mjc79's sas project

[mjc79]

wow where to start lol. i bought this 96 v8 awd explorer a couple months ago with intentions of making it a lowered street ride, but after i thought of not being able to use my truck which was going to be the lifted project, i changed my mind and turned towards the explorer for a unique/different build. my plans are to do an sas and run the old school setup = CARBED!!!!. so far i have removed the entire drivetrain, fuel system, computer and associated wiring along with it. i am going to rebuild the 5.0 that was in my 94 cobra since the block had low milage on a reman motor. i still need to get a C6 tranny and either a np208 or bw1356 t-case. axles will be full width 3/4 tons. my biggest issue is trying to figure out what fuel system im going to run. i had planned on a fuel cell but i cant find a sending unit with the right ohms to match the factory gauge, or a sending unit to work with the factory speedo. all the other gauges i have figured out and have set up already. i searched for a bronco 2 tank in a 2nd gen but couldnt find anything other than 1st gens.

i will post pics as soon as i can. internet is being a pain in the arse here lately.

[mjc79]

day 1 and where it started


an hour later


exhaust was so rotted the pass. side manifold came off in 2 pieces


about 2 hours later motor came out


on the stand, took about 15 minutes to strip it down to the bare block

[mjc79]

day 2

got all the front suspension yanked and gave it the bird


only thing left was the rack & pinion and upper control arms which came out about 20 minutes later


next thing to come out was the transfer case which has never been removed so it was kinda stuck

then came out the tranny which i had to remove the exhaust that gave me fits. ended up cutting off the hanger rods that hold the exhaust off since the main bolt in the tranny for the bracket was froze and wouldnt budge with the impact lol


after all that was done, i got bored and swapped the rear end around to see how much the stock springs would give me for the sas. well its not enough lol

[mjc79]

day 3 is today and now i have a pile 'O' parts to unload on craigslist.



and how it sits as of now. pic was taken earlier so all the parts were not over there at the time


got more pics to upload to the computer so this is it for now. need to call my buddy up and borrow his torch to get rid of all the brackets on the front. and probly have him fab me up some "bigger" jack stands since these 3 ton ones are way too small. on the gauges im not sure which way to go. its either try to make the stock ones work or just make a new cluster surround and add aftermarket gauges in there. what do you guys think i should do with the gauge dilemma?

[Bruces expo]

Nice Start might I say , and Nice Rig to start with also , On your Gauge dilemma I would say go with what's Easiest Or More comfortable with , I'm Liking The All Aftermarket Idea !!

[MidnightRebel07]

'03-05 Explorer Sport Trac springs have 3" more arch then '91-01 Explorer springs. Just a heads up. The front eyelet hole is bigger as well.

[mjc79]

Bruce: thanks for the compliment. she's not much to look at but its a good start like you said. i may go the aftermarket gauge route and just take the factory cluster out and fab an aluminum panel in there.

Rebel: thanks for the heads up on the springs. i may go the 4" superlift spring route plus blocks or whatever spring will allow me to run 38's with no body lift or trimming. still undecided on that right now.

i pulled all the fuel lines, gas tank and brake lines earlier yesterday but didnt get a chance to take a pic. didn't get much done today other than pull the ac plenum and heater plenum from the truck which took a total of 45 minutes. alot easier to get out with no drivetrain in the truck lol. i tried to reshape the factory fan plenum to go back over to the firewall so i could keep the trucks heater system but that didn't turn out too well. so for now im going to get one of those under dash heaters with a built in fan that runs off the engines coolant system. should do fine for as much as it will get driven in the winter time. pics will be on the way later.

[Bruces expo]

I think your Gauge idea with the aluminum panel will look good , I helped a friend build a full gauge setup in his 95 mustang , he used aluminum diamond plate that was 1/4 in think , the he spray bombed it black , it looked Tough with all white face Auto Meter Race Gauges !!