explorer rebuild list

[jme94xlt]

hi. i've been compiling a list of things to do when i start rebuilding my 94 XLT 4X4 from the ground up. i've gotten part numbers where i can. most of this will come from 4wheelparts.com, but a few of the interior/exterior parts will come from explorer express. one thing i'm confused about is the part number for the jacobs ignition wires at 4wheelparts... i don't know which one is for the 94's 4.0L V6 EFI engine. help on that would be appreciated.

engine:
kkm true-rev sport induction kit (TR-054094) ....................... $90
bosch +4 platinum spark plugs (4458) ................................. $40
jacobs electronics ignition wires ......................................... $55
gibson catback exhaust (GIB19685) .................................... $275
hypertech ford power control module .................................. $260

suspension:
superlift 4” lift w/ rancho rs9000 shocks (ADD3FD31-R9) ........ $1060
superlift tru-speed speed sensor calibrator (SUP33001) .......... $195
rancho dual steering stabilizers (RANDUALSTAB) .................... $120

drivetrain:
front dana 44, 4.56:1 gears (DS706017-21X) ....................... $185
rear dana 60, 4.56:1 gears (DS706033-4X) .......................... $235

drivetrain update:
decided not to go with solid axles. it should be fine without them.

wheels/tires:
american eagle 589 16”x10” wheels (AE0589-160) ................. $550
bfgoodrich radial mud-terrain km 33x12.5r15 (BFG49617) ......... $630

i know the 10" wheels might rub a little, so i'm thinking about getting the flared fenders from perry's for the front and rear. not sure how that will look with the rest of the body being the early 90's style, though. might just want to get the whole conversion if it's worth it. also, i'm a little confused about tire size... does the "R15" at the end mean it's for 15" wheels, or what?

update on the wheels/tires:
american eagle 589 15"x10" wheels (AE0589-50) .................. $480
keeping the same tires since the R15's will apparently fit these... i think.

update #2 for wheels/tires:
i decided to go with the package deal from 4wheelparts, as long as it stays there for a year or two...
bfgoodrich m/t km 33/12.50R16.5 on american eagle 16.5x9.75 wheels (BFGMT33) ... $1220

exterior:
euro brushguard (WG12101) ............................................... $450
euro taillight guards (WG13102) .......................................... $150
billet aluminum grille (SU5006P) ........................................... $110
magnum smoked bug deflector (DS302018ZC) ........................ $65
clear corners (AB403048CL) ................................................ $75
con-ferr 6” roof rack, floor system, spare tire mount ............... $200
piaa platinum series superwhite 9004 headlights (PIAA19604) .... $75
piaa dichroic series 1400 fog lamps (PIA1451) ......................... $200

interior:
explorer express custom console (WFWN902003) ..................... $125

sound system:
kenwood excelon z828 mp3 headunit .................................... $400
infinity kappa 50.3cs 5¼” components in front ....................... $280
infinity kappa 572.3cf 5”x7”/6”x8” rear speakers ..................... $150
polk audio/momo mm120 12” 4-ohm subwoofer (2) .................. $560
rockford fosgate punch 800 sub amplifier ............................... $450

the whole cost is well over $5000. this will take several years to accomplish, and several summers worth of hard work to get the money needed. i'll keep you posted. i won't be able to start anything major until at LEAST this summer, though. this summer will really be spent fixing the truck up, as it needs some body work (read: perry's fenders) and new paint (dark green, woohoo). this thread is just a place for me to ramble and get suggestions and stuff . thanks. btw, moderators feel free to move this thread to where it might belong (projects?)...

jordan
----------------
'94 XLT 4WD, auto, bone stock except for a k&n drop-in

 

[Alec]

Good luck!
A few things I noticed:

Motorcraft double plat plugs and wires are cheaper and more than adequate.

You don't need the speed sensor calibrator, just a speedo gear from Ford: $10

R15 tires mean 15" rim

Getting those axles is probably cheap, but you might need them cut down and that's $$$.

With fenders and the 4", you might fit 35x12.5. Might as well try if you're thinking about 33x12.5

Looks good!

