anyone with a lifted 98-99 Sport?

[Nate1]

Thanks a ton for all the info. I'm very happy to hear about all of your lifting info. I think I am gonna have to get it installed at a shop, so I'll look around and get some bg info on some good shops in the Tampa area. As far as the compliments, they were definatly directed towards you. Your car looks absolutely perfect! It's beautiful, exactly what I want... just add the brushguard. By the way, thanks for that compliment... the guy before me that owned the truck had it put on. I like it alot, and it actually does make you feel like you can be a little harder, running through thick brush doesnt feel like it is tearing your paint off. The only problem is I have the dual mode IPF lights, and my right 'driving' light burned out. The light is fused into the glass of the assembly, its like a littl glass chamber that holds it in the whole globe of the light, and I have no idea where to get a replacement. I am hoping to get some PIAA lights when I get my lift and everything else done, but who knows. Found out I do indeed have 4.10 gears, so what do you think tire wise I would be safe running? Too bad they are all open diffs... looks like I'm gonna end up buying that ARB Air locker now anways!

Thanks again for all the info,
Nate

PS: If you can help, I know this is the wrong topic, but I want to get a new gibson exhaust this christmas, and all I can find is sigle inlet, but if you look at my pics, it looks like I have dual... ?! I can't find what I'm supposed to buy, and gibson hasent emailed me back yet... thanks!

 

[DocVijay]

I just noticed you're in Tampa. I lived there for 20 years. (well, actually Plant City) My parents still live there, and my brother lives over on Dale Mabry right by the stadium.

As for your questions. You have the SOHC, right? The Gibson kit fits the SOHC, not the OHV. I called them way back to find out. Since I have the OHV, I ended up getting a custom exhaust put on with a Flowmaster muffler.

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As fo the 4.10 gears, I'm getting that ratio installed on Monday. With 4.10's you can easily run 33's. There are some on here that are running 33's with 3.73 gears or even a few with lower than that. Your gears should be fine with 33's.

The differential (locker) will help. Also, if you spend less than 25% of the time off road, a limited slip may work better for you. That will help with traction during the rain storms. The locker will act as an open diff when not locked. Actually there is one that is an LS when unlocked, but I forget which brand. I'll let you know if I find it again. I bought an Eaton limited slip and that is going in on Monday too. I'll let you know how that is too once I get it in.

I'm actually shopping around for a new bumper/brush guard. Everyone and their grandmother has the standard brush guard on it, so I'm looking for somehting different. Maybe something like this:

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For this bumper I'd get slightly smaller tubing, as my Sport isn't quite as big as this Dodge. Maybe 2" pipe. This one would be a full on custom, and I was quoted about $650-700.

Or this:

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This bumper is a bolt on for the stock bumper. It's got a winch mount and other cool things. Plus it just looks nice and clean. It runs $700.

 

[DasFrem]

That bottom bumper looks alot like an ARB Bull Bar but I know they don't make them for our trucks.. Who sells that and where?
Oh yeah, btw, I'm running my 33s with 3.27 gears, but that's because I'm cheap and have a real low 1st gear with my 5 speed manual. (Although I'll put some 4.10s on in a month or so)

 

[Nate1]

Thanks for the exhaust and gearing info... went mudding tonight... so much fun. Mud was INCREDIBLY grossly thick, like 6-7 inches deep. My new Bridgestone Dueler A/T (non revos) caked up bad, but I ended up being the guy who DIDNT get stuck... and this was my first time!! I had to pull my friend's 93' Fullsize lifted blazer v8 350ci w/ 33x12.5s ... must be insulting to have to be pulled out by a stock v6. No pictures, but there is a video of me pulling that sucker out! Sometimes lighter IS better... hehe

I'm still pissed about the gibson exhaust, cuz I do have dual inlet, and the Gibson website has a note that says my exhaust should be a single inlet slip flange. ??! The email from gibson was totally unhelpful... they just referred me to the website ... arugh. BTW is there any reason for me to not get the stainless steel version, other than the fact that its more expensive...? Seems like it will last me longer.

I know I have tons of annoying pickey questions, but thanks for tolerating me!

Nate

 

[Sherwood]

From my understanding, the two door Gibson Cat-back will only fit the ex's with one converter which in turn is the single inlet to the muffler. So far, there is no one that makes cat-backs for the late model Sports with dual inlets. Your best bet is to go and have a muffler shop make you a custom 2 1/2" cat-back with a good muffler. I would go with the Flowmaster. Add a little grumble to it. Your 4.10 gears will be fine with 33's. If you go much larger, you may want to think about 4.56 gears. Also, with your brushguard, if you want to put a body lift on, you will have to bolt the brushguard to the body itself. That is what I had to do in order to put it back on because obviously your lifting the body which will not work if you raise the bumper too. The body lift is a Performance Accessories part #883 if I rember correctly. It is for the Ranger since they do not have a body lift for the late model Explorers.
Good luck with your project, take your time. It is well worth all the stares and the compliments when its done. Thanks again for the compliments and feel free to ask questions. Eric

 

[Nate1]

Arugh! I was hoping that wouldn't happen! I wanted to go with Gibson cuz my parents will hate the idea of my car being loud, and I know the gibsons have a nicer mellow deep tone, rather than a rumble. I dont mind if it isnt loud, I just want the performance increase. What is a good shop to have do it... menike (sp?) ?? And any idea what it will cost?

