3rd gen Explorer Coilovers

[rangermidtn]

if it is right on the edge of the arm, put a flap over the side to help make it stronger,, kind of like are on my 2nd gen ones,,

Corkey, does the top and bottom have to be aligned, or can you have them misaligned like this, bottom |, top /?

 

[corkey]

they must be aligned,,

 

[rangermidtn]

they must be aligned,,

Alright, then the only thing I can do is move it farther up the arm. I can not go any farther out cause I am already at the edge of the arm. So if I push it up the arm about 1" it should eliminate my problem.

 

[corkey]

it may not even have to go that far up,, maybe only 1/2 inch to get it to clear,,

 

[Ronin8002]

Moving the lower mount more inboard should work. That changes your motion ratio some so you may find you need more preload or a higher spring rate to get the ride height you want, but that shouldnt be a big deal.

 

[rangermidtn]

That's what I doing, going to move it about 1/2", should give me the clearance I need.

 

[toypaseo]

I thought I would chime in on the FOA or F.O.A. brand. A coworker of mine ordered a set for his Roketa buggy. At first, they looked quite impressive. Nice Heim joints. Nice machining. Now, here is the bad...

• Item arrived late. Took at least a week longer then when they said they would be done. Another week+ longer due to them stating they shipped, even though they did not, and then shipping a week later.
• Spring perches were too big, even though the buyer told them what springs he had.
• Missing one valve.
• The best part: ONE WAS NOT FILLED WITH OIL

 

[corkey]

Moving the lower mount more inboard should work. That changes your motion ratio some so you may find you need more preload or a higher spring rate to get the ride height you want, but that shouldnt be a big deal.

moving the mount in just a bit will absolutely change things a bit,, as it won't have the leverage it did out 1/2 inch, but i think it will not be enough to change the rate needed on the spring by a whole bunch,, maybe only a few pounds, but with the adjustment the coilovers have , he can set the ride height at whatever he wants,, nitrogen pressure can be upped to negate the extra spring preload as well,

 

[corkey]

the one issue i may see is the arm strength,, with welding to it multiple times , it may affect the strength a bit, have to watch it,, see if it bends ,,
if it does, boxing it or or another way may be needed,,

 

[rangermidtn]

I have heard a lotta bad things with FOA, I am using the Qa1's for now, will switch to Fox when I get it dialed in.

 

[rangermidtn]

the one issue i may see is the arm strength,, with welding to it multiple times , it may affect the strength a bit, have to watch it,, see if it bends ,,
if it does, boxing it or or another way may be needed,,

I have already thought of this, I got some 3/16" flat stock that I will use to box in the bottom of the arm. Most all of the welding as been done on the piece that i filled in the hole of the arms. I have added gussets to it on the bottom.

 

[rangermidtn]

Hey I want give a shout to everybody who as helped me on this, especially Ronin and Corkey, I really appreciate it.

 

[corkey]

all good,, i want to see this done, as it will push me to get a newer Explorer, and do both front and back,
imagine, all 4 corners on coilovers,,

schweeeeeet,

 

[Ronin8002]

No prob bud, glad to help and I've learned a lot in the process too.

 

[rangermidtn]

all good,, i want to see this done, as it will push me to get a newer Explorer, and do both front and back,
imagine, all 4 corners on coilovers,,

schweeeeeet,

The rear shouldn't be that hard. I am pretty sure you could use the original lower mount, and would only have to create a upper mount.

 

[Ronin8002]

The rear shouldn't be that hard. I am pretty sure you could use the original lower mount, and would only have to create a upper mount.

Exactly what I was thinking. I don't know the size of the bolt holes that are there now, but you could use some type of bushings to get a 1/2" bolt to fit tightly into the holes.

 

[rangermidtn]

Exactly what I was thinking. I don't know the size of the bolt holes that are there now, but you could use some type of bushings to get a 1/2" bolt to fit tightly into the holes.

That's what I am thinking too. Just weld in the bushings to the arm.

 

[rangermidtn]

Alright I got the mounts moved and ready to install. Just going to have to wait it out, they are calling for rain here for the next several days, I heard they said something about a total of 4 to 6 inches of rain here.

 

[corkey]

it's raining here now,, supposed to do this for a while , than 12 inches of snow afterwards

 

[Ronin8002]

Alright I got the mounts moved and ready to install. Just going to have to wait it out, they are calling for rain here for the next several days, I heard they said something about a total of 4 to 6 inches of rain here.

Wow...well it least it won't hang around like snow. I started on my lower mounts yesterday and I see how narrow that space is between the steering arm and the CV axle. It'll be close but I don't think I'll have to move the mount up the arm. The brackets are pretty straightforward at least.