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For Sale CUSTOM 2004 Explorer

J

jluv

I hope you'll bear with me and my long story...

It's been a really long time since I have posted here. I got a lot of good info from this site back in the day, so I reckon it is worth paying to become an Elite member to make this post. Ugh, I'm getting a little nostalgic and emotional just typing this right now.

I spent 10 years building this ride. She was my baby for so long. My friends knew me as "the guy with the Explorer". Lots of blood, sweat, and tears in her, and I know that most of you can relate.

My plan all along was to make her a show truck. I even bought an F250 in 2011 solely for the purpose of towing the Explorer to car shows in and around Texas. I'm not sure what happened, but somehow the diesel bug bit me, and before I ever even entered her into one show, the big truck became my new obsession. I feel almost ashamed to say that. Like I turned my back on my original baby that was good to me for so long. I never even bought the trailer. It spiraled out of control, and now I have a ridiculously decked out F250 that takes all of my time, energy, and money. Sadly, the Explorer sat, barely driven, for almost 4 years. Nothing wrong with her - I just didn't have the time or interest. I planned on cleaning her up and selling her for a long time, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I procrastinated, but deep down, I know it was because I really wanted to keep her forever. One day, I thought, I would start driving her again and put her in some shows. I always wanted to win a big trophy and maybe even make the cover of a magazine.

But now, my hand is being forced. I'm moving from Texas to Colorado at the end of July. I realized my other dream and bought a house way up in the mountains. Dirt roads and the rugged outdoors would not be fitting for what I've done to this Explorer, so I need to find her a new home. I truly hope that she will go to someone who will fix the very minor imperfections with her, make her everything she was for me, and enjoy the crud out of her. I'd still love to see her in the pages (or maybe cover) of a magazine some day. It will be bittersweet, but I'd be proud, and also happy for the new owner. I hope that if a member here buys her, they will let me know if something like that ever happens.

So, thank you for letting me get all of that out. Please take a look at all of the details below, and consider giving her a new home if you can. I feel like my price is much less than what she could bring if I had more time to wait, but I don't, so I have priced her to sell. That said, I'm not taking any ridiculous lowball offers. I'll put her in storage or let a family member here in Texas drive her before I do that. Here we go...

2004 Ford Explorer XLS (only an XLS by birth, as you'll see)
V6
2wd
Automatic
105k miles

Runs/dives EXCELLENT. Low miles. TONS of new stuff. This is a great vehicle, extremely reliable and trouble-free, and has been pampered her whole life. I've owned her since January of 2004. Paid off, clear title in hand. Never wrecked. No hail damage. Zero mechanical issues. Zero leaks, ever. Never driven hard or fast (just not that kind of ride).

It started life as a base model XLS with tan cloth seats, tan carpet, cream felt pillars and headliner, and lots of black textured plastic on the bumpers, fender flares, handles, mirrors, etc. It's not fair to even call it an XLS anymore, as you won't find a stock XLT, Eddie Bauer, or Limited Explorer this nice. Everything has been changed.

The list of mods is extremely long, so I may forget some things, but here is my best shot off the top of my head. I do have receipts for most of this stuff. Everything with an asterisk next to it has less than 500 miles on it.

SUSPENSION/BRAKES:
Ground Force lowering springs*
KYB GR2 Shocks*
Moog ball joints*
Camber adjusters*
Slotted/drilled rear rotors
New OEM front rotors and pads*

EXTERIOR:
Custom paint (original mineral gray on bottom, new black metallic on top, with Viper red pinstripe)
New smooth side mirrors painted
New smooth door handles painted
New limited front and rear bumpers painted (no front plate holes)
Fender flares smoothed and painted
Limited fog lights with tinted film
Painted Limited fog light bezels
Black housing headlights with tinted film
Clear front corner lights with tinted film
LED tail lights
Upper and lower mesh grilles, painted
All badges removed
Roof rack removed
Rear wiper removed (spray nozzle flipped to spray tailgaters)
Shorty antenna
Black chrome exhaust tip
Ion Alloy 22x9.5 chrome rims (with wheel locks)
Four BRAND NEW Nitto 285/35/22s installed last week*
Two layers of limo tint on all windows except front two and windshield (those are not tinted)

