Got a 94 XLT 4x4 want to get it ready for off-roading!

[agordon]

Hi Everyone,

I just signed up here on the forum and I have some questions...

Here's my situation: I enjoy off-roading with friends and I want to get my own off-road vehicle set up. My Fiancee has a 94 Ford Explorer XLT 4x4 AUTO with high mileage (124k). I originally thought about picking up a jeep, but I think a better thing to do would be to take over her truck and mod it out.. I am an electrical engineer and have beginner level mechanic skills. So...

I was wondering what the "essential mods" for heavy off-roading are and approx. how much they will cost. In other words.. what do I need to do to get this truck ready to hit the trails?

I appreciate any help you guys can provide!

 

[LOGJOCKY]

Ditch the auto hubs for manuals. Autos break and leave you stranded when you need them most. Lockers front and rear will help alot, and of course some form of a lift should be used for more clearance, whether it be a body or suspension lift. Depending on what you want to wheel will ultimatly depend on what you will need to equip yourself with.

 

[zensius]

Do some lurking on this site Aaron. There's a million ways to go. But be honest with yourself. How much 4 wheeling are you gonna do? What kind of 4 wheeling? Are you going to be happy with just a little modification or are you gonna tear it out and upgrade in 6 months? Then see what other people are up to. There's the whole range here on the site.

 

[agordon]

How much will I offroad and what will I do?

Let me add that I'll probably be going through some moutain trails here on the east coast maybe 6 times a year. The rest of the time it'll be a daily driver.

In a year or two I'll be moving to Colorado, and I hope to be doing much more offroading. Maybe doing some scrambling over large boulders... But that is in the future.

 

[zensius]

Here's what I did, in short.
First I thought I'd go with a small lift. I didn't wheel much and didn't want to spend a lot. I did the f150 spring spacers in front and warrior shackles in the rear. This allowed me to put on 31's. This was a nice all around setup. I didn't want anything wild and this worked. Quick and cheap.
Then I spent a weekend on the Fordyce trail. We (my truck and I) got our ***** kicked. The autohubs went out. And the undercarriage hit everything. (BTW the Fordyce is probably the most technical trail out there.) We dragged and jacked my X for 4 days (8+ miles!). I vowed not to have that happen again. So I got a superlift 5.5, manual hubs and ditched my old lift. Whoa! 5.5 inches is a lot! It's very tall now and drives very different than stock or with the small lift.
One advantage is that I can use 33's now. The other advantage is that the rear springs are now on TOP of the axle so all that stuff never gets in the way. Something I hated.
My truck doesn't see the trails as much as I'd like. Probably 5-10 times a year. So I run my 31's on the road and when I'm going wheeling I switch to my 33's. Until my 31's wear out. Then I'll run 33's on the street and get some 35'2 for wheeling. I'm infected.

Hope that helps.

 

[RangerX]

Everything you need will fall in one of three categories: clearance, traction, and protection.

Clearance: lifting the vehicle to avoid hitting things, and to fit larger tires.

Traction: includes tires, gears to turn the tires, lockers to turn the tires. The most important category.

Protection: body armor, i.e. skidplates rock sliders, grill guards, bumpers.

You decide what level of buildup. Minimum would be enough to keep up with your friends on the trail!