Couple of things...
Any more than 6" of lift will also involve some tough issues with the steering, so REALLY consider if you need that much lift. Also, for any actual off-road work, having over 6" of lift probably means that you'll be the first one :roll: I'd cut metal before lifting that much.
Know that the steering upgrades you would need will cost over $1500... You MUST be able to steer that beast. Additionally, you will add much stress to the factory mounting points, which can cause a whole host of other problems. That really tall stuff is mostly a BIG headache.
One other issue with going tall -- you'll need tall tires to make it look right. They cost money -- double what a decent set of 33s or 35s would run. You then also run into the issue of re-gearing your axles to turn those tall tires. They won't run with stock gearing, so get out the checkbook... 2 axles will set you back around $1500 or more, depending on where you go. 3.73s (most common gear) will mostly only pull 31s, or 33s on the street. After that, you will only be turning 1000 rpm at highway speeds, which will lug your engine and kill performance.
Tall tires also tend to snap those axle shafts. They are -- at max -- rated for about 35s and at that, with a light throttle foot. Think SAS (dana 60s!) for larger.
You also need to be able to stop those big tires. Explorer brakes are pretty good, but they were not designed for really big tires. Expect issues...
About the brake lines -- any local hydraulic hose-building company can make new brake lines. I use Parker. They typically only cost $35 or so for a 24" line. Cheaper than aftermarket and better lines. They can go as high zoot as you like -- it is your money and they have the goods.
For the front lines, I use factory Superduty -- almost any year in the late 90s or early 2000s will work. They will give you line enough for 6" lift, or for 3" lift and a lot of flex (like 18"). You will probably need to capture them somehow -- I just used a long nylon tie and sort of held them in the vacinity of the coil spring so they wouldn't rub on the tires. Note that the lines may come off of the wheel calipers in a different direction than the stock lines. No big deal. They don't care...
I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but it is relatively easy and inexpensive to build a DECENT Explorer that will look good, run good, and give good performance to around 6" of lift, but after that, you need to be the son of an oil man to make the next step...
