The Backstory:
Howdy! My name is Sebastian (Left). Excited to post to these forums! I've been lurking for around 6months, and have learned a ton.
Bit about me: Grew up in Texas, moved out to Denver about 3 years ago. I'm a caretaker for my dad (right) who is a stage IV cancer patient. As a kid, we used to daydream about what kind of project car we could build together. As time went on, that dream became more and more of a pipedream, but hopefully we'll be able to knock that one off of the bucket list. We moved West because he used to be a forester, and wanted to be in the mountains. I used to drive a RWD sedan, but didn't enjoy it much in the snow. Found a '94 Ford Explorer 2dr 4x4 up in the mountains earlier this year for $700, and I'm finally wrapping up the bonded title process, so started wrenching.
The Goal:
For as reasonable a cost as possible, restore a well mannered daily, and build it up to be capable of mild overlanding / mild off-roading. I want to be able to experience more of the ruggedness that Colorado has to offer, and bring my dad with me -- create memories before he's gone. I love astrophotography, and want to be able to get up on some of these peaks to shoot, and listen to stories about how things used to be.
The Beast:
We haven't gotten around to a name yet, but here's the beast in question. 4x4 works well, hubs lock and work well. Guy who sold it to me indicated that the previous owner used to take it mudding on occasion, and had tapped a tree and broke the original rear passenger wheel, which is why the spare is on it. He evidently gave it a decent smack, because the tailgate striker bolt was missing when we bought it, and the tailgate strut on that side is ripped out (although I have noticed that to be a fairly common problem with these vehicles.) Aside from some rust to the rockers, it's an astonishingly rust free vehicle.
The Progress So Far:
Once it was more sure that the bonded title process (do not recommend, PITA) would go through, I decided to start working on it. We changed the oil, which was nasty but nothing beyond just a lot of use. Changed the wiper blades, easy quality of life for driving it around. Tossed some gumout in with a tank of gas, since it had sat for an indeterminate amount of time with the seller and then again for like 4 months after I purchased it. New battery was required, the previous one got me down from the mountains and to a parking space but didn't start again without a jump. New plugs, boy were the old ones old and overgapped. Oh, we also removed the busted up side trim that snow had been weighing down for who knows how long. It was mangled.
What's Next?
Well, as you can see in the picture of my dad wrenching on the oil filter, the oil pan is pretty nasty. It's got around 200k per the VIN lookup at last report, so I'm not sure if that's just typical road grime for 30 years of driving, or if we've got a small leak somewhere. There was a jug of oil in the back when we purchased, so I'm suspecting the latter. I'm sure it's just old seals somewhere. Plan is to give everything a good deep clean, so we can actually see what's going on, and then diagnose a few things. There's an exhaust leak somewhere that I want to address asap before going to emissions, needs a new intake tube either built or bought, and it's got a tiny bit of shake in the wheel over 62mph indicated that I think will be remedied with a tire balance. This may wait though, as I'd like to get some larger wheels and tires for it before getting it aligned/balanced. Ideally I'm thinking 33's would be perfect for the type of stuff I'm looking to do.
The TO-DO List ( (and some questions):
- Replace the rear tailgate
- Replace rubber door seals, tailgate seal, sunroof seal
- Fix drivers outside door handle (doesn't open the door
- Replace intake hose
- T-Twist / Shackle lift? I have concerns about daily-use with my dad, since bumpy rides are tough on him and my understanding is that a t-twist will result in a bumpier ride.
- Would the drop pitman arm from Skyjackers be enough to keep the tires from being chewed up if I do go with just this?
- I've seen Rough Country kits from 2"-4", but I've read about kits not addressing the steering angle and consequently chewing up tires. Is there a cost effective kit still made which addresses these issues? Is it worth going with a kit over a T-Twist since I don't plan on doing much extreme 4x4ing?
- 33's / 16s (I've seen some Jeep wheels with the same lug pattern with KO2s on 'em for sale nearby for a good price, would those work?)
- CB Radio
- F/R Brushguard / bumper
- Regear?
- Would it be needed with 33s?
PS - If there's anyone in the Denver/Springs area, would love to go out sometime once I've got her fixed up.
-S
