My 93' Explorer Restoration Project

[Suicide77]

Well it is Thursday afternoon (this week is flying!) and I finally have the coat of Rust-Oleum Rubberized Undercoating on my hitch assembly!

It seems to go on pretty nice and even, although, you have to shake the crap out of the spray can and continue to shake as you apply to keep the product thoroughly mixed.

After getting that all sprayed down I decided to see what else was on the check list. Being as I'm still at the aft section of the vehicle, that leaves me with the undercarriage, frame, bumper, and spare tire. Due to the week day time constraints (and lack of Jack Stands @#$%!!) I decided to go ahead with the spare tire.

BAM! A little knotted wire brush from the grinder and it is looking great! I think I'll give it a nice coat of paint tomorrow along with the Undercoating. (Still need to do the other side though Lol!)

Now, all of this I've done so far is strictly cosmetic. I really want to replace the front/rear shocks. Get new Coils and Leaf Springs. And of course, a lift! I've been trying to read and educate myself (so much reading!) but I could use a few recommendations. I"m trying to weigh (realistically) a 2" vs a 4" lift and would love to hear what you guys know and can recommend! I know the higher you go, the more it will affect the Camber/Caster/Toe-in/Toe-out and Steering. Can this be corrected with SkyJacker's FA600 Extreme Pitman Arm?

Thanks Again!
-Suicide77

 

[Suicide77]

Ahhh! I think I have educated myself to the point of having an "Idea" of what to do with the lift! I have come to a hopeful conclusion that SuperLift may have a solution to the TTB 4" lift! I am extremely concerned about toe-in toe-out alignment problems along with avoiding any chance for damaging positive camber to be a side effect of the lift. If anyone would be kind enough to review or give me some input on the lift I'm going to start researching that would be epic! If not that's okay too, I mean, this whole site is based off of experimenting and modifying and what a better way to learn or do it!

Here is a link to the lift I want to look into (and buy if it will avoid toe in/out and positive camber).

http://www.superlift.com/Catalog.asp?P=K492

This site is the best! Thanks again guys!

 

[Naasau]

Good work! If it makes you feel any better, it took me Months to go through the forum archives... and years before I really understood half of it!

As for lift advice... the only two brands that I would trust not to fail in an epic and terrible fashion are Skyjacker and James Duff. I've run into too many threads discussing radius arm drop bracktes/extended radius arms that develop stress fractures while wheeling.

If you want a shortcut, Wood1 made an awesome thread that's a sticky now about useful TTB links; and most of them (read all) have really cool and useful information in them. I'm on my cell atm, so whenever I get ahold of my laptop, I'll post up some of my favorite links.

 

[tweakedlogic]

2" is cheap and can fir 32s or 33s with cutting. 4" is expensive, more so than 6". that's because with 6" you simply install your leaf springs over the axle instead of under. 4" needs new stiff leaf springs

 

[Suicide77]

First off, Naasau... You are the man!!! Thanks for the tip, I'm glad to be going with some form of direction now and not just blindly stumbling into the dark!

Secondly, tweakedlogic, my leaf springs are frightening to look at. They need to be replaced due to the horrific rusty condition they are in. I must admit that is interesting about the 4" vs 6" lift. A 6" lift would be awesome, but how will that affect the front suspension? Are there drop Pittman arms that are long enough to get the steering back in line with the axle?

 

[Naasau]

Wow, that is a more involved set of questions than one might think... Let me see if I can pseudo tackle some of it.

Any stock replacement leaf springs that I've seen have had the habit of breaking down pretty quick. I've had some luck with a pair of F-150 leaf springs that were rated at almost 3k lbs, from 1979 that were 3" wide... Of course, I can't use a tape measure worth a damn so even though the springs were the right length overall, the center pin was about an inch and a half too far back... whoops. For next time, I plan on using James Duff to set up a pack of 6" lift leaf springs that can handle the weight of the X, with a full military wrap, at 3" wide (The ones I'm using now seem more flexible, and more stable than the stock ones). As for the spring over/under argument, let me say this once: I'm paranoid. AS such, I like leaving things they way that they are engineered, and I would prefer to drag my leaf springs over rocks than have my 8.8 suddenly whack a boulder and snap an axle bolt.