INTERIOR:
The entire interior was gutted and COMPLETELY covered in Dynamat Xtreme. Several layers in all four doors and rear hatch, all pillars, roof, floor, etc. There is also a layer under the hood, covered by the factory liner.
Custom two-tone black and tan leather seats
Functional power driver seat added
Custom FRONT buckets in second row (I had new metal brackets fabbed and welded to mount these, allows back seat passengers to sit almost a foot further back in the vehicle for tons of foot room, seats slide forward and back and lean just like the front seats, seat belts function normally)
Custom fit high-pile luxury black carpet with rubber backing and matching floor mats
Headliner, all pillars, rear hatch, center console, air bag cover, glove box, door inserts, kick panels, etc are covered in black suede.
Steering wheel redone with black leather and black suede
Hand-built rear center console done in black carpet and black suede (This could be done better, but it serves the purpose for now, and is very easily removed)

AUDIO/VIDEO/SECURITY
Autopage 2-way pager alarm with remote start, tilt sensor, shock sensor, dual-zone proximity sensor, back-up battery, LOUD siren, and several piezo sirens hidden inside the vehicle
Boss 250 amp alternator
Kinetik HC-2400 power cell (battery) - this is NOT a cheap battery*
Two Alpine Type R 15" subs
7 cubic foot ported enclosure tuned to 33 hz - this thing is a BEAST, made entirely with 1" MDF, covered in padded black suede
(2) JL Audio C5 component speakers
(2) JL Audio ZR tweeters
(2) JL Audio C2 coaxial speakers
Alpine PKG M780 7" headrest monitors
Rearview camera
You'll need to supply head unit, amplifiers and some wiring

Just had a full tune-up done about 150 miles ago, including:
Alignment
Air filter
New spark plugs
New plug wires
New EGR valve
New TPS sensor
New hood props
A/C blend door replaced (blows ice cold)
New battery and brakes as mentioned above

Just had a full detail inside and out, oil change, and inspection.

NEGATIVES:
The ONLY issues at all are mostly cosmetic, but I will list everything for the sake of full disclosure:
Door dings on front driver side door
Cowl piece (between windshield and hood) was painted, but because it was textured, it has started to peel in some spots. Should just be replaced with stock piece or maybe stripped and plasti-dipped?
Rear hatch panel (below rear glass) - Yes, mine is cracked. I have a brand new replacement piece that will come with the truck, but you'll have to have it painted and installed. I shaved the Ford emblem on the current piece, but that's up to you if you want to go that route again. My first panel lasted 5 years before it cracked. I've heard there are better ways to glue them now to avoid this from happening again, and I will share what I know with the buyer, but I offer no guarantees. Another option is to put vinyl over the new piece so it won't need paint and won't crack. Your call.
The top of the running boards/steps are faded some. You could restore/paint them, or you might want to remove them completely - up to you.
The power driver seat was added, and I tapped into the main power for the sound system at the distribution block. With the system uninstalled, there is no distribution block, so no power to the front driver seat, which means it won't slide forward or back right now. It's currently set all the way back. Leans fine. You could grab power elsewhere and solve that quickly.
No front flip-down visors. I removed them at some point and they got lost or thrown away. You'll want to get a set at a junk yard and have them covered in black suede at an upholstery shop. Or, just go without. The holes for them in the headliner are small, and since it's black, they are not noticeable at all.
The A/C just started acting weird. It blows very cold on AC and hot on heater, but sometimes the air will only come out of the defrost, floor, and rear vents. I think it's something simple like a vacuum leak, but I'm not sure. It still blows plenty of cold air to cool the cabin, but it doesn't consistently come out of the main dash vents. The A/C blend door is new, so it's not that.

***$8,500****

It will come with a huge stack of receipts.

It's extremely smooth, quiet, and clean.

Please no insulting lowball offers.

I just have these three recent pics, taken last week with my cell phone. If there is any interest at all, I will go and take pictures of the interior, sub box, under the hood, suspension, tires, or whatever you want to see. I'll probably post some pics of the interior at least very soon, anyway. I've just been very busy.

I can meet you in the DFW area. If you fly in, I can meet you at the airport.

Thank you again for your time checking it out. I'll check back here periodically for PMs and posts, but phone or email is the quickest way to reach me.

Jared
817-946-5760
jared.kinne@yahoo.com
 

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Explorer

Just wanted to say that is a very nice looking truck!
 






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