Sport97's sport

[sport97]

Post updated:

My name is Vince, I live south of Pittsburgh, Pa. I bought my explorer after i graduated high school(july 08) with 50k for 3500

The Ex:
97 explorer sport, SOHC/auto, leather, moon roof, + mods...


The x: It had 50k miles on it when i got it, and had only minimal rust. Since then the rust has been fixed, and I'm over 100k. Maintenance has been typical with plugs/wires, fuel filter, all 4 ball joints and a thermostat. Running Mobil 1 syn has seemed to quiet the timing chain rattle. Its totally quiet in the summer, and slightly louder in the cold weather.










CURRENT STATE: 12/2011 @101k

-front skid plate
-removed front valance
-relocated front fog lights
-clear corners
-safari bar/lights (victim of rust and off roading)
-bed liner on a few things
-8" sub w/ amp
-4 pioneer speakers
-air box mod
-new rockers w/o rust
-cobra CB w/ 2 3ft wilson whips on the back
-Firestone At's , 265/75/16
-TT
-4 door leaf pack/aal/shackles

Near future:

-f150 tow hooks

Future: 3" body lift, 285/75 M/Ts

[Glen4X4]

Truck looks good man. Maybe we'll have to go wheeling someday, Pitt is about a 3hour drive from here. I've gone to Rausch Creek and trails off of mountain roads, have any local trails out there?

[sport97]

Originally Posted by x92Exploder

Truck looks good man. Maybe we'll have to go wheeling someday, Pitt is about a 3hour drive from here. I've gone to Rausch Creek and trails off of mountain roads, have any local trails out there?

Thanks, I have seen some pics from out at Rausch, looks pretty cool. I have to do a little more searching for some more local trails, there are some trails i have been on that were not to bad, nothing to gnarly for my stock X.

[Glen4X4]

Yeah Rausch is a nice off road park, I had my 95 xlt out there, it had 31's and that was it as for any height and had some under carriage scarring afterwards and that was on the light trails.

[sport97]

Originally Posted by x92Exploder

Yeah Rausch is a nice off road park, I had my 95 xlt out there, it had 31's and that was it as for any height and had some under carriage scarring afterwards and that was on the light trails.

I want to get a custom bumper and ditch my safari bar, i smashed it up in a few ditches last time i was out. Once the weather gets a little warmer i plan on putting some shackles on and doing a TT.

[Glen4X4]

Have you looked at BPFAB's off road bumper for our explorers?

[sport97]

Originally Posted by x92Exploder

Have you looked at BPFAB's off road bumper for our explorers?

I'm not sure that i have. i recall seeing a few on here that were being mass produced, but most peoples are custom it seems. Do they have a site, or a thread with some pics on here?

[Glen4X4]

Here's a Link to his site, Pottsy is a vendor here.

[sport97]

Thank you, i have seen that one before, i like it. Now, if i can just win the lottery... Its not that its overpriced, i know that is what a quality bumper is going to cost. I just cant stomach that cost right now haha. My friend can weld, and his dad owns a welding shop, so maybe it will be a good summer project.

[Glen4X4]

Yeah I hear ya, it looks like a nice bumper, I need to ask someone I know if they'd pass it for inspection since its not DOT approved.

[sport97]

Good point, I think the shop i go to wouldnt have a problem with it. If they do, ill flag down one of the many lifted trucks around here and ask where they go to get inspected. The thing i would be worried about is if you rear end someone or something and have a non DOT approved bumper, would you be put at fault for the damage.

[Glen4X4]

If you rear end someone you're already liable since you were driving the vehicle so not sure about trouble for not having a dot approved bumper if they look that close, then it'd go back to the inspection station for letting it pass.

[sport97]

We got 20+ inches of snow here. The ex did great in the snow. No problem in 10 inches of snow on some hilly back country roads. Only time i almost got stuck was when it was about 18-20 inches deep and my bumper was like a snow plow and it was mounding up in the front.

My baby, partially cleaned off.


My backyard, looking down at the river after the storm departed.

[sport97]

Update: Time for inspection...well it was due a few days ago. She needs rotors and pads all around and new parking brake shoes. The rotors were so rusted on that i broke 2 hammers. My parking brake had worn to the metal on 2 of them, the other 2 were missing pieces and the drivers side was seized. I am surprised the parking brake still worked fine. The parking brake shoes were also a b**** to get on. I'm finishing the job up tomorrow. Oh yeah, and the passenger side lower ball joint is really sloppy. I just had the drivers side upper and lowers replaced last month. The fun never stops! Just routine maintenance, not bad for putting 2 on since i bought it and this is all its needed, it is a 13yr old car after all


^That pile of rust is all from my front right rotor.


^The rear rotor, it was actually worse than the picture looks.

[Glen4X4]

Oh yeah man those parking breaks are fun to do! I know mine on my 96 worked and then one day they didn't so I eventually looked at them and here one side barely had any pad and the other the pads were missing. The book recommends you remove the axle to do the parking break but needle nose pliers can get the job done. If money persists I would do both lower and upper ball joints because once one goes and you replace it then its stiff and puts more pressure on the other one...I used a perty big headed sledge to get my rear rotors off.

[sport97]

700 bucks later and it passed. 300 in brake parts(i installed), and 375 for the shop to put in new lower ball joint, upper ball joint with a control arm and an alignment, then the price of inspection. The parking brakes drag a little bit when i turn and shortly after but that little bit should burn off in a few miles, if not ill readjust them.

That ball joint was close to a failure, i could see the ball inside of it. The steering wheel shook really nastily when i hit bumps. I feel safer now haha, although i was hoping for an improvement with my brakes but i got none. My pedal is still really soft, the fluid is good, the only thing i can think of is maybe the calibers are getting bad, or that is just how the explorers brake.

[Glen4X4]

Yea when I replaced my parking brake it hung up awhile but eventually either settled or burned off and have had the same with the regular brakes. If your pedal is soft I would try bleeding the brakes that maybe what it needs it may just have air in them.

[sport97]

Yeah i probably will do that. I had kind of gotten used to them being soft but after driving my dads chevy 2500 and my moms bravada i realized mine are a lot softer. I could also be crazy.


(realistic) plans for this summer include:
-light bar on roof, or on a roof basket if i find a cheap used one
-back up lights mounted on my hitch or under the bumper
-strip the safari bar and coat it in bed liner(the rock salt got the best of it)
-install a toggle switch panel
-custom CAI
-putting the 31's back on(after i find some hub centric washers or spacers or something so i don't risk having a stud failure)
-find a used BFG AT tire for the one i blew out on the rims mentioned above.
-plugs/wires and fuel filter
-rust repair

Plans that i want to do, but are not the top priority:
-front tow point, but i only do mild offroading, and that push bar is in the way
-TT and shackles, but i want to do a 4door leaf pack swap first
-custom stealth sub box to replace the stock one i am using.
-flowmaster 50 series(probably wont happen until my current one rusts out)
-2 inch body lift
-train horn!

[sport97]

Today i pulled off the push bar, the rock salt got the best of it. Its getting sanded and a coating of bedliner. I'm actually not sure i am going to be putting it back on. I may go the route of mounting the lights on the bumper and taking the lower valance off too.

Kind of like Paraphoe's ex
Or i may do a bumper swap and get a billet grill and it would resemble TheEnforcer98's


Does anyone know if i remove the lower valance if i could get tow hooks on there, or is the frame still too high. Paraphoe has them but he has a BL.

[Glen4X4]

I took my lower valance off recently and there is more room to be able to get the tow hooks on. Even though my truck isn't lifted yet it IMO it looks better without the valance.