Steering is another problem all together. There are a bunch of ways that people have tried to deal with the TTB, and even more people that say it isn't worth it and just go SAS and be done! As for me, I love my TTB; because of it, I can turn tighter circles in my X than my wife can in her tiny TJ rubicon, and I feel like I have more control too. That said, the TTB isn't for everyone, it needs love, care, and understanding. Every part of the axle effects every other part, and if you get a lift setup that doesn't address every aspect of the alignment, then there is no way to deal with it to make it work long term. You just have to go back and fix it right (I speak from experience here).

Long story short, there are drop pitman arms long enough... mostly. there is the FA400 and the FA600, that 4x4Junkie talks about in some of his awesome TTB articles, and they work great for getting the stock steering setup back in line with the axle at static ride height, which will make your X handle just fine while you're on the road. However, when you get in to situations where you're steering off-road, you'll find that with the increased range of motion from the axle halves, you can get considerable bump-steer, which is no fun. As I said above, a bunch of people have tackled this issue in various ways, from mimicking full IFS steering systems (the superlift superrunner steering kit-which tends to break), single and double swing steering setups, Stonecrusher Steering Setups, and odd-ball hybrids/variations therein. To me the jury is still out... as I plan on tackling my stock steering setup this summer at some point and hopefully come up with an answer to this issue that will be more complete than previous attempts, without the complexity of the full swing steering setups.

Good god, I wrote a novel. My apologies.

P.S. If any of the real experts (I'm looking at you tweaked, 4x4junkie, 410fortune, to name a few) disagree with anything that I've rambled, please correct me! I could always use the help.

P.P.S. I should really look over my bookmarks to post links that corroborate at least some of my statements, but I'm just too tired to go spelunking atm, maybe later.

 

[tweakedlogic]

You pretty much nut shelled it.

 

[Suicide77]

You guys are awesome! Thanks Naasau! That was one of the most excellent encasing responses I could have hoped for! I'm about half way though reading the links of Wood1's sticky and can actually follow what you are saying (thanks Again!!!). I also like your point of leaving things "as they were engineered to be".

That said, I think the FA600 or FA400 are what I'll be looking at for the drop pittman arm assembly. I have decided I'm going to go for a 4" lift and keep the rear leaf springs attached below the axle. Obviously a little research and guidance may be required, but, I'm thinking of getting 6" springs but keeping them attached 'under' the axle to give the back a feasible 4" lift that can take the weight.

As far as the front is concerned, I think between FA400/FA600 and using the SuperLift Steering Linkage + Fully Adjustable Camber/Caster Bushings. I would also like to have the 'lift' part of it to be a Sky Jacker lift as most reviews seem to rate them as highest in quality.

Whew. That said, I really appreciate the novel by Naasau and the backup support from tweakedlogic. I think you guys have me going in the right direction to get off road. Now, as far as bump-steer is concerned, doing what is prescribed in the TTB links and using 4x4junkies' advice it would seem everything should check out as long as I'm on pavement? I am willing to sacrifice a few rough spots off road without proper alignment than cruising down the freeway without proper alignment. Would this be the case if I lift is as stated?

Lastly, I finally have a rust free spare tire!

And on to the bumpers...

 

[iheartbeams]

i love this explorer! nothing makes me happier than seeing an old vehicle being taken care of, shows a sense of pride that is long gone in most people. i wish mine stayed this clean, but i decided it was a good idea to start hacking it apart and building a prerunner. oh well

 

[Suicide77]

iheartbeams, thanks for the really nice comment! I really appreciate it! As for my Explorer, there are too many reasons why I want to return her to diamonds (with the addition of a lift!).

