Lift Information for Sport Trac. 2 gen. 08+

[Tike]

alright everyone. as someone whose been diggin around these forums, and other forums for lift information, tyre size i figured id combine everything ive found and put it all in one place. most of the threads have expired pictures but the information is there, which is what matters! right? the most important threads i used are listed at the bottom, thanks to all the guys who gathered the information of the years as well!


First thing to know about the ST 2nd gen

The CVs go through the frame and if you lower or increase the ride height by 2.5 inchs or more youll get rub, crazy angles and its difficult to get an alignment with stock parts (agressive wear on the cv joints and ball joints, the CV shafts running through the frame pretty much kill any chances for a decent lift )
you can get a leveling kit from TRUXX or Rancho that's about it.
And it is Highly recommended to get BTF upper control arms (UCAs) with uniball joints. Otherwise you will not get a proper alignment and go through ball joints on the UCA. Most who have done the truxx lift but do not off-road or push the suspension have had hit or miss experiences with the ball joints wearing out.
2WD ST you can do a Torsion twist lift.. 2 inch max.
You can also get rancho quick lift struts but from what ive heard its not worth the price or the lift unlesss you get a deal. and its not suggested to combine the QL struts and the spacers because the QL struts are preloaded and it wont give you anymore lift. maybe .25 max. ( the electrician actually has the QL + strut spacer + btf and he loves it so if you go this route I would reach out to him) I have his thread at the end.

The Rancho QL does improve ride quality, and allows more travel in the suspension.
as for the handling.. the vehicle DOES roll more on cornering!! Maybe you can see if anybody makes any aftermarket sway bar or make stiffer sway bar links or something.
(4) The truck does sit close to level now. I wrote down the measure height at stock, which was 33.25" F & 33.50" R (from the ground to the upper inside center wheel fender) after the install of the Truxxx kit, 35.25" F & 35.25" R.



There's always that PA ranger kit that the one guy used on his 07 Explorer. Granted, using on an ST would take even more mods or maybe less (not to much info on this.





Wheel Sizes information

STOCK

LIMITED – 235/65/R18

XLT -- 235/70/16

Adrenaline – 245/65/R17


Lifted – after install of the Truxxx kit, the truck sits w/stock rims but w/265/65/17 Nitto Grappler. And the kit does raise it to a pretty close equal height, if I do recall around 35.25-.50" at the bottom center fender.

Go with the negative offset if you go w/33's.


you need to re-gear your truck and upgrade the braking system if you are exceeding 5% enlarging the tires compared to stock



265/65R17 tires are 30.56" is 3.38% larger than stock

245/75R17 tires are 31.46" is 6.14% larger than stock

265/70R17 tires are 31.60" is 6.56% larger than stock

so what you need is all terrain tires

and the best all terrain tires are BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO

nest best thing Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 2

also Yokohama GeoLandar Geolandar A/T-S

or you can go with Mud terrain 245/70R17

either BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM2

or Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac

please note that Mud terrain tires 245/70R are very similar in dimensions with all terrain tires 265/65R17



Body lift - http://www . explorerforum . com/forums/index.php?threads/body-lift-for-07-sport-trac.222887/#post-3600574

Rancho QL + Truxx : http://www . explorerforum . com/forums/index.php?threads/lifting-4th-gen-with-truxxx-leveling-kit-rancho-quicklift.321900/

Truxx/ Traxada - High Performance Hosting | anyNode . explorerforum . com/forums/index.php?threads/traxda-leveling-kit-updates-pictures.442817/
btf UCA http://www . explorerforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/4th-gen-extended-upper-control-arms-with-uni-ball-joint.319957/page-2

BTF ARM pics
High Performance Hosting | anyNode . explorerforum. com/forums/index.php?attachments/img-20111027-00108-jpg.66234/

2nd gen lifts
High Performance Hosting | anyNode . explorerforum . com/forums/index.php?threads/show-off-your-lifted-sport-trac.415546/page-2

 

[Tike]

Body Lift Details for Explorers ( not ST but similar) - High Performance Hosting | anyNode . explorerforum . com/forums/index.php?threads/is-there-a-kit-for-a-small-1-1-5-body-lift.438033/

As with many things on these trucks, there isn't a "kit"....you pretty much have to get the parts together on your own.

The good news is you can do a 1" body lift really easily on the 2006-2010 explorers. I did it a couple years ago.

