Another 1998 Explorer Sport V8 Project. . .Completed!

[CDW6212R]

There have been some thrust bearing issues here on a few engines, and I've seen threads on the Corral with similar stories. So far every one has ended up being the clearance of the torque converter to the crank, not enough. They have all been aftermarket TC's, so I think there's a need for closer inspection of the TC clearance, a check when the stock TC comes out, and verify the new combination. I'm worried about that too, and FYI I saw it with a clutch also in a 302 Miata last Fall. It's all an adventure, but good times, better than a job etc.

 

[White86Tercel]

Someone listed this sweet explorer is for sale on 363-Powered 1998 Ford Explorer Sport 5-Speed and it has been featured on Ford Authority at https://fordauthority.com/2024/04/363-powered-1998-ford-explorer-sport-up-for-auction/

A few highlights from page one of this build are

Engine:

• Ford FRPP 363 big-bore block (Dart blocks won’t work with Explorer oil pans)
• Bryant billet crankshaft (internally balanced)
• Oliver rods
• Diamond pistons (2618 alloy, 10.5 compression)
• Ed Curtis cam (0.608” lift, 236/244 duration at 0.050, 112 lobe separation)
• Ed Curtis CNC 203 Twisted Wedge heads
• Holley Systemax II intake
• Siemens Deka 60 injectors
• Aeromotive fuel rails
• Custom Headers (Exotic Exhaust and Fabrication, Hiram GA)
• Nitrous Express controller (max 150 shot)
• 75 mm throttle body
• 90mm MAF housing
• 3-1/2" single exhaust

Driveline:

• Mazda M5R2 5-speed
• Mcleod dual disc clutch
• Centerforce aluminum flywheel
• QA1 carbon fiber driveshaft
• 8.8” axle from V8 donor car (Motorsport carrier, 3.27 gearset, override traction bars retained)

Suspension:

• Explorer Sport steering rack
• Heavy torsion bars
• Thick V8 4-door front and rear sway bars
• 4-door multileaf rear springs
• Bilstein shocks
• 15x8 Magnum 500 wheels
• 275-60R15 Hankook Ventus H101 tires (44 psi max pressure)

Odds and ends:

1. Fuel tank: @20 gallon capacity after modifying internal filler neck, removing stock baffling, installing Walbro 255 with Holley Hydramat and AN10/AN6 feed/return lines
2. Cruise Control added (factory V6)
3. Remote Keyless Entry added (pain in the ass!)
4. NRT1 EEC-V tuning done by Decipha

 

[redavis460]

Someone listed this sweet explorer is for sale on 363-Powered 1998 Ford Explorer Sport 5-Speed and it has been featured on Ford Authority at https://fordauthority.com/2024/04/363-powered-1998-ford-explorer-sport-up-for-auction/

A few highlights from page one of this build are

Engine:

• Ford FRPP 363 big-bore block (Dart blocks won’t work with Explorer oil pans)
• Bryant billet crankshaft (internally balanced)
• Oliver rods
• Diamond pistons (2618 alloy, 10.5 compression)
• Ed Curtis cam (0.608” lift, 236/244 duration at 0.050, 112 lobe separation)
• Ed Curtis CNC 203 Twisted Wedge heads
• Holley Systemax II intake
• Siemens Deka 60 injectors
• Aeromotive fuel rails
• Custom Headers (Exotic Exhaust and Fabrication, Hiram GA)
• Nitrous Express controller (max 150 shot)
• 75 mm throttle body
• 90mm MAF housing
• 3-1/2" single exhaust

Driveline:

• Mazda M5R2 5-speed
• Mcleod dual disc clutch
• Centerforce aluminum flywheel
• QA1 carbon fiber driveshaft
• 8.8” axle from V8 donor car (Motorsport carrier, 3.27 gearset, override traction bars retained)

Suspension:

• Explorer Sport steering rack
• Heavy torsion bars
• Thick V8 4-door front and rear sway bars
• 4-door multileaf rear springs
• Bilstein shocks
• 15x8 Magnum 500 wheels
• 275-60R15 Hankook Ventus H101 tires (44 psi max pressure)

Odds and ends:

1. Fuel tank: @20 gallon capacity after modifying internal filler neck, removing stock baffling, installing Walbro 255 with Holley Hydramat and AN10/AN6 feed/return lines
2. Cruise Control added (factory V6)
3. Remote Keyless Entry added (pain in the ass!)
4. NRT1 EEC-V tuning done by Decipha

Thanks for posting the link; my friend whom I've known since childhood ended up with it, and he is running out of time and storage space. . .so something had to go!

