Once apon a time, I test drove this lil' explorer at 10 pm... I was in no mood for test driving cars as I just got off work, but I needed a vehicle asap as I blew my camaro up..... anyway, had this 98 sport about 2 weeks and it looked like this:
Now, I am never satisfied with with what I have no matter how great it is. So I wanted to lift that lil sport and get it offroad, I went to many shops and talked to alot of people and basiclly got "if you lift that thing, your gonna flip it and kill yourself" Thats what got me motivated to start building my truck. In June of '01 I discovered this site and what body lift to buy, so I got myself a 3" PA body lift, some Cooper STT 33" tires, and alot of beer, the next day, I had a lifted truck. Not long after, I went to 35" STT's and the beast was starting to take form:
Of course with some good sound:
I was quite happy with that for some time, altho in early '02 I got the itch to go bigger.... I talked to one of the guys that I talked to about the body lift, when I mentioned a solid axle, he said "you've got to be nuts" little did he know, I am nuts. I just couldnt bring myself to cutting up my frame and gettin into all that without cause, so.... on Oct 12th '02 my cause arrived:
Yes that is only a broken knuckle, a relitivly easy fix and not expencive at all.... well 2 days later I was cuttin everything... and gettin parts together for the solid axle. In Feb '03 this is what came out of my garage:
OK, now on to the specs:
Front suspension:
Leaf sprung Dana 44 - 4:10 gears - locked - custom drive shaft - 40" up/down travel
Rear suspension:
Stock 8.8 - 4:10 gears - locked - SOA - 45" up/down travel
Drivetrain
Engine: stock except intake
T-case: Ranger manual shift
Tranny:5R55
Everything else:
Kenwood system
JL Audio subs
Polk audio speakers
7" TV
PS2 DVD
Strobes
Neons
High power lighting
Custom floor shifter for manual t-case
Snorkle
Cant remember the rest
I built the SAS from the ground up, one of the first on a second gen Explorer, it has been crash tested (Garden State Parkway, 50mph into a concrete center divider) and drove 2 hrs home ... didnt even get a scratch from the hit. I has be severly tested offroad (wheelin 3-4 times a week... Paragon is my backyard)
Only things that break is stock stuff, t-case, front axle shafts.... hubs. but the SAS is holding strong... oh yeah... forgot to mention.... I built and beat this truck being legally blind (20/200 left eye, 20/400 right)
Anyway, more pics:
Now, I am never satisfied with with what I have no matter how great it is. So I wanted to lift that lil sport and get it offroad, I went to many shops and talked to alot of people and basiclly got "if you lift that thing, your gonna flip it and kill yourself" Thats what got me motivated to start building my truck. In June of '01 I discovered this site and what body lift to buy, so I got myself a 3" PA body lift, some Cooper STT 33" tires, and alot of beer, the next day, I had a lifted truck. Not long after, I went to 35" STT's and the beast was starting to take form:
Of course with some good sound:
I was quite happy with that for some time, altho in early '02 I got the itch to go bigger.... I talked to one of the guys that I talked to about the body lift, when I mentioned a solid axle, he said "you've got to be nuts" little did he know, I am nuts. I just couldnt bring myself to cutting up my frame and gettin into all that without cause, so.... on Oct 12th '02 my cause arrived:
Yes that is only a broken knuckle, a relitivly easy fix and not expencive at all.... well 2 days later I was cuttin everything... and gettin parts together for the solid axle. In Feb '03 this is what came out of my garage:
OK, now on to the specs:
Front suspension:
Leaf sprung Dana 44 - 4:10 gears - locked - custom drive shaft - 40" up/down travel
Rear suspension:
Stock 8.8 - 4:10 gears - locked - SOA - 45" up/down travel
Drivetrain
Engine: stock except intake
T-case: Ranger manual shift
Tranny:5R55
Everything else:
Kenwood system
JL Audio subs
Polk audio speakers
7" TV
PS2 DVD
Strobes
Neons
High power lighting
Custom floor shifter for manual t-case
Snorkle
Cant remember the rest
I built the SAS from the ground up, one of the first on a second gen Explorer, it has been crash tested (Garden State Parkway, 50mph into a concrete center divider) and drove 2 hrs home ... didnt even get a scratch from the hit. I has be severly tested offroad (wheelin 3-4 times a week... Paragon is my backyard)
Only things that break is stock stuff, t-case, front axle shafts.... hubs. but the SAS is holding strong... oh yeah... forgot to mention.... I built and beat this truck being legally blind (20/200 left eye, 20/400 right)
Anyway, more pics:
this whole thread is almost exactly hpw rick lays out the feature truck post 
