Breathing new life into a Tired old 2nd Gen Sport

[BoostedE21]

Hey fellas,

First off, I meant 3rd gen, not 2nd Gen.

I'm in the process of reading through the stickies. But while I'm doing that, I figured I'd post my situation, and what I'm trying to do.

I need a cheap, reliable DD to keep miles off my M5 and get to/from bars. My parents offered to basically give our 2001 Explorer Sport 2WD to me. I'm assuming it would need about $1500 in parts to get it back in reasonable shape, because:

We've had it since 2004 (When I was in high school). It was my first car. I drove it quite hard when I was a teenager. Then my sister drove it in college. No rust, but it's always been outside. Frankly, throughout that whole period, it hasn't been very well maintained. It has a new transmission, new A/C parts, all the fluids flushed, and regular oil changes...but the suspension is absolute garbage. Control arms, tie rods, shocks, leafs...it's all crap, and it will all have to be replaced. I can do the work myself, but I don't have the time to do any cut/weld stuff. The upside is that the A/C and radio work, and it starts every time.



I'd like to make it healthy again. I've covered everything but suspension/bushings. I wanted yall's opinion there first. I'd like to lift it about 3 inches, and throw on some off road wheels/tires. Nothing super aggressive, as it will still see lots of highway miles and I don't want to be deafened by tire noise. Probably All-Terrain TA K/O. I have a hard $3k budget. Beyond that, and I might as well have just bought another beater. So basically, here's the info I need help with:

1) 3" Lift...what parts? Shackles/blocks and a torsion twist, or are there better alternatives? Can I just buy leafs with a "lift" already built in? My stock ones are pretty droopy.

2) Wheels/Tires. I like this combo:
http://www.ntwonline.com/35X12_50R15_BFA_KO_on_15X8_BL_P17481.cfm
Will that rub in the front with a 3" lift?

3) Rest of the suspension bits. I know it needs upper control arms, inner tie rods, and stabilizer links all around - I've already ordered those. It also desparately needs shocks. Any recommendations for shocks to go with the lift?

4) Fuel Economy / Gearing. I'd prefer not to open the transmission, since it's almost brand new. Are wheels/tires this big and heavy going to dramatically decrease the fuel economy? How far off will the speedo be?

Thanks in advance for the info, guys!

 

[Rick]

Welcome to the forum

Check this thread for info on lifting a 2nd gen Explorer.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=15264

An '01 Sport is still a 2nd gen.

 

[BoostedE21]

Welcome to the forum

Check this thread for info on lifting a 2nd gen Explorer.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=15264

An '01 Sport is still a 2nd gen.

Mine's actually an 01 3rd gen - I looked it up just to re-verify it. No matter though, from what I can gather, the 2nd gen and 3rd gen have the same suspension.

The front seems pretty straight forward, as confirmed by your link. Turn the screw, achieve upwardness. I don't want a huuuge lift - just 2-3 inches, so the wheels will still be partially in the wheel well. I'll research what I can throw on without too much rubbing. This won't be doing crazy trail runs - just some fun out at friend's ranches and whatnot, and DD-ing the rest of the time.

The rear is where I have some questions. I know the warrior shackles are super simple. But my leafs are almost dead - they'll need to be replaced. Could I just buy some springs with a lift already built in, and use the stock shackles? Something like this:

http://www.desertrat.com/products/?ID=3930

(confusing though, because it shows up under 01 explorer sport, but above it, it says F2/350/Excursion).

As for shocks, I will probably go with the Desert Rat Rattlers or their Ranchos, for a 2-4" lift unless someone screams to do otherwise.

BTW, someone stop me if I'm doing this wrong. I've been building BMW track cars for several years, so I'm used to going down, not up

 

[SkyJumper]

The 01 sport was a 3rd gen, but the XLS 4 dr remained with the 2nd gen body style then changed in 02.

You could go with a AAL in the rear, or a Superlift spring pack in the rear. I personally do not care for a shackle lift as the negative downward pressure that is created by using a lift shackle and possibly leaf failure from them also. If the springs are sagging now and worn out, then this is the time to buy new ones, and while you are in the hunt for new ones, you might as well go with lifted springs. A shackle used on warn out leaf packs just doubles or triples the failure rate.

 

[OffTrac]

3) Rest of the suspension bits. I know it needs upper control arms, inner tie rods, and stabilizer links all around - I've already ordered those. It also desparately needs shocks. Any recommendations for shocks to go with the lift?

I'd start with this stuff first and make sure all of it is finished and perfect or you may get your numbers 1,2 and 4 finished, use your $3,000 budget those and then on wheels/tires/lift and realize you need more general maintenance.

I like my Rancho shocks. I think too many people put too much thought into shocks. Unless you're a hardcore off road enthusiast, if you don't completely cheap out, I think you'll be satisfied with any of the major brand shocks. I've always liked Bilstein and KYB, and so far my Rancho RS5000s.

After the front suspension is all shored up...

I don't think you're going to fit 35s under a torsion twist without a ton of trimming. I'd look into adding a body lift with that lift if you are set on 35s. Even then, you'll still have some trimming to do.

You'll also definitely want to make sure your front suspension is ready for 35s because it won't be long before you start replacing parts even if they're new.

