Explorer Prerunner? Need ideas/help

[elvisjer@]

Hey guys
I have always loved and wanted a prerunner style truck and have seen some pics of 1st gen Xs turned into these but do not know how to get around to it. I dont have a heavy income cuz im in college so i dont want to buy a lift that will only need to be latter removed. The goal is to make something street drivable but able to jump dunes. In my head coilovers are the way to go, and id need longer arms and such. I have no clue what the rear would need. What should look for and stay away from for something to go fast while offroad?

 

[410Fortune]

"I have pre-run the way home so many times I cannot wait for the race!"
A prerunner is not a type of truck, it is a vehicle used to pre-run a race course.
However I know what you mean.....


If you want to hit sand and keep your 4x4 then its gonna cost you $$$.
No bolt on kits, you want custom TTB beams, radius arms, coilover, steering, bump stops, etc.
In the rear you can get away with resi shocks and deaver type leafs.

I suggest you search a bit here, also visit Dezertrangers.com
Check out Camburg, AutoFab, Giant Motorsports, etc.

Long travel, low center or gravity, cage, fiberglass

 

[TheRookie]

You wont find any better answers on that than what 410 has to offer. He knows the TTB for sure. As he said its going to cost some serious cash to be able to actualy hit the dunes.

 

[HappyGilmore]

http://www.mcneiloff-road.com/explorers.html

check out that link. those are some nice suspension systems.

but its all about the $$$$$$

 

[sandrunner]

Im in the same boat as you, I my self love to look of pre runner trucks, also I like going fast... but most of my friends do trail rides and mud and a little rock action..... so i guiess i have to make it multifuntional but with the pre runner style.......heres my ride on the summer tires 31" MT/R's no lift many things to do over the winter

 

[sandrunner]

got it to work

 

[sandrunner]

I also have a pic with 32's on it heres the page http://www.cardomain.com/ride/1975421

 

[TheRookie]

I definately dig the all black look.

 

[sandrunner]

its my little vador

 

[TheRookie]

You had that thing 4 feet off the ground and broke U joints? I can picture a lot of things possibly breaking but U joints are kinda unlikely I would think. But yeah, if i wasnt constantly tearing my paint off and fixing it with a rattle can I wouldnt mind something thats entirely black like that

 

[sandrunner]

It happened in snow, trying to jump a 5ft snow pile, I didnt know under the snow was a 3ft ditch,,, front landed first and my foot was still in the throttle also the L/F lower ball joint and shock bursted and the sway bar link

 

[elvisjer@]

So what do i need to successfully get 4ish feet of air without breaking stuff? Its kind of funny, im ASE cert in engine performance but have only worked on cars, never off road etc. This is a new world to me. I want to be able to go to the dunes and get 4 or so feet of air and land...is that still asking for the $3k suspension? Im going to have access to a full shop as i am attending Montana State U for automotive engineering.

 

[TheRookie]

I would think that 3k is no where near enough to do that. Thats just the begining.

I am ASE certified L1 and we both know ase doesnt mean a damn thing. Its all about real world experience. Maybe a few people on here will know something about building what you are after and be able to help. However I can tell you there are no guarantees on not breaking.

 

[410Fortune]

Jumping is a great way to break stuff, weaken the frame, stress the suspension, etc.
I used to do it all the time in my BII, before I knew any better.
Only damage I got was a ripped tailgate where the spare tire mounts.

Now with that said if you want an "air friendly" Explorer here are the basics:

bump stops
remove everything you dont need (lighten it up, interior,)
Limit straps (at full droop your springs will come unseated)
Roll protection
Soft/large tires
frame stiffening/gusset/box/or cage

LOTS AND LOTS of maintenance.

Air or hydraulic bump stops are a must, a long travel suspension is a great idea, a steering setup that will reduce the horrible bump steer associated with the TTB will keep you from rolling over. Coils and shocks can work really well, but coilovers work better.
The rear stock springs wont last long in the whoops or air, a good spring pack and shackle reversal should be used. Ultimate would be a 3-4 link rear suspension.

Take a look at the Mcneil Explorer's they are constantly beating the crap out of those trucks, they build them very well and very cheap when compared to their competition. There is alot of thought and work that goes into setting up a 4x4 Explorer for heavy high speed desert use, unless of course you like to break stuff and/or end up dead.