 

[Dannyboy]

You dont need a 4" lift kit if you are putting in Dana 44 and Dana 60 axles. The Explorer has a Dana 35 TTB and a Ford 8.8 in the rear. Not to be a dink but do some reading around readers rigs here to become familiar before dropping the cash you speak of. It will save you less time working long hours to dump money into your Explorer.

 

[jme94xlt]

Thanks, Alec for clarifying the rim size on that. Danny, I was actually wondering about the axles as well... is it really worth getting the axles if it's going to be kept as a daily driver as well as an offroad vehicle? I don't plan on doing any extreme offroading, just the light to medium stuff... moab would be cool, though. Also, Alec mentioned the fact that they'd have to be cut down. I don't know if it'd still be all that worth it.

 

[Dannyboy]

If I could start all over I'd do plenty of stuff different. The reason I dont want to go solid up front is I have about a grand or two invested in lift, shocks, locker, 4.56 gears, install kits. Ya know all the crap you need to get BIG one way that wont transfer over if I wanted a solid axle.

 

[nicholtl]

With 33 inch tires you should be running 4:10, NOT 4:56, that's for 35's.

 

[jme94xlt]

thanks nicholtl. i was also wondering how much the conferr roof racks actually cost... that $200 was just a guestimate, would you know any actual prices?

 

[nicholtl]

Well i think it retails for around $250-$300, more for the dual piece, which all depends on what kinda truck you have...in our case, its the single welded piece will is $250 or so. If you get the roof lining that's an extra $100 or so, not to mention any bolt on adapters, light mounts, or web cargo nets you might get. I'm lucky cause the shop i go to here in Burbank, Cali called "offroad unlimited" is owned by the same dude who owns conferr, so they hook me up big time. But lemme tell you those racks are tougher than hell...i scrape the ceiling of my apt. complex everytime i go in and out, I even smashed some lights and pipes accidentally...but the paint on the rack is even untouched. Not to mention no rust ever.

 

[jme94xlt]

wow, that is sweet. what i'd be getting is the rack with the floor system (is that the roof liner you're talking about?) and a spare tire mount to move the spare tire from under my car to the rack. does the conferr rack replace the stock rack that's already on the car, or what?

 

[Randall]

Originally posted by Alec
You don't need the speed sensor calibrator, just a speedo gear from Ford: $10

You don't need either, so long as you upgrade to the right gear ratio (4.56 for 33's).

Originally posted by nicholtl
With 33 inch tires you should be running 4:10, NOT 4:56, that's for 35's.

Most people around here run the 4.56's with 33's, and 4.88's with 35's. I myself run the 4.88's with 35's.

Originally posted by jme94xlt update #2 for wheels/tires: i decided to go with the package deal from 4wheelparts, as long as it stays there for a year or two... bfgoodrich m/t km 33/12.50R16.5 on american eagle 16.5x9.75 wheels (BFGMT33) ... $1220

Any particular reason you want to go with the 16.5" wheel? They are more expensive, require more expensive tires, and don't have as good a bead seat as 15's, 16's, or even 17's and higher.

 

[jme94xlt]

Any particular reason you want to go with the 16.5" wheel? They are more expensive, require more expensive tires, and don't have as good a bead seat as 15's, 16's, or even 17's and higher.

i have no clue, really ... i'll probably stick with 15's.

 

[jme94xlt]

first comes the planning...

ok, lately i've done alot of planning, and logical thinking, about the route i want to take rebuilding this truck. i've rethought what i actually want it to become, and have changed some of the things that i'm going to do to it. here's what i've come up with so far. if i'm lucky, and i can find the fundings, i might be able to start this summer. i also have to take into account the fact that i'm in college and need to pay for tuition and living expenses.

summer 1: body work
the first summer will be spent fixing the truck up. i had an accident in it in fall 2000, and it needs some body work. it needs new front fenders, a new hood, and a new front end (grille/headlights and the piece underneath). for this part, i had considered two things:

1) find factory style fenders and hood from a junkyard and keep it looking the same
2) get perry's flared fenders (not front end, just fenders) so i can run a bigger tire eventually

more than likely, i'll stick with the factory style. if i do, what is the largest and widest tire i can fit under the factory fenders without any cutting or rubbing? my guess is somewhere around 31".

after the body work is complete, i'll be getting a completely new paint job (keeping the stock dark green). i might get some custom graphics - i like the tribal flame design on Rick's 93, but of course i wouldn't use the same design.

there's also a few window leaks in the back.

once the body is all fixed up, i want to move to the engine. before the summer's out, i want to have a complete tune up, check up, overhaul, or whatever it takes to get it in perfect working order (the transmission and brakes too). i was actually wondering, how much does a complete tuneup to this extent cost, on average?

if i have any money left after that, i want to spruce up the exterior a bit. i had considered getting a smittybilt tube bumper with a winch mount for the front, and a tube bumper for the rear. also, i had really considered the con-ferr roof rack with a floor system and a spare tire mount, and moving the spare tire from under the car to on top of it.

that's probably all i'll be able to do to it during the summer. i hate being on a college budget . during the year, i might be able to scrunge a few hundred here or there (birthday, Christmas) and get things like the kkm true-rev and the gibson catback. if i end up with those on it by the spring, the next summer will be saved for suspension and tires.

summer 2: suspension
in the suspension arena, i decided i want to give the truck a much smoother, more stable ride, that will also be offroad capable when needed. here are a few things i considered for this:
- rancho rs9000 shocks
- rancho steering stabilizers
i hope i'm able to do this as well... i want to take the factory running boards off sometime, and find the factory sideskirts that replace them. i also want some nerf bars, probably black, to keep up with the tube style bumpers. i don't know if that'll look right though... if anyone has a pic of an explorer with tube bumpers, and nerf bars, that would be great.

summer 3: interior
once i've finished the exterior, i want to move to the interior. i also had a few things in mind for this. first, i wanted to recarpet the whole floor, and get new upholstering for the ceiling. there's a couple tears in some places. the carpet in the trunk is all folded up since it gets wet every time it rains and leaks through the roof. it's been like that since before i've owned it.

the main part of the interior that i wanted to modify was the sound system. right now it's the factory jbl system with a kenwood kdc-mp8017 mp3 headunit. this headunit is ok, but i want something better. everything i want for the sound system is listed in the initial post.

this is about all i can think of for now. again, suggestions are completely welcome. thanks for your help guys. the more i research, and the more 'rebuild envy' i get, the more questions i have . sorry for being so elaborate and verbose in my posts.

jordan

 

[jme94xlt]

the saga continues...

well, it's been awhile since i posted here, wonder if people still read this thread. anyway, i started thinking what i was actually going to be doing in my explorer for the next 4 years while i'm in college, and decided that i won't have very many opportunities to go offroading. it's pretty much just a daily driver... so, i've trimmed the list down quite a bit. here's the new list:

engine:
kkm true-rev sport induction kit
bbk 66mm throttle body
flowmaster force II cat-back exhaust
diablo powerchip

suspension/lift:
performance accessories 3" body lift
rancho rs9000 adjustable shocks
rancho steering stabilizer (do i need this with just a bl?)

wheels/tires:
package deal from 4wheelparts.
bfgoodrich all-terrain t/a ko 32x11.50r15 tires
american eagle 589 15x8 wheels

exterior:
smittybilt front tube bumper (black)
smittybilt sure step black nerf bars
warn 4x fender flares, or bushwhacker fender flares
bugflector II hood deflector
piaa platinum super white 9007 headlight bulbs
piaa 520 series foglamps mounted on bumper

sound system:
kenwood kdc-mp8017 mp3/cd headunit
kenwood kfc-p503 5-1/4" components in front
kenwood kfc-6909 6x9" 4-way speakrs in rear
rockford fosgate punch 150S speaker amp
q-logic dual 12" bandpass sub enclosure
two jl audio 12w6 subwoofers
rockford fosgate punch 700x subwoofer amp