With the latest interest this auction has generated in the car I built some years ago, I've been surprised at the number of online discussions and comments. Some people love it, some people hate it, and some commenters seem so far off in their claims and "absolutes" (according to them) that it seems plain they don't know the difference between a Fast and Furious movie, building a car in a video game, and real life.

With that said, those of us who take on projects such as these to completion must go into the planning process understanding both the potential and limitations of the platform they are working with. A car with leaf springs and a live (solid) axle in the rear, torsion bars in the front with stamped A-arms and a full perimeter frame from the late 1990’s is never going to check the same boxes in a road test that a late model BMW X5 will. . .but maybe that isn’t a bad thing. While late model 4 wheel independent-suspension unibody V8 sport SUV’s are a dime a dozen in today’s market, torquey pushrod V8’s and the cars they came equipped with such as the 1965-1972 sporty domestic offerings not so much. That is what I realized when I took a closer look at the 2nd generation Explorer architecture. From a design standpoint, everything that had been learned about suspension and frame geometry dos and don’ts as it applied to car designs of that era largely found its ultimate expression in Ford’s last pushrod V8 powered platform.

I came to the realization above when I was trying to source a vehicle to house my dream engine I had decided I wanted to build: a small block Ford V8 I could use as a daily driver. My first new car was a 1977 Mustang II that needed more of everything from a design standpoint, but the rack and pinion steering and isolated front subframe for the engine and transmission resulted in one of the most pleasurable driving experiences ever for a road car. Though Ford got a lot wrong with that car, they certainly got a lot right, especially the suspension and steering system; even the earlier Mustangs couldn’t come close to the same driving feel with their steering-box systems and less-than-ideal suspension geometry. So, how to combine something with the performance of an earlier Mustang with a rack-and-pinion swapped in, a stiffer frame, wide leaf springs to handle 400+ horsepower, and aerodynamic enough to run a sustained 80 mph smoothly on the freeway? The answer was as close as the Explorer Sport sitting in the yard (and a 4-door V8 donor vehicle to get the party started).

In the end, I never once regretted doing this build; I knew what it was and wasn’t capable of doing, and it suited me just fine. I'll forever have fond memories of the miles of backroads and interstates I savored as I enjoyed the one-of-a-kind signature rumble of that powerful small block Ford V8 and the sound system, as well as the responsive handling in the mountains thanks to those big sway bars, wide rims, and urethane bushings. While it wouldn’t be anyone’s first choice to run at Road Atlanta, neither is it going to roll over when it comes to the first curve in the road; in fact, I wouldn’t feel at all disadvantaged to compete on that track in a similarly-equipped field of cars from the 1960’s and 1970’s, nor would I have cause to fear any stock big-block offering from any manufacturer of that era. The suspension is designed for a large sidewall tire to act as part of the system due to the inherent issues with unsprung weight, so there would be a noticeable deterioration in comfort that would show up on long trips and rough roads if they were replaced with modern low-profile tires; also, unless you are planning on installing a Panhard rod or Watts link, in addition to reinforcing the front control arms to handle the increased cornering loads that stickier tires will transmit, you’ll soon discover the weak link in an ever-expanding chain.

In closing, I’ve learned that anytime you create something and put it out there for critique you will never please everyone, but I guess I’ll have to admit to my artistic inspiration being that of the much-maligned “Boomer” era; according to the younger commenters on some of the sites, I’ve committed the unpardonable sin of including line-of sight stepper-motor water temperature and oil pressure gauges, a vacuum gauge, and voltmeter plus O2 sensor. . .Thus according to some illiterates, I’ve “JC Whitney’d” the interior (OK, I will admit to indulging in a vintage Sun Super Tach, but those who know, know). It is true I’m not from the “Fart Can and Idiot Light” era, so for their benefit I will leave them with a line from their favorite movie, perhaps more appropriate for their automotive understanding and ability:

[Dom] : "You almost had me? You never had me - you never had your car... Granny shiftin' not double clutchin' like you should. You're lucky that hundred shot of NOS didn't blow the welds on the intake! You almost had me?”

 

[sandsprayer]

Well said Russell!

 

[CDW6212R]

I wish the truck well, you did a great job building it. I hope I can do my 98 project justice when I get on it seriously. I appreciate those headers also, the pictures give me hope I can make the versions I'm hoping to, in my AWD truck.

