thanks to eplorerforum, you guys made this possible

[cerberusaardvark]

few years back i came across this forum and it gave me the idea of taking the ex and making it the truck it had never been. at that point the truck barely rolled. the suspension was in horrible shape. after reading for a year and dreaming of a meaner, leaner explorer for a year, i saved up some money and did this over the course of three months

 

[obie]

Looks nice, any chance you could post some bigger pictures? And is it done and ready to roll, or are you still working on it? What all did you do?

 

[cerberusaardvark]

sure ill get some bigger ones. specs right now are
98 rear axle with disc brakes and a limited slip diff
solid axle brand rear differential cover (adds a quart of fluid)
polyurethane bushings from energy suspension: sway bars, axle pivots and tie rod endlinks
all new u joints on front stub axles and drive shafts
new rear axle seals, rotors, and parking brake hardware
front knuckles from a 96 4x4 ranger
new dual piston calipers
new slotted rotors and ebc greentuff 7000 pads all around
mcquay norris extreme balljoints
new wheel bearings, wheel seals, spindle seals
4in extended stainless steel front brake lines
4in skyjacker front constant rate springs, settled down to about 3.5 in lift
james duff stage two lift kit
everything taken apart, sanded and painted with por15
jd 1in extended rear shackles
skyjacker fa400 drop pitman arm
new steering links
c clip eliminator (spring style)

basically i read all the threads on how to put bigger brakes and restore/refresh everything that moves, suspension wise, rolled them together and did it to my ex.

 

[cerberusaardvark]

 

[cerberusaardvark]

 

[cerberusaardvark]

so i know the pics i have of the process are super limited but most of the time my hands were so dirty i didnt want to foul up my camera. ill go get some pics of the way it looks now.

 

[obie]

Wow, very impressive. Is that a little Yost vice I spy in the first picture? Looks like it all turned out really well. How's the POR held up on the trails? I have my frame and underbody undergoing a POR and bedliner repaint right now. Though your rust and my rust is in a whole different league, haha.

 

[cerberusaardvark]

its a little guy i got from harbor freight for 15 bucks. its pittsburgh brand.

my thoughts on por15:
strengths: super hard, impervious to most forms of corrosion, and flexible.
weaknesses: its surface strength is its own worst enemy. through and through scratches and scrapes are liable to turn into big peeling strips. the stuff is so strong that you can peel it off the metal like a banana.

advice: use the metal preparation products they offer so this doesnt happen too much. por15 can supposedly be painted onto rusty metal but the downside is that itll peel back off later. ive skipped the prep step but then i had to back later and re paint when it bubbled off.

one of the best things about por15 it that no matter how dirty it gets, u turn a hose on it and wipe it down and itll look good as new.

 

[malohnes]

Looks great! You have done a lot of work and the photo's prove it. I hope I can half the job you have to my truck.

 

[zukman]

So are you coming out to Truckhaven with it this weekend?

 

[cerberusaardvark]

zuckman, i would love to, but im working.

i still have a list of upgrades i need to complete so its truly offroad worthy.

warn manual hubs in the front

new axle seals in the front, noticed they were leaking a bit.

replace the 4x4 shift motor. id like to get a 1354 manual but they seem to be in short supply. 100 bucks for a motor will at least make it off road worthy- ish. i did see a mod kit the replaces the electric shift motor though, and turns it into a short shifter.

id also like to replace the factory spring seats with some that have a clip or flange instead of that weird hourglass type washer sandwich.

id also like to replace the front swaybar endlinks. i bought the skyjacker extended endlinks and they squeak like hell and didnt really fit that well.

id like to get some quick disconnects and cuts the ends off the links, make them longer so the fit is factory.

 

[Tbars4]

...Great job on the research and following through...:biggthump





psssssssst...:shifty_ey...It never ends...

 

[cerberusaardvark]

thanks! i researched and lurked on here for over a year accumulating things to do all at the same time. one thing kinda led to another. wouldnt have been possible if not for this website and all the people on it!

 

[Naasau]

Looks great!

Let us know if/when you get that conversion kit for a short shifter! I've had my eye on a few but just haven't been able to bite the bullet yet.