Photos explorer sport pics

[4pullingGM]

I think they look better without the steps. But another reason, they hang down and get caught on stuff when your off road.

 

[mikebolk]

Those running boards do definitely get hung up on stuff but at the same time they saved my rocker panels a time or 5 when I was lower they were almost a necessity for some of the trails I was on. I'm high enough to clear them now but I'm looking into having some rock rails now. But something not as bulky as the oem steps. Now that I'm bigger and can clear that stuff I of course want to try to tackle new stuff.. It's a vicious cycle..

Another issue with them depending on ur area is rot.. Alot of them in jersey just rot away..

So I guess Imo I would leave them on a while and see what kind of terrain you hit.. They may save your rockers..

 

[wrigley_1285]

I just looked through the last 10 pages or so of this thread...definitely some nice Sports out there. Can anyone tell me the difference in the Warrior Shackles and the ones that you can buy at Autozone/Parts store. I'm also looking for a roof rack/basket and crossbars for the top. Any suggestions?

Here's a good thread about shackles http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=264586

If you're wanting a rack I would suggest googling "safari roof rack" and find a style you like. I have a Yakima I bought from another member and I've liked it. The only down side is that it's starting to rust away(damn Midwest). I will make my own rack next time.

 

[mikebolk]

Here's a good thread about shackles http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=264586

If You look at the pictures the person who installed them used the bolts that came with the kit and not the factory bolts because the factory bolts were to big for the holes. Witch make the bolts bounce around inside the factory bushing collar and eventually fail. I corrected this by having the whole drilled to the factory size. I also used an old bushing collar and shackle bolt as a center support in one of the extra holes. I have used and abused these shackles for 50,000 miles on and off road without an issue. As with most things for our trucks a little modification was needed but works great for way less. If you were to just slap the kit in there off the shelf you would most likely end up in the same situation as the op from that link.

I will make my own rack next time.

Im with you on that one. I have a valley industries i picked up on CL for $75 has been an excellent addition keeping lots of dirty stuff out of my truck and adding alot more storage when packed full.. I will make one more suited to the size of my truck next time. a good roof basket is a great addition

 

[frankcal]

Here's a little update on mine. Got a little bit more of a lift with a new leaf pack set up and tt to match the front. Got 3 Hids installed up front and new rancho shocks up front to help with the tt. Also a fresh clay bar, polish and wax to clean it up

 

[Govna47]

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holy foglights, batman!

 

[mikebolk]

those things are sweet!!!

 

[03Sport]

Lift

 

[Mike's brother]

Great looking rigs, Francal and Mikebolk. I'm still working on my write-up over here, but you guys inspired me to toss in a few pics of how it's sitting today.

(actually, this was last week, today it's covered in mud)

Still plenty to do, but the rest of the summer will be for getting things dirty.

We all ought to have a Sport run someday.

:exp:

 

[mikebolk]

Lookin good man I love that body style

 

[frankcal]

Thanks for the compliments guys, its been in the works for the years now slowly modding it and maintaining it. The lights light up the night, and I finally got them all wired correctly after about 2 months of messing with them, so I was just itching to finally display em. Mike's Brother I really like how yours is coming together and how organized it all seems to be going. I was actually reading your build a while ago and gave me a little more inspiration to lift more, it looks freakin sweet that tall and wide.

 

[Govna47]

I love the color, Mike's Brother

 

[Mike's brother]

Govna47,that factory blue-green is an odd color. I hated it for a while, but once I took the plastic to black and swapped out the gray factory rims, I kind of like the way it come together. If I would have stayed with the factory rims, I definitely would have followed francal and went black with them.

And frankcal, that for the compliment on the build. The organized part is the beauty of time lapse. You start taking stuff apart, find more to fix, and then tell the story in the end like you meant it all. You do have me thinking lights for the brush guard. Did you put up a thread about wiring them up?

The ZAPV work mikebolk did is amazing there, and the deal he pulled on the lift is sweet. If I can't hold out for a SAS/SOA down the road a few years, I may start hunting for that kind of deal. Maybe I'll be as lucky as he was smart. Mr. Govna47, is "777" still available on the zombie list?

 

[mikebolk]

Thanks man.. It was a sweet deal for sure... I used http://www.searchtempest.com/ for my hunting it allows you to search craigslist using distance and compiles all the craigslist pages for you and as far as the zapv stuff there is more to come.. I just bought a plotter and am going to start cutting my own vinyls soon.. Most of my zapv add ons work double for most emergency situations including that little mess we called sandy last year.. I still have more stuff to do for the off road capabilities I'll be adding adjustable upper control arms and manual locking hubs soon. After that will be a snorkel (for a little break from spending $500+ per upgrade lol) then it's lunch box lockers and a winch.. After using it a while I'll try to recoup some of the cost of the sas by selling all ifs stuff.. It's a very long term plan lol

 

[frankcal]

Time lapse makes everything seem so much simpler and neat haha. As for a write up I never did one, never got too much interest on them. But they were pretty straight forward just bought the ruddged ridge kit that came with 2 lights and all wiring, switch and relay. Then just bought another matching light off ebay that wasn't working and fixed it. The wiring was pretty straight forward with the kit you get from RR. Only one cable having to go through the fire wall and two at your switch. Then to add the additional light just got some connectors from electronic store and made it into a y-type connection. The wiring from the kit is long enough that you don't need to buy any additional wiring. As for the install just drilled three holes in the brush guard, eye balling it of course and set them in. They sit a little bit to the right but not too bad.

