Lift? Rocker protection?

[bmdenver1]

I bought a 97 XLT a few months ago. As a long-time Jeep CJ owner, I'm in the mood to make some mods. I just spent a few days in the Maze District of Canyonlands NP, and the Explorer performed admirable, with the only mod being 31x10.5 tires. The running boards took a couple good shots though. So, after that adventure, I'm wondering what is available to lift the truck and protect the rocker panels a little. I'd like to lose the running boards and install something a little tougher, and gain a little clearance at the same time. Also interested in a body or suspension lift. How involved is a body lift, and who makes the kits? From what I've seen, I think a suspension lift might not be possible on a 97. Anyone have some input?

Thanks,
Brent

 

[Jason_25]

Well, before I give advice I have to ask you some questions. What do you want to do with the truck? How extreme is the offroading you want to do? If you decide now exactly what you want with the truck, you can save alot of money down the road. Keep in mind, whatever you decide to do with it, we a this site will help you through it. Oh yeah, welcome to the site!

 

[Stephen S]

Welcome to the boards!! You'll find just about anything you want to know about your truck right here!! Welcome aboard!

Both a body lift and a suspension lift are possible on your Explorer. There is no body lifts specifically made for a 97 but the 2" Performance Accesories body lift for the 91-94 Explorers can be modified to fit, and the 3" PA body lift for a 98+ Ranger can be made to fit. Bumper brackets might be a headache though.

For suspension, it depends on how high you want to go. To get about 2" or so, you can tighten the torsion bars for the front and add Warrior shackles to the rear.

If 2" isn't enough, Superlift has released a 4" suspension lift for the 95-97 Explorers. It can be found at www.4wheelparts.com but the kit is not cheap and you'll need a new front driveshaft.

RCD is also supposed to release a 5.5" coil-over equipped kit for the Rangers that can probably be adapted to fit the Explorer. Also not cheap.

Rocker protection is also a common issue around here. a lot of folks scrap the running boards and replace them with custom or home made rock sliders. A board member (Extreme4x4) even makes rock sliders to order and sells them here on the boards.

There are quite a few threads around here concerning these topics. I'd suggest running a search for some of the names and words I used above and maybe browsing through the "Suspension and Lift Kit" Forum and the "Useful Threads" forum for the answers to most of your questions.