drop spindles?

[drmoore71]

hey, folks, i have been pondering my lift options for my '95 2wd xlt. i have already searched the site and haven't found much info on what i am thinking of. i got to thinking about the trailmaster lift for the ranger or the 98-00 explorer lift, which would require 1500 dollars for the kit and untold extra expenses in hired wrench and shop labor. i can't really afford that kind of cost, so 3" drop spindles sound good to me. for the rear i would go with the ome springs. i would also upgrade my "f" rated t-bars to "b" rated ones. the spindles and springs would raise me about 3" front and rear, above my already 1.5" of lift from my torsion twist/warrior shackels, correct? now, i would like to pick the collective brains of all of y'all. does this sound like a feasible option? i believe that the spindles would only raise me three inches and not really give me any extra articulation or anything like that. i hope that i will be able to come in under 1000 dollars, complete and be able to install everything myself, eliminating shop costs. do y'all think this setup would work? also, would i be able to fit 32x12.50's or stick with 31x10.50's. keep in mind that i have absolutely no desire or intent to cut or trim anything. thank all of you guys and gals who are in the know about this whole lift thing, and i am terribly sorry for the very long post.

 

[rock883]

I would think that with the 3" lifted spindles and witht he torsion bars adjusted for more height that you could easily fit the 32x11.50's. The spindles don't necesarrily give you any extra articulation, although they allow you to stuff the tire in more, but they will give you 3" more ground clearance in the front, which is a plus. Usually with a lift, no ground clearance is gained, the only way for the 4wds to gain GC is to get bigger tires, which lift the axles up. But since the spindle is dropped (giving the truck lift) that means everything else is left up and higher. Its a great thing to have. But, I think you should go for it.

 

[drmoore71]

thanks, rock, i need to get on the horn with pro comp and/or fabtech to see if they make anything for the '95. i really am getting kinda serious about this. keeping my fingers crossed! does anyone else have any input on this? i'd love to know what y'all think. expense, install gotchas i can be looking for etc...

 

[drmoore71]

dang it! i forgot to ask if i will need to get longer shocks for the rear? i feel like the front shock mounts will be the same, so i can use stock shock length, (i'm thiniking bilstein), but will i need extended length ones for the rear?

 

[rock883]

Yeah the fronts should be the same, but the rears are going to be longer. I think Bilstein now makes a shock for lifted applications, they didn't before.

 

[jimbo74]

you put 3 inch drop spindles. just for clarification i think you ment lift spindles from the rest of your posts. drop spindles will Lower your truck like a pro street/lowrider not lift the truck.

 

[drmoore71]

oops, sorry about that, i do mean lift spindles. i said drop spindles because the spindles themselves are 3" lower than stock, hence lifting the truck 3" thanks for clarifying it, jim!

 

[jimbo74]

no problem

 

[drmoore71]

okay, i've called explorer pro-comp, fabtech, and chassis tech, and no luck. it seems that noone makes these lift spindles for my model explorer ('95). so now i am considering abandoning my idea of three inches. now, if i were to put the "b" torsion bars on the front, would i be able to gain any more lift than the 1.5" i currently have? i am two wheel drive, so i am not concerned with the angles of front cv joints. for the rear, i will, depending on how much extra lift i get from the bars, go with the ome springs or an add a leaf. anyway, since i probably won't be able to get three additional inches that i want, i am hoping for 1.5 or 2". what do y'all think?

 

[SCEXPLORER]

So did u end up doing the spindle and add leaf? I am thinking of doing it too since pro comp finally makes it for 95 and up explorers.

-Ray

 

[jeffseal]

are the spindles for 95 different from 97?? here was my idea. get the 4 inch kit from trial master for the 98+ model which is the same as the 95+ and use the spindles and torsion bars to get your 4 inches up front. this will give you more ground clearance than the 4x4 for alot less $$$ the spindles are like 375 i think and there is not much install time on those i think like an hour and a half. i dont know how much the rear trailmaster kit cost but i dont think the entire thing will be over 1000 installed. Oh and to answer your question wthi the 32's i have 32 1150 with just the torsion bars.