On another note, what type of wheels do you have on there now (backspacing and specs please). I actually want to update mine in the near future and yours look pretty sweet.

After reading your build was also wondering if maybe you still had those step bars laying around? I know its been a while but thought I'd ask, really in need of the brackets, not the actual bars. Mine are all bent up from hitting rocks and stuffs.

Govna47,that factory blue-green is an odd color. I hated it for a while, but once I took the plastic to black and swapped out the gray factory rims, I kind of like the way it come together. If I would have stayed with the factory rims, I definitely would have followed francal and went black with them.

And frankcal, that for the compliment on the build. The organized part is the beauty of time lapse. You start taking stuff apart, find more to fix, and then tell the story in the end like you meant it all. You do have me thinking lights for the brush guard. Did you put up a thread about wiring them up?

The ZAPV work mikebolk did is amazing there, and the deal he pulled on the lift is sweet. If I can't hold out for a SAS/SOA down the road a few years, I may start hunting for that kind of deal. Maybe I'll be as lucky as he was smart. Mr. Govna47, is "777" still available on the zombie list?

 

[Mike's brother]

frankcal, here's the wheel specs, and more of a side view so you can see how they look.

I'm very happy with the rims on this. I was saving the cash hoping for a set of those new Mickey Thompson MT-28 steel wheels, but when I went to buy no one had them in our bolt pattern and 15x10, and the folks at MT finally told me they stopped making that size. I know a lot of folks run the Goodyear Duratrac 33x12.5x15s on 15x8 rims, but I like the wider look, and I have to think the wider stance helps keep things under control on the road for a lifted rig. I then searched for Pro Comps and a few other companies, and all I found was backorders (or Ebay sites that just flat out lie about having them in stock).

Finally saw someone on here who mentioned Black Rock, and I coudn't find a bad thing about them anywhere. They're your basic 8-hole black steel rims, but I like the flat black finish (gloss black on a trail truck is like a prom dress on a pig), they came with center caps, and they're made in California. They also have a load rating slightly higher than the other, and the price was right ($76 a piece from Quadratec). They were at my door in 2 days, which means they arrived about the same time as the tire from Tire Rack, where they initially refused to sell them to me because I own a "first generation" Explorer. Which I don't, and I had to send them to this site to prove it. But that's another story.

As for the step bars and brackets, they're sitting outside my house right now. I'll go take a look and snap a pic, and they're yours if you want them free and clear. I yanked them for the reasons most people do -- they hung too low for trail driving, and the wonderful winter road salt had eaten so much of the rockers they were hanging on by a prayer. I'll be adding rock slider in the fall, so I won't need the steps. Might as well go to a good home.

:exp:

 

[frankcal]

The rims do look really sweet on there with that tire combination. Are you getting any rub at full lock with those? I have 265/75/16 and rubbed on the sway bar, but fixed it with the spacers. I really do want to go to a 15in rim tho. The cost for a 15in tire is cheaper and good to know that a 15in rim will fit on the sport with no problem. I had read on some other threads on here that some didn't and some did. But I also agree with you that they look really nice with that wide stance on there, and it should help to make things stable with a wider track. I know I got a little bit better handling on turns with having the spacers up front.

Thats really cool man, I appreciate the offer. I'll take em if theyre not rusted badly, just pm with details n stuff. I plan on getting some sliders in the future too, but right now got to do some other stuff on the truck. Yeah, my stock brackets are bent all back and up, both from snagging on some rocks and from when I got hit by a durango on the passenger side. I would rather have left them off but my wife won't let me take em off since I lifted it and makes it easier for her to get in. I have to admit tho, it does make getting my son in his car seat easier. So for now its stockers for me, but I just can't seem to find any locally. Make sure to do a right up on those sliders when you get around to them, so I can steal your ideas haha.

Geez the more I look at your truck, the more I want to lift mine. Can't get over how tough it looks.

 

[03Sport]

Mikebolk- thanks for the advice, I checked the Warrior site and it said the shackles only went up to 01 Explorer. Will they work on a 2003 Sport?

Francal- Rims look good, what type of paint did you use?

 

[frankcal]

@03Sport, thanks. I used Rust-O-Leum self etching primer, satin black, and crystal clear enamel. I did them about a year ago, and theyre not holding up that great though. Well the two rear ones are, but the front ones not so much. They have chipped pretty bad n such. But I did kinda rush the whole process of painting and drying so maybe they would have been better and stronger. Definitely need to redo all of them though, now that I have three extra exact wheels and won't have to rush it.

 

[Peck]

my 98 when i desided to high center it u cant see it but all 4 tires are hanging the ruts was deeper than they looked