Hello Everybody (I am glad I found you!)

[ExplorerMomof4]

My 92 Camry is dead so we are bringing my husband's Explorer back from the grave, just had the transmission replaced. He gave it to his ex when she needed wheels and it has spent the past year in a field and all the Oklahoma weather so we rescued it! I get to spend our whole tax return fixing it up. He said you're always in the car ya might as well be able to enjoy it. There is a lot I want to do but as all of you know, most of it will have to wait a bit.

Between the two of us, we have four kids so I plan to get a custom third row seat from "littlepassengerseats.com". First things first though, my sister's brother in law is a mechanic and has offered to get it back in good running order (fluids, belts, seals, etc.). Both of my husband's kids are in middle school and since I drive them...the outside has to look good. Hubby says all it needs is exterior detailing. I wonder if there is a way to make the weathered black plastic trim all over the car look better? Anyway new tires, rims, and window tint are the plan.

The interior looks great except the center console is a duct tape monster. I can't see how that arm rest was ever actually attached to that lid???? I found this site in search of a replacement console.

The radio was stolen while his ex left it abandon YEAAAAA!!!!! That means I get a "Real" radio!

My other plans are to do something with the speakers where our 13yo son can get in the car without my saying..."STOP! You're gonna blow the speakers." nothing big just able to stand up to nonstop use and kid sound approval. Of course we need an alarm and keyless start because I don't want to do this twice! We take the kids on road trips so entertainment is a must. I don't know about you but the car games we played as kids don't receive a good response from our kids. He wants me to just install a couple screens and set up for movies or satlite tv. I don't know which is better but being that as driver I need to see. The STERO is MINE! I do not want to listen to a movie I can't see. My idea is to install those snake arm holders for iPods and buy 4 iPod Touches that are to stay in the car and belong to me!!! This way they can each watch their own movie, listen to their own music, wearing headphones, and their NOT arguing over anything will allow me free access to the car stero and driving in peace!

Just one problem: Hubby is not a fan of iPods

Whatever we decide to do, when it's done, we're taking a trip to visit the grandparents!!!!!!!!

 

[Glen4X4]

Welcome To The Forum!

 

[1Aauto]

Welcome to the site

 

[YBCold]

yay go explorer. welcome to the forum

 

[Verno]

Welcome. I'm sure the family will seat more comfortably in the Explorer than the Camry!
The search function on this site works quite well.

 

[Kona]

Welcome...pictures!!

 

[chezoom]

welcome

 

[jfive]

Hey I am new to here myself. I have come here to read in the past. Have found some good answers to fixing my explorer a few times. I am more of a ranger person myself, and a die hard ford fan, so I made the mistake of buying a 2003 explorer. I would say I love it, but the nature of their transmission problems is too big to ignore. Mine still works but acts funny and i know one day its gonna go bad, and gonna cost a ton for a rebuilt one. I wish they would use a different tranny and then I would love the explorers. They also have crappy hubs and bearings. I have to replace them before they drive me crazy.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum!

 

[97 EB Mike]

For the exterior trim try this:

http://www.mothers.com/02_products/06108.html

Never used it myself, but I'm a huge fan of their liquid chrome polish.
Also, turtle wax "ice" in liquid form works well on exterior black plastic. No white residue...

 

[BrianDye]

Wow sounds like this explorers gonna be pimped :

As for "RSE" as GM calls it LOL, (Rear seat entertainment) I might suggest one of the nice headunits with "dual zone" capabilities, which means movie in the rear, playing from the rear speakers, and your FM/HD/XM/Sirius/iPod etc up front. You can get a couple decent sized flipdowns wired to the DVD headunit.

4 iPod touches would cost you an arm and a leg, along with all the mounting and wiring to be able to have the arms charging them also, ALONG with downloading all the movies on ALL 4 of them, etc etc.

Are you wanting a GOOD stereo setup, or something thats just better than the stock garbage?

God the possibilities..... LOL

 

[ExplorerMomof4]

For the exterior trim try this:

http://www.mothers.com/02_products/06108.html

Never used it myself, but I'm a huge fan of their liquid chrome polish.
Also, turtle wax "ice" in liquid form works well on exterior black plastic. No white residue...

Thank you so much I will try this! My daughter thinks the weathered plastic looks cool in the sun light, it sparkles...I don't want my Explorer to "sparkle"! I may be a girl but some things just shouldn't sparkle!!!!!!

 

[ExplorerMomof4]

Wow sounds like this explorers gonna be pimped :

As for "RSE" as GM calls it LOL, (Rear seat entertainment) I might suggest one of the nice headunits with "dual zone" capabilities, which means movie in the rear, playing from the rear speakers, and your FM/HD/XM/Sirius/iPod etc up front. You can get a couple decent sized flipdowns wired to the DVD headunit.

