Possible Prerunner Ideas

[92 Explorer]

Well lately with this new 96 Explorer 4x4 i have been throwing around some ideas of building a prerunner. unfortunatly i dont have a ton of money and dont really want to go bat-sh** crazy on the suspension but i would like to add some things. I have been looking for several days and havent found awhole lot of information on a budget built prerunner. Now i know these things cant be built cheap but i dont have 5 grand for a suspension system. A while back i thought i had found a thread where a member just added coilovers and didnt do the whole suspension. Thats kinda what i am looking for. I want to start on the suspension and then go on to fiberglass and there is plenty of information on that here. And again thank you guys ton. Thanks to your help i am able to get to this point because i got tons of help with my steering issues. Thanks tons and any information is greatly aprreciated.

[Tbars4]

...This would be a good read...
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/...ghlight=beater

[IZwack]

Lets do some thinking:

- where are you going to pre-run in PA?
- youre right in that suspensions built for the desert can be costly (shocks = $$), this is why most people turn to a trail vehicle - its cheaper. So maybe building a trail vehicle will be easier on your wallet.
- adding coil overs, especially in the front, will help control suspension movement for pre-running (tunable rebound and compression). But the other half of the equation is suspension travel so you could go with "cut and turned" beams (to counter camber) - but that costs a little bit of money, especially if you dont have the tools to do this to a set of beams.
- pre-running often involves high speeds so the risks are great and safety is priority - which means you probably need to think of a cage of some sort in case anything unfortunate happens. (the cage will also help strengthen the chassis)

So I guess to sum it up, going with a pre-runner is probably more costly than a trail vehicle. So maybe a trail vehicle will be less costly and there are actually off road parks in PA (I dont know of any pre-running deserts in PA).

[CHAZ98X]

Are you looking for a prerunner look? I'm new to this forum but I'll be posting some pics soon of my '98 Sport 4x4 that I'm slowly and cheaply turning into a prerunner. I've found a lot of good info on here. Here's some of the things I've done:

F-150 leaf swap for 1.75" lift -$100
Torsion Twist for 1.5" front lift -Free (I think that your year you can't do this)
285/75/16 BFG AT's -$350 from Craigslist
16" Alloy Wheels I painted black -$100 from Craigslist
Front Fiberglass Fenders from Fiberwerx -$300
Bilsteins front and rear -$300

These have given me the prerunner look and I live near the desert and Baja so my vehicle will be functional for offroading in those areas. I'm planning on fabing some front and rear bumpers that should run me about $200 for the metal. Hope this helps you out!

[IZwack]

Originally Posted by CHAZ98X

Torsion Twist for 1.5" front lift -Free (I think that your year you can't do this)

...I live near the desert and Baja so my vehicle will be functional for offroading in those areas.

I know you're going to build your truck the way you see fit but here is my $0.02:

The Torsion Twist (TT) actually stiffens the suspension so what I would do with an SLA IFS setup is keep the torsion bars at stock height or lower the vehicle a little bit, use some adjustable or tunable shocks to help control compression/rebound (the Ranchos are probably the cheapest) and finally run the fiberglass fenders (on your list) to clear the larger tires. This should give you a more "plush" ride over those whoops where as a TT-lift will actually make it worse and the vehicle will probably bounce uncontrollably by being "stiff" (and not being able to use the upper section of the suspension travel)

[danwaters]

With 4x4 or AWD control arm front suspension Explorers money tends to need to be spent in order to get more and better quality wheel travel.

To be somewhat budget you can do this...

Have a custom UCA made to accept a 7/8" heim joint and have the existing BJ hole in the spindle tapped with a 7/8 tap so that the threaded end of the heim can be twisted on in there. This will alow for about 10 inches of wheel travel as long as the front axles do not bind. You can crank the torsions to get the lift you want. You can run a cheaper shock set up like 2 bilstein 5100s per side to control the travel or you can run a little more costly shock set up like a single 2.5 body shock.

You can run a coilover but I would suggest some added gusseting to the LCA because they tend to bend and/or break. You can adjuest the pre load on the prings to set the ride height at what you want within a certain spectrum.

[92 Explorer]

I completly agree with you Izwack. I guess there arnt a whole lot of deserts in Pa. ha. so it seems i may go with adjustable shocks and fiberglass. Also how would this preform offroad and wheeling. Cause really it would be nice if i could get the best of both worlds. Be able to handle some fast whoops and be able to do some 4x4 trail riding. With the shocks, would it be as simple as changing the shocks out or are there write ups on this.

[rileyrs]

this guy just posted a pretty sweet prerunner thread on his truck, check it out.
you could talk to him about some of his mods.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/...d.php?t=256402

[Turdle]

Originally Posted by rileyrs

this guy just posted a pretty sweet prerunner thread on his truck, check it out.
you could talk to him about some of his mods.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/...d.php?t=256402

That is 2wd, and his mods are $$$ nice. Nothing his truck has will help the OP I am afraid.

He has already given advice in this thread.

