dreamr's finally elite

[dreamr]

What a sh***y week!!!!!!!
I do not want to go in to details, but this has been a helacious week and I was so very glad for the opportunity to just sleep in today.

Unfortunately around 8:00 a.m. my door bell rings. My lady had gone out with her friends the night before, so was dead drunk and sound asleep. I jump out of bed ready to rip the head off of whoever had the oddacity to interrupt my blissful slumber. As I swing the door open suddenly my anger evaporates as I see who awaits me there.

How can you stay angry when this is the first site of the morning? Good thing Shiloh was asleep.

OK OK we all know I have a fetish for this here UPS girl, and that mine is not nearly so cute, but.............................
She did bring me a box to play with.

What did I get ?

I figured that since one of those 33's weighs a whole heck of a lot more than my stock 225/75's I should give my mistress a better chance at keeping her tranny alive and kicking. I choose this particular unit based on Aldive's advice from his installation. And sadly I fully plan on copying his and Monmix's install
I'll drop a pic when done. But for now here is the thread I am referencing for install.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127706&highlight=tranny+cooler+install

As to the GPS. Now I know what you are asking yourself, "Why did he go with a little bugger like that". Well, as some of you know, I hike nearly 150 to 200 miles a year. Not to mention the hundreds of miles of forest roads. I learned years and years ago how to navigate adequately using a topo map and compass, so have never bothered with GPS. For backcountry purposes, I mainly purchased it to make pinpointing my exact location easier when off trail than dragging out all the tools and challenging my befuddled brain. Plus it gave me all the little added goodies like altimeter, mileage, etc......... Should be nice. In addition I plan on mounting it on my dash, and wanted it to take up as little space as possible. It's main purpose there, is to help guide me back out when I get into a maze of fire roads. Secondly I now have a completely accurate speedometer.

Fun times........................ we'll see what surprises that lovely delivery girl brings next time.....untill then.............................................

 

[dreamr]

Nothing really special to add, but since this is where I am documenting all of the changes my girl has gone through I might as well add the recent projects.

As many of you know I have recently picked up a side project that will be going under the Explorer in 6 months to a year. That project is a High Pinion Dana 30 front Axle form a 1996 Jeep XJ. Follow the link to the build-up if you are interested. HP D30

My other new addition was to combat the damage that has been occuring to the under-carriage of my vehicle over the last 18-20 months of exploring my beloved Cascade Mountains. It seems that the dent's in my gas tank just keep getting bigger, and also there are several minor scars on my transfer case. Now obviously there are many more points of damage down there, but these two were a big concern for me. I have no clue why Ford never bothered to install skids on this vehicle, but needless to say they did not.

Yesterday I headed over to visit Greenbeer from the board and swap some front end components from his totalled low mileage Eddie Bauer on to mine. Basically just to keep it on the road untill Axle swap time comes around in the misty future. While crawling around down there I discovered that his Eddie Bauer happened to have skid plates over both the gas tank and transfer case.

So.......what could I do other than remove them and load them into the back of my truck. This evening I went to Home depot and picked up a bit of rectangle stock which I welded to the skid as reinforcement, and bolted her up there. Yeah now I don't have to worry quite so much about them damn rocks.

Anyway like I said nothing too special getting added to the project. But it sure made me happy

 

[bmxking5]

I never knew that the newer Explorers didn't have any of those skid plates. Mine has the skidplates covering the gas tank and the t-case already. If you can get your hands on one, JoshC used a first gen gas tank and cut it up to use as a skid for the muffler and driveshaft. I will probably do the same thing he did and get one for mine.

 

[Premier]

I have skidplates on mine. I think they were a factory option?

 

[dreamr]

I think the reason my X didn't have them is because it was the XL base model. I picked the base model as I did not want all the power/electrical crap that could go wrong in the middle of nowhere. Furthermore I didn't want the running boards or flares. All a trade off that somehow eliminated actual useful accessories such as skids

I had been plotting how I was going to design a set, but this was so much easier

 

[heyok]

If you have a chance, would you mind posting pictures of the skid plates? My X is unprotected and I have never seen the factory skid plates.

Thanks,
Al

 

[dreamr]

Here you go. Sorry the pics aren't too great, but it is hard to get a good shot under the truck in the dark

Transfer Case

Gas tank

 

[heyok]

What service! Thanks for the pics. I'll have to check out the local bone yards and get some too.

 

[dreamr]

Wow I have not made a post to this thread since May
I suppose then that this is the year in review. My lady (Truck ) and I have had an adventurous year. Seeing a lot of new country and also really getting the oppportunity to seek out her new limitations. So far all of my modifications as well as the stock components have held up fairly well.

