is it worth putting money into my explorer | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

  • Register Today It's free!

is it worth putting money into my explorer

dpeebs

Member
Joined
July 7, 2012
Messages
43
Reaction score
0
City, State
manitoba canada
Year, Model & Trim Level
1991 ford explorer
i bought my 1991 for explorer last year for 1700. the truck had 6 inch lift. (as the guys says) but i think its a 4 or 5.5. it has set of 33x12.5x15's. i bought it just like this, iv added wagg grill guard off a jeep. i smoked out the tail lights, blacked out the grill. added custom red grill inserts. iv got a 230 amp alt in her, have a kenwood kiv-700 head unit, kicker zx350.4 4 channel amp running a set of jl 2 ways. have infinity kappa compoents i have yet to put in. have a hifonics brutus 1700.1d knucocept 4 gauge wire for 4 channel. 0 gauge welder cable for the 1700.1d have the big 3 done in 0 gauge knucocepts. iv kept the truck well maintained. im 20 turning 21 and i love this truck. i want to know if it would be worth going further with the explorer or drive it till it drops? also i only use it as mud truck so i was planning on a 5.0 swap but carbed not efi. also if anybody has a 1 gen with a carbed engine i would love to see pictures
(i cant figure out how to put pictures on it just shows little red x)
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





Sounds like a lot of money in the stereo for a mud truck.

Explorers are well worth putting money into since repair parts are usually relatively inexpensive, especially on the first gens, but that doesn't mean the same thing as throwing money into expensive modifications or stereo equipment.

The stock 4.0L is plenty for 33's with the right 4.56 gears. 5.0 swaps have been done, but unless you get a deal on the motor and do the work yourself, it may wind up being a money pit.
 






i plan on doing the work myself, and i can get motor fairly cheap. and audio is just what iv grown up around. but i use my truck everyday so thats why i put the stereo in it. if i do start to put more money in it its gunn be a winter/ weekend mudding truck.
 






I bought my '91 for $250 with a bunch of dents, a knocking engine, and a blown trans.

then i spent about $6,000 on it, doing the work myself (Except the trans rebuild which was a steel at $500)


it's got the stock 4.0, auto trans, and i'm running 1 ton axles with lockers and 37" tires. i geared it down a bit (5.38's) and the 4.0 does just fine, at least for a trail rig. it's not much of a mud slinger. in fact, my stock '93 does better in the mud with just 31" all terrains.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUQuaQ8KQ4s
 






Is it worth it to you? That's what you have to answer. The X itself is certainly worth it if you built it to fit your needs.
I'm different. I have a 500HP car I mod & have fun with. So my X gets only maintenance at this point. I don't sink any $ into it after the mods I did when I got it.
 






Plenty of folks around here would keep it and play. As said before only you can answer that question. But, it sounds like it is all ready pretty well modified, so you have a great platform from which to grow with or use it until you find another that means more to you.

FWIW - I have my truck as my daily driver with a family of 4, this is our only vehicle. It is worth it to all of us to maintain and upgrade the old truck. We camp and explore nature with it. A stock one would be perfectly acceptable, but we want a bit more. We also like having a vehicle that is simple to run, repair and this is our warrantee in the event it breaks down. A new or new vehicle is not the same...
 






ya to me its worth building it up. because i want to say t people that i built it to what it is. if that makes sense, i do want more power in my truck so i do want a 5.0. and i want to keep it still drivble on the street. and even if i were to have an accident r something it would be worth it more to me to keep it as a toy. i know i didnt built the truck to what is is now but i want to do my own thing to it. sorry if this doesnt make sense to some but to me it does lol
 






ya to me its worth building it up. because i want to say t people that i built it to what it is. if that makes sense, i do want more power in my truck so i do want a 5.0. and i want to keep it still drivble on the street. and even if i were to have an accident r something it would be worth it more to me to keep it as a toy. i know i didnt built the truck to what is is now but i want to do my own thing to it. sorry if this doesnt make sense to some but to me it does lol

the vast majority of those who go down the "if only i had a v8 in my first gen" road end up with a pile of parts that never go together, and all their time/money wasted. swapping a v8 into a first gen explorer is not an easy task. many people think it's simple like swapping a different engine into an old classic car, this is a whole different animal.

i'd recommend building it into a good 4x4, you don't need a v8 in an off road rig, just good gearing, lockers, lift, good tires, suspension, and most of all some skill.

of course, it's all up to you. everyone has their own taste, and whenever a thread like this comes up, everybodys opinions differ so wildly.

do you want to cruise on the street?
do you want to go EVERYWHERE offroad?
do you want to haul ass over rough terrain offroad?

those are the first questions i ask myself when doing a build, as they all demand a very different type of build.
 






It's far easier to swap in a 5.0 on a 2wd 5 speed X with a body lift already done.
 






i want to do a v8 swap. a good friend of mine has been doing it on rangers for as long s he has had his license. he said it wouldnt be easy but i could do it if i have a donor vehicle. he is my mechanic for when im to laazy to do work myself or not the time. i have read tons of treads on here about it and im confident i will be able to do it.
 






i want to do a v8 swap. a good friend of mine has been doing it on rangers for as long s he has had his license. he said it wouldnt be easy but i could do it if i have a donor vehicle. he is my mechanic for when im to laazy to do work myself or not the time. i have read tons of treads on here about it and im confident i will be able to do it.


If you want a v8, i'd start looking for a second gen with a 5.0 in it. it'll have MAF, roller cam, the good heads and everything already in it.

and i don't mean a second gen to cannibalize for your first gen project, i mean sell the first gen, and buy the second gen with the v8 in it already ready to run. then spend that time that you would have wasted on a difficult engine swap putting some kick ass axles and suspension in the second gen.

if i build another explorer, it's going to be a second gen with a 302, and i'm going to put 1 tons under it, coil sprung, long travel. (or as long as i can clearance things to fit anyway) then it's getting supercharged.
 






iv thought of that. but i like the looks of the first gen over the second. also i dont want AWD i like the 4x4.
 












ya but still i prefer the first gens over the second. i like the boxy look.
 












well my plans kinda hit the fan for now. the old 4 liter i think is about to see its end. so i guess my swap plans will be on hold till my ranger is on the road
 






Sorry to hear that , I just did a Trans swap on mine , I used a BII trans And was told it was an 89 model , But its older and Now I have no Overdrive , Always seems like something in the way for Us to keep these going , But its Worth it to me , I love my Navajo !
 






ya it takes alot of money to keep them on the road, but iv been lucky enough to have no major problems with it. but god news is i found a motor with 108xxx kms on it the guy never really gave me price yet.
 






ya but still i prefer the first gens over the second. i like the boxy look.

Just bolt the front end of a 1st gen on a second gen (fenders, header panel, lights, grill, etc). If you get a 95-98, the only other difference is the tail lights and interior. Much less work than a V8 swap.
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





swapping over might be "easy" but my truck already has a lift tires, nd i wouldnt be able to sell it and have enough to buy a second gen and put a lift and tires. i would rather spend the money and build what i already have, my truck is 3/4 of the way to what i want. also my dad has a 1984 f150 frame with rebuild trans and transfer case he's gunna sell me for cheap so i have a good start with full width axels and a good trans and t case with a 302 but needs rebuilding from sitting
 






Back
Top