Don't click, lame sauce inside...

[GeekyTechyCool]

Edited it for clarity, plus it just sounded bad in a few spots ;-)





Well you didn't listen did you!!

I tried to warn you...cause I don't even have PICS yet?!?!?!. Without them I'll start this off and try to keep you heathenous trolls entertained.

I am now the lucky owner of one cold sputtering, exhaust rotting, oil smelling 1992 Ford Explorer Sport, and I wouldn't have it any other way

My X has a manual transmission (that needed a new slave cylinder), power options (that work), cruise control (that works), push button 4x4 (that works), and is on its's second 4.0L V6 with about 210K that leaks a bit of oil from the valve covers and pan gaskets. It's ugly(ish) outside and in, has a dent or two, and also has a rear bumper that have seen better days.

It does however have a few things going for it, it cost me a whopping 500 bucks. It drove home just fine and has a surprising amount of power for how neglected it seems to be. It drives damn near straight down the road no matter how fast or slow you're going, and the shocks still have some life left. It's got what looks to be a pretty solid front end (in terms of bushings, tie rods, things of the like) and it has decent tread on smaller than stock tires (which have been replaced with stock size mud tires).

I ended up with this rig because I've done the whole "trail rig" thing before, but this time I'm trying to keep things on a tight budget. Before I was young and dumb enough to not plan for the time AFTER I got said 4x4. I would put myself in a "tight budgetary" situation and most times I wouldn't be able to get my projects to the "Reliable-DD/Weekend Warrior" point I needed them to be before I'd have to sell them off and move on to something more practical for everyday use here in the PNW. This time around I wanted to be able to start AND finish a build. So I figured the best way to ensure that was to start with the most robust drivetrain I could find in a "compact" SUV. With that train of thought I started looking at the options and one night it hit me, "if everyone pulls the 8.8 from an explorer, why don't I just run an explorer?". I shortly found the answers to that very question. Like everyone else I struggled with the TTB, the larger body, the weight, and the (some say) troublesome old 4.0. But of course my genius once again shined through and I committed to an explorer sport

Currently my buddy and I have entered into a "cheap truck challenge" of sorts. I believe the Explorer Sport is a better starting point than the Jeep XJ. Being as I've owned and wheeled an XJ, ZJ, and YJ I think I've got the advantage here *tee hee hee*

My plans for this truck are simple, It will not be my DD forever. I plan to get something a little more suited to DD duties down the road (however with the news that we're expecting our first child that might be a bit longer down the road than originally thought!!). While it is my DD I will fix all of the maintenance issues right away. In there I'll most likely find a set of cheap stock size/slightly bigger than stock tires. As cash flow and time allow I'll add the smallest lift possible (with trimming) for 33-35 inch tires. Make some bumpers and rock sliders. Install a winch, and at least a rear locker. Other mods will come, roof rack, lights, cb, stereo, exterior mods, tire carrier. But for the "budget build" we've decided on a 2500 dollar limit INCLUDING the price of the vehicle, so that means the important upgrades come first and will count towards the build off.

So there you have it ladies and gents, a true gentleman's challenge!! And another XSport that's gonna kick butt!!

 

[Bruces expo]

Welcome and Good Starting point It sounds like , Only issues I've really heard from the 4.0 motor are the head gaskets , You have the 5 Speed so no a4ld to give out on you ++ , Sounds like you Have a good plan and looking Forward to what you do with it ! .

 

[Nedwreck]

There is a wealth of info on budget parts and tricks here, read read read and you can come up with a very capable truck for far less than you think...

 

[arco777]

Welcome to the forum. The Explorer is a tough truck. If your cruise control is out, most of the time it is the amplifier module. I forget exactly where it's located, behind the glove box or under the steering column, but it's a really easy fix. Just swap in a junkyard one. If you do a search on the forum you should be able to find the location.

 

[GeekyTechyCool]

Thanks for the heads up on the parts, fixes, and tricks folks.

I will (as I have been) search around for the info.

 

[Bruces expo]

Thought I would post this Pic For you , My Lift mods are in my Signature , so you can get an idea of what it looks like with the combo for your future direction ! .

 

[GeekyTechyCool]

Thanks for the pics man!!

