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Compatible Years For 97 Explorer Sport

ZUrso04

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Joined
September 25, 2021
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City, State
Las Vegas Nevada
Year, Model & Trim Level
1997 Ford Explorer Sport
Just a bit of background info i’m trying to go for a prerunner ish look, anywho im also just curious
Of what years are compatible with the 97s. Im looking specifically to see if i can do a prerunner bumper. Any info will help as i’m very new to this.
Thank you!
 



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It's my understanding that all front bumpers - thus mounting of second gens 95-2001 are essentially the same/ cross-compatible....( I have a 98 front bumper mounted on my 95 )
The rear bumpers (thus mounting I assume) is different : 95 - 97 same / 98- 2001 same for these years
 






@ZUrso04 The 95-98 Ex's have square foggies and the 99-01's have round. As far as I know that's the only difference. If you're going prerunner any way, you're probably ditching the factory fogs, if you have them, right? Stick with what you know; if you want to use the 99+ bumper, prepare to splice wires. Otherwise, the sky's the limit.
 






Awesome thanks for all the info! I dont suppose they make prerunner bumpers for second gen explorers do they?
 






@ZUrso04 If so, finding one now wouldn't be the easiest. However, there are thankfully many fairly simple alternatives. Once you've exhausted the Search bar, I'd suggest heading over to the Ranger Station (sister forum for the Ranger pickups, make sure you pick the correct generation - I believe 1998-2011 Rangers correspond to 1995-2001 Explorers, platform wise, but don't quote me on those dates) and abuse their search bar for a few hours just to check out all the delicious tidbits. I DO know I'm using a 2010 Ranger Superlift on my 99 Ex, but that has nothing to do with the bumper bolts. Measuring the spaces between your bumper bolts and that on a Ranger may be your easiest way to find that detail, but if you are not blessed with a nearby scrapyard, I'm sure Ranger Station has that information.

That being said, I DO know that there exist prerunner bumpers for Rangers. Whether/how much modification is necessary will depend upon the size and placement of the bumper bolts. Also, if you are, or know, a good quality welder, you can usually get way better fab work than direct bolt-ons for a comparable price, and of course it'll be made to your liking, for your application. (I'm presently saving up to get some work done on a Class III front hitch receiver to build a brush guard/push bar.) If money isn't your insurmountable barrier, of course, there's a whole big world out there!

Check out other users' prerunner builds, too; most are well documented and show what the owners did to tackle the bumps along the way. My build is definitely not a prerunner, so my knowledge is limited on the subject.
 






@ZUrso04 Also, check out this thead


by @boominXplorer, as well as this tamer one


by @SCEXPLORER

I personally dislike both of those examples, but prerunner bumpers come in every size and flavor that can be imagined, and I've seen more than a handful on here that I liked. If you don't have a clear idea on what's best for your personal application, or if you just want to browse some builds and see who's come the closest to your idea, compare and see what you'd do differently for your own, etc. there's plenty of examples here on Explorer Forum, as well as the larger scope of the Internet.

I know you're not dumb, but I feel morally obligated to advise the preliminaries. Good things come to those who do their research, read the manuals, read the build threads, measure twice, etc. I learned a long time ago that a job done poorly is money wasted, and I hate to see it happen to anybody.

Hope things go well for your designs! And when you start spending money, we definitely want photographs!
 






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