A couple problems and observations that I have had though:

-One of my Body mount bolts decided to back out a considerable amount after it's second wheeling trip of the season. I lock tighted the hell out of them and used the impact to reinstall, hopefully they will hold together in the future.

-My wiring for the Brown Wire Mod........I was running a very rocky and tight cornered stretch of trail in the Cle Elum Area. I was all alone. The truck was in 4 low with the front end disengaged via the "brown wire mod". Suddenly smoke started pouring out from my control panel. I immediately stopped and killed the ignition then began ripping things apart.
What fried? All the wiring coming from the TOD relay. This mod has been in place and used for several months however, one day there she went in smoke. All is removed now and the TOD relay was replaced. Interesting note there. The wires were all melted, but the unit was still operating normally after dissasembly and new wires. It is now my spare.

-Of course I have had to do a lot of maintenance this late fall early winter, but all in all I have found nothing of concern other than the items listed and that one mysterious clunking noise.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146413

What has been done since my last post?
Not much really.....I have reconfigure my "****pit" a bit to make everything more convenient to have extra communications and navigation items present.
I also have of course fine tuned many of my additionsw along the way and done a bit of under hood painting.

Ball joints and Tie rods were replaced with Moog's as they wore out.

The one area that I have been focusing on was the preperation of My HP D 30 to move under the Explorer. Unfortunately this has never happened, and the longer it takes, the happier I seem I guess in the end my truck has proved herself capable of going anywhere I want to go as she is.
I think that the SAS will still happen in the future, but really there is no point in doing so untill I decide that I want to deliberately go out seeking body damage. To me this rig is my ability to explore and see the corners of the world that few frequent. Recreational Off roading holds no interest for me what so ever....... One day though she'll get smashed up and I'll change my mind

With that said....Where does that leave me? Needing a lot of armor as my front end and undercarriage don't look too pleased with me
So for the first project of the season now that my Alpine lakes and meadows are under a lot of snow.

>>>>>>>>>IFS SKID>>>>>>>>>

I was broke and bored .
As I wandered around the garage I recall.
There be a lot of steel in the back of the 'yota.
A recently demolished shelving system from Clayton's home.

With a bit of cutting and grinding
Things began to take shape.
A couple bends and a few welds
Suddenly tis late and I sleep
The new day finds me sanding and drilling
By 10 A.M. this is what we have

Now I am back to pacing
I have no money for paint or diamond plate
Ahh but Friday comes upon us
With it comes a paycheck

Can you say bling
Where's that paint!!!!!!!
Ahhhh! much better and all monuted up

 

[Albino 94LTD]

OMG, he finally touches the X!

Now the Mustang is going to PEE tranny fluid all over the driveway





I gotta bring the Pony over for a looksee

 

[dreamr]

Ya, I need to see the rig I am going to be riding in during my first trail roll over :roll:

Better be careful though at the rate you are going my sawzall and welder might prove to be tempting toys.........


































You just can't touch the axle in the garage

 

[Albino 94LTD]

:roll: :smoke: :mattmoon:

 

[dreamr]

Wow, I have not posted to this thread since Nov.

Really I haven't been ignoring my girl. Then again she has not got any real additions other than new seat covers (x-bound) and just maintenance. I think I mentioned earlier that BJ's and Tierods were on there way out, They are now gone and replaced with moogs. Including the upper control arms.

All in all Phil I figure this thread might get opened by you and I am hinting that my front end is sound again.. Well there is this noise but whatever, I find it to be solid and so did Ford and Les schwabb

Maybe next winter I'll get motivated by the skull cracking axle hanging in the garage, but first we have to crush that skid plate I made in my last posts...It just looks too clean under there compared to all the scarred steel. Of course that doesn't mean I need to brake a mirror off to be like you

 

[Albino 94LTD]

We're headed over to Salmon La Sac today to see how much snow is left

 

[Premier]

 

[dreamr]

We're headed over to Salmon La Sac today to see how much snow is left

Nice!!!! I bet there is a lot still, but I need to get out of the city.

 

[Albino 94LTD]

The campgound is still snowed in and closed.

It's going to be July before we can get to our camp spot and probably August before we can get to the lake

 

[dreamr]

The campgound is still snowed in and closed.

It's going to be July before we can get to our camp spot and probably August before we can get to the lake

Sadly that is what I was expecting. Hmmm I need to take a drive up the 2 and the Mount loop hiway and see when I can catch a fish again

 

[Albino 94LTD]

Sadly that is what I was expecting. Hmmm I need to take a drive up the 2 and the Mount loop hiway and see when I can catch a fish again

Yes please.

 

['97 V8]

dreamr i want that skid plate!! Didnt know you made one on your truck till heyok told me.