91 Build for Aggressive Urban Offroading and Questions.

[CyanEyed]

goal: to produce the best vehicle for aggressive urban offroading, road trips, and daily driving using a 91 explorer i already own and an extremely minimal amount of money.

what i have:
-mostly stock 91 ohv 4x4 fourdoor 275k miles. cost $500. got it a few weeks ago.
-alot to spend on gas, not alot to spend on parts.
-loyal friends to help and suggest upgrades. we are slowly doing projects and brainstorming to make one hell of a vehicle.

Electrical:
-six of these:
http://www.superbrightleds.com/more...s-30-high-power-led-flexible-light-strip/874/
(two front, two back, one on each side, attached at lower edge of windows, will post pictures)
they warrant their own explanation; these lights are bright as hell. each bulb in the strip is as bright as a tactical flashlight, only they are not focused on a small area. when all of them are switched on, it gives full 360 degree light coverage around the car. peak brightness drops off after 30' and by 50' color is basically gone. i use them for searching the sides of roads during games of fugitive, driving on tight trails at night, and backing down my girlfriends driveway (its very challenging even in the daytime, and usually requires 4x4). basically they make driving in tight dark places extremely easy, and the front lights shine where the headlights dont, making tight turns possible without shining a flashlight out the window. (yes we did that)

-150w inverter mounted under dash with extension cords secured in front and back.

-grandpa's oogah horn (hes a badass and the chicks love it)

-custom electrical panel. i replaced the radio with 7 buttons and spare ignition i had lying around that are mounted in a piece of explorer plastic taken from a center console at the junkyard. they control the lights, inverter, horn, and another secret mod. the ignition is the master switch, so i can take the key out if i dont want someone to use it. it has a 50amp breaker under the dash.

-new headlight bulbs (had to do it)

Electrical cost:
leds $80
switches $30 (includes breaker)
bulbs $20


Mechanical:

-took slack out of throttle cable with zip ties

-new tires http://www.sears.com/cooper-discoverer-a-t3-lt235-75r15c-104-101r-owl-all-season-tire/p-09537175000P

-front end aligned (it was really bad)

-manual 4x4 hubs (the ones from the jeep)

-tps adjusted.

-new battery.

Mechanical pricing: (i will only count the things that werent repaired)
-hubs: $250
-tps: free
-throttle cable: free



Goals/ideas. in order: (some i only hope i can afford later)

new spark plugs+wires and clean MAF. (tomorrow)

better air filter+bigger tube from MAF to TB. (cant do just one)

remove roof rack? (does this actually reduce roll? how do you plug the holes?)

upgrade/tune computer. still looking into this.

taking racing classes. attend offroading events.

swap to manual transmission. (guides dont say where to buy a new one, and this is the one thing i would really want new)

i DO NOT WANT to lift it. i would like bigger tires. i go over alot of curbs/small rocks/potholes and i want EVERYTHING to clear just a bit more without sacrificing much cornering/handling. im also debating swapping to gears that would give me the most acceleration 0-70mph and compensate for slightly larger tires. (what are the recommended tires/gears for this purpose? what do said gears cost?)

get metal bumper/guard underneath (skid plates). i want the front bumper to wrap around and protect the entire front of the car back as far as the wheel wells. winch mount would be nice. fog light sockets would be nice. also get plating to cover the vitals under the car (diffs, trans...) ive looked on the site and i havent seen any i really like. ive seen big trucks (f250) with ones close to what im thinking of. basically i want a wall in the front, the toughest available. (where would i look for one? should i convert one/make my own? where/what should skid plates cover?)

fiberglass doors and possibly hood (to compensate for the heavy front bumper)

new door seals. especially the back window. i have not started looking for these.

door-mounted spotlights. havent started looking.

MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION:

can anyone give tips for actually driving? i cant find much here. ive been mainly learning by experimentation. my job pays for alot of the driving i do, so i get alot of time to practice. any techniques you have for 0-60, cornering, faster offroad speed, trick maneuvers... its all helpful. i may post videos of a few tricks i have found so far.

pictures coming soon.

is it possible to use the parking brake as an E-brake?

 

[arco777]

Welcome to the forum!

Sounds like your goals for your truck are similar to mine. I'll input on some of your stuff if you don't mind.

-150w inverter mounted under dash with extension cords secured in front and back.