4) Fuel Economy / Gearing. I'd prefer not to open the transmission, since it's almost brand new. Are wheels/tires this big and heavy going to dramatically decrease the fuel economy? How far off will the speedo be?

What's your current gearing? First question, yes. Second question, pretty far, depending on the speed. If you're at 4.10 and don't want to go over budget, they'll probably be fine for the uses you listed. If not 4.10, regear for 35s or go with 32s or 33s.

 

[BoostedE21]

Great info to consider guys, thanks for jumping in. A few followup questions:

The 01 sport was a 3rd gen, but the XLS 4 dr remained with the 2nd gen body style then changed in 02.

You could go with a AAL in the rear, or a Superlift spring pack in the rear. I personally do not care for a shackle lift as the negative downward pressure that is created by using a lift shackle and possibly leaf failure from them also. If the springs are sagging now and worn out, then this is the time to buy new ones, and while you are in the hunt for new ones, you might as well go with lifted springs. A shackle used on warn out leaf packs just doubles or triples the failure rate.

I have to replace the leafs regardless. They're in awful shape. So I guess my choices are, buy stock ones (appear to be about $130 each) and then get an add-a-leaf on top of that, or buy lifted ones. I'd prefer the latter, but if I get a 4 inch lift in the back (can't find any smaller) and only do a torsion twist in the front, I'll have a pretty serious rake, won't I?

I'd start with this stuff first and make sure all of it is finished and perfect or you may get your numbers 1,2 and 4 finished, use your $3,000 budget those and then on wheels/tires/lift and realize you need more general maintenance.

That's part of my plan - I just like to have it all scheduled out ahead of time - call me a dreamer

I don't think you're going to fit 35s under a torsion twist without a ton of trimming. I'd look into adding a body lift with that lift if you are set on 35s. Even then, you'll still have some trimming to do.

You'll also definitely want to make sure your front suspension is ready for 35s because it won't be long before you start replacing parts even if they're new.

The car has 265/75/15 (~30"?) on it now, with a HUGE amount of gap to fill. I figure the torsion twist gives maybe 2 inches...would 33x8's be more reasonable? Or would that still rub like crazy up front? I don't really need to go crazy, because I'm just wanting to have some entry-level fun...but get away from the stock wheels, and have something with a bit more aggressive tread to allow me to get a little muddy.

What's your current gearing? First question, yes. Second question, pretty far, depending on the speed. If you're at 4.10 and don't want to go over budget, they'll probably be fine for the uses you listed. If not 4.10, regear for 35s or go with 32s or 33s.

Gearing is stock, which I believe is 4.10 in the rear.

 

[SkyJumper]

I have to replace the leafs regardless. They're in awful shape. So I guess my choices are, buy stock ones (appear to be about $130 each) and then get an add-a-leaf on top of that, or buy lifted ones. I'd prefer the latter, but if I get a 4 inch lift in the back (can't find any smaller) and only do a torsion twist in the front, I'll have a pretty serious rake, won't I?

The most you will get out of the front is 1.5-2" of TT lift without damagine your BJ's, and other parts.

I was referring to 4" spring packs out back as a lift to go with a 3" spindle lift up front. Spindles are cheap and available to do the front. With a spindle lift, you can do a another 1.5-2" with the TT to level it out.

But if you are going the lesser route and only doing a TT, then a new stock leaf pack with a AAL will do just fine. But I personally would stay away from shackle lifts out back.

 

[BoostedE21]

The most you will get out of the front is 1.5-2" of TT lift without damagine your BJ's, and other parts.

I was referring to 4" spring packs out back as a lift to go with a 3" spindle lift up front. Spindles are cheap and available to do the front. With a spindle lift, you can do a another 1.5-2" with the TT to level it out.

But if you are going the lesser route and only doing a TT, then a new stock leaf pack with a AAL will do just fine. But I personally would stay away from shackle lifts out back.

I'm with you on avoiding shackles. A few friends of mine have award-winning rock crawling jeeps, and they preach the same thing.

Ok, so now we're talking about some 4" leafs, and some of the doetsch spindles? That I can do. And it sounds like that would effectively take the place of a body lift, right?

 

[SkyJumper]

Yes, complete suspension only. But if you are stuck on 35" tall tires, then you will need the BL also. I runs 31x12.5 Super Swampers with only 4"s and I do not rub, but if I ran 33's, then I would.

Here is my X and what 4" with 31's look like

 

[BoostedE21]

Here is my X and what 4" with 31's look like

That's pretty much EXACTLY what I'm going for. Excellent! 31's sound like they'd be a good match for me...I actually noticed that one of the guys at work has a truck on 35's that he drove in today, and they were WAY bigger than I was envisioning.

Would you be willing to have a short discussion with me over the phone later today? I figure that's the best way to take care of my little questions, since I'm essentially doing the same thing. Sure would save some time typing! If so, I'll PM you my contact info. If it makes a difference, I'm a native Floridian and we have a few Gators-gone-AF-Pilots in the family

 

[SkyJumper]

That will be OK.

 

[AWD96spoon]

I see this is an old post but it' exactly what I'm wanting to do with mine. If I get new spindles, and TT on the front, and new lifted leaf pack on the back, will I need longer shocks or will the factory length ones work?