4 iPod touches would cost you an arm and a leg, along with all the mounting and wiring to be able to have the arms charging them also, ALONG with downloading all the movies on ALL 4 of them, etc etc.

Are you wanting a GOOD stereo setup, or something thats just better than the stock garbage?

God the possibilities..... LOL

I just want speakers better than stock from 1993. I thought about flipdown screens and for the back seat that would work. My husband wants me to see about having a little screen installed in the back of a new center console since we have to get one anyway. I need to be able to use my rear view mirror to see either the road or the kids. I turn around to see the road anyway but I need a mirror for the kids they wiggle, are sneaky, and I need to know whats going on back there!

My issue with the third row seat is that once the instalation kit is attached to the floor of the cargo area the seats can be placed either forward or backward. I want to place them backward so they can hop out the back instead of jumping the center seat. Having the light from a flip down screen in my mirror may be annoying, I don't know. I think it could be cool to install a screen in the back hatch (is that what it's called). Hubby said anything that has to be wired inside the car is going to get expensive but the ideas I have seem to stay along that line!

How expensive would it be to have four of the little charger outliets installed near where the kids would be sitting?

 

[backfrmcolorado]

sounds like a lot of work but i had to do the same thing to my '94 eddie bauer when i first got her. she sat for a year er two in michigan. but as soon as i got the mechanical things done it went back and forth from michigan to colorados west side almost to utah three times so far .yur best bet for the plastic is a product made by Mothers its called "Back to Black" workes great. as far as paint and rims just wash well and i went thru with a few different waxes to get mine to shine. i kept up on it and now it shines better than my dads '04 f-150. good luck and way to go to keep the first generation exploder goin.

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

welcome

 

[ExplorerMomof4]

Photo of my Ex and her passengers!

Welcome...pictures!!

Here is a picture I took right after getting the transmission replaced. The kids were sharing all their plans for my Ex and since they wouldn't get out of it...I took a picture!

http://s937.photobucket.com/albums/...ion=view&current=IMG00115-20100228-0903-1.jpg

 

[gmanpaint]

The old gal looks pretty good still. I dont think it is going to be that hard to whip her into shape.

Wheels can be sandblasted and powder coated any color you choose. This is some serious bling that is not as bad out of pocket as you might think. New wheels can be found used for a decent price. Stock size is 15"x7" on 5-4.5 lug pattern. A set of decent A/T tires will give you piece of mind in all climates. You can go to 31"x10.5" for safer & better handling. If they rub, a 2" lift can be done at home for less than $200.

If your black ext trim is too bad off, a can of black Krylon for plastics does wonders.

Affordable upgrades for door speakers are a set of 5x8 Pioneers, they can be had at Wal-Mart. You have so many options for stereo head units, its crazy. Try researching whats good for you at a site like crutchfields.com . Sams club sells a pair of dvd monitors/player that attach to the back of the seats cheap. Also sell very nice floor mats that can take the abuse that work great in the Explorer.

The 3rd row seat is a little tricky for child safety. There has to be a strong support under the vehicle made to attach to. Seat belts need to be mounted to something super solid. The floor material is thin back there. Personally, I wouldn't do it.

There is a vendor here that sells new or DYI kits for your console lid.

 

[ExplorerMomof4]

Federal safety standards???

The 3rd row seat is a little tricky for child safety. There has to be a strong support under the vehicle made to attach to. Seat belts need to be mounted to something super solid. The floor material is thin back there. Personally, I wouldn't do it.

http://www.littlepassengerseats.com/safety.htm

Would somebody review the above link and let me know if that really means they comply with federal standards? We have more people in our family than seats since the car isn't going anywhere we either need a third row or always drag along the other car.

 

[KPSquared]

I think it would all come down to how they mount. If the instructions say to just bolt them to the floor, I wouldn't think they would stay in place in a bad crash. If you had good size plate on the underside that they were mounted to and sandwich the floor inbetween, I can't see why they wouldn't hold on.

That's a nice looking rig for sure. The ipod idea would be REALLY EXPENSIVE compared to a lot of the cheaper DVD screens that are out there now. 2 or 3 screens hooked up to a DVD player and then 4 sets of headphones would be a WAY better bet for cost and they still would't have to be hooked up to the stereo. I know what you mean about having to listen to a movie you can't watch...

 

[gmanpaint]

With no real safety data done with 3rd row seating its a crap shoot. Since there is no law on the rear seat, and limited reports of crashes involving someone occupying them, I think it is just left to the owners discretion.

This is a report with factory equipped models in mind, not an aftermarket version.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...fety-of-thirdrow-seats-205/overview/index.htm