I posted a link to the auction on the Corral, in a thread that regularly discusses BAT vehicles. I pointed out the special engine and trans, plus the headers, but the main comment I saw was about the wheels, some like them on a newer vehicle, and some don't. I have those wheels new with tires ready to go on my spare Ranchero, I love Magnum 500's for most older muscle cars.

Here's a last page link to that Corral thread, note it's massive post count, it's an east TN thread that brings in many new people to hand out and comment for a while.

Anyone from East TN at the Corral?

www.corral.net

 

[redavis460]

Well said Russell!

Thanks so much Sandsprayer; I really owe all of the forum members here a huge debt of gratitude. I'm getting things prepared to move overseas at some point (or at least I'd like), and with Japan's laws, it would be just about impossible to ever get this car registered.

 

[redavis460]

I wish the truck well, you did a great job building it. I hope I can do my 98 project justice when I get on it seriously. I appreciate those headers also, the pictures give me hope I can make the versions I'm hoping to, in my AWD truck.

I posted a link to the auction on the Corral, in a thread that regularly discusses BAT vehicles. I pointed out the special engine and trans, plus the headers, but the main comment I saw was about the wheels, some like them on a newer vehicle, and some don't. I have those wheels new with tires ready to go on my spare Ranchero, I love Magnum 500's for most older muscle cars.

Here's a last page link to that Corral thread, note it's massive post count, it's an east TN thread that brings in many new people to hand out and comment for a while.

Anyone from East TN at the Corral?

www.corral.net

Thank you so much for your kindness in doing that CDW6212R, as well as so many other things you and the other forum members here helped me with over the years. Like I just told Sandsprayer, this possible move to Japan meant it had to go; but really, the degradation in road infrastructure, traffic conditions, and incompetent drivers exacerbated by our licensing laws and lack of enforcement ultimately meant that it just wasn't enjoyable to take the car out anymore. . .if I've got to exist in post-apocalyptical driving conditions and be stuck in traffic all day, I'll opt for the Honda Accord every time (and after the third busted windshield on the Explorer in as many years, I found they were getting scarce).

 

[redavis460]

I wish the truck well, you did a great job building it. I hope I can do my 98 project justice when I get on it seriously. I appreciate those headers also, the pictures give me hope I can make the versions I'm hoping to, in my AWD truck.

I posted a link to the auction on the Corral, in a thread that regularly discusses BAT vehicles. I pointed out the special engine and trans, plus the headers, but the main comment I saw was about the wheels, some like them on a newer vehicle, and some don't. I have those wheels new with tires ready to go on my spare Ranchero, I love Magnum 500's for most older muscle cars.

Here's a last page link to that Corral thread, note it's massive post count, it's an east TN thread that brings in many new people to hand out and comment for a while.

Anyone from East TN at the Corral?

www.corral.net

I was able to look at the thread, so I'll make a quick comment on the wheel decision history. Initially, I was running the original 15x7's and 275/60R15 tires (trying to balance tire height and width), but the tires were too wide for the 7" rims, and just didn't look right. The only choice would have been to go with a 70 series tire if I wanted to either stay with that tire height or taller, so that direction ultimately reached a developmental dead end:

The next consideration (for me at least) was to look at the 17x8" offerings; however, most of those were very "airy" (even the stock Ford offerings for other applications), and I realized that our Explorers are very poorly endowed in the brake department, and certainly not something I would want to advertise. Call me modest, but going out in public with a revealing set of 17x8 inch rims, when you are only packing 12" rotors at best (even when warm), was just too much of an embarrassment. My dream wheels, if they had ever been made, would have been the old Mustang SVO wheels from the mid-1980's in a 17x8 with a 4.5" backspacing; aerodynamic, and still with enough modesty to not give away that you couldn't swing with the Big Brembo Boys in the brake department:

 

[vroomzoomboom]

i can say, the first time i saw this thread, i loved the truck. i would say the only other truck that is as clean as yours is @ahodges which i have seen in person. you however jammed a 363 NA sbf. i am certain that is on most peoples dream motor into a 2 door, which ford for what ever reason didnt offer in a sport. i know i have had static with people on mine, but first i tell them, i built it for me, not for you. if you dont like it, piss off (and i do say that but depending on the other guys attitude).
if someone says something like "well mine is faster, or that guys car is faster". i may be, but lets break this down really fast. yours/theirs probably cost 30, 40, 50k, and thats stock. mine, i bought it for 6k 18 year ago. i have maybe put 20K in mods, and upkeep in those years, meaning i have maybe spent less then a 1K a year to drive it. so tell me this, how would you feel if my truck either handed you your ass, or even kept close to you with it being worth less then yours, and way older, heavier, and as aerodynamic as a loaf of bread. if that doesnt put them in their place i will then add, ok. lets race. meet me here in February (by that time we have 2 feet of snow on the ground).
sorry for the rant lol. most people think we are nuts for modifying these trucks, but most times you wont see another at the stoplight which is also something i like.
sorry you had to sell it, and sorry your buddy is selling. worst thing is i can afford it, but i too would have no place to store it, and i would worry i would screw up a very nice truck!

