how about a Xplorer on steroids ?!?

[stephan]

Howdy!
(warning; less than perfect english skills ...so please be patient)

i`m new to this forum : (what a impressive collection of great info ...reading some of the stuff already helped me to fix some gremlins of my `98 sport)
... but i`m not new to explorers and many other forms of "off-road" vehicles

after spending some time on my back and looking at the underside of my 03 Ex (and drinking some "liquid inspiration") i have this "Project" idea that i cant get out of my head :

how about using a (wrecked) late model (IRS/IFS) V8 Ex and transform it into a comfortable (street legal) dual sport (sand & mild offroad) long travel buggy?
basically i would like to re-use the Ex "cab" (the windshield, doors, windows, AC, heat, dash, gages, carpet.....) and the drivetrain ( engine, trans, awd or 4wd, front and rear diff and the spindles) re-gear it (4.56 or lower if available) add torsional diffs and fabricate new extended A-arms with coilovers/ bypass shocks. and hold everything together with a well cross-braced tube frame chassis for safety.

what do you guys think?
i`m very open for any idea, comment, suggestion, or whatever :

 

[MustangP51]

That would be one awesome Explorer, and take ALOT of work to do, but im sure it would pay off in the end.

 

[IZwack]

Sounds good, now get building :. Less keyboard clicking and more cutting and welding (says me who's on page 633,242 of my build ).

 

[stephan]

That would be one awesome Explorer, and take ALOT of work to do, but im sure it would pay off in the end.

Ryan
actually it would be kinda "easy work" (compared to some of my other projects )
i think by re-using as much as possible i can save a lot of time, money and headaches compared to building another car/buggy from scratch.
my basic idea is to buy something like this...:

...and then strip it to the bare cab (including removing the roof, body mounts and frame) and then build a tubular space frame around it (with the remaining firewall, windshield frame and floorpan welded in place as a structural part)
this way i end up with the suspension and safety of a full caged buggy but i can retain the comfort of the Explorer (AC, heat, cruise, upholstery, etc....i guess i`m getting old )



btw here is a example of another project i just did:

i made this car for my best friend Ryan (aka Flyinryan)
it is a front/ midengine "truggy" with 23" of suspension travel on each A-arm corner (controlled by massive 3" 5-tube bypass shocks, coilovers and hydraulic bumpstops). the engine is a (well hidden ) 572 cid twin turbo/intercooled all aluminum dry sump talldeck Brodix bigblock.
the trans is a bulletproof "full manual" (ratchet shifted) TH 400/ Allison hybrid and the rearend is a 10" Quick change IRS with massive full floating GN hubs (all the rotating parts are custom made of 300m steel)
at the current tune (91 pumpgas @ 12 psi boost) she puts down a honest 855 hp to the huge 39" paddle tires (the engine is actually build for C12 and can handle up to 25 psi boost)
she is a frigging monster and scary fast ...but waaaaayyyyy out of my budget and i would really like to try how a 4 wheel drive buggy is performing in the sand

 

[stephan]

Sounds good, now get building :. Less keyboard clicking and more cutting and welding (says me who's on page 633,242 of my build ).

lol
yeah, i wish i could already start on it but first i have to find a nice wrecked 02+ V8 :

 

[peder25]

wow, you have lots of time and skills!

 

[mounty71]

I think a lot of people have imagined a vehicle like you're describing (i know i have), but no one has tried to put the plan into action. I'd for sure love to see it be built, and from the looks of it you have the experience and the ability to pull it off. Whether you are that determined to complete the project and have the funds to support it are the real limitations.

 

[stephan]

I think a lot of people have imagined a vehicle like you're describing (i know i have), but no one has tried to put the plan into action. I'd for sure love to see it be built, and from the looks of it you have the experience and the ability to pull it off.

mounty
thank you for the compliment
but im not a knowitall : .... i guess i will be here a lot and ask some of you more experienced Ex guys a lot of questions

 

[stephan]

wow, you have lots of time and skills!

peder
no wife, no kids

just a cute dog that likes riding in the Ex:

 

[explornj]

i love when dogs like the sun roof

 

[stephan]

hmmm.... pics went missing ??

anyway, here are my first questions:

i already have a `07 3valve 4.6 with 6 speed and transcase complete with wiring and ecm out of a wreck sitting in my shop (i made a low bid on it at ebay just for the fun of it...and i ended up to be the only bidder :0 )
it looks like it would be easier (and cheaper) to find a wrecked 02+ Explorer with a 4.0 V6 in it .
-will the V6 Ex Dash (or the "pats" anti-theft to be exact) work with this engine swap?
-the t-case is a 62DF (BW 4412)....should i keep this one (i actually never liked the electric actuated ones) or should i replace it with a AWD unit ?
-are the front and rear axles the same in the V6 as in the V8 cars?

thanks for any help

 

[Dannyboy]

looks like it could be a fun project, sorry I don't have any info on the PATS system or newer explorers for that matter but I'm in the Phoenix area and can get pretty creative on cutting stuff apart.