Looks great btw

 

[Bruces expo]

Thanks for the pics man!!

Looks great btw

your welcome , And thank you very much , I get some weird looks and thumbs up from time to time ! .

 

[GeekyTechyCool]

Oh I'm sure you do, many people asked me "why a 90's explorer...?"

 

[Bruces expo]

Oh I'm sure you do, many people asked me "why a 90's explorer...?"

A lot of people underestimate them , I've been through just as much as my buddy's 90's Cherokee and he has a rear locker , he is also on 33"s with a 4" susp lift I do believe , I had to pull him free a few times and I have stock 3.73 LS in rear lol .

 

[jprentice94]

I am the biggest underdog around here but anybody that rides with me quickly changes their mind that whole tire drama when they first came out made these known as the most prone to flipping but they really are stable speaking from experience

 

[GeekyTechyCool]

Yeah I get the underdog thing, here are a few of my wheelin rigs over the years.

More of a DD, but it did get taken on a few trails and did pretty well in damn near stock form

1994 Amigo

Started like this

1977 Scout II

Started life here

1992 Jeep Cherokee

1992 Jeep Wrangler

 

[jprentice94]

You had some sweet rigs i love scout and i like cherokees and wranglers my buddy got a trail almost free so he thinks hes the greatest thing but me im a person that its much cooler when you build it yourself so you no your rig inside qnd out

 

[GeekyTechyCool]

You had some sweet rigs i love scout and i like cherokees and wranglers my buddy got a trail almost free so he thinks hes the greatest thing but me im a person that its much cooler when you build it yourself so you no your rig inside qnd out

Thanks man, I enjoyed every one of them. Honestly some I look back on and wish I hadn't had a rush of panic that forced me to sell them (life does that sometimes though). I've also had a bad habit of just getting bored, and I've made a conscious decision to start, finish, and use this truck through the process.

 

[jprentice94]

I have that problem but with my explorer it was my first car and i. Loved it so it wont go anywhere anytime

 

[GeekyTechyCool]

Well work did happen today but...not the work I wanted. I ended up getting some tires from a friend (stock size), they're studded mud terrains so they're a step up in multiple ways. I took the rims and tires off then had Schwabs mount and balance the new ones. I also took my rotors off knowing they were warped (vibrating when coming to a stop) thinking I could get away with just a turning for now...well not so much. They were both in pretty bad shape, which means new rotors and we all know it's just not right to install new rotors with used bads...so up went the part store bill (and the wife's eyebrows). With the rotors off noticing an over tightened bearing nut I figured I'd do the wheel bearings as well. Now I have new rotors, pads, wheel bearings (with a properly tightened nut), and freshly balanced studded mud tires.

I did start removing parts to get the tranny out for the slave cylinder replacement but I stopped as daylight and temps dwindled. The following pics are the start and end of the day and are with my phone that was coming from my pocket to the cold a** air hence the cloudy pics at night.

Obligatory poser flex shot in the driveway




The truck is up in the air on jack stands for these shots, sorry for the crappy pics gents.




That's all for now, at this point I'll be tearing into and finishing the slave replacement tomorrow.

 

[jprentice94]

Is that with sway bars off

 

[GeekyTechyCool]

All stock in the "flex" shots. Everything connected and as it is now

 

[GeekyTechyCool]

Well after two days of working on the Expo and getting interrupted by my wife on a regular basis I'm still not done with what I wanted to do. But I have learned a good amount about these rigs in a short time. So far I like the design and execution of the parts/equipment (other than the internal slave of course...lol). Things make sense for the most part, and things come apart then go back together rather well. I come from a mostly import background in terms of rigs I've done real work with. My other real experience with domestic was my Scout and it was a lot like the Expo in simplicity. I'm excited to get this little Expo back on the road soon. I'm trying to get everything finished tomorrow afternoon (gonna take a half day from work...that means I'll be alone with no one to interrupt me!!!) so I can start driving the damn thing...lol

 

[GeekyTechyCool]

Well it's done, finished, complete!!

Took me a bit to remember the bleed screw at the slave but once I did it gravity fed and all is well that ends well.

Pics of it to follow sitting on the ground with the new tires.