wheeling my 01 for the first time, what should i do?

[uchi]

hey guys, i run an offroad club and were having our annual charity run at the end of november. i sold my offroad toy and with the weather getting colder i cant see myself taking out my quad. so im gonna go and do some mild wheeling in my 01 explorer sport. truck is completely stock and im lucky enough to have a brand new set of michelin ltx ms tires on her which on my old full size daily driver worked great offroad. im concerned with waterproofing. im gonna end up in a water hole or two im sure but id like to be sure i dont hydrolock my motor. im wondering where the stock air intake pick up is. if its low im gonna go ahead and rip it out and just leave the air box there. although ive toyed with the idea of covering the hole in the bottom and maybe putting another hole in the back of the air box where its gonna be harder for air to get into. also the ignition system. ive got no experience with these systems. i doubt its gonna get wet being where it is but on the odd chance water finds it way under the hood, any precautions i should take to water proof it? and what should i do? im used to covering up distributors and calling it a day.

also anything else i should know about this truck before we go out for our maiden voyage? one last thing. i dont have a rear tow point. my bumper is bent down a bit from the previous owner so id like to avoid having any recovery done by the ball on the bumper but if i need to get draggedout an i safe using the mounting points under the truck for the hitch? or should i invest in a cheap tow hook and stick it to the frame?

think thats about it. and im seriously entertaining the idea of putting a mild set of at's on the truck, lifting the back a little to level it out and using it for mild fun. maybe an lsd in the rear as my truck seems to be open in the back

 

[nssj2]

welcome! intake is behind the headlight. if you get water in your ignition system, youll be halfway to submarine status. don't pull by the bumper. either invest in a hitch or like you said good hooks. just make sure to change ALL the fluids afterwards.

oh, you might want to re-locate your breather lines for your tranny and transfer case, and front and rear axles.

 

[uchi]

thanks. for the breather lines can i just extend them someplace higher and aim them down or do i need to remove them from the diff tranny and t case and put on new ones?

also the ignition system, can i just cover the box withthe plug wires up with a shopping bag and make it as air tight as possible and call it a day?

also does the intake route down into the fender somewhere or is there just a hole in the bottom of the air box? im gonna hopefully get started on this tomorrow and get the truck ready for the end of november but id like ot be as prepaired as i can

 

[nssj2]

just extend them. most people run the tranny/transfer case one against the firewall, and run the front diff one there too. i have my rear diff vent behind my brakelight. youd be fine as is with the coils. id be worried about a fire hazzard with the bag. the airbox is a 3" tube behind the headlight that goes straight to the box. thats it. better to start now then forget things and remember them on the trail.

 

[trj360]

tow points tow points tow points.

 

[uchi]

sounds good, thanks for the info.

ive got a rear tow point on the way and will hopefully have it here soon. ive got the front factory tow points which im hoping will be enough other than that ive got all the gear i need and what im lacking the guys in my club have

gonna have to dress warm today, got the day off and its -2 outside form a warm 3 yesterday, haha. funny how it all works like that.

the back bumper thing i was talking about. with mine being bent im not sure its worth replacing with another bumper so i was thinking of just having a steel bumper made. ive got some fabricaters in my club that could put something together for me but ive got no idea what style to go with. ive thought about going with a double tube style. id like somethign that doesnt look redneckish but will still give me a bit of curb appeal. nothing thats gonna look crappy or cheap. you guys have any ideas or pics for me to look through? im searching the forum now for some but if theres something you like dont be shy. back bumpers only please