99ex22's Elite Registry!

Here Is my 1999 XLT. She's all original except for the modifications Ive made, got 163,000 miles on her and is in pretty damn good shape. It was a one owner before me, they took really good care of it, never been hit, and the only scratch on it is on the roof from a tree branch I hit on the trail. The previous owners always had it maintained at their local Ford dealer so all the parts on it are Motorcraft parts. I am constantly changing it and working on it.

Modifications:
Custom Leaf Packs
War153's
TT
1" Body Lift
15x8 Crager Soft 8's
33x12.5R15 Cooper A/T's
Cat Back Magnaflow with 2 1/2" Pipe
Midland CB Radio
Smoked tail light's and 3rd brake light
Sylvania Silverstar Bulbs
Hella Comet 500 driving lights
KYB Monomax shocks
Trico Neoform Wipers
A pretty sweet Ford antenna
Clear corner lenses
Krylon Fusion on plastics
Billet Grille
10K pound tow hooks
Class 3 Tow Master Hidden Hitch
Smittybilt tow hook reciever
20% tinted windows
Mountaineer Grille
240W 3 Way Pioneer speakers
Transfer case skid
Gas tank skid
1997 explorer bumper
Grab handles on pillars
Painted pass airbag, vents, glove box black
Throttle cable mod
Brown wire mod

Here is a stock picture. Right around the time the addiction started taking place...
(dead links)

Here she is after Warrior shackles and TT...
(dead links)
Then I got my Soft 8's...
(dead links)
Then I got my 31's....
(dead links)
Then the ugly 3" Body Lift....

Then I went spring over axle in the rear and sloped body lift for a while...then shortly went back to the previous set up....


And then just recently I cut the 3" pucks down to 1" because I couldnt look at all the gaps and crap hanging down anymore that the 3" body lift created....along with the mountaineer grille. So my current set up is 1" Body lift, 2" TT and Warrior Shackles. Out of everything ive tried this is my favorite. I think my next mod now that im a couple inches lower will be a 4" deep by 40" or so roof rack made by rola and slap 4 hella 500"s up on a light bar.


Let me know what you guys think! and give me idea's of what I should do next! Any questions, just ask! Thanks,

-Russ

 

[99ex22]

Well today I cut my body lift pucks down to 1" so my new set up now is shackles, tt, 1" BL with 33's. I still have some adjusting to do with the bumpers but it will have to wait in til tomarrow. I got zero sleep lastnight so im going to be going to bed pretty soon here lol. It looks alot better now...I have always hated body lifts but with only 1" you can hardly tell. Ill get some pictures up tomarrow...

 

[yostyexplorer94]

What backspacing did you go with? I didn't see it written down anywhere.

Sorry for hijacking your thread 99ex22. I actually meant that question for you and didn't see storlied was the one who posted about his plans on his rims. I guess I need to pay attention a little more!

 

[99ex22]

Sorry for hijacking your thread 99ex22. I actually meant that question for you and didn't see storlied was the one who posted about his plans on his rims. I guess I need to pay attention a little more!

haha not a problem man! hijack away! it gives me something read.

 

[yostyexplorer94]

So what is your backspacing? lol

 

[storlied]

His is 4.00 BS, typical of the Cragar Soft 8's.

 

[99ex22]

haha yeah storlied got it right!

 

[99ex22]

Ok I put the finishing touches on her today.....1" BL, TT, War153's, 33's...

The good about this set up- The tires fill the wheel wells which I like, I can stuff my tires up in the wheel well again, It more stable, my steering is more responsive without the extension in, and no UGLY gaps.

The bad- front tires hit the plastic wheel well liner while back up which will be fixed by my friend sawzall in a couple days, it lowered my approach angle and de-proach angle a tad but not really because of the shackles hanging way low.

All in all im happy with the way it sits and drives now and had no effect on it's capabilities on the trails

 

[storlied]

Just my opinion.. I liked it better with the 3".. looked more aggressive.
Could you comment more on the steering issues you experienced with the extension?

 

[99ex22]

In pictures, yes it looked more aggressive but in person it looked cheap and terrible with the gaps and frame hanging down. the steering extension just makes your steering kind of loose feeling and there is some play in the wheel. A few people on the board have actually blamed their rack and pinion going out because of the extension too.

 

[99ex22]

FYI the radiator and everything is in the stock position...no problems with only the 1" body lift. Also the rear bumper had enough adjustment in it to get it 1" closer to the body and the front I just had to grind the holes in the frame a little. I used the stock bolts for all the mounts. later down the road I might go to the junk yard and get a bunch of body mounts out of the very rear of the cargo area and use those instead since they're about 1" longer than the rest but im 100% positive it's safe and they are not going anywhere the way it is now.

 

[Rusty]

i like it... looks great. you must work on this thing everyday.. as much as you change it!

really like it.. only 1" body lift .. that might be an idea.. i don't want to deal with the steering extension..

what did you do about the bumpers?

what kind of hardware do you remember? did you just cut down the 3" bl?

 

[Rusty]

sorry i didnt read earlier and took too long to post! answered them all.. except... you must work on thaat thing daily!?

 

[99ex22]

sorry i didnt read earlier and took too long to post! answered them all.. except... you must work on thaat thing daily!?

HAHA! yeah I do, Im unemployed and bored all the time. Yeah I just cut the 3" pucks down because I already had them. If I were to do it again I would buy 1" pucks from 4wheelparts...I think they're only like $2.50 each. But yeah I would definatly recomend this over the 3"..Your already running 32"s so you can do the 1" BL and get 33"s with no problem at all

 

[99ex22]

Took a trip to the oregon coast today with the lady. I only live 70 miles away from it yet it was 90 degrees at my house today and 54 at the coast.

 

[yostyexplorer94]

Explorer is looking good!

 

[Lacky01]

out of curiousity, where on the coast is that? I didn't know we could take our rigs out on the beach! I thought the sand would be too mushy.

 

[99ex22]

out of curiousity, where on the coast is that? I didn't know we could take our rigs out on the beach! I thought the sand would be too mushy.

It's in Lincoln City right down 15th St. It's probably only a quarter mile by quarter mile area you can take your truck down on the beach and park or drive around or whatever. I just like watching all the people that have the guts to take their 2wd honda civics out on the beach and get stuck

 

[Lacky01]

HA! cool, I'll have to keep an eye out for it next time I'm down there. only problem is, I'm a 2wd and may end up joining the civics

 

[99ex22]

nah just don't stop in the soft stuff and you will be fine.

 

[99ex22]

I played in some dirty stuff! It was alot of fun....