Rebuilding a 2nd gen Explorer with a 1st gen rear clip | Page 10 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

  • Register Today It's free!

Rebuilding a 2nd gen Explorer with a 1st gen rear clip

This is showing my relay box I needed for the ARC relay, and auxilliary turn signal flasher/relays. See that I ziptied it directly underneath the master cylinder. Regards,
 

Attachments

  • Projectthread080.JPG
    Projectthread080.JPG
    96.9 KB · Views: 1,358
  • Projectthread083.JPG
    Projectthread083.JPG
    110.2 KB · Views: 1,344
  • Aux relay box.jpg
    Aux relay box.jpg
    70.5 KB · Views: 1,336



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





I know its been a very long time since this thread has been posted and done but I still wanted to comment and say awesome job I think I spend 45minutes to half hour viewing and reading, its pretty damn awesome/incredible.
 






Thanks, I'm almost done with it. I've just been putting off searching for what I think is a vacuum leak under the lower intake(PCV hose). I still need to mount my air supply tanks, lines etc, and then the running boards.

I will finish here then by posting pictures that I had forgotten etc. Regards,
 






I thought that I had posted some of the last pictures of my project, here's a few more. I have still yet to do the running boards and front flares, but I've got about 25,000 miles on it since last February. Regards,
 

Attachments

  • Projectthread102.JPG
    Projectthread102.JPG
    73.2 KB · Views: 1,126
  • Projectthread108.JPG
    Projectthread108.JPG
    74.1 KB · Views: 1,106
  • Projectthread084.JPG
    Projectthread084.JPG
    69.1 KB · Views: 1,152
  • Projectthread085.jpg
    Projectthread085.jpg
    53.8 KB · Views: 1,163






Wow...very cool.

The last pic there...you just cut off the bubble part of the Gen 2 tail light and it fit the gen one spot? How did you seal it back up?

Very cool...might have to steal that idea from ya.
 






Looks awesome Don, did you order the passenger side window switches from a UK explorer or did you make that up yourself? Do you leave the air bag out to stick your mail in there?
 






Yes the 95-97 tail light can be used for a 1st gen, but remember that there are three bulbs starting in 95. I have a 1999 wiring harness so it plugged in for me. For an older wiring system it would take more work to separate the turn signal from the brakes on the steering column.

Glen, I made the right hand window switch panel from a normal RF and old LF panel. Look at my post #147 to see the pictures of those side by side on a chair. Regards,
 






Yeah, I did modify the taillights on my 94 Un-Limited (using the steering column mod) and I did cut the rear fenders to fit 97 lights... check posts back a few pages back. Since I have moved to Europe my truck has to conform to local codes so that was not the only mod I made.

But... really admire what you've done with the truck - huge challenge to cut it up like that and put it back together... especially "at home".

again :thumbsup:
 






Oh yeah, I forgot about reading over that post Don.
 






Yeah, I did modify the taillights on my 94 Un-Limited (using the steering column mod) and I did cut the rear fenders to fit 97 lights... check posts back a few pages back. Since I have moved to Europe my truck has to conform to local codes so that was not the only mod I made.

But... really admire what you've done with the truck - huge challenge to cut it up like that and put it back together... especially "at home".

again :thumbsup:

Thanks Dre for the compliments, and the rear bumper cover too. My original was a bit more faded, and they are all obsolete now from Ford.
 






Yes the 95-97 tail light can be used for a 1st gen, but remember that there are three bulbs starting in 95. I have a 1999 wiring harness so it plugged in for me. For an older wiring system it would take more work to separate the turn signal from the brakes on the steering column.

Glen, I made the right hand window switch panel from a normal RF and old LF panel. Look at my post #147 to see the pictures of those side by side on a chair. Regards,

Ok cool, thanks.

Did you re-seal it with hot glue or melted plastic?

I think the hot glue would work?
 






I used the slick plastic epoxy, clear from Walmart for about $4. It's good stuff,
 












Yes the 95-97 tail light can be used for a 1st gen, but remember that there are three bulbs starting in 95. I have a 1999 wiring harness so it plugged in for me. For an older wiring system it would take more work to separate the turn signal from the brakes on the steering column.

Easier than that, get a set of those diodes made for connecting up lights between a towed car and an RV.

For this tail light transplant you'd use the configuration for connecting a car with separate turn signals to a tow vehicle with combo brake/turn signals. The difference is the two systems are in the same vehicle.

Google for RV towing diodes and you'll get a lot of hits and a wide range of prices. Best ones come potted in aluminum heat sinks, there are some cheaper ones encapsulated in plastic, but some outfits want more for those than the ones in aluminum.
 






Wow , great project. I've been wanting to do somthing like that. I wanna fit a sport trac front on mine.

I think you should use the stock 94 lights on the back , make it a true half 94 half 99.
 












Gotta question. To do this exact swap, do you HAVE to swap the firewall?
 






Gotta question. To do this exact swap, do you HAVE to swap the firewall?

Well as I changed the title after beginning the project, really what I did is just swapped the back half of the 95-01 vehicle.

I started out wanting to retain the whole 91-94 body to use on a 95-01 chassis. It had been discussed a time or two before I began my project. But no one had really gone into trying to swap just a firewall or enough of a front end to swap the front body parts.

Ryan more recently swapped the firewall to allow the use of the later dash, and wiring etc.

I could have kept the 93 front end and still used the 99 firewall, but the work would have been harder to "section" the front clip to mesh the 91-94 radiator support and upper fender aprons, with the lower portions of those.

Parts are cheaper now so it's easier to pick and choose what you like best or want. The earlier front end is only better visually for the people who like it the best. The later 1995-01's are better for everything else, functionally, for cooling, engine fitment etc.
 






extremely insane attention to detail and the amount of work you did is insane!

i would swap the hatch off an 01 and up hatch and use the new tail lights that go with it to set it all off. i did it to mine and it looks like a 2003 explorer. ill post pics if you are interested
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





Thanks, back then the project was already fairly expensive.

I might do more if I was keeping it. Since it was a mail vehicle and now I have a provided LLV, it's a spare vehicle.
 






Back
Top