Unfortunately though there has been a minor set back. This evening, after getting some window cleaner, the starter motor died. I was planning on getting my Explorer all cleaned up and get a shot to post here, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. Instead of an evening polishing the bumper I will be cruising the forum looking for starter advice :S

Hopefully everything goes well and I will be able to swap it myself. I really don't want to take it to the mechanic's shop and would love to work through this breakdown. On the flip side, you will never believe where it died. The auto zone parking lot Lol! I'm marooned here in the suburbs (fortunately within 2 miles of my work) at my father's house. The Explorer in question will spend the night at Auto Zone. I'll keep you guys updated.

 

[iheartbeams]

swapping the starter is one of the easiest things ever! driver side of the vehicle, inside the frame its big goldish colored cylinder. undo the plug of wires that goes in to it, and its like 2 or 3 bolts, and it slides right off. incredibly easy.

 

[tweakedlogic]

I say lose the pin stripe.

[/$.02]

 

[Suicide77]

Thanks for the suggestion tweakedlogic! I've given it a though a time or two before, but I find myself becoming somewhat attached to its stock look Lol. The pin stripe may leave the paint in the future though.

iheartbeams, yes, the starter is a cake walk! I didn't realize how simple it is! The one problem though is that it passed on Auto Zone's test fixture I then tried switching out all the relays (ice cubes) in the fuse box under the hood and that didn't work. I'm going to get a new starter anyways just incase (mine is older than the truck is) and try that out this evening. If that doesn't pan out I'm down to old wires, which are coated in oil from a leak, and possibly the electronic control unit. It seems like the control unit was clicking though when I was turning the key forward. The gas pump, lights, and beepers all work and go when I turn the key, but nothing from the starter

I would really like to figure this out, mainly because, D### it! It is my baby and I want to take care of it! Any advice?

 

[willindsay]

Don't forget to check the solenoid on the fender right behind the battery.

 

[Naasau]

And check the battery too. It can provide enough juice to power all the amelities just fine, but not have the power availabe to push the required amps to throw the starter.

 

[Naasau]

Also, have you checked out your pos and neg battery connections, as well as the cable itself? I've seen wires that looked just fine, but literally fell apart when I tugged at them. As they age and corrode, the interal resistance goes up, so in the end they can't allow for enough electrical flow to push the starter.

 

[Suicide77]

Excellent advice guys! I found it to be very useful! Thank you very much! I took apart the positive connector to the battery, cleaned it all, and put it back together. I also got a new relay for the fuse box and switched out all of them on it. After cleaning all the battery connections, pulling off the starter and double checking the setup, putting the starter back on, and checking for life, still nothing. I took it off once again and cleaned all the connections with the exception of the solenoid connector (fairly corroded and impossible to clean). Put it back on and still nothing. I finally went back down to Auto Zone via a friend (didn't have to ride my father's old bicycle again!) and got a new starter. I put the new starter on, which required a wire splice because the old connector isn't compatible with the new one. Tried it again and nothing. Went under, re-did the splice and crimped the S!@# out of it and gave it another shot. EUREKA! Started right up! Surprisingly smooth I might add!

Thanks again for the tips guys! It is nice to know I will be driving to work tomorrow instead of biking it! Now I need to get it all cleaned up for a picture...

Here are the pictures of my old starter:

Despite a good wire brushing it was still covered in a film of sludge.

 

[Suicide77]

Also, Naasau, you've got to post a picture of your Explorer! I love the black with red pin stripe! There just aren't enough pictures on the forum to do it justice! If anybody else would like to add theirs as well I would greatly appreciate it! Besides being a huge fan of the first gen, I would like to see a few examples of some other people's work to get an idea of how I would like to build mine. Thanks!

 

[Naasau]

Thanks for the complement! And I'm glad you got her running again, well done!

 

[Texasryan]

Nice looking first gen man, I have a 1991 and i plan on doing some wonderful work to her, but honestly i have NO idea where to start... Any help from you or anyone with first gens would be gladly helpful. Lol, I'm gonna keep up with this because it sure is looking sharp!

- Ryan