 

[sandsprayer]

I know you have to be aware of Godzilla, I mean he picks up a bus and throws it back down.

 

[redavis460]

i can say, the first time i saw this thread, i loved the truck. i would say the only other truck that is as clean as yours is @ahodges which i have seen in person. you however jammed a 363 NA sbf. i am certain that is on most peoples dream motor into a 2 door, which ford for what ever reason didnt offer in a sport. i know i have had static with people on mine, but first i tell them, i built it for me, not for you. if you dont like it, piss off (and i do say that but depending on the other guys attitude).
if someone says something like "well mine is faster, or that guys car is faster". i may be, but lets break this down really fast. yours/theirs probably cost 30, 40, 50k, and thats stock. mine, i bought it for 6k 18 year ago. i have maybe put 20K in mods, and upkeep in those years, meaning i have maybe spent less then a 1K a year to drive it. so tell me this, how would you feel if my truck either handed you your ass, or even kept close to you with it being worth less then yours, and way older, heavier, and as aerodynamic as a loaf of bread. if that doesnt put them in their place i will then add, ok. lets race. meet me here in February (by that time we have 2 feet of snow on the ground).
sorry for the rant lol. most people think we are nuts for modifying these trucks, but most times you wont see another at the stoplight which is also something i like.
sorry you had to sell it, and sorry your buddy is selling. worst thing is i can afford it, but i too would have no place to store it, and i would worry i would screw up a very nice truck!

Thanks so much vroomzoomboom; this project would have probably been impossible without all of you guys guidance and encouragement. They say there is no such thing as bad publicity, and I don't know if it is just my algorithm, but it seems that Google is showing a lot of hits for "363 Explorer"; perhaps my loss will bode well for you guys, the popularity of these cars, and for the forum. I owe everyone that!

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Thanks so much Sandsprayer; I really owe all of the forum members here a huge debt of gratitude. I'm getting things prepared to move overseas at some point (or at least I'd like), and with Japan's laws, it would be just about impossible to ever get this car registered.

as a JA (japanese american), i can say that japan's laws make it great to get a car from japan, but vice versa it is next to impossible, especially for something not stock! although you would have potentially one of the coolest non-cars there (i say this since there arent really trucks & suv with the exception of keis) what part of japan were you thinking about? just curious haha

 

[Fix4Dirt]

I know you have to be aware of Godzilla, I mean he picks up a bus and throws it back down.
View attachment 451931View attachment 451931

...as he wades through the buildings to the center of town...

 

[Fix4Dirt]

i can say, the first time i saw this thread, i loved the truck. i would say the only other truck that is as clean as yours is @ahodges which i have seen in person. you however jammed a 363 NA sbf. i am certain that is on most peoples dream motor into a 2 door, which ford for what ever reason didnt offer in a sport. i know i have had static with people on mine, but first i tell them, i built it for me, not for you. if you dont like it, piss off (and i do say that but depending on the other guys attitude).
if someone says something like "well mine is faster, or that guys car is faster". i may be, but lets break this down really fast. yours/theirs probably cost 30, 40, 50k, and thats stock. mine, i bought it for 6k 18 year ago. i have maybe put 20K in mods, and upkeep in those years, meaning i have maybe spent less then a 1K a year to drive it. so tell me this, how would you feel if my truck either handed you your ass, or even kept close to you with it being worth less then yours, and way older, heavier, and as aerodynamic as a loaf of bread. if that doesnt put them in their place i will then add, ok. lets race. meet me here in February (by that time we have 2 feet of snow on the ground).
sorry for the rant lol. most people think we are nuts for modifying these trucks, but most times you wont see another at the stoplight which is also something i like.
sorry you had to sell it, and sorry your buddy is selling. worst thing is i can afford it, but i too would have no place to store it, and i would worry i would screw up a very nice truck!

same here, haha. i get the "drive a newer truck, it can tow so much more." oen must keep in mind that this is no range rover, but at 331k, it has proven its durability time and time again, it is simple enough to fix, i can get a scratch on it, and no soul was mortgaged for it... but th e biggest one for me is having put time into it, i have a connection! didnt just buy it off the floor this way, it took time, and its got character!

