Am I crazy? Considering 1st gen Explorer 4x4 build....

[Red92XLT4x4]

Hey guys, I signed up here six years ago when I purchased my wife (at the time) a red 1992 XLT 4x4 Explorer 4 door. We had our fair share of issues with it, but once it was fixed up it was a very dependable vehicle. We took it to college with us and it was our grocery getter and daughter carrier, but soon after we ended up getting a divorce. She got the X and I kept my 1999 F-150 XLT Supercab. Here I am over 5 years later and I'm done with my college degree. I want to upgrade my F-150 to a 99-03 F-250 4x4 Crew Cab diesel (7.3 of course ). I do not want to use that as my daily though, I just want a truck that can handle what I dish out when I need to use it. I'm big into drag racing and I have a fully rebuilt 1999 Z28. I'm hoping to get into another F-Body as a full out drag car, so the F-250 would probably do that duty. So here I am, a full size truck for towing and a Z28 sports car for sunny days. What am I going to daily drive? I've been going over and over in my head all the vehicles that I can choose from and I keep coming back to a first gen Explorer 4x4. I don't know why, but that 92 that we had left a pretty indelible mark on me and I really enjoyed driving it. I was thinking of finding a white or black four door XLT Eddie Bauer 4x4 and putting a 4" lift with some 285/75 All Terrains on her. So what do ya'll think, am I crazy for wanting an almost 20 year old SUV for a daily when there are so many other alternatives out there?

 

[reapereviltwin]

The 1st generation is a great choice. Parts are still available. You could even find parts at Snyder's on Tx95 or 190. I saw a 1st gen 4wd for sale on Adams last week, just don't remember exactly where.

 

[Red92XLT4x4]

Here are some shots of my old 92 X. When I got her the paint was pretty faded and oxidized, but some elbow grease and some chemicals got her back up and running!

Before:

After:

Here are some shots of the 1999 Camaro Z28 that I saved. The guy I got it from spun a rod bearing and still ran it for a while. I got it off him DIRT cheap and spent the next 9 months transforming it from a hardtop Z28 with a blown motor, to a heads/cam T-Top Z28 with a ton of exterior modifications!

Before:

The destroyed stock crank, had to get a whole new rotating assembly:

After:

As you can probably tell, I'm not scared of a challenge!

 

[Red92XLT4x4]

The 1st generation is a great choice. Parts are still available. You could even find parts at Snyder's on Tx95 or 190. I saw a 1st gen 4wd for sale on Adams last week, just don't remember exactly where.

Yea, that's what I was thinking! Parts are plentiful and relatively cheap. The 4.0 engine is rock solid, the only issue with our 92 was the auto trans and auto hubs, but I can throw a rebuilt transmission in there and get the conversion for the hubs and be good to go. I just can't get the image of a blacked out first gen X, lifted and riding on some beefy all-terrains out of my head!

You're from Jonesboro? Awesome, I drive through there all the time. My ex-wife lives in Stephenville and we always make the drop off for our daughter at the gas station in Jonesboro. Always nice to meet another Texan!

 

[reapereviltwin]

Yea, that's what I was thinking! Parts are plentiful and relatively cheap. The 4.0 engine is rock solid, the only issue with our 92 was the auto trans and auto hubs, but I can throw a rebuilt transmission in there and get the conversion for the hubs and be good to go. I just can't get the image of a blacked out first gen X, lifted and riding on some beefy all-terrains out of my head!

You're from Jonesboro? Awesome, I drive through there all the time. My ex-wife lives in Stephenville and we always make the drop off for our daughter at the gas station in Jonesboro. Always nice to meet another Texan!

Always great to see a nearby Texan!!! Yep, Watson's in Jonesboro is the highlight of the town.
My shop is on 31st St in Temple, at the corner of 31st and Ave M. The P/U towing the traile looks familiar, I can swear I've seen it it Temple.