Main reason I went with 1" is because that's all the room there was between the rear bumper reinforcement and where the plastic bumper cover curves under it, and I didn't want to have to cut or trim that part. No need for a steering shaft extension. Another benefit of the 1" body lift was that I didn't have to remove or trim the lower fan shroud.

The existing bolts on the 4th gen are a larger size than the 3rd gen, and getting the right length, diameter, and bolt grade to be a direct fit was too expensive. So I went with a slightly smaller diameter and used nuts and washers underneath to secure them (on the underside of the pucks), as well as threadlocker compound. Here are the bolts you need for the 1" body lift.

1/2" -13 x 7", grade 8 = qty 2
1/2 -13 x 5", grade 8 = qty 4
1/2 - 13 x 3", grade 8, qty 2
M12-1.75 x 100mm, class 10.9, = qty 2
1/2 -13 nut, grade 8 = qty 8
M12-1.75 nut, class 10 = qty 2
1/2" flat washer = qty 8

The 12mm bolts are for the front two mounts

The 1/2" bolts are for the rest of the mounts.

That's pretty much it, 30-40 dollars in bolts and maybe another 10-15 dollars in body lift blocks. I bought 2" tall ones (from Amazon.com...just search for body lift blocks and get 4 of the 3" wide x 2" tall ones, and 1 of the 2" wide x 2" tall ones). You'll cut them in half to make 1" blocks.

The reason you get 1 of the narrower lift blocks is because the body mounts under the front seats are narrower than the rest of the mounts.

The general procedure for install is basically the same as the body lifts for the 3rd gen explorers. There will be a gap between the rear bumper cover and bumper reinforcement. Not visually bad but you won't want to be standing on your bumper afterwards or anything. I filled the gap with 1" x 1" square tubing that I tack welded little sections of to the bumper reinforcement and that also made the bumper able to handle being used as a step or seat again. You could use wood and zip tie it down or something. It's not going to be visible unless you put it right in the middle of the bumper where the cutout is for the hitch receiver.


Writeup! for a 4th gen explorer 06-10

FIRST I AM NOT LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES INCURRED TO YOUR VEHICLE YOURSELF OR OTHERS WHO
MAY BE HELPING YOU THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS. I AM NOT LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES TO ANY
EQUIPMENT OR PROPERTY FOR YOUR NEGLIGENCE. THIS IS A GUIDE TO HELP YOU THROUGH A PIA
BODY LIFT. NOT ANOTHER EXCUSE TO SUE SOMEONE. START THIS PROJECT AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Hey guys here is the writeup for the three inch body lift for 4th gens. I did some
modifications to the front bumper(ill explain more later) and the steering extention.
If you start this project and find another way let me know and ill update as neeeded.

You will need for this project
Performance Accessory 883.
8 pucks
8 Bolts ( 6 medium length i think 180mm) and two long (200mm)
8 nuts(the bolts do not thread into the "pucks" we have so nuts are needed.
Assortment of sockets and wrenches and extentions
Air gun (I dont know how this could be done without it) Would take twice as long
Air ratchet
Breaker Bar
Dremmel(trim fan shroud)
Drill( hole needed in steering shaft)
Washers(I needed 5 just to be on the safe side)
Locktite
Razor blade(if you dont want to remove rear seats)
Jack(s)/Lift(Lift body off frame
Wood(To help get jack high enough) THIS STEP BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL! ALWAYS USE JACK
STANDS OR MULTIPLE JACKS!
Flathead screwdriver
prybar
flashlight
Another person(Cannot be done alone)
Liquids( you will sweat your ass off) Preferably non alcoholic since you are lifting a
body off of a frame and you need to be sober as you do not want to incurr any
injuries.

AGAIN I AM NOT LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED AGAINST PERSON, VEHICLE,
PROPERTY, TOOLS, ETC... CONTINUE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!!!!!!

The first thing is go get 8 nuts to fit the bolts. You WILL NEED THEM.

Disconnect the battery.

Then I removed the font bumper. For this you need to pop the hood and take out the top 5-6 black push clips. They have Phillips head screws on them. After that you need to take out the headlights. There should be two easy visible bolts and one toward the bottom which you do not have to take out completely. You can if you want to. Then just pull toward you and they should pop out. Make sure to disconnect all the electrical that comes with it. Underneath the bumper there are two more clips to take out. On the Eddie Bauer edition is under the tan trim piece in the center. Also you need to take out the front part of the splash guards in the wheel well. Two or three Phillips head screws and a couple push clips. After that the left and right side where the bumper meets the fender there are more clips, just pull and they should pop and your bumper is off.

