Tips needed for modifying a stock 1994 XLT Explorer.

[Exploder253]

i own a completely stock 1994 XLT Explorer, and it just hit 98,000 miles
i have been using it as my daily driver, and part time off road vehicle, and i must say its handled pretty well offroad for being stock, i got 29" all terrains on right now and thats pretty much it for mods
i was looking for some advice that would help me get started on turning this rig into an offroader, im just trying to get my feet wet with it first tho, so any tips for gettin it ready to road, some easy modifications i should do or maintenance that i should keep on would really help me out, hope to hear from someone soon
thanks

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! I've moved your thread to the modified 91-94 section.

 

[Spdrcer34]

Maintenance FIRST...

Replace the Air Filter
Replace the Fuel Filter
Do a Seafoam treatment on the motor.
Clean the Throttle Body with Carb/Throttle Body Cleaner
Change the Spark Plugs
Replace the Spark Plug Wires
Clean the Mass Air Flow Sensor, CRC makes a Mass Air Flow Sensor Cleaner in a spray can.
Change the oil
Change the Transmission Fluid
Change the Fluids in the Differentials
Bleed the Brakes

Unless the brakes are an issue...that is just about the EXACT order that should be followed.


Once that stuff is done, You can do a mild lift on the Explorer for pretty cheap..

F-150 Spacer for the front Coil Springs
Longer Shackles for the Rear Leaf Springs

That will give you about 1.5"-2" of lift.

Get some 31x10.5 tires, and it's VERY capable off-road.

Add a 2"-3" body lift and you can fit some 33's instead...

From there, New Gears and by then you will have a better idea of what else you will need for your adventures in the Great Outdoors.

Ryan

 

[Four0Sport]

even though i am happy with my 93 I did jump into the whole 'lifting' thing blindly. when i look back there are some things I would have done differently, spent more money on some things and not as much on others.

the best thing to do is like ryan said.. get your vehicle in good shape, do some research, plan out a build based on what YOU want YOUR vehicle to be capable of. then go from there.. the possibilities are endless. look in the registry subforum and other peoples builds and get some ideas.

 

[rngmStr]

Maintenance FIRST...

Replace the Air Filter
Replace the Fuel Filter
Do a Seafoam treatment on the motor.
Clean the Throttle Body with Carb/Throttle Body Cleaner
Change the Spark Plugs
Replace the Spark Plug Wires
Clean the Mass Air Flow Sensor, CRC makes a Mass Air Flow Sensor Cleaner in a spray can.
Change the oil
Change the Transmission Fluid
Change the Fluids in the Differentials
Bleed the Brakes

Unless the brakes are an issue...that is just about the EXACT order that should be followed.


Once that stuff is done, You can do a mild lift on the Explorer for pretty cheap..

F-150 Spacer for the front Coil Springs
Longer Shackles for the Rear Leaf Springs

That will give you about 1.5"-2" of lift.

Get some 31x10.5 tires, and it's VERY capable off-road.

Add a 2"-3" body lift and you can fit some 33's instead...

From there, New Gears and by then you will have a better idea of what else you will need for your adventures in the Great Outdoors.

Ryan

x2

 

[nitro71]

Four, What do you wish you'd done differently and why? Maybe the rest of us can learn something.

Personally I'd run your tires till they wear out. New rubber is $$. Like the other guy said. Change every fluid. Change air filter. Change plugs. Wires if they are original. Fix any problems. Now you're ready to start modding!

You need to decide what you're end goals are. I'll discuss my goals and what I've done. I'm shooting for 33" tires eventually. Running 31's. I want it to still be drivable but capable off road. And I don't have a lot of money. What I'd done and why:

2" suspension lift. Better articulation. Better front suspension(at least with the Skyjacker springs) You don't need new pitman arms or other suspension components. Your drive line angles don't get out of wack. Better clearance.

3" body lift. Gets your rocker panels and fenders up further from obstructions. Makes it easier to pull a tranny and do spark plugs. It looks good with the 2" suspension lift. Along with the suspension lift will fit 33's. Downside is it has made my steering a little funky. There are fixes for it.

Removed the rear anti-sway bar. Better articulation.

This week I'll work on front anti-sway bar disconnects. Can't find any grade 5 or 8 clevis pins yet.. I won't run grade 2 on safety gear. Get longer brake lines so they don't break.

Manual hubs and a manual transfer case. Less to break.

A rear locker. Then 33" tires once mine wear out.

That's my plan right there. Everyone has different goals and check book size!

 

[Four0Sport]

If I would have done it differently I would have built my Bronco II instead of my explorer, 2" suspension lift, gears, rear locker, 31" MTs. a 2" suspension lift would have saved me about $800 over the 4" lift on my explorer. the bronco is lighter, smaller, moves around the trails easier. now im in a boat with 4" of lift but no gearing, and the bronco has way less rust.

dont get me wrong, i love my explorer.. and it goes places I never thought it would. but it needs at least another grand of work i.e. rust repair, gears. then again it does have more power, a stronger rear end, and the way the suspension is now i do have more articulation and clearance. oh, and the 2.9L in the bronco is blown lol

 

[MrQ]

I have done some interior mods. Get to know your vehicle. Each explorer has been treated differently over the years. Understand is capabilities and know its limits. Then take it from there. Do small mods first to get used to working on your ex.

Research, research, research. Know where you want to go with it and how far you want to take it. I.E. Major off-roader with a lift, better articulation beefier tires and lower gearing or a Minor Off-roader and DD with some basic mods to make it more capable off-road.

 

[nitro71]

Also realize any lifting, larger tires will degrade performance and handling. It's a trade off.

 

[sledgehammer1990]

I have done a ton of mods to my explorer since I have had in. It's only been a year, but my favorite was the remote locks and alarm system bought from ebay for $65.

 

[MrQ]

I have done a ton of mods to my explorer since I have had in. It's only been a year, but my favorite was the remote locks and alarm system bought from ebay for $65.

Oh!! I have been wanting to do that!! How was the wiring done?

 

[sledgehammer1990]

What exactly do you mean? In the guide, there is a complete wiring diagram and it took me 9 hours to install everything. The only thing that doesn't work for me is the remote starter because I haven't set it up to bypass the clutch yet.

 

[jd4242]

I have done a ton of mods to my explorer since I have had in. It's only been a year, but my favorite was the remote locks and alarm system bought from ebay for $65.

and the remote start but yea one of mine too

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=238614

 

[Exploder253]

thanks everyone especially spdrcer34 on the help, been working on it for the past couple weeks maintenance wise and just starting on the lifting process, will have pics up soon

 

[HahnsB2]

Manual hubs are a MUST, and should be the first thing you do in regards to off-road mods. The single best thing you can do to improve off-road ability is a rear locker.

 

[gmanpaint]

94 Ex XLT

2" lift on 31"x 10.5" swaybars disconnected, stock everything else!

It got wheeled on level 2, & 3 rated trails and it did great.