 

[SuRrEaLNJ]

your asking this bunch of people if your crazy for building a 4x4 X?

well my freind you would be crazy not to

as amatter of fact ill even give you some inspiration

 

[Red92XLT4x4]

Always great to see a nearby Texan!!! Yep, Watson's in Jonesboro is the highlight of the town.
My shop is on 31st St in Temple, at the corner of 31st and Ave M. The P/U towing the traile looks familiar, I can swear I've seen it it Temple.

Yea, that was my best friend's Dodge. He's from Belton, but he spent a lot of time in the Temple are with me during our summers home from school. He ended up trading it to his dad for a Honda Civic, but he's now in graduate school and does a lot of driving so the gas bill was killing him.

 

[corkey]

i hope it's not crazy, i am going to do one too ,

 

[Red92XLT4x4]

your asking this bunch of people if your crazy for building a 4x4 X?

well my freind you would be crazy not to

as amatter of fact ill even give you some inspiration

Nice! What are some of the specs on your rig?

 

[reapereviltwin]

i hope it's not crazy, i am going to do one too ,

I just can't think of any response to you Pete, without being a smarta$$.

 

[tkd91]

your asking this bunch of people if your crazy for building a 4x4 X?

well my freind you would be crazy not to

as amatter of fact ill even give you some inspiration

Oh...the sweet Pine Barrens, I miss running in there. Nice Z28, but like stated before. If your looking for a bias answer on a 4x4, wrong place! He'll yeah! build it, and the mud will come! :notworthy

 

[Red92XLT4x4]

Oh...the sweet Pine Barrens, I miss running in there. Nice Z28, but like stated before. If your looking for a bias answer on a 4x4, wrong place! He'll yeah! build it, and the mud will come! :notworthy

Thanks for the compliment on my Z! I'm an F-Body guy, I've had quite a few 4th gen V8 T/A's and Z28's and it just broke my heart to see her sitting under a tree just rotting away. As for the bias of this site, I was kind of hoping for it, haha! It's always nice to hear the things you want to hear, haha!

 

[SuRrEaLNJ]

Nice! What are some of the specs on your rig?

its gettin to be a long list, check my registry for the best summary ive got

 

[BrooklynBay]

Check the vehicles wanted section on this site. The first generation is great for off roading.

 

[Burns]

Daily Drive for 4 yrs like this.....

 

[lounge lizard]

not the first time some one has asked if we are crazy!

won't be the last! LOL

 

[Red92XLT4x4]

Check the vehicles wanted section on this site. The first generation is great for off roading.

Oh yea, I've been searching!

Daily Drive for 4 yrs like this.....

Just out of curiosity, what kind of mileage were you getting with that?

not the first time some one has asked if we are crazy! won't be the last! LOL

Haha, nice X!

 

[92eddie4x4]

Dude, pick up an E28 ('82 - '88) BMW 528e for cheap. They are reliable, easy to maintain, cheap and plentiful. Just make sure the timing belt and water pump have been replaced recently. Otherwise I quite liked my early Explorer.

 

[rickybobby]

Go for it! I still miss my first gen. It ran and drove great at 254k when i trashed the frame being stupid in the woods. catching air doesnt fare well for these things lol

 

[Red92XLT4x4]

Dude, pick up an E28 ('82 - '88) BMW 528e for cheap. They are reliable, easy to maintain, cheap and plentiful. Just make sure the timing belt and water pump have been replaced recently. Otherwise I quite liked my early Explorer.

It's funny you mention a BMW, the only car in my mind that's giving this build a run or its money is a 2006+ BWM 3 series. The plus to the Explorer is the fact that it's just plain dead cheap to build and wrench on and much cheaper on insurance!

Go for it! I still miss my first gen. It ran and drove great at 254k when i trashed the frame being stupid in the woods. catching air doesnt fare well for these things lol

Yea, I missed mine so much I even asked the old ex wife if she still had hers and wanted to sell it, haha! I knew she had ran it until a rear wheel bearing was damaged when she decided to hit a curb in a funky way, she ended up selling it for cheap. Wish I could have gotten it back, that X had a new transmission and manual hubs.