4 linked long travel explorer

[jxploder40]

trying to link my 93 and still use the existing fuel tank, any ideas,

 

[410Fortune]

Mcneil racing comes to mind, its been done

also canitlevered setups have been used to retain the cargo area and stock gas tank

 

[jxploder40]

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[410Fortune]

plans! LOL no way jose, just build threads and examples, every single setup is going to be different

there are a few canitlevered explorers out there that I have seen, there is a real wicked truck that has the canitlever system BEHIND the rear axle, works VERY well and was homebuilt... the build thread is funny, people are like WTF, never gonna work, you'll never finish, etc etc etc and then he posts a video of his 4 door doing like 65 down a wash road handling it like mad! LOL


However my advice to you is:

Have you considered a WIY kit like the Giant Motorsports Ranger 4-5 link weld it yourself KIT??

just relocate a junk yard gas tank, fuel lines and wires, mounts, fuel cell setups, etc alot easier then custom fab a 4 link

I dont want big trailing arms hanging down on my rig, so I am not sure what I am going to do, likely just deavers and some resi shocks up through the floor, my rear already out flexes the front......

 

[IZwack]

I dont want big trailing arms hanging down on my rig, so I am not sure what I am going to do, likely just deavers and some resi shocks up through the floor, my rear already out flexes the front......

Their arms are massive because they put the shock midway up the arm and just about double the shock's travel. If you leave the shock at the axle tube, you wont need thick arms (but of course less travel)

 

[410Fortune]

yeah instead you have to buy 18" shocks LOL = $$$$$$$$$$
mechanical advantage is all the rage and then all of a sudden outboard shocks are cool enough to where Jeepers are c notching their frames LOL
Why do I feel as if once I finish my stage III build it will all be obsolete? LOL

So just gonna build whats proven to WORK possibly a coil sprung 5 link

http://www.off-roadweb.com/features/0610or_2000_ford_explorer_v8/photo_14.html

 

[IZwack]

Going off on a tangent: From what I've seen, the front suspension needs more travel than the back because whenever an Explorer goes sailing in the air, it almost always lands nose first (weight). Its probably just me but if I were to build something for the desert, I would focus on the front suspension.

 

[Dannyboy]

trying to link my 93 and still use the existing fuel tank, any ideas,

Do you plan on retaining the stock rear axle? I think it's more feasable if you put fiberglass rear fenders, a full width rear and the links outbound of the frame. I have leafs with a 2-link traction bar above the axle mounted outbound of the frame and it seems to work well.




IZ - I agree, however until I got some work done to my rear the truck was bucking all over the place (up and to each side in whoops). In my opinion, I see all kinds of awesome desert trucks with well tuned and fabbed front ends and no work to the rear.

I haven't ridden in a linked truck, but spent a lot of money (nearly $3K) on a leaf setup that works pretty slick (that's just suspension components only).

I think these guys said they had that issue until they got the rear under control.

 

[carlover]

4 link with a panhard bar with the coilovers off the axle. youd give up some space behind the rear seats, and be limited in travel to the length of the shock.

 

[IZwack]

4 link with a panhard bar with the coilovers off the axle. youd give up some space behind the rear seats, and be limited in travel to the length of the shock.

Panhards are a litlte difficult for long travel desert trucks because with such a great distance to move, the panhard will pull the axle to one side significantly.

yeah instead you have to buy 18" shocks LOL = $$$$$$$$$$

The length of the shock doesnt matter when it comes to pricing -- a 14" 3.5" diameter Fox shock will cost just as much as an 18" version:
http://polyperformance.com/shop/Fox-3.5-External-Bypass-Shocks-p-2723.html

What drives the cost of a shock up is the body diamter. A fox 3.0" External bypass for example is ~$500 less than a 3.5". By keeping the shock as far back as you can, you can run smaller diameter shocks since the same amount of volume of the fluid/gas will be displaced if you were to run a larger diameter shock halfway up the arm. So if you went with a pair of 18" travel 3.0"s instead of a shorter pair of 3.5"s, you'd save a $1k off the bat and in addition, you wouldnt need to run the fancy and more expensive thick arms which would drive cost down even more. The big disadvantage of course is most shocks are limited to 18" travel.

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

welcome