To take out the metal part(actual bumper underneath plastic “bumper” There are just four bolts and it slips right out. You will need these bolts again later.

I then undid the steering bracket. Its on the drivers steering wheel shaft right near the firewall. Its just a universal joint. This is where the steering extension comes into play. The male end of the steering extension that comes in the kit is rounded and the other side is flat. You need to file down the rounded end to be flat. Be careful not to take too much off. Then take the female end and mate it up with the steering shaft on your x. Find out where the hole is and drill a hole in the steering shaft in your x. After all is said and done just mate everything up and locktite the crap out of everything. If this part fails you will most likely die. So Take your time on this part. Better take too long and be safe than half ass it and lose steering on the highway at 65mph.

To remove rear bumper- more black plastic clips. Should be about 10-15. I didn’t feel like counting again. But after you remove these take out your tail lights. Remove all electrical and there should be three bolts inside on the bottom. Only take out ONE closest to you. You can tell its attached to the bumper. Should be 8mm. Now go underneath the truck and on the left and right side there are two more small bolts, one on each side 7mm I think. Take these out and GENTLY slide the bumper off. GENTLY, I say this because there is a electrical clip on the right side that needs to be disconnected.

There are two body mounts in the front of the X. One in front of the drivers seat by the emergency brake and another on the passenger side. There are two more just behind the drivers seat and passenger seat. There are another two under the rear seats. There are also two in the back under the storage units. All are underneath black oval shaped rubber grommets. Start by lubricating ALL mounts. Trust me it will make it way easier. I used a full can of wd40.

Before you start lifting your X’s either trim the fan shroud three inches while under the truck or take out the shroud which is a PIA. I just cut out three inches while underneath. The dremmel works great for this. Make sure you are wearing eye protection. The “Shrapnel” that comes off the shroud is hot and no bueno when you get it in your eye.

You will also need to either remove the rear seats or cut the carpet to get to the body mounts under the rear seats. I just removed the seats. There were 12 Bolts and they just came right out.


Now you can start removing the bolts on the body mounts. Here is where the extra wrenches or pry bar come into play as well as the impact gun. Everyone has heard of these “pucks” That spin when you try to remove the body bolt. Use a friend and a pry bar to jam in between the frame and “puck” and give it hell with the impact gun. The hardest ones for me were the rear pucks and the ones underneath the rear seats. After you remove all the bolts I started on the rear.

I lifted with blocks of wood on top of a jack. BE CAREFUL. If you notice that the jack is moving or the wood may give way either move out of the way or if you have time lower the jack and start over. Jack up the rear and insert plastic lifts. Start using the smallest bolts. I don’t remember which ones I used but always start with smallest. If the smallest fits great if not go up to the next size. The longest bolts are to be used for the bolts in font of the drivers seat. After all the bolts are in GO BACK and locktite all the bolts and tighten them down with the Nuts you bought from your local hardware store.


You can now assemble the rear bumper. Unfortunately our actual metal bumper is welded on to the frame so you will have to either make a 3” bracket and cut the bumper off the weld it 3”s higher or leave it be and have a little bit of a gap showing. This is what I did since I do not have access to a welder yet. It doesn’t look terrible. Only shows where the hole is the hitch. Everything else is covered. I was almost thinking of cutting my exhaust and re-routing it where this gap is. But that’s for another day.

The front bumper sucks. Plain and simple. The brackets that are provided in the kit will work with modifications to the metal bumper. Or you will need to fabricate new brackets. I decided to modify. Hook up the brackets for mock up and draw where you need to cut the bottom bumper. Should be about 6-8 inches where the plastic bumper screws into the metal one. This part will need to be cut off. You will see what I mean when you get to it. A 3” cutoff wheel works just fine. After you cut this section off of both sides you can now install the front metal bumper and the plastic bumper over it. Re-install lights and battery. This concludes the lifting of your 4th Gen Explorer.

You will have enough slack in your brake lines and everything else. Just when you are lifting make sure you are not catching anything.

I’m Sure a lot of you are thinking that the bumper will not seat properly… Well, unfortunately you are right. Mine is seated and looks just as good as stock. There are a few gaps that I don’t like but it does not affect the performance. You cannot tell just by walking past and looking you would have to get up close and check it out. But, I drove 150 miles at 80 miles an hour and it works just fine.

Ill post some pics in a day or so. Just got really sick and work is a PIA. Hope this helps anyone wanting to lift their X a little more.
4th gen body lift is installed!!!!!!!