Here's an 8 seater buggy made from a F250 for dirt cheap so anything is possible.
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/rvs/808180272.html

Too many people spend way too much money going to the dunes to look flashy but I appreciate a good solid truck when I see it.

 

[stephan]

....Too many people spend way too much money going to the dunes to look flashy but I appreciate a good solid truck when I see it.

oh yes ....i agree :
i`m actually sick and tired of that $how&$hine Glamis stuff ....
we are a group of hard-core duners that love to actually drive in technically very challenging dunes
that is one of the many reasons why i want to try an AWD Explorer-buggy "hybrid".

this weekend i did a lot of thinking, measuring and sketching ...... here is the rough "blueprint" for my project (some things may change):

the goal is to end up with a fairly affordable, comfortable, street legal and family friendly "recreation" vehicle that will be fun to drive in the dunes as well as some mild offroading (mainly sandy washes and dirt roads in areas like Moab)
it does not have to be a rock-crawler ... my bro and i crawled all over the west with our CJ`s (locked and armored 9" front & rear, twin stick Dana300,cut body`s with no lift and never used/needed a winch) ......but now crawling is just too slow and too uncomfortable for me (or maybe i`m just too old for leaf springs lol )

most likely i will start with a good used (or lightly crashed) `02+ Mercury Monty V8 with the viscose AWD transcase.
i try to reuse as much of the OEM parts as possible but some parts are just too difficult to modify so that it is actually easier to start from scratch.
things that need to be removed are: the complete frame, all body mounts, suspension arms, steel gastank, exhaust, the complete nose (from the firewall forward) as well as the rear bumper and the lower corners.
i also need to cut out the rear floor area (from the second seat row back) including the fender wells to make room for the long travel suspension arms and the coil-over and bypass shocks.
the remaining body shell will be solid integrated into the tube "space frame" cage as a structural part.
the "roll-cage" will be a mix of 1.75" and 1.5" DOM tubing in .125 and .095 wall thickness : the cab and roof tubing will mainly "hug" the outside body shape with well triangulated "X-braces" behind each seat row (this gives me also solid and correctly placed mounting points for the 5-point seatbelts)
the nose and the rear cage will have a integrated 2" hitch and will be designed for maximum clearance (min 75+ degree front and 50+ degree rear angle).
to reach these angles (and also to make room for the long travel suspension/bigger tires) i plan to stretch the wheelbase from the stock 114" to ~125" (i`m thinking of moving the front axle 5" forward and the rear 6" back)
i will carry over the nose and the front and rear A-arm suspension design from my Tuggy`s (the geometry is well tested and refined)...

...but with a wider front skidplate/ reduced travel due to the wider pivot points needed to match the Ex frontaxle.


....
to be continued
(there are a lot more details going around in my head but i`m getting tired )

 

[Donner]

I think that grille and skid plate combo will show up soon in CA if that's okay with you...

glam

 

[stephan]

I think that grille and skid plate combo will show up soon in CA if that's okay with you...

glam

lol dont tell me you know Ryan :

 

[Donner]

haha! no, but that combo is on my wish list...

 

[stephan]

haha! no, but that combo is on my wish list...

funny coincident ..... my friend Ryan just told me that he actually plans a trip to CA (Glamis) soon to play around with some of the fast guys over there

that brings me back to the "X on drugs" project: a car like Ryan`s monster is a lot of fun.... but that fun comes with a huge price tag (going fast was never cheap) if your "toy" is well over $100k you always live with the fear of hurting it :roll:.... it takes away some of the (more careless) fun you have with a less expensive car.
(i hope i used the right words to make sense ....)

here are a couple more ideas:
i plan to run something like 1:4.88 gears or even something shorter if the pinion is not too weak (lower gear ratio = smaller pinion diameter = less gear "mesh")....i have to do some research on that....
Torsional "Torque Sensing, Torque Biasing" differentials work excellent in sand so i`m thinking of using a regular T2 up front and a preloaded T2R in the rear.

i usually mount the engines with fairly stiff PU bushings (very minimal engine movement) so i think i can actually slide the engine back 1"-2" closer to the firewall (would help to move the center of gravity a little back) this way i also gain some extra room for a possible engine upgrade like a Vortec S/C

the stock Ex frame hangs roughly 5" lower then it needs to be ....so i will build the new frame to actually "hug" the oilpan/trans/tcase to gain ground clearance without raising the center of gravity...
i will also add a smooth, full length aluminum skid plate to the belly (very important when you crest sharp "razorback" dunes)

....more to come :

 

[stephan]

did some more thinking and planning ....
here is a quick photoshop pic of how i plan to move the axles towards the corners, clean up the underbody and streamline the front and rear for better approach and departure angle;

i also started thinkering with the rollcage;
im thinking to do something like that in the front...

and maybe something like this in the rear...

hmmm.... will be a challenge to build it removable for paint/powdercoat.....

 

[Dannyboy]

wait, are you keeping the roof and interior?

 

[stephan]

wait, are you keeping the roof and interior?

Danny
yes, everything ; power windows, front and rear AC, cruise, ...everything lol