 

[redavis460]

as a JA (japanese american), i can say that japan's laws make it great to get a car from japan, but vice versa it is next to impossible, especially for something not stock! although you would have potentially one of the coolest non-cars there (i say this since there arent really trucks & suv with the exception of keis) what part of japan were you thinking about? just curious haha

Thanks for the response, and what a pleasant surprise! We are actually heading back over there next week; my son has been accepted into Temple University in Tokyo, and 5 years of studying the language worked well for him and us when we visited for the first time last year.

We had about 6 weeks to tour the country last spring/summer, and between trains, buses, and 2 weeks of car rental and other daily rental excursions, we managed to take what the people we met called an "America-jin" vacation. The two weeks driving was spent going counter-clockwise from Tokyo, through Niigata prefecture, down through Okayama and Hiroshima, to Nagasaki, and then back through Shinjuku and Shizuoka, and then back to Tokyo. On our Northern excursion, we rode the bus to Sendai, then flew to Sapporo, then took trains down to Akita; from there, it was the overnight bus back to Tokyo. In between that time, we kept coming back to Chiba and Minamiboso, as well as staying in Kunitachi (on the southern outskirt of Tokyo).

My favorite? That is a tough one, but there is definitely a place in my heart for anything on the Isumi Railway in Chiba; I told my students before I retired that if I ever moved to Japan, you could probably find me within sight of the Kazusa-Azuma station lol. Second choice would be Okayama/Hiroshima, or anything in Setouchi; however, Fukushima and Miyagi could easily steal my heart as well. Everything about Japan is beautiful, and the inspiration of Japan's performing arts has no parallel. . .I'm an Idol Otaku (Nogizaka46), and my dream is to write a book or screen play telling the story of their beginnings and struggles, especially the first and second generation UnderGirls. Do you still have family or contacts there? One of my fellow Otakus and Nissan enthusiasts lives in Shizuoka, and I'm definitely planning on spending some time there.

 

[donalds]

as a JA (japanese american), i

O I always thought you were a red neck like me lol

 

[redavis460]

Guys, while we are discussing tires and ride height, I remembered something last night about the build concerning my choices at the time, so I thought I’d share what I learned. To begin, this is the view that is the source of the online hate:

As most of you all know, the factory specs for our cars are arrived at through suspension point measurements from the ground, and taking the difference to arrive at the numbers. This method assures that the geometric arc is exactly where it is supposed to be for ideal handling and tire wear:

When I replaced the entire suspension (including those big torsion bars which had never been on a car, and were thus very stiff initially and had to “break in”), it took awhile for the ride height to settle (a few thousand miles). When I checked things after a few months, I noticed that the suspension stops for the front A-arms were contacting. Sure enough, following the measurement procedure listed above, the recommended geometry was off; so I cranked up the screws on the torsion bar adjustment, and brought it into specs (factory “ride height”).

That was 4 years and around 25,000 miles ago. In that time, this is the tire wear result of holding up a 3500 lb car with somewhere north of 400 horsepower to the drive wheels (5-tire rotation every 6k miles):

I would also bring your attention to the first few seconds of the drive video; notice how easily the steering wheel returns to center, a sure sign that the caster is well within spec:



Those pictures probably go a long way towards explaining why the car was such a pleasure to drive and handled so well, even though there have been some suggestions that the ride height should be lowered; there is no way to do that on our cars without adversely affecting camber gain, bump steer, A-arm to frame contact, and a host of other issues (believe me I tried). You could go with a larger wheel/tire package, but at the factory suspension settings, for every inch that you try to fill up the wheel well, you are adding another inch of ground clearance. The problem we are trying to work around is in the sheet metal and body lines. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but then again I didn’t design the thing!

At the end of the day, I had to come to the conclusion which part of myself was I going to please: the Russell who sat in the lawn chair and spent hours staring at the car from the side lamenting an Explorer’s gaping fenders, or the Russell who was going to enjoy the car’s ride and handling to it’s full potential while enjoying ultimate grip and tire longevity. I’m glad I made the right decision.

 

[410Fortune]

Beautiful Build! I am impressed with the planning and your knowledge of the platforms
So much want!

 

[sandsprayer]

O I always thought you were a red neck like me lol

Always assumed all us 1st and 2nd gen guys and gurls are rednecks.
Unfortunately some of us are stuck on the left coast amongst champagne elitists

 

[Josh P]

O I always thought you were a red neck like me lol

We all are at heart