91-09 Explorer 5" of lift for under 300.00

[99ex22]

so shadow did you ever finish the lift?

 

[ShadowRaven]

so shadow did you ever finish the lift?

As a matter of fact, I just got back from the tire shop, $100 for mount/balance/alignment for all four tires! I was attempting to put on the front bumper, but due to the tow hook slots on the frame rail, I am unable to do so at the moment. I'm gonna use a sawzall to cut the front bumper to make room for the frame rail, and after that, I'M ALL DONE! Everything has gone fairly well with the whole process, the only real major snag, other than a lot of hours and weather delays, was when my rear jack randomly gave and caught my hand in between the front leafpack mount and the jack. Starting to get feeling back in my left index finger, but it's messed up pretty good, haha. I'll try to get some pictures up on here, the only problem is I'm not too familiar with posting pics on this site. I tried before and failed, so I'm gonna have to try and read how to do it again Thanks again for all the help, couldn't have done it without you guys. PS. If I get unlazy sometime, I'll try and post a better writeup on how to do the bodylift. I took a whole crap-ton of photos and wrote down socket sizes and whatnot, so hopefully it will help out with future installs.

 

[99ex22]

OUCH! your lucky you wernt laying under the truck when that happend.

 

[ShadowRaven]

OUCH! your lucky you wernt laying under the truck when that happend.

Haha, I was actually underneath the driver's side when it happened, just lucky that both the jacks didn't give at the same time :

 

[ShadowRaven]

Here she is before the lift modding began.

And here she is after all the work has been done. Just need to reattach the front bumper and we're all set!

 

[99ex22]

nice now you just need to take off those nerf bars or move them up atleast

 

[ShadowRaven]

nice now you just need to take off those nerf bars or move them up atleast

Haha, yeah I noticed that when I got done with the lift. Definitely gonna have to go to a metal shop to get some lift brackets, unless someone else has a better idea. Just got the front bumper back on and cut off the extensions on the rear bumper lift, thank God. I had no clue this was going to take so long to complete, but I'm finally done. I just need to get a new speedo gear and then my speed will be reading correctly again, other than that, everything should be set. WOOHOO!

 

[99ex22]

what size tires are those? brand?

 

[ShadowRaven]

what size tires are those? brand?

BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A KO 295/75r16, personally a little bit bigger than I wanted, but I couldn't pass up four used, one brand new, for $530 shipped

 

[sbuker3]

did you have to extend anything after the body lift? like any breaklines?

 

[ShadowRaven]

did you have to extend anything after the body lift? like any breaklines?

The only things that I had to change/move in terms of cabling/lines was a few brakeline cables on top of the driverside shock mount, the screws holding the flexible portion of the brakelines (directly from the caliper), the AC hose I had to ziptie to the frame due to it trying to rub against the serpentine belt, and the transmission shift line. I've noticed that my gas pedal is sticking a little, so I may have some binding there, I'm going to have to inspect it further tomorrow. Like I said before, I hope to start a writeup specifically for the 3" bodylift sometime soon. I took a ridiculous amount of pictures, so it will be infinitely more detailed than mudmarine's writeup (although I could not have done it without him) Any more questions, I'll be happy to try and help.

 

[ShadowRaven]

All right, so I've run into a slight issue. My ABS light is now either coming on and staying on, flickers momentarily every once in a while, or stays off as it should during normal driving. I'm going to climb underneath hopefully by tomorrow to check the speed sensors and any of the cabling, but anyone have any other thoughts as to what's causing this? It's apparent that the body lift caused the issue, so I definitely need to see about rectifying it ASAP. Thanks in advance.

 

[gmanpaint]

I had the same issue after my body lift. I simply forgot to plug the sensors back up, lol!

Check the fronts and the rear connections. If the connectors clips broke while removing them, use a ziptie to hold them together.

 

[Rusty]

is the steering extension necessary? I would rather not purchase one for $60.00 because i do not have one. I have heard it is fine without it!?

 

[trj360]

is the steering extension necessary? I would rather not purchase one for $60.00 because i do not have one. I have heard it is fine without it!?

I used mine.

 

[ShadowRaven]

is the steering extension necessary? I would rather not purchase one for $60.00 because i do not have one. I have heard it is fine without it!?

Honestly, I'm not 100% sure if it's required but I can tell you this; when I disconnected the upper and lower shafts, the lower shaft was able to move downward (towards the front of the truck) but did not appear to be able to move any further upward (towards the rear). If I'm understanding this correctly, the steering linkage is connected to the steering gear, which moves the centerlink via the steering wheel. Through a series of ties rods, the centerlink is connected to the steering knuckles which in final, connect to the front wheels through the steering arms. This is a good representation of the steering mechanism http://www.tpub.com/content/construc.../14273_309.htm Due to the body of the car being raised during the lift, the frame will remain in its factory position, therefore requiring an extension in the steering linkage to accommodate for the new height of the body itself. All in all, it would appear that the steering extension is in fact needed to make all this come together. Hope that helps.

 

[ShadowRaven]

I had the same issue after my body lift. I simply forgot to plug the sensors back up, lol!

Check the fronts and the rear connections. If the connectors clips broke while removing them, use a ziptie to hold them together.

I inspected the three sensors about a week ago and found nothing wrong. I assume it was everything just settling in due to the fact that the light has not turned on for over a week and a half since the initial trouble, so everything appears to be fine. Just wanted to let you know what happened, sorry it took so long to respond

 

[CmdrPopNFresh]

You first gen explorer owners can do the exact same thing, You just need to purchase Coils Spacers to raise the front 2" and of course buy the body lift that you need. They make a 2" body lift and a 3" body lift for the first gens.

where do you get coil spacers for a first gen?

 

[99ex22]

I believe you have to use spacers for a ranger or you can use f150 coil seats. If you search f150 coil seats up above you will find a ton of info on that.

 

[CmdrPopNFresh]

I believe you have to use spacers for a ranger or you can use f150 coil seats. If you search f150 coil seats up above you will find a ton of info on that.

wouldnt you need some kind of drop for the traction beams?