If you want a cheaper alternative, start looking for a builder, you can stick with the Explorer if you want, although they are heavy, they can perform really well. If I was to build a true high speed desert truck, I would start with a short cab, long bed ranger, 2wd. When talking about the desert, high speeds, and soaking up the whoops/dunes/air time building a 4wd will cost about twice as much.

research is your best friend.

 

[elvisjer@]

lol rookie, i love my ASE L1, its a bragging right more than anything else. Yeah i was working in the highschool shop for 4 years--9th-12th grade-- and at the end the teacher was like oh BTW, your now ASE cert. It is pretty much a way of overriding what anyone that isnt too car savvy is saying and they cannot argue. It's really funny though how different working on trucks is then cars. I have a 1954 nash metropolitan and a 2001 pt cruiser that i can do and answer anything on. I had a 1985 RX7 which i had to sell because my age and 230 NA hp in a 2100lb car made for insurance problems but when i look under my car i realize ive never worked with leafsprings before and everything else is foreign. Im used to making cars stick onto the road and now i am trying to figure out the opposite. This forum is a great thing, but maybe i'll just do a small lift, custom bumper and slide plate and call it good; forgetting the prerunner idea. Thanks!

 

[410Fortune]

When building a pre-runner,if you are doing all the fabricating yourself you can do it cheap or expensive. You can give the truck a long travel ish suspension without a big suspension lift, retain the coil springs and shocks and/or torsion bars, I mean for the occassional excursion to the desert you would be surprised just how capable an explorer can be with even just a few basic improvements.
However the problem is you usually get addicted and want to go bigger.
My truck for example has been through many stages, I spent ALOT of $$$ getting here. Now that I have learned al I did, I could duplicate the truck for about 1/5 of the cost, going the route I took

 

[sandrunner]

How can you be ASE cert with out atleast 2 years full time employment requirements, or 4 year tech school and also you have to take your ase which are only twice a year..but there are computer testing...L1 is the advanced engine performance you must first take A1-A8 and x1-exhaust to be automotive light truck specialist and it takes time a while... I went to tech school first for autobody 1yr then 2yr of auto tech and I still only have 4 certs.not counting auto body...a1,a4,a5,x1 pretty much under car specialist with engine performance.... not saying that you dont have em, you prob had a better high school that transfered credits or had a real shop class if ya do man you did a lot of hard work to get there...

 

[elvisjer@]

You are right about the levels of cert, i have an A8 and L1, which were obtained in that order. My highschool in seattle worked with ford a lot and had full diagnostic systems for evey regular make, and 4 in ground lifts. It was an awesome program which brought me into the whole automotive world. Are you saying that i need/ed A1-7 also to get my L1? you could be right, but ASE didn't say anything about that. I took the tests locally in SEA with a few other kids from the class. The shop class is now ASE recognized so we work in partnership with them making it easier for younger people to get started and get cert--easier jobs out of highschool.

 

[Captain AirTime]

When building a pre-runner,if you are doing all the fabricating yourself you can do it cheap or expensive.

You need to have VERY deep pockets if you pay someone to fab what you're talking about. Look at Camburg's site, and Autofab, they sometimes list what's gone into these trucks, and they are typically 20G+.
The parts alone are not cheap, but not too bad compared to the labour!

Research is key. Basically everything 410Fortune said except I'm not going to say anything about cages etc, as that should go without saying (again).

You want to go fast and/or get air, its shocks, shocks, shocks. Names like Rancho and Skyjacker need not apply. Once you pay the $$ for the shocks, its not that much more to just coilover them, compared to buying good regular springs.
Hydraulic bumpstops are amazing. They are a must if you plan to leave the ground (repeadedly

Wheel travel, the more the better, within reason. Its got to be achieved with reasonable geometry and proper control, or its a waste of time.

Lower ride height is better, but its a lot more work to achieve the wheel travel with a low ride height. I wanted about 3" lift, but ended up closer to 4.5" to get my 16" wheel travel AND fit in the bumpstops etc. Its all a jugling act. I like the way my truck is such a sleeper, so I don't want to trim the fenders, therefore I'll be installing a 1 -1.5" body lift for better tire clearance. I don't like body lifts, I don't recomend them, but everything is a compromise, you decide where to make yours.