Pugly

The Good, The Bad, & the Pugly

1994 Purple Explorer XLT 4wd

I decided to have a registry for my "Other" rig so I can post things done and have a reference for it.

Pretty much stock drive train.

4.0 OHV-A4ld-1354e.
D35 front 4:56 Yukon gears, Aussie Locker.
2nd gen disc 8.8 rear 4:56 gears, Spartan Locker.

Front C-Clip eliminator Mod.

Slight lift with 2" Skyjacker coils & rear F-150 hybrid leaf packs.

3" PA body lift
Helpful thread with pics for the front body mounts
Pics of front body lift mounts

Swapped to manual hubs.
Double U-joint XJ steering shaft.

33" x 12.5" x 15" Cooper Discoverer ATX3, mounted on 15"x10" AR Outlaw1 alum wheels - full size matching spare.

Shocks:
Front Rancho 9000xl
Rear Rancho 9000xl
Duff Stabilizer shock.

Sway bar quick disconnects front & rear.
Custom tube sliders w/kickouts

22" LED light bar.
18w amber fog Led pods.
55w rock lights--2 front--1 rear over diff.
8 LED pods for rocker lights.

Full brush guard.
2.5" Fender Flares.

TTB Diff guard & Skid plate.

Custom roof rack with 48" Extreme Hi-Lift jack.

Flipped Tow hitch & front hooks for tow points.

Cobra19 CB & rear hatch mounted firestick antenna.
Rear view HD camera.
JVC DVD/CD/MP3 Head unit with 7" HD Monitor.
Sony 6.5" front speakers.
Rockford Fosgate 5.25" component rear speakers.
8" JL Audio sub in 2001 enclosure with 500w amp mounted on enclosure.

Custom made center console with CB/Rear view color monitor/2-12v outlets/ in-out temp display. D cell Maglite mounted on cargo panel. Truck bed liner on cargo floor.
Custom Cargo storage box with topside spare tire mount.

'99 Eddie Bauer Front Leather buckets.
'94 Limited Rear leather split bench.

 

[gmanpaint]

Alright so, I finally got around to getting a good set of calipers. Used the set I bought from a member here (pictured above) for the core charge.

I didn't like the calipers that AZ or Oreillys sold. Napa carries A-1 Cardone Ford Remans for couple bucks more. $22/ea but have a crazy $34/ea core charge! Glad I had the set with me when I went. These look more like brand new then a reman. The cylinder looks new, and the seals look perfect. Came with the hardware kits including the copper banjo washers. I will attempt to get them on this week.

 

[lynchy wa]

Good to see Pug's still alive mate, those other calipers are rough as guts! New ones look in mint condition.

Have a good one ay

 

[gmanpaint]

Lynchy!!! Your Alive!!!!

Welcome back Mate!

Yeppers, these will do the trick, and even though the pads were still at 75%, I got a new set. I replaced one rotor and installed new wheel bearings and seals in it, the other I have no idea how old it is, but 2 years ago, I brought it in and it was true, and still in spec, so I kept it. I'm thinking I might just have to replace it this time around. These 1st gen rotors are not floaters, and are twice as expensive to replace, then both bearings add to the total cost.

 

[MrQ]

Yeah that is one thing i dont miss about my 1st gen...doing the brakes.

 

[gmanpaint]

Rigs on stands. Find the pass side retaining nut finger loose. I just torqued them to 180 lbs a month ago. :scratch:

Take the nuts off the spindle, and the bearing and rotor come right off at the same time. Ruh Roh!

Spindle locking key was not there.

Called Napa, asked if they had the locking key for a 94 Explorer with manual locking hubs. He asks if it is four wheel drive.

I ask for someone else, as I am in no mood to deal with morons at this point. Next guy has no clue what I am talking about because his computer isn't bringing anything up to tell him he should be working flipping burgers. I explain (Slowly) how it goes together for him hoping he would catch on. He asks me if it is four wheel drive. I hang up.

How the @#@%!! can you work at an auto parts store if you haven't graduated from 20" BMX bikes yet?

 

[gmanpaint]

Found an auto parts store that has an assortment of keys. So I need to tear down the other side, to bring the key for comparison.

Yup, that side is missing as well.

Why I put it together without them is beyond me. I did a manual hub swap, and had the rotors off at one time. All I can think of is I didn't think they were needed for the manual hubs, or they were missing to begin with, and I figured I would get back to them later, and forgot. CRS has kicked in.


Edit:
OK, CRS is a real thing! I left them locking keys out for a reason when I swapped to manual hubs. They're not needed. Tbars confirmed it for me responding nicely for me. Thanks for the memory jolt Ted!

So it's all back together now, just waiting on a neighbor to help me bleed the brakes. I do need to get a new set of retaining nuts soon. I had to set the outer at 200 #. 180# wasn't holding them with these 35's on there.