[rileyrs]

haha well said, i was mostly refering to the fiberglass and bumpers he has, since those two things are all you need to get a pre-runner "look"

but your right, to build a true prerunner, you gotta spend some serious cash.
now to make it look like a prerunner, its not too hard


p.s. sorry i didnt notice danwaters had already posted.

[tbird462002]

[CHAZ98X]

Originally Posted by IZwack

I know you're going to build your truck the way you see fit but here is my $0.02:

The Torsion Twist (TT) actually stiffens the suspension so what I would do with an SLA IFS setup is keep the torsion bars at stock height or lower the vehicle a little bit, use some adjustable or tunable shocks to help control compression/rebound (the Ranchos are probably the cheapest) and finally run the fiberglass fenders (on your list) to clear the larger tires. This should give you a more "plush" ride over those whoops where as a TT-lift will actually make it worse and the vehicle will probably bounce uncontrollably by being "stiff" (and not being able to use the upper section of the suspension travel)

Yeah, that sounds like it would be better than a stiff front end. What type of shock are you talking about and will it give me a little lift to level it out with the rear?

[danwaters]

Originally Posted by CHAZ98X

Yeah, that sounds like it would be better than a stiff front end. What type of shock are you talking about and will it give me a little lift to level it out with the rear?

Just a shock will not level the front out with the rear unless its an air shock or a shock with a dividing piston where you can adjust the nitrogen levels.

Cranking the torsions will add more pre load which will make it a stiffer ride and prematurely wear the torsion out, but you said cheap.

I still have stock torsions but mine are very slightly twisted because the leverage I have is much greater than stock with my arms 3 inches wider. That is the main reason I run an air shock along with my bypass shock. When I fill both shocks up to 250 psi I gain almost an inch of ride height over having them set at 200 psi.

I understand my situation doesnt help you much but I was just trying to further explain that a shock with a dividing piston where you can regulate nitrogen pressure is the only way you will recieve a minimal amount of lift. I dont believe a Rancho or Pro Comp adjustable shock will add or subtrack ride height from your front end.

Oh and With the torsion cranked you will not bounch over whoops and such but what it does do is it sets your ride height at the very end of the rebound travel which can cause for a rough feeling ride when the suspension drops out because it quickly comes to a stop when it runs out of wheel travel. When you add height via cranking the torsions the better quality shock will provide better dampening to lessen this effect. It will not eliminate it but it will decrease it.

[CHAZ98X]

Thanks for the info. I think what I'll do is leave the torsion set up the way it is and then crank them back to normal and do a real lift in the front when I have the funds. Right now I'm just trying to clear larger tires. I won't be going too fast in the desert or in Baja on surf trips so it should work for now. I'll start a new thread when I get some pics up.

[Scotty J.]

I say if you want a prerunner, go for it! But as has been stated a few times, get ready to open your wallet if you're going to do it right. Check out my registry, it tells about where I'm wanting to go with my rig. But in the mean time, I wanted something that I could go out and play in.

3" body lift, 285/75/r16 BFG TAs, 16" Cragar Soft 8s, JBA headers and K&N FIPK intake, (still waiting on the Bama Chips tune *sigh* ). That hasn't been too terribly expensive, especially if you have the resources to do it yourself.

So far it's been a great project, I'm more than happy with the results so far.

[92 Explorer]

Hey Guys thanks for all your input. For starters i think that i am going to start with alot better shocks(they are due for change anyway). What would you guys recommend to be the best shock do use.

[danwaters]

Originally Posted by 92 Explorer

Hey Guys thanks for all your input. For starters i think that i am going to start with alot better shocks(they are due for change anyway). What would you guys recommend to be the best shock do use.

Depends on what you want to spend. The bilstein 5100 series shocks are ok at about 60/shock. The 5150 series is slightly better. If you want to step it up a little more you can get a Fox 2.0x8 and mount it in there. They have onesw for 9 car applications that have a stem mount of you can build or have built a tab to mount the shock up in the shock bucket fairly easy.

[92 Explorer]

yeah i was looking at the fox coilovers to get ride of the torsion bars. And for a while i thought there was a write up about mouting them. Where did you find the Fox 2.0 by 8.

[danwaters]

Originally Posted by 92 Explorer

yeah i was looking at the fox coilovers to get ride of the torsion bars. And for a while i thought there was a write up about mouting them. Where did you find the Fox 2.0 by 8.

There is nothing wrong with torsions. Spending 1000+ dollars to put coilovers on if your not looking for ultimate ride height adjustability with significantly more travel than stock IMO its not worth it. You can get the shock from anywhere who sells them locally or online. I run 10 inch stroke shocks but i have 15 inches of wheel travel in the front. An 8 or even a 6 would be what youre looking for.

[92 Explorer]

Well the idea was to not go crazy with the suspension but add coilovers and some things that would help it handle a little bit better off-road. The go with tires and a BL. I have slowly been making my way through this post http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/...d.php?t=186393. As far as i can tell they are keeping most things the same and just doing the coilover conversion, thats what i am looking into.
***Edit*** As i got several pages in to reading through that post it seems that everyone that is doing the coilover conversion already has the 4" superlift installed., is that what makes the coilover conversion possible for them or can the coilover conversion be done even at stock highth.