1999 explorer 4.0 sohc from dad

used to be my dads commuter on the highway to and from work.. finally turned it over to me with 204,000 and looked pretty good but i needed to make it mine.. its still running really strong at 204,000 and i drive it daily now and am about to roll over 210,000.. im only an junior in highschool but i enjoy the truck and i plan on doing alot more to it once i get my new truck end of the year..

i dont have any pictures before i put the tires and lift on but they are 33" x12.5 i have gotten the wheels coated in flat black and only did shackle lift and cranked the torsion bars.. sits decent and no rubbing surprisingly..

there i had pulled the striping off the side.. wasnt a big fan as it had become cracked.. looks good but didnt like it

350$ later for a paint job that machine sanded outside painted it and clear coated twice with 3 year warranty against cracking or chipping or fading i thnk i did the right thing.. also went on the tailights and corners with the nightshades off of ebay and sprayed the grille black to give it more of a personalized touch..

also had flowmaster 40 put on and got rid of the cat converters and everything else.. just straight off the headers to the flowmaster 40 that dumps under the rear seats with just a turndown tip..cant compare to a v8 though

now me i love music.. so i had to put in a system in the back and get kenwoods all around put tweeters in the a pillars and alpine headunit..
audiobahn 3200w amp and 2 12" kicker cvr 4ohms sealed box.. really nice and tight sound.. usually ahve them turned down because im more of a blink 182 fan
by the way if you are looking for audio equipment i cant more highly recommend www.sonicelectronix.com ive ordered thousands of dollars of electronics from them and they almost always have the best prices and are great to deal with..

then had some fun with some friends in the mud one day

i was surprised how good it did in the mud.. but as of now the 4wd is out of commission.. still did good just in 4lo which ended up just being 2 lo.. only got stuck one time and was in a suspension flex through a valley wasnt even in the mud.. i was very surprised!!

also can see i sprayed on some racing stripes.. just masked off the hood and did them 6 at the front and 7 wide and back hood.. looks good i guess just was bored and figured id try it.. no complaints but not that big of a deal

im thinking about rhino lining the side of the truck under where the trim is on the doors down the side.not the bumpers just the painted part i think it wouldlook good and would protect.. that area got really scratched up while going through brush and whatnot..

4wd should be back in about a week..

only maintenence was a jasper tranny put in at about 125000 and regular maintenence now and then.. runs super strong..

plan on lifting another couple inches one way or another and would love to put a v8 in it

 

[rsxs1212]

oh i also have some added stickers on the back and the wind guard rain guard things on the side windows.. no biggie at all

 

[Doubt Incarnate]

not bad, was there any rubbing during the mudding?

 

[rsxs1212]

not excessive.. if you would hit a bump hard the wheels do come up and hit the top of the wheel wells which is nto good.. so you just have to take it slow.. so obviously another few inches of lift wouldbe good but i got the tires for 250 and the lift only cost 5o and about an hour so i cant really complain..

also want to get roof basket with aux lights and put my spare 33" tire up there.. as well as a winch on the front bumper

 

[rsxs1212]

i shouldnt say a bump.. like it takes alot to get them to rub.. but i never really run into it in normal use and when they did rub was in that suspension flex that i got stuck in so im not really too concerned.. i think another two inches would take care of it.. new spindles and axle under leafs and ill be set.. i dont want too much lift on it
4-5 inch range with 33's is perfect for me..

 

[Doubt Incarnate]

there arent spindles for the 4x4's, probably a body lift would do the trick. i think there is a 2" kit. there should even be a how too on the site somwhere.

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

nice x u got there keep up the good work

 

[TrevoJreal429]

Paint looks good, where in Florida are you?

 

[rsxs1212]

oh really no spindles.. i had just put new wheel hubs on it myself last january and as far as i was told its the same spindle just different hub.. but thats fine ive done body lift on my friends truck.. not too bad.. 2" kit would be perfect then space the wheels out about an inch with some aftermarket wheels.. i like it though i think lifted explorers look sweet yet i never see any around town

 

[rsxs1212]

im in bradenton sarasota area on anna maria island

 

[EK98]

Hey I love your truck. Looks great!

I have a question though - How's the road noise with that roof rack? I've been looking into getting that exact one but was curious as to how loud it was while driving. Thanks

 

[rsxs1212]

i had to move it around a little bit.. if they are too close or too forward or some like special setup they are superloud on the highway.. but as long as they arent in that perfect position i dont even know that they are there.. so i like them.. makes it look sportier too i think and they work great.. we have the bike racks and snowboard and ski holsters too although the ski and snowboard arent used since we moved down

thanks for the compliment though i like it too.. once i get it lifted more and get that basket on the top and some aux lights it will be good to go

 

[EK98]

Ok cool, I was wondering if I'd have to get that guard that goes in the front of the racks to protect against noise but sounds like i won't have to. Where did you get a $350 paint job? Looks too good to be maco...

 

[rsxs1212]

haha well its this place called econo off of 301.. not exactly the best part of town and the place seemed a little rough but they did a good job and he said anything ididnt like when i picked it up theyll fix on the spot.. they did great masking and everything and i didnt get the doorjambs done or anything but its only 50 a jam.. ill post a picture of my 71 maverick i restored over the summer that i had them paint for 800.. and i figured for the 350 that came with a 2 year warranty against anything i couldnt beat that.. and theyve been around town for years so whatever.. my uncle owns a maaco so he kind of showed me what to look for and what not and i think this came out just as good if not better as cars ive seen roll through his shop..

 

[rsxs1212]

i dont know how many people actually care about that.. but now i have hood stipes and grabber stripes going down the side.. new tailights new chrome trim everywhere.. and i did everything myself besides the paint.. body work and whatnot.. came out really good.. i love the color and this is a true grabber with all original parts but i over hauled the engine and put in some nice leather black racing seats and whatnot.. it looks pretty nice.. selling it soon though because its just not practical especially with no power steering power brakes disc brakes for that matter, and no ac!!! i usually go with the windows down in my truck but when i have to bring an extra shirt to drive this car it becomes not fun to drive lol

 

[rsxs1212]

4 wheel drive is fixed BTW.. thanks to gjoecam we figured out it was the TOD relay.. works like a charm now

 

[98sohcxlt]

hey man, we are about the same age, im getting my dads 98 explorer this spring, its got about 190k on it. your truck looks insane, im thinking of the same color scheme myself, maybe a slightly darker black, and im split on whether i want to lower it, or lift it. the wheels are *****en btw

 

[rsxs1212]

yeah i just ordered the 3" body lift for it and im pretty pumped.. my friend lowered his explorer.. its cool but personally i like mine more.. and its so cheap to lift it up that its not a big deal to do so.. lowering of the back i know isnt bad we just put block kit on which lowered it because the axle is over the leaves.. but i forget what he did to the front to lower it..

and yeah i like the paint scheme only complaint is that it shows scratches like any other dark color and unfortuneatly running through the woods and stuff down here it gets scratched up quite easily.. if its still running this summer ill probably redo it in more of a gunmetal silver color.. like a darker silver should hide scratches a bit better than this one.. but this does for now.. just keep it a little dirty and yeah i like how to wheels came out for 5$

 

[rsxs1212]

Shes done. engine blew. sold it for 800.. working on getting another one as i got a nissan titan for cheap and tis just not the same. Probably going to sell it and try to get another one or possibly 3rd gen.

 

[doughboy_2011]

any of you guys know how big of a tire and rim i can go with without having to lift my '98 sport? I bought it from my friends mom and it needs new wheels and tires and i figured i might as well do something a little more agressive..