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Ford Explorer Community - Maintenance - Modifications - Performance Upgrades - Problem Solving - Off-Road - Street
Explorer Forum Covers the Explorer ST, Explorer Sport, Explorer Sport Trac, Lincoln Aviator, Mercury Mountaineer, Mazda Navajo, Ford Ranger, Mazda Pickups, and the Ford Aerostar
I used a hacksaw. I made two cut next to each other, then took a pair of vice grips and bent the little piece of metal in between the cuts back and forth until it broke off.
i just used the technique of the hacksaw and pliers to break it off. took minutes and worked awesome!
as far as notching the frame and brackets, i used a different approach. i just bolted the new brackets i made to the outside of the frame where they belong. after that there was a small piece of frame sticking up through one of the holes in the new brackets which prevents the bolts to go through. so i just took out my 5/8" drill bit and drilled it away using the new bracket hole (which is 1/4" thick) as a guide to keep it steady. i had to be very careful though, the drill kept slipping and torquing hard on me, i had to go slow.
i think this approach is better cuz it minimizes the amount of cutting to the frame and its easier to do with limited tools. i probably destroyed my $13 bit though and got lucky in not drilling my arm off. as far as the notching of the factory bumper brackets to accomodate the bolts, they already cleared and didnt need to be drilled or cut.