So new wheel bearings, new pass side rotor, new calipers and pads. A fluid flush, and bleed, and she is back in action.

Edit #2 :
So after waiting for the neighbor to help bleed it, the first bleeder I try...... Frozen, and stripped out on me. That's a wrap for the day. I will take the caliper off tomorrow, and use a little C4 to remove the bleeder.

 

[Naasau]

I went to an oh... really?, (O'Reilly) and found some self bleeders for about 10$ a pair. They are amazing, and you don't need to have a second person for brakes anymore.

As for the lock ring that takes the place of the key in the automatic hubs, I've had to weld a blob on the tooth to make it bigger, then shape it with a big grinder and dremel so that it had a better fit in the 'key channel'. Otherwise mine had a tendency to pop out.

 

[gmanpaint]

That's a good idea.

I just thought the little nub on the washer with holes in it kept it locked in place. Mine has sheared itself off on both sides. They all say they are a one time use, but at the price for them kits, and as many times as I remove these parts, heck with that noise! LOL!

So I forgot to update, but I ended up flushing the system doing a gravity bleed. Used 1.5 quarts of new juice as I wanted the fluids to be clear as possible before I stopped flushing. This also bled the brakes perfectly for me, so no need for a helper.

The stripped out bleeder was removed with my "Grip Tite" sockets. I forgot I had them. Worked like a charm, and did it with the caliper on.

I have tried those self bleeders in the past, and I had an issue with them on the other rig when they wouldn't let the fluids out. I chucked them for a normal set.

 

[Naasau]

That is the nub I speak of; but I've seen mine 'walk' out of the channel up on the top side of the spindle where it fits, so making it a bit bigger to fully engage the channel has really helped prevent that.

I also figured out recently that both of my old spindles were blown, as the bearings themselves were sliding on and off too easily. That tiny bit of slop on the inside of the bearings was enough for the hubs to work themselves loose over time, requiring me to retighten them about once every two months, and swap bearings about once a year.

 

[gmanpaint]

I know what your talking about. I guess I should have said "Nipple" the part that is in the side of the nut, that goes into the holes on the washer.

Sorry, I seem to have a problem explaining myself on a media without really thinking about what I'm trying to say. That and I shouldn't be typing with my cell phone. Lol

 

[gmanpaint]

Finally got around to opening this box and installing the fender flares.

They are Pacer 2" No-Lip style rubber flares. You can purchase these individually or by the roll. I opted for the 25' roll. You can do 6 flares with 1 roll. The No-Lip style are flush mounted directly onto the sides of the fenders, and you will be putting holes into the fender ( I really don't mind the holes on this old rig). These sit much higher up than the Lip style and offer greater clearance for the tires.

Major Reason for the no lip/flush mount flares was, I had trimmed the front fenders for the bigger tires, and the lost a few inches of the fender lip by the doors. Also because of the rear damage done to the rear wheel well in the accident. The wheel well itself was pushed inward a bunch. I hammered it back out as far as I could, but wasn't going to work for the Lip type flares that bolt from underneath to the lips.

So the fronts went fine, but the rears was a little harder to install. Because I had to use the flush mount style, I had to bolt them on to the doors themselves and have a 2 piece flare. Yeah, I know, goofy. But it works fine. I decided to over lap the 2 sections a tiny fraction, with the door overlapping the fender for higher speed wind running over the tops. It is what it is. They do not cover the entire tire, but they will help keep debris off the rig a bunch.

Front:

Rear:

Rear door open:

From Experience install tips:
*Have a helper hold the flares as you bolt them on. I used self tap bolts. I used a welders style vice grip pliers to hold them in place as I worked the drill.
*Use a long magnetic extension for the bit to keep the drill chuck away from the flare. It will get hung up on the flare.
*Take your time! These can be frustrating to install alone!
*Cut them a little longer than needed, and trim after install.

 

[gmanpaint]

Next thing on the repair To Do list was the front door dropping again and being hard to close. I installed the Dorman hing replacements a few years back, but they didn't seem to last long.

I took the lower pin out first then unbolted the hing to the door. Once it was in my hand, I can see what had happened. The kit I used a few years ago, came with brass bushings. These had worn thin, and cracked/fallen apart. 1 completely gone, and the other crumbled into my hand. The pin itself was fine. So if this ever happens to you, search out for new bushings instead of the entire pin kit. Kit is $10, and I'm sure the bushings would be less than a buck.

Anyways the new pin kit came with steel bushings instead of the brass. I ended up just using the complete kit. Door works like new again.

This is what fell into my hand. It's whats left of one brass bushing.

So while I was it, I installed new bushings in the cargo hatch door latch pins. The Dorman brand are a little too thick. I tried and tried to adjust the door to get it to close properly with the new bushings, but just couldn't get it right, so I took them back off.

 

[Turdle]

I think the flares worked out good. I like! And now you are legal.