You're really going to want something better than 150W. Had one and it was frustratingly useless. I have used a 400W unit made by Peak Power (cheap, sold at O'Reilly Auto) and it has been a great inverter for three years now. I have run a massive soldering iron and a drill off of it so it can handle tough stuff. I'd still rather have 1000W but if you're on a budget you'll still want to go at least 400W with a peak rating of 800W to handle startup spikes.

better air filter+bigger tube from MAF to TB.

From what I've read, and personal testing, the factory one-piece tube used on late 93-94 models is your best bet. Aftermarket tubes aren't a real good fit and can wear through, and don't flow any more air unless you're running forced induction. The MAF size can be increased. Some people run a 5.0 MAF; I use a Spectre plastic MAF housing that increases diameter and works great, with a cone filter. Though I have heard other people say the stock airbox is the best option for filtration and actual cold air intake.

upgrade/tune computer. still looking into this.

Unless you're going forced induction, you really don't need to do this and won't see major gains. But if you do want to, the two available products for your PCM are the Moates Quarterhorse and the TwEECer. Personally I like the look of the TwEECer more and the RT version allows real time data output to a laptop. They are a little pricey and you will be doing the tuning yourself. Avoid any aftermarket "chips" like the Jet chip or eBay resistor chips.

swap to manual transmission. (guides dont say where to buy a new one, and this is the one thing i would really want new)

Probably going to have to settle for used, with a rebuild kit. Not too hard to rebuild a M5OD though, compared to an automatic.

i DO NOT WANT to lift it. i would like bigger tires.

You can fit larger tires to a point without lift. I have run 30s without issue. Forum research will indicate how large you can go and with what offsets.

fiberglass doors and possibly hood (to compensate for the heavy front bumper)

There are a couple manufacturers of fiberglass hoods for the first gen, but haven't seen any doors. You'd probably want steel doors anyways given the complexity of all that goes inside and a little weight can be nice there too.

new door seals. especially the back window. i have not started looking for these.

Try RockAuto or 1AAuto, if no luck there then LMC Truck will have them or you can find a fresher set in a junkyard.

can anyone give tips for actually driving?

Buy or rent some books on the subject. There are a lot of really good ones out there. Some car enthusiast sites will have excellent info on this too; for example Jalopnik had a series on "How to drive [anything] fast". Will be a lot better than the "push the gas and turn the wheel hard!" advice you may receive from uninformed people.

is it possible to use the parking brake as an E-brake?

Technically yes. However, two issues. First, the release lever makes doing this difficult. In the book Drive To Survive (Curt Rich, 1998) the author details E-brake turns in cars equipped with this style setup. He recommends making a device that holds the release lever out, so you can pump the E-brake and have it automatically release when your foot comes off it. That said, the stock rear drum brakes will not likely grab hard enough (even when tuned up) to lock up the rear wheels at speed. If you did a disc brake rear axle conversion you could improve that rear brake action, or even add a hydraulic drift brake.


Hope some of this helps. If you want, I have pictures and info on some other unique modifications that I can email you pictures of. Shoot me a PM with your email address if interested.

 

[malohnes]

Aggressive and cheap...opposite ends! If it was only that easy!!!!

Arco made lots of good suggestions. I would suggest reconsidering the lift and go light to fit 31 or 32's and go for a balance of ride and performance in hopping logs and curbs.

You might want to go with bigger sway bars. That makes a big difference in street applications and handling. This is a top heavy truck, not a low slung car, so keeping the weight from transfering side to side is something to look into. If your driving was more along the trail side of things, I'd forego this suggestion.

Quality shocks and tires will make a huge difference in ride and handling. Also look into your brakes. I thought mine where fine until I had to do light maintenance and decided to replace most of the lines, fluids, calipers, rotors and pads. What a change!

For offroad action sway connects would give you better performance, articulation and traction.

Have fun. This gets addicting once you start making noticeable progress.

 

[IAmTodd]

swap to manual transmission. (guides dont say where to buy a new one, and this is the one thing i would really want new)

You're best bet will be to find a low mileage trans from an '01+ Ranger or Explorer. This is the heavy duty unit. They're pretty stout on a stock truck and only cause issues if they run low on fluid or are abused.

The swap is well covered on here and isn't too bad if you have all the parts for it.

 

[tweakedlogic]

Those LED strips are not weather proof. Personally I don't see how you can make those look good the way you are describing it. But I hope you prove me wrong.