Clearing 35"s with no body lift

[IZwack]

Kay .. but this thread isnt really about exhaust.

 

[carlover]

i could have fit 35's on my 2wd with a TT and spindles. Had to do some minor trimming, but nothing too major. I ran some for a few weeks, but with only 4.10's my explorer didnt like them much.

 

[FROADER]

Im interested in this. Can somebody educate me on Spindle Lifts and how they work?

So, on a spindle lift, do the shocks get replaced anyways? If I can't get a lift that wont quite clear 35"s, I guess 33"s wouldn't be too bad. I just want to get my truck up in the air and put some big tires on it!

Correct me if Im wrong...but as far as the rear goes, all I need to do is get shackles and shocks to get it up in the air?

Any help would be appreciated. I cant imagine all this costing too much considering its just a 2wd. I know guys that lifted their Rangers pretty big for less than $1500 or so.

However I do want this setup to be dependable and durable, nothin jimmy-rigged haha

A spindle lift uses the stock geometry so you don't need longer shocks to accommodate the lift. For your Explorer, you need to get the 3" lift spindles for a Ranger Edge. I'm not 100% sure, but I think you need different rotors as well. To fit 35s you'll also need to crank the torsion bars a bit.

The shackle will only get you 1.5-2" of lift in the rear. If you want to fit 35s, do the SOA.

If all you want to do is fit 35s and you don't really wheel it, then a body lift, TT and shackles should work for you. You need to get the right wheels and tires as mentioned earlier in the thread and may need to trim just a little bit.

For it to be dependable, wither way will be fine. You'll want to regear though, or your trans will die sooner than it should, you'll get ****ty MPG and no low end power.


Search around the site, as there are a few guys with 2wd with the lift spindles.

Here is an install of spindles. http://www.prerunnermaniac.com/Prer.../Fabtech-Ranger-Edge-Spindle-Lift-Install.php

 

[King$nake]

A spindle lift uses the stock geometry so you don't need longer shocks to accommodate the lift. For your Explorer, you need to get the 3" lift spindles for a Ranger Edge. I'm not 100% sure, but I think you need different rotors as well. To fit 35s you'll also need to crank the torsion bars a bit.

So, correct me if Im wrong, but all I need to do to get the front end up in the air enough is to get the 3" Ranger spindles, and a TT?

The shackle will only get you 1.5-2" of lift in the rear. If you want to fit 35s, do the SOA.

SOA? What is that?

If all you want to do is fit 35s and you don't really wheel it, then a body lift, TT and shackles should work for you. You need to get the right wheels and tires as mentioned earlier in the thread and may need to trim just a little bit.

Ok, well everything is started to make sense now. This truck is my daily driver, so it will spend most of the time on the road. I want to be able to take it off road though (I go up some gnarly roads when I go shooting). I guess I definitely don't want the all show no go thing going on, I want it to be able to perform, but of course it doesnt have to be a crazy pre-runner with all kinds of travel.

For it to be dependable, wither way will be fine. You'll want to regear though, or your trans will die sooner than it should, you'll get ****ty MPG and no low end power.

So, what I will need:

- 3" Ranger Spindles

- Tortion Twist in the front

- (4) New Shocks (but this is optional?) Ill go with new shocks either way as
I need them

- 35" Mud-Terrains (I want them to be relatively wide, but I need to learn about what sizes, etc will work. Will my 16" OEM Rims fit the new tires?)

- SOA in the rear

- New gears for the rear-end (how much will something like this cost me?)

I guess if the above combo doesn't quite clear 35"s, I could go with a small body lift to make up the difference. I really dont want to do any trimming if I can avoid it, as with the eddie bauer model it has those nice running boards and fender trim haha. But Ill do what I have to do

Thanks again for all the help
-Joe

 

[yellowford]

A SOA is a spring over axle, it involves moving the leaf springs above the rear axle instead of mounted below it. To do this you weld on new perches on top of the axle and bolt everything down.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46236

 

[King$nake]

A SOA is a spring over axle, it involves moving the leaf springs above the rear axle instead of mounted below it. To do this you weld on new perches on top of the axle and bolt everything down.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46236

Alright cool, SOA seems simple enough. So, lets assume I can 5" out of the rear with a SOA setup, is this tall enough to clear 35"s in the rear? If not, do I have any other options aside from putting BL blocks back there?

Another question, after I lift the rear and front, will I have any U-joint issues with the driveshaft?

 

[King$nake]

By the way, thank you all for the help and your patience in me asking so many questions. I went from wanting to go buy a new F150 to deciding I want to keep my paid-off explorer and make it badass. I can't wait to get all the details worked out in what I need to do to get this lifted properly

 

[yellowford]

Alright cool, SOA seems simple enough. So, lets assume I can 5" out of the rear with a SOA setup, is this tall enough to clear 35"s in the rear? If not, do I have any other options aside from putting BL blocks back there?

Another question, after I lift the rear and front, will I have any U-joint issues with the driveshaft?

If you need more lift out of the back once you have SOA then you can add longer shackles or blocks under the springs, but you should be able to fit 35's without any problems just going spring over. As far as u-joints go it should be fine as long as everything is lined up correctly and the drive shaft length is correct.

