97 Awd Explorer offroad Worthy? | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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97 Awd Explorer offroad Worthy?

Wakefinder

Member
Joined
July 5, 2010
Messages
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City, State
NewHampshire
Year, Model & Trim Level
97 XLT
Right Now i have my 97 Explorer 5.0 v8 . Been wanting to do offroading with it but im not sure how well my Chassis would hold up since it looks pretty rusted ( there no holes or anything, its just been through winter). ill post a video prob tomorrow to give you a good look in what im dealing with. i have done alot of electrical mods but not alot of Aftermarket Off roading mods that i want to do to it. if anyone can help me out and tell me what they think about how my Chassis looks and feels that its a good idea or bad idea to start moding it. If its a good idea ill prob put some Warrior Shackles and TT it.

(This video give a little look to underneath my explorer. was taken to show someone how bad the shocks are.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OarWhQbIsRA

(Old Pics)
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Well it looks pretty well rusted on the add ons, shocks, sway bar end links, and sway bar, the frame looks to have a few holes near the rear forward leaf spring perch. If it was me, I would replace all the bushings, shocks and do a thorough inspection of the frame. If the frame has just surface rust, then clean it up and undercoat it or paint the frame, and undercoat the rest of the underbelly. If you are going with a TT and a shackle lift, then I would pay attention to the leaf spring bushings, and what not. Do it right the first time and everything should be fine.

And a helpful reminder, all that rust creates havoc on bolts and nuts. Before you go taking nuts and bolts off, pre soak them in BP or some sort of penetrating fluid and let them set for a few hrs or you are going to end up with a PITA job that should of been a easy one. Soak everything that you are taking off.
 






Mine was that bad or worse when i started with it,
now it has a 4 inch Superlift, rcd coilover kit with Fox coilovers, and i run 33 or 35 inch tires,,

it's in my Registry,,
 






I got mine!


DSCN2409.jpg
 






Ill post a video tomorrow in the morning when the suns out since that video was taken like 4-5 months ago and ill go through out my cars chassis with the next video.

I just keep getting told by people around here where i live in NH that even if i do shackles and TT it wont be enough clearance to do any offroading.... so thats why im skeptical on trying to make it able to offroad. im not trying to make it do rock climbing or anything like that, im looking for a good day on the trails maybe some low end mudding. the person telling me it wont work has a 99 sport blazer.
 






Ill post a video tomorrow in the morning when the suns out since that video was taken like 4-5 months ago and ill go through out my cars chassis with the next video.

I just keep getting told by people around here where i live in NH that even if i do shackles and TT it wont be enough clearance to do any offroading.... so thats why im skeptical on trying to make it able to offroad. im not trying to make it do rock climbing or anything like that, im looking for a good day on the trails maybe some low end mudding. the person telling me it wont work has a 99 sport blazer.

ive seen my stock ex go through some things it shouldnt have! currently i have tt the shackles and 31's and it holds up well i think
 






Well since im still a beginner im not gonna go for anything crazy yet and im a High school grad going into college this fall so also dont have the money to do anything crazy yet. Never taken any automotive classes or anything ive been learning as i go. when i want to do something to my explorer i go to the junk yard close by and try it first on a junker.

Right now i really havnt even scratched the surface of what i want to do with my explorer. i still need to learn more about automotive before i can do everything i want. the only thing i have in my background so far in life is that im a Computer I.T person. im new into automotive work. only thing i wish i had was someone that could show me some stuff so i dont go blind into this stuff, like i did when wiring up a subwoofer....
 






Well since im still a beginner im not gonna go for anything crazy yet and im a High school grad going into college this fall so also dont have the money to do anything crazy yet. Never taken any automotive classes or anything ive been learning as i go. when i want to do something to my explorer i go to the junk yard close by and try it first on a junker.

Right now i really havnt even scratched the surface of what i want to do with my explorer. i still need to learn more about automotive before i can do everything i want. the only thing i have in my background so far in life is that im a Computer I.T person. im new into automotive work. only thing i wish i had was someone that could show me some stuff so i dont go blind into this stuff, like i did when wiring up a subwoofer....

Well this is the place for advice and guidence welcome
 






Thx Bro as soon as the sun gets up ill take a video of the underneath of my car . sucks being almost nocturnal im never awake when the suns up.... on the upside i can see at night just installed my HID's last week got 4500K Very bright from ddmtuning
 






Well you just got to remember that you have to use common sense when it comes to off roading with your vehicle. You need to know the limits of the vehicle. Even people with heavily modified vehicles have limits, and you as well need to know what they are. Alot of times you will not know what those limits are without going out and getting that experience and testing the vehicle out. Some take that advice to the extreme, like they lost their mind and think that their vehicle is sitting on 44" tires and geared and what not and are sitting 5ft off the ground.

With most on here that are novice or on a budget, a TT and a shackle lift get by very well, it is how you apply common sense off roading and the equipment you use. A good set of tires for off roading will do wonders for you. Most times common sense will triumph over stupidity.
 






take 96's advice, replace all the rusted moving parts, shocks, sways, etc, clean off the surface rust, inspect the frame and then get your shackles and do the TT. dont let anyone tell you that your ride isnt capable enough, they're just haters. ive seen plenty of people off roading any kind of rig under the sun, 4WD, AWD, 2WD, you name it, and since ive been on this forum ive seen even crazier video of people roading all kinds of rigs. a 97 V8 AWD X is more than capable of touching some dirt, you just got to know your limitations, and learn how to drive off road and that goes for anyone driving anything.

since you are a college kid, the best advice i can give you is not to pour all kinds of money into your ride, save your money and invest in your education. just keep it simple and have fun. mud tires, new shocks and some reading up on driving techniques shouldnt cost you much and will go a long way out there. im not the greatest driver and i dont have the best rig on the forum, not by a long shot but i just had a blast off roading at hollister hills this past weekend in cali. my cousin was in a bone stock 2WD GMC canyon and because he knew what he was doing, he was handling. good luck!
 






Like i said im a Newbie can u guys happen to point me in the right direction with some write ups on some of the basic things i need to do. like how to replace the sways and ive been looking into it what are some nice shocks that you guys would recommend ?


Here is a video i just took from underneath my car.(2 big to put on youtube from my phone....

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=218188328216173&saved
 






use the google search bar and type in sway bars, or any other topic you want to learn about. im sure you will pull plenty of knowledge. also, there is a ton of stuff on explorers on youtube. plenty of tutorials. what exactly did you need to know?
 






I was hoping to find out what people use around here for shocks. i plan to do low end offroading but its my DD vehicle. so im looking for not super expensive shocks something that works, that people have had luck with.
 






monroe sensatracs seem to be the consensus among people here who use their X's as their daily driver but also do light off-roading. i just recently went with a set of pro comp ES-3000's, both of these models you can get for relatively cheap. i got a set of 4 for about 150 with free shipping and a 50 dollar mail in rebate. you can get monroe sensatracs for just a bit more. just post a thread with "shock advice" in the title and im sure tons of people will give you their honest opinions. shocks and a good set of mud tires and you should be good to go. mud tires are much louder than the normal tire, and if you dont want the noise, go with a good set of all-terrains. good luck.
 






where did you order those pro comp ES-3000's? i was looking into them because they are needed badly.
 


















I use Rancho 5000's on my rig.
 



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see thats what i was thinking about getting. how do u like them ?
 






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