410Fortune - 96 5.0L XLT refurbish (making 1 great Ex from 2)

[410Fortune]

yeah thanks ford for that one! LoL
I was surprised not to have any issues on the drivers side
The brake line on the pass side, even with cut bolts, was a PITA, body lift does not help

 

[410Fortune]

for my torsion lift I researched this forum and then ordered the recommended bolts from my local Fasten-all store

The recommended 100mm long bolts were WAY TOO long for our trucks
I ended up cutting about another 1/2" off this bolt before final installation:

the condition of my "wear pad" what a joke! thanks for the band aid Ford!! (I usually have no complaints)

It might not be so bad if they offered us a replacement pad instead of a $45 each new adjuster that is special order only from Ford. Check FPN is you need them

 

[Dan Whitaker]

I got my my torsion keys and bars from Ford Patrs Online for less than half of the local dealer price.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

Save your old ABS sensors- I stored one away when I replaced a hub- saved me major $$ and headache when one went out.

 

[410Fortune]

thanks good advice (I did save those suckers...the hub makes a nice shop paper weight too, at least until I do another load of metal to recycle)

Dan I buy so many damn parts from Ford the parts manager at the local dealer is a wheeling buddy of mine and he usually beats FPN or comes close. You can find them online for cheaper then the dealer thats for sure but they are a Ford part only, no aftermarket (SURPRISE!!)

With all this work out of the way I am finally getting to some fun mods, recently I repainted a bunch of my trim, cowl, etc flat black..the stock grey was fubared. I am also painting two fenders and installing some carbon fiber vinyl on a white hood.
Planning on hood pins as well

Should look cool on this light blue truck and finally all one color(ish)!

 

[CDW6212R]

Jamie, do you have 95-01 mirrors yet, do that if you haven't. I hated the old 1st gen. mirrors, the faded and chipped paint. Regards,

 

[410Fortune]

Don?????????

My truck is a 96, it has 96 power mirrors
What are these 95-01 mirrors you speak of?
I will have to check out some 98+ trucks on the road to see if I can spot a difference, I never paid that much attention

My Explorer is having a couple of minor issues:

1. the steering shaft is rubbing on the TM header worse then it has ever been.
I attribute this to my new TT lift (somehow? doesnt makes sense but it def got worse when I lifted the truck ano0ther 1/2" and got an alignment)

2. The OD light is flashing and I believe the torque converter is not locking up as it should, but I have not read the codes yet, my scanner cannot retrieve it

3. The headlights come on as soon as I put in the key when it is cold outside and they stay on for many minutes after I shut the truck off...my multi function switch is Fubared, so I need to fix it.

I assume the factory 96 transmission mount is history, with the 4406 t case back there it is under alot more stress then normal, I am looking to upgrade it soon, will require fabrication. This may help with my header/steering shaft issue as well. I will likely get a flami9ng river steering shaft which should give me the clerance I need.
My other option would be to remove the body lift, but I am not doing that until I have the Dixon kit in my hot little hands.

Other then that she just turned 170K miles on the 96 OD
Funny how the things on my truck that are broken are usually the last to get fixed, I have repaired 3 ea multifunction switches in 07, taking them apart and rebuilding them...looks like its time to finally do mine

 

[CDW6212R]

I was referring to the Bronco II, you still have it don't you? Are not the mirrors the same as a 91-94 truck? If so find another pair of the 95-01 style to use.

Let me know if you think an improvement on the trans mount can be made. I have not yet gotten close to doing mine, and I have not even looked at the old mount. So tell me if I should plan for a new Ford part, or fabricate something.

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

3. The headlights come on as soon as I put in the key when it is cold outside and they stay on for many minutes after I shut the truck off...my multi function switch is Fubared, so I need to fix it.

Check your "Autolamp" Setting on the rearview mirror first.

 

[410Fortune]

hehehehehe autolamp eh? I will have to check that I never paid attention to that sucker!!

The BII has the old Ranger style mirrors mounted to the door..I like my old school stainless mirrors....but the BII likely wont even have doors in 2008

 

[CDW6212R]

Ah, I see, I have a friend with a Bronco II and I couldn't remember what the mirrors look like.

 

[PRND21]

Here's another Exploder with the Fiberwerx F-150 3 piece clip.

NICE

Needs some finishing work/bimper, bigger tires, hide the framerails but this kit looks pretty wicked on a built Expo, yet another option to consider

i know this was a long time ago but where did they get those lights? ive been looking for halo projection headlights

 

[CDW6212R]

I like how they ripped the rear quarter panels, pulling them outward.

Those headlights are wider than stock, the fenders stick out much farther. That actually looks like an Expedition front fascia.

 

[Nick26]

those look like they are probably F-150 headlights

 

[PRND21]

those lights are just sick, i gotta find a way to get some...

 

[FROADER]

They are f150 lights. That is, as 410 posted, the Fiberwerx f150 front clip.

 

[410Fortune]

those are fiberglass side panels on that explorer, not pulled metal

Yes those are Ebay special F-150 lights

Work on my Exploder is coming up soon, I need to fix my flashing OD light, she needs new tires and I want to fix my steering shaft, its still rubbing the header. My plan is:

New trans mount (solid/urethane)
Flaming river steering shaft (smaller diameter)
33" AT's of some sort, likely Mickey T or Dick cepek, very happy with their tires/price
New front bumper, mine is dated/rusty
Finally some paint for the front clip, I already have a new hood, just need to paint fenders and hood, then bolt on
I will be swapping the 8.8 out for one I have with half the miles, leaf springs too
re-gearing to 4.10 this summer as well, already have the gears just need to do the labor

I love my explorer, she has been VERY good to me

 

[ReDLiNeZL]

i would like to get prerunner fenders for my 94 ex but id like to find a screamin deal

 

[ReLoaDeD BuLLiTT]

man, I'm almost done doing something similar (motor swap on 97 mountaineer) and I need a bunch of engine shots of how it should look when I'm done. I put a 92 mustang motor in there and swapped the oil pan, oil filter assembly, timing assembly/crank assembly, etc over. Just need to know what it's supposed to look like once it's done. would you mind shooting my some pics of a few angles of your engine complete?

snapoffracing@aol.com


love your build man. you make me want to do a buncha **** to mine lol

 

[410Fortune]

You want to see what exactly? I have ALOT of pictures of the completed 5.0L GT40 in both my trucks.
my truck
96 5.0L V8 with TM headers, 3" body lift, E303 cam, 1" intake spacer, KKM intake

and thats about it, everything else is stock 5.0L

What do you need pics of? I will get them for you if I dont already have them posted in this thread