 

[gmanpaint]

Thanks Jon!

 

[gmanpaint]

The old gal turned over 240k miles.
That's 382km for our friends North of the border.

Still running strong, and all the maintenance done, is paying off.

 

[gmanpaint]

More front Mods are in the near future, thanks to JakeBrake donating some parts, no longer needed after his SAS. One mans junk, is another mans treasure!!

Thanks again Jake!!

Now to source some matching rear parts on the cheap! This is hard on a shoestring budget!
Still need rear gears, open carrier, rear locker, & rear leaf packs.

In desperate need of 2 new front tires as well. Rears are still like new, but fronts are down to about 20% tread life. Been trying to get a set for almost 2 years now!

As said before...... It's always something!!

 

[gmanpaint]

Hmm..Idea time. Loading the 35" spare tire on the roof rack is just too much of a PITA for me these days. Loading it in the cargo area, just takes too much space. I need to come up with something better.

Since I don't have a swing out tire carrier bumper, but I have a strong sq tube roof rack...

I'm thinking of building a roof mounted drop down cantilever spare tire holder. In my head I can picture it like this...

It would look like a ladder with the side tubes inside 2 C channels, and the side rails that has a center pivot mount on each side fixed to the rack rails. When pulled down from the rear, it would swivel up in front, and lower in the back. Just as a sliding drawer works on rails, it lowers in the rear,and it slides out and down lowering it closer to me. Stops of some sort on opposite ends of the C & sliders would keep it from coming all the way out of the C channel. I would want it to drop low enough that allows me to lift and place the tire directly onto it from a standing position with my feet on the ground. 3 feet seems long enough to me.

Once the tire is placed on, it will be held with a large wingnut & washer on a stud that comes thru the center hole on the wheel. Lift the tire and push forward until it sits on top of the truck. A simple latch locks it in place.

Sq tube would work best, but I don't know if I can find a C channel that the tube will slide into each other without too much slop. :scratch: 1"x3"x.120 tube for the ladder sides, 1"x1"x.120 for the cross sections, and 1"x3"x.120 for the front and rear of the ladder ends.

Whatcha guys think? Doable or engineering nightmare?

Edit:
Did some research on tubing and stumbled upon Unistrut products. Searched the catalog and found they have a vast selection of products for their C channel. So far the 4 wheel trolley that will roll inside the channel (greaseless) seems it would work. The channel is 12 ga, and so each wheel trolley is rated for 100 lbs. I could use 4 of them attached to the ladder side tubes and they slide inside 4 ft of Unistrut Channel.

Use these for telescope stops, and add a rubber bump stop that will rest on the roof.

 

[Naasau]

Galvanized unistrut is quite strong, and you can get 'stumpy' unistrut that is only 1/2 height, that might sit better for your needs.

Make sure you use stainless hardware and fender washers to attach it securely, as it is still steel, and flexs quite a bit.

 

[gmanpaint]

I think I need the 1-5/8" strut so I have clearance for the bolt heads inside the channel.
I will use grade 8 hardware, and the fender washers is a good idea!

I'm still thinking this through. I'm not so sure about the wheel trolley idea. Their expensive, and wont give enough support with only four of them. I have an idea to use something else for a full length support when sliding in/out....

I'm searching for a T shaped 1/4" bar to use instead of the wheels to use to slide in/out of the channels. I can grease the underside of the T, and bolt the tire rack to the flat side that extrudes.

The bolt heads will also serve a purpose to slide the T under and use as a sort of rail keeper. I found some nylon nut covers that can be used on the bolt heads to act as sliders. I just have to be careful of the grease on the T beam when operating it is all.

If I can't find a T beam, I can get some I beam, and cut off one side, or if I can find some tall enough with only a 1.5" width, I can make two T pc's out of it. Still kicking it around in my head, and need to go to a metal supplier, and look at materials for ideas.

 

[gmanpaint]

So the front ProComp MT's are down to about 20% tread. I knew I had to start figuring out a way to replace them soon. When they get down this far, they just start acting different. Heat works them up and they don't work as well any longer. Looked up the price for new matching replacements, and seen it wasn't in the cards at this time.

So I looked on Craigslist to see if anybody had a couple tires cheap to just replace the fronts, (rears are still new) and whaddayaknow, there was a lot of different deals to be found. I found a set of 4 NEW tires for 2/3 the price of 2 new ProComp MT's! I couldn't let this deal slip away so I Talked to the Boss, he agreed to help me get them today. Thanks Boss!!

I picked them up a few hours later. Have an appointment to have them mounted & balanced in a couple days. I am so frigging stoked about this, I couldn't wait to post the pics after the install. LOL!!

Measured them at 17/32nds.

35" X 12.5" X 15" LT BFG TA / KO load C

So the 35" ProComps will go back on the Black Hole, and the 33" KM2's will be up for sale.