 

[Sherwood]

Oh, your truck wont be loud, it will just have a nice throaty tone to it from what I heard. It wont be like them ricers out there with 4 bangers that sound like an open exhaust. I seen people here talk about custom cat-backs costing them about the same as one you buy out of the store. Maybe a little more depending on the steel they use and what muffler you go to. As far as who to do it, i dont know. I had The Muffler Man do a car for me one time, but that was a long long time ago. I was thinking about going to a exhaust guy that specializes in racing exhaust's. I just think he would put better work into your truck than the kid from a muffler shop. Just my two cents.

 

[Nate1]

very very true... I'll look in the yellow pages and ask some friends with trucks who did their exhaust... i'll keep you posted.... it should be intresting ;-)

 

[DocVijay]

Originally posted by DasFrem
That bottom bumper looks alot like an ARB Bull Bar but I know they don't make them for our trucks.. Who sells that and where?

It's a place called TrailReady. They have a "Road Armor" line of bumpers and stuff. Go here.

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Under the "Compact Trucks" link is our X bumper. My local 4 wheel shop can get it for me from them for the same price. It takes about 4-6 weeks to get one as they are pretty much made to order.

 

[DasFrem]

That's like the exact bumper I've been looking for, it won't get in the way of my aproach angle and it's got a place to mount a winch. I was thinking of buying an ARB one and adapting to the X, but don't have to worry about that now. Oh yeah, and they just happen to be loacted in the town I was born in, Everett WA, unfourtunatly now I live on the opposite side of the country. (From the looks of the map, they're only like a block or two from Randy's Ring n' Pinion) Why do I have to live out here in NY where there's no 4x4 shops and very few places to 4x4 when I could have been living in WA state.

Anyhow, enough of that rant. nweibley, to get an idea of what a flowmaster 40 series sounds like at wide open throttle click here, it's me driving down my street with it on.
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[Robert]

Originally posted by Sherwood
. . .So far, there is no one that makes cat-backs for the late model Sports with dual inlets.. . .

You mean like my Borla on my '97 SOHC Sport?

 

[Sherwood]

When did you get that? When I e-mailed them about a cat-back, they said they dont offer one for the two door late model sports.

 

[Nate1]

Hey buddy... that looks nice...

a few q's

How loud is that sucker... is it raging flowmaster super loud, or is a mellow deep soothing 'loud'?

performance gains... were they tangible?

are you running dual in single out?

how much did it cost you?

Thanks
Nate

 

[Robert]

I think I got it 2 1/2 year ago from Performance Products. Here is the Borla drawing that came with it. They might not have had enough demand for it to continue building it. It is not loud at all, but you know it's there. It doesn't wake up the neighbors when I leave for work at 6:00 in the morning.

 

[Nate1]

Robert, is that custom fabber undercarriage protection, or is that just strd in the '97 xs and they took it off by '99? I hate having such an exposed undercarrige :fire:

--Nate

 

[Sherwood]

You mean like my Borla on my '97 SOHC Sport?

It must be no longer in production because I have checked their site along with all other major exhaust manufacturers and nothing is in production for our '97 and later 2 dr SOHC dual inlet single out Explorers. Gibson appears to be the closest with their exhaust that is made for the single inlet stock mufflers. Like I said, you are better off going to a exhaust shop and having one custom fabricated with a nice Flowmaster muffler. They are about $100.

 

[BonesDT]

thats wierd, why do the two inlets connect differently to the muffler, even on the factory setup? the left one seems bolt on while the right one slides over and welded or clamped. whats the reson for this?

was that borla kit bolt-on? did you do it yourself? any welding involved?

 

[Robert]

Originally posted by nweibley
Robert, is that custom fabber undercarriage protection, or is that just strd in the '97 xs and they took it off by '99? I hate having such an exposed undercarrige :fire:

--Nate

The skid plates were standard in '97. In '98 Ford made them optional as another way to keep the price the same as the '97s (along with a bunch of other cuts).

 

[Robert]

Originally posted by BonesDT
thats wierd, why do the two inlets connect differently to the muffler, even on the factory setup? the left one seems bolt on while the right one slides over and welded or clamped. whats the reson for this?

was that borla kit bolt-on? did you do it yourself? any welding involved?

The one pipe is connected by two bolts so that it can be removed when changing the transmission filter. the 'U' bolt clamps usually can't be reused once they have been removed. Ford probably figured that tranny lube places wouldn' t have the 'U' bolts handy after they changed the filter. Another possiblity is maybe they were afraid someone would try and accidentally install the muffler upside down.

 

[Sherwood]

weibley,

Here are a couple of shots of the torsion bar drop brackets on my Ex from the Trailmaster lift. As you can see, its not that bad. At least not to me. I dont do any rock crawling so getting hung up on the underside is not a worry to me.