Bodydrop, looking for more info

[X~FACTOR]

Its a nice Sunday morning and I have been searching, reading, learning but can't seem to get real info on how to go about doing a bodydrop. Pictures would explain a LOT but can't find any. The below threads are very helpful but bodydropwas only briefly discussed.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156183&highlight=bodydrop

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=114083&highlight=bodydrop

Anyone got any info on "how-to" bodydrop?

 

[rlfknlorangers]

i was in the same boat you are when i did my body drop. i basically just gutted the interior and then cut out the floor close the sill seam, and right through the middle of the fire wall and back wall and just overlapped them. only thing i recommend, and i am not sure why i did it this way now, was i did not z the frame i cut into the core support and lowered it that way but it is way simpler to z the frame and cleaner too.

 

[slammedxonair]

Well you have 2 options traditional and stock floor.
Basically a traditional body drop is where you have the frame on the truck allready layed out flat, you basically cut the floor outside the frame, section out the firewall and drop your core support down lowering the body around the frame. You would weld filler panels into everything that needs filled. This will create an approximate 3 inch step when you open the door and you will also lose leg room and head room. since the body is being dropped around the frame. This is also sometimes called channeling but it is a variation of it.

Your second option is a stock floor body drop. This requires building a full new chassis or back half from behind the front suspension back. This new frame usually 2x3 3/16 wall box tube, it is shorter for clearance, you then lower your body mounts which lowers the body. You will also have to tunnel for your transmission and lower your core support as well(the front frame horns).

Also Z'ing has nothing to do with a body drop whatsoever. A Z needs to be done on trucks whos front lower control arm crossmember hangs lower than the rest of the stock frame rails. A Z allows the truck to sit completly flat when bagging the truck. If not when the tuck is layed out the front of the truck will sit higher due to the crossmember hanging lower than the frame rails.

 

[X~FACTOR]

Thanks for the replies guys. I almost could picture what you guys are talking about. You guys wouldn't happen to have pictures of this would you? Which would be an easier project to tackle, traditional or stock floor body drop? Pros and cons of each?

I've seen "Z" frame mentioned a few times but I am still confused how/what that looks like.

 

[slammedxonair]

check out rangerpowersports.com in the lowered forum for pics and alot more pics and tech. you pretty much have the same front suspension as a ranger edge

 

[Fatalshock]

Is that true? What year and model Explorers share the same front suspension with an Edge Ranger?

 

[X~FACTOR]

Holy ****! I think I found one.

So its basically the chassis frame rail is now inside the cabin area. Do you retain the body mount or just weld the body frame to the chassis? Also, how much lower can I go before the tranny hits the tunnel in the cab?

 

[slammedxonair]

that looks like there doing a traditional body drop and going into the rockers abit not just laying rocker. body mounts stay the same for the most part other than the front front frame horns. the floor stays where it is, the body is lowered around the frame and you will have to make a filler panel to reattach the body to the floor creating the step.

or you can make a new floor with a channel that goes up and over the frame keeping the floor in the stock position. this will call for the tranny to be tunneled as well since it is keeping the floor in the same stock location and raising or "channeling" the frame into the cab floor. personally i dont like the look of the channeled floor vs the traditional body drop, and of corse there is the stock floor body drop which involves building a new shorter frame.

here are a couple stock floor body dropped explorers by mr scrape customs. they both use a mustang 2 or old toyota pickup style front suspension.
http://www.2scrape.com/gallery_detail/126/
http://www.2scrape.com/gallery_detail/89/

 

[X~FACTOR]

^those pictures explains a LOT! Thanks man!

Have the other members from the other forum use them a lot? Do you know how much they charge for something like the work done above? Turnaround time?

 

[reserved50]

i wonder how messed the interiors look now

 

[slammedxonair]

^those pictures explains a LOT! Thanks man!

Have the other members from the other forum use them a lot? Do you know how much they charge for something like the work done above? Turnaround time?

For a stock floor body drop like that with a custom front suspension I would probably charging around the $7000 range on an explorer that would also include the air ride parts.