Heres the plan !!!!!!!

[EDFORD8]

My wife is currently driving our 1998 V8 Mountaineer as her daily driver. Since we live in central PA the many winters and 183,000 miles have started to take a toll on the body. So the plan is to buy her the Ford Fusion that she wants, and its time for me to save the Mounty from the scrap yard.

So im thinking coilover lift in the front, and SOA in the rear with a 2-3in body lift, then power trax lockers front and rear, and either 33s or 35s. Now i will twaek the 5.0 with a new set of rods and pistons, reworked heads, good towing cam, trick flow upper and lower with 75mm t-body and 80mm mass air, torque monster headers, and custom exhaust the rest of the way out the back. Since i will be towing my 28 foot toy hauler im also thinking air bags in the back to aid when towing. My interior will be very simple, remove carpet replace with a spray in style rubber, decent audio, nothin real fancy. Also a winch for the front and a custom bumper thats been stuck in my head for a while.


Now im stuck on the tranny, its going to be rebuilt but with what internals, and converter, since i plan on towing.

So any more suggestions??

 

[99ex22]

sounds good to me! You wont need the body lift for 35's though and expecially 33's.

 

[EDFORD8]

I noticed youve gone from 33 to 35 then back to 33. Which did you like better?

 

[99ex22]

I like the 33's better. The front suspension felt like it was going to fall out from under the truck with the 35's on. They're are just to big and heavy for the ifs in my opinion.

 

[EDFORD8]

Yeah im thinking of going with the 33s because of the fact that i will be towing the camper, and the fact that this rig will be my daily driver....

 

[yavapaires]

Yeah im thinking of going with the 33s because of the fact that i will be towing the camper, and the fact that this rig will be my daily driver....

Just asking. What are your plans for gear ratio? Just a personal observation. Why would you want to pull such a large trailer with an Explorer? I am asking, because as a retired truck driver, I have witnessed too many accidents where someone was pulling too large a trailer with too small a vehicle. In my personal opinion, I would have nothing less than a 3/4 ton truck for pulling that size trailer. That is JUST MY PERSONAL OPINION.

 

[EDFORD8]

Well im going to start out with a set of 4.10 and see how it goes from there, and the reason im starting with them is the fact that i have a ranger to pull them from. As far as towing with it, ive already towed the camper with it before, along with a car trailer and a 3300lbs race car on it. the camper is definetly heavier but is does do a good job, ive towed alot with other vehicles and this one, you just have to use your head and be aware of the conditions, the mounty just needs a little help in the rear spring if im going to tow the camper as much as i have in the past.

 

[yavapaires]

Sounds like you have got it together. I know what you mean about the springs. Do you use a weight distributing hitch? I know when I towed a 30 ft. travel trailer with my (used to be) 2500 HD GMC, I had to use a weight distributing hitch. I didn't have much trouble with sway with trucks passing, except certain model trucks. Seemed like the aerodynamics of some truck/trailer combinations were worse than others. Of course, even when driving big trucks, noticed the same thing. Good luck with it.

 

[LONO100]

new builds are always exciting, and its always a good thing if you can save a truck from the scrapyard by turning it into a weekend toy. one thing i read that i thought i would comment on is your plan to throw lockers on both the front and rear diffs. when i was doing research on the forum about lockers for my own rear locker install, there were a bunch of guys talking about putting lockers on the front diff was a bad idea if the truck wasnt strictly a wheeling rig. the guys that posted on their experiences with a front locker were talking about how it felt "weird" and "a little unsafe" when they drove their rigs on the road, especially in snow. im by no means an expert, and ive never driven a truck on the road that had front lockers, but i just remember reading about it. just something i thought id mention being that you were planning on using this thing to pull a trailer around on the road. good luck on the build and post pics!

 

[EDFORD8]

Yes i am using a weight distributing hitch, which is a must with the mounty, good advice on the lockers, ill have to check out some posts on front lockers dont really wanna waste that kind of money if its not gonna work out for me. Pics will be coming.....sadly that wont be for about 6 weeks since im heading away for training for work, but will be starting the project as soon as i return. I will get some before pics before i leave.

 

[EDFORD8]

Update

Not much of an update since im still away from home for job training, but in my spare time ive been doing alittle. Ive ordered the 3in body lift for the sloped body lift and got in contact with a good friend who owns a body shop and takes care of paint work and he has ordered my rocker panels. So im getting things rolling slowly but surely. More to come in the upcoming months.

Also found a rust free hatch and glass for $70.....not to bad i thought.

 

[rabbit91]

bump

 

[EDFORD8]

Well its been a while since i updated, but since i recieved the bump ill post an update. Its taken a little longer to get things goin since the search for a replacement vehicle took longer than i thought but with a new truck to tow the camper with i no longer have to worry about that issue, and the wife just recieved her vehicle this week, nothing fancy just a used escort to run to work. With that being said the body lift is here, rockers, hatch, quarter panels and shackles are here, decided against soa and went with shackles. Coilover brackets will be ordered within the next month. I promise pics will be coming soon and work to begin as soon as next week.

 

[rabbit91]

:ttiwwp:
i know you said you are going to put pics up, i just wanted to use the smilie!