I have & 4x4ed a CJ-7 for many years now. It's set up with a 304 v8 detroits front & rear with an auto. this thing will go anywhere with me & my wife. Now inter into the picture 2 boys. The Jeep just doesn't have the elbo room. So far I'm looking at either an explorer (exploder) or a cherokee (cherokeet). I know you guys are biased so sell me. Either way I go I'll put a 9" rear & a 44 front under which ever beast I get. So far I like that the explorer has a real frame where the jeep is a unibody. I want an automatic & the jeeps is reported to be bullet proof, how is the ford's? What sort of transfer case does the explorer offer? How much trouble will I have throwing a full size 44 under the front. Come on guys this is your chanse to convert over a die hard jeep lover.
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CJ-7 is getting small
- Thread starter bigdog
- Start date
- Joined
- February 7, 1999
- Messages
- 2,391
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- City, State
- Sherwood Park, Alberta eh?
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1992 XLT
The Explorer is WAAAY bigger inside than a Karaoke. Dead Link Removed If you have two boys I am sure you will want all the cargo room you can get.
The Cherokee is hard to get into the back seats. Best thing to do is to park them side by side to see what the difference really is. A friend of mine has a Cherokee (his wife's) that he wants to lift and after wheeling with me he wants to get an Explorer. As far as putting a 44 under the front, there are a few people on this list that have done it but I think they are using Bronco stuff. Cherokees are alright but they are too small, especially if you are tall. The automatic that comes in the Explorer is a weak link but if you have heavy duty internals installed it is easily up to the task.
Good luck, let us know what you decide.
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Paul Gagnon
"No Brain, No Pain"
Dead Link Removed
[This message has been edited by Paul Gagnon (edited 12-14-1999).]
The Cherokee is hard to get into the back seats. Best thing to do is to park them side by side to see what the difference really is. A friend of mine has a Cherokee (his wife's) that he wants to lift and after wheeling with me he wants to get an Explorer. As far as putting a 44 under the front, there are a few people on this list that have done it but I think they are using Bronco stuff. Cherokees are alright but they are too small, especially if you are tall. The automatic that comes in the Explorer is a weak link but if you have heavy duty internals installed it is easily up to the task.
Good luck, let us know what you decide.
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Paul Gagnon
"No Brain, No Pain"
Dead Link Removed
[This message has been edited by Paul Gagnon (edited 12-14-1999).]
Paul is right that the interior space of the Explorer far exceeds the Cherokee's. Having been a previous Jeep owner (76 CJ-5&88 YJ), I know the difficulty in choosing. The Explorer uses a Borg-Warner (BW) T-case, Cherokee a New Process (NP). The BW is availible in either electric shift, or manual (although difficult to find). Disadvantage - no aftermarket gear set replacement for compound low or twin stick. This has recently been solved by the availibility of an Atlas II T-case from Advanced Adapters.
Axles in the stock form the Ford 8.8 is much stronger than the stock Dana 35 found in the rear of the Jeep. The front IFS Dana 35 found on the Ford has stronger axles than the Jeep, but is considered by many to be inferior to a solid axle. At least Ford does not use the vacume disconnects found on Jeeps. Those things are prone to failure.
The Ford 4.0 is reliable, but I believe the Jeep straight 6 is capable of greater torque. The Jeep will max out somewhere near 4000 rpm making highway driving with large tires frustrating.
A final thought. The after market suppliers have rallied around the Jeep to provide a huge choice accesories. The Explorer seems to have been discounted a grociery getter.
Axles in the stock form the Ford 8.8 is much stronger than the stock Dana 35 found in the rear of the Jeep. The front IFS Dana 35 found on the Ford has stronger axles than the Jeep, but is considered by many to be inferior to a solid axle. At least Ford does not use the vacume disconnects found on Jeeps. Those things are prone to failure.
The Ford 4.0 is reliable, but I believe the Jeep straight 6 is capable of greater torque. The Jeep will max out somewhere near 4000 rpm making highway driving with large tires frustrating.
A final thought. The after market suppliers have rallied around the Jeep to provide a huge choice accesories. The Explorer seems to have been discounted a grociery getter.
I'm really not too worried about the axel strength because I already have the others lined up. I am concerned about cargo space. I haven't really looked at both side by side, but they don't seem to be that different in size. I know more about the jeep than I do the explorer. The biggest thing that I'm concerned with is the motor, tranny, and transfer case combo. The straight six, AW4, and NP-231, seem to be a great strong combo. This is what I really wanted to know about on the ford. How does the ford setup work. I mainly surf the rocks here in Ca. Really tough on tranny's. Any help is appreciated.
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