door explorer with a 4.0 SOHC. The point of this thread I suppose is just to get some ideas and advice. So far my plan is to remove the sway bars, remove the carpet and air bags, and Lincoln lock both differentials. I'm posting from work right now so I'll post pictures in a little bit. Any ideas and advice would be appreciated.

I am in the process of tearing down my 44 to replace the wheel bearings, and i'm having difficulty matching up numbers.. When I pulled it apart I found Timkin JLM104910 for the inner race & NTN (National??) 104949 for the bearing ring.. For the outer i have Timkin LM501310 for the race, and the bearing ring is not readable.. I'm also researching the origin of this axle, its non-vacuum, driver side drop, open knuckle, 6 lug.. There are no markings or numbers on the axle.. Thank you in advance.. ;) ((I am also in the process of a Dana 30 SAS into my Sport Trac.. Multitasking!!))

Project Merc... New here. Big time Ford guy but I have been building Jeeps last few years. Having two growing boys I need something bigger then my Wrangler. And my XJ is kinda rough to wheel when you sit in it for 8 hours of off road action. So was looking for something a little more plush. Grand Cherokee are nice but Uni body and there V8 options suck since there is no aftermarket for them. Having a couple Fox Body Mustangs I am already familiar with the 5.0. I worked out a deal on 98 Mountaineer 5.0 V8 should be picking it up Tues. I can't wait!!:D I will post pics after I pick it up. I did SAS swap in a Diesel Jeep Liberty for a friend so already have practice. Plan on using XJ Dana 30 to start and upgrade to 44 at a later date...

Just picked up a wrecked 2000 5.0 mountaineer for cheap. Going to swap in a Dana 44/60 combo I already have from another project. It's going to be an off-road only vehicle so i don't care about abs and speedo. My question comes to the trans and shifting. I know the vss runs through the abs stuff in order for it to shift properly. Since I'll be removing all that. How can I get it to work? I've searched and searched and seems everyone is using 8.8s that use the vss. I'm using the axles I already have.

I have been at this for a little while now. I haven't really taken any pictures of the steps leading up until now. I am bad about blogging as I do things, so I will take pictures when I think to and if any of you guys have questions or input I will snap pictures along the way. I fabbed the outriggers from scratch. I used the boomerang shackles to give me more clearance around the body mount and give me a littler better ride. The front cross member was made from a 2"x3" rectangle tubing with hangers from ruffstuffspecialties.com. I then bolted it to the frame in a few places as well as used it as a back mounting support for the winch. I made a dimple die to press the clearance holes and add some more strength and make them look...

Hey everyone, in my younger days I frequented the forums constantly. After college I got busy with house stuff and rock climbing, and have eased up on working on my truck. Well, I caught the bug again and am back at it! Last weekend I drove to Nashville to pick up the axle built on this episode of xtreme 4x4: https://www.powerblocktv.com/episode/XT2011-02/nissan-crew-truck-part-three#.WB38V8mM51k Here is the synopsis: Dana 44 out of a 2001 Dodge ram 1500 Narrowed for early F250 shafts vacuum disconnect bypassed 4.88 gears Eaton e locker all new brake hardware, u joints, bearings, races, seals, diff cover, etc etc etc. Basically every part was replaced 5 years ago for the build for the show. set up as leaf springs, spring under. all...

..and it's full of nuts and bolts..Should I keep it?

If this is in wrong spot please move :) I stumbled across this thread when looking for some info on the HF 90 amp welder that someone I know is taking in on a partial trade..:hammer: Has anybody else seen or done these upgrades?...Sounds a bit complicated for me when I could probably buy a used good welder but the upgrade cost to something I already own might make it worth mytime...Thoughts? http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/modifying-the-harbor-freight-120v-welder-if-you-already-own-one/64

Well, I finally decided to start a thread on it. For those of you who don't know, I will be doing a full-width swap. High-Pinion Dana 44 front and Ford 9" rear. I am still looking for the HP D44, but I picked up the 9" Monday. I have never really done a lot of work on axles, so this will definitely be a long process, but I have already done a lot of research about this(and am still learning a TON). I plan on doing as much of it myself as I possibly can, but will have a shop do the regear for me. FRONT AXLE -1977 F-150 HP D44 Full-Width $200 - Moved Forward ~1.5” -Myers Machine Coil Seats $40 shipped -6* Pro Comp Pinion shims under coil buckets (to fix coil angle) $18 -CAGE Offroad 5.5” Coil Springs $150 shipped -Coil Buckets...