 

[King$nake]

If you need more lift out of the back once you have SOA then you can add longer shackles or blocks under the springs, but you should be able to fit 35's without any problems just going spring over. As far as u-joints go it should be fine as long as everything is lined up correctly and the drive shaft length is correct.

heck ya, I was prepared to spend a ton of $$ on getting this thing lifted, but it sounds like it really isnt going to cost too much. I think the tires and rims are going to be the most expensive thing.

So, I think Im squared away on how to lift the rear. Is there any specific shocks you guys would recommend for this setup - or coilovers?

Also, so 4:10's are going to be the way to go? I think me and my pops can open the housing and get those replaced...anyone know what 4:10s cost these days?

 

[FROADER]

The SOA gives you ~5.5" and 35s fit no problem.

You'll want 4.56 gears at at least for 35s. While in there you might as well get a locker or better limited slip if you drive "gnarly" roads to go shooting.

If you don't want to trim at all, I would consider sticking with 33s because you'll need to trim the front no matter what with 35s.

 

[King$nake]

The SOA gives you ~5.5" and 35s fit no problem.

You'll want 4.56 gears at at least for 35s. While in there you might as well get a locker or better limited slip if you drive "gnarly" roads to go shooting.

If you don't want to trim at all, I would consider sticking with 33s because you'll need to trim the front no matter what with 35s.

Ok, will I have to do any more trimming than normal since this is an eddie bauer?

In your guys' opinion, are these 35"s or 33"s? They look like 35"s to me but you guys are the experts:

(sorry for reposting this picture)

That explorer above is the reason I started thinking about lifting my truck in the first place. If I could achieve that same look/stance, I would be happy. Could this be achieved with just the 3" Spindles, TT & SOA, or do you think to go as big as this truck I might have to go with a BL somewhere?

Also I noticed you were in HB, is you or anybody you know interested in doing some or all of the work on my truck for pay? Im in oceanside, south of you. I dont know what kind of timeframe Im looking at to do this, but if somebody is looking for work I would def. rather have an expert doing this lift than myself haha

 

[FROADER]

I would say those are 35s in the B&W pic. You also have to remember, just because there is a pic of big tires on a truck, doesn't mean it works right. If you want to keep the flares and steps, I don't think you're going to fit 35 without at least 7" of lift, which to me, is too much.

This is 33s with a 3" body lift, TT and shackles which is just under 5" of lift.

Dead Link Removed


Another option for the rear is some custom leaf packs to get your desired height (which will also ride better than the SOA).

The first thing you need to do is really think about what tire size you want, if you're willing to trim the flares/steps. Then we can figure out what lift would work best for your budget. Having a lifted truck as a daily driver is also way different than a stock truck. You need to make sure you'll be ok with a rougher ride, higher center of gravity and lower mpg all of the time, no matter what kind of driving you do.

I would if I could, but I don't have the tools or the space to help. There are a few guys down by you that may be willing to help out.

 

[King$nake]

I apologize for indecision on the tire size, I guess I dont know exactly what size: 33s or 35s. I definitely like the look of 35"s, and would be willing to trim what is necessary for them, but Im reading stuff about how 35"s are so rough on your truck, the hubs have issues with them etc. Above all, I want functionality, and I want a dependable off-road vehicle. If I have to go with 33"s to achieve that, so be it. I just want this truck to be a capable vehicle for as little money as possible.

Thanks again for all your help

 

[carlover]

If you stick withh 33's its super easy then. A spindle and TT up front, and add a leaf and shackle in the rear. $400 tops if you can find used spindles.

 

[King$nake]

If you stick withh 33's its super easy then. A spindle and TT up front, and add a leaf and shackle in the rear. $400 tops if you can find used spindles.

So you would recommend shackles/AAL in the rear as oppose to SOA?

 

[carlover]

if all you want is 33's then yes. I ran that setup for quite awhile.

Autozone shackles are $20, and an AAL is $30.

 

[King$nake]

Ok, one other question. My ex has the 16" teardrop rims (Im not sure about the width, are they 16x8s?) Can I mount the 33"s on these rims? If so, how wide of tire can I go?

 

[Elessar65]

I think they are 16x7. 285/75r16 should be no prob with what you are planning.

 

[King$nake]

Thanks Elessar65. Ya it looks the truck in this picture has the same rims I do:

He's running 295/65/16 BFG All-Terrains, so I guess those are 33"s? Also, I think 295 is about as wide as the 16x7 rims will handle, right?

This truck has 3" spindles, and 3" TT.

Is 3" for the TT as far as you can go on a 2WD explorer? The truck in the photo is just about perfect, except I would go with another inch or two in the front

 

[bcburlette]

I dont think this has been posted yet, but you may have problems with the SOA and Spindles.


I did SOA TT and lift spindles for about 5 inches all around.
I found out half way through the spindle lift that my explorer had bigger brakes than rangers, so I had to pick up a couple of ranger rotors, then my drive shaft was too short after the SOA(I have a sport, you may not need to worry about this) and that caused the bushing in the transmission extension housing to eat itself to bits.

But overall I got the amount of lift I wanted and it turned out to be ~$700.

For reference heres a pic of mine sitting on 31's(I still need to regear and then i will get 33's)