Looking For an Explorer

[Ninjasupahsquid]

Hi, My Name is Ryan and I currently Own a 1995 Ford Explorer XL (Pictured Below). Her Name is Bessie.

Bessie has 207,000 miles on her chassis
133,000 Miles on the 4L OHV V6 Engine out of a junkyard 1996 explorer
207,000 Miles (Unsure) on the Ford 4R55E Automatic Transmission
130,000 Miles on the Borg Warner 44-05 Transfer Case that I recently replaced last November Because the Original was stuck in 4WD.

I have been Slowly Replacing parts on Bessie ever since I've owned her in April of 2023 and I've fallen in love with 2nd Gen Explorers. So much so that I want to get another one to replace Bessie.

So. Here are my requirements
1. Has to have a 2Door 2nd gen body (Like Bessie)
2. Has to be 1997-2001
3. Any Trim package above XL (I want power doors, mirrors, locks and windows)
4. Must Have the 4L SOHC V6
5. Must Have the Mazda M5OD-R1HD or the M5OD-R1 (Just want the 5speed)
6. Must Have the Borg Warner 44-05 or the Borg Warner 44-04 Transfer Case. (Snow is a *****)
7. Interior Must be in Ok Condition (Doesn't have to be perfect but nice enough)

I'm not sure if ford ever made a configuration like this from the factory. However I am willing to custom build what I want using a 2wd explorer if possible. Just have some transfer case concerns that might need to be addressed

The Borg Warner 44-05 Transfer Case has Control Trac. Meaning it utilizes computers and sensors to detect when the rear wheels are slipping and when to send power to the front wheels. I'm curious whether this is done in the main ECU or if there is a secondary computer that does all this. Will I need to do an ECU swap? Can I use an aftermarket Custom ECU? is this even Possible or do I need to look at the Borg Warner 44-04 Full time AWD transfer case and will that mount to a M5OD-R1?

I also was wondering how hard it is to front axle swap a 2wd car. Are the mounting points the same? Can I rip the front suspension and diff out of my 95' explorer and shove it in a 2dr? are the torsion bars the same? are the upper and lower control arms the same? or is everything completely different and I'll need to look in some junkyards.

At the end of the day I Just want a 2nd gen explorer with a 5 speed and 4WD Or AWD. I'm hoping that is possible

Any insight or ideas is greatly appreciated

Many Thanks,
-Ryan

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Hi, My Name is Ryan and I currently Own a 1995 Ford Explorer XL (Pictured Below). Her Name is Bessie.
View attachment 452841View attachment 452842
Bessie has 207,000 miles on her chassis
133,000 Miles on the 4L OHV V6 Engine out of a junkyard 1996 explorer
207,000 Miles (Unsure) on the Ford 4R55E Automatic Transmission
130,000 Miles on the Borg Warner 44-05 Transfer Case that I recently replaced last November Because the Original was stuck in 4WD.

I have been Slowly Replacing parts on Bessie ever since I've owned her in April of 2023 and I've fallen in love with 2nd Gen Explorers. So much so that I want to get another one to replace Bessie.

So. Here are my requirements
1. Has to have a 2Door 2nd gen body (Like Bessie)
2. Has to be 1997-2001
3. Any Trim package above XL (I want power doors, mirrors, locks and windows)
4. Must Have the 4L SOHC V6
5. Must Have the Mazda M5OD-R1HD or the M5OD-R1 (Just want the 5speed)
6. Must Have the Borg Warner 44-05 or the Borg Warner 44-04 Transfer Case. (Snow is a *****)
7. Interior Must be in Ok Condition (Doesn't have to be perfect but nice enough)

I'm not sure if ford ever made a configuration like this from the factory. However I am willing to custom build what I want using a 2wd explorer if possible. Just have some transfer case concerns that might need to be addressed

The Borg Warner 44-05 Transfer Case has Control Trac. Meaning it utilizes computers and sensors to detect when the rear wheels are slipping and when to send power to the front wheels. I'm curious whether this is done in the main ECU or if there is a secondary computer that does all this. Will I need to do an ECU swap? Can I use an aftermarket Custom ECU? is this even Possible or do I need to look at the Borg Warner 44-04 Full time AWD transfer case and will that mount to a M5OD-R1?

I also was wondering how hard it is to front axle swap a 2wd car. Are the mounting points the same? Can I rip the front suspension and diff out of my 95' explorer and shove it in a 2dr? are the torsion bars the same? are the upper and lower control arms the same? or is everything completely different and I'll need to look in some junkyards.

At the end of the day I Just want a 2nd gen explorer with a 5 speed and 4WD Or AWD. I'm hoping that is possible

Any insight or ideas is greatly appreciated

Many Thanks,
-Ryan

iirc the 4404 was behind the v8s only and wont bolt up to the v6 m5od. i suppose theres always adapters, but the 4404 iirc eats tires, so id advise against. i believe the GEM (please correct if wrong someone) control the 4wd shift. imo it'd be much easier to put the BW1354 in. its a bolt in and has no electronics to mess with. (unless the 4auto is really, really your thing). to go 2wd-4wd youll need the spindles, cvs, etc. and a tailsahft swap on the trans iirc. iirc all the provisions (ie bolt holes) to put 4wd in are all there on a 2wd. do you think you need the 4405 4auto, or could you be ok with the 1354m being 2wd, 4h, 4l

 

[Rick]

Here is a 2wd to 4wd swap thread:

How to: - 2wd to 4wd conversion

So I finally decided to do the swap and it is quite simple and can be done in a couple of days, First off you will need: 4wd transmission and a transfer case. A front and rear axles with all matching gears. Front and rear drive shafts 4wd knuckles and abs sensors. Main wire to connect the...

www.explorerforum.com

Other than the transfercase you should be able to find what you are after in a late 2nd gen Sport. They did come with 5 speeds behind SOHC engines.

Welcome to the forum

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Here is a 2wd to 4wd swap thread:

How to: - 2wd to 4wd conversion

So I finally decided to do the swap and it is quite simple and can be done in a couple of days, First off you will need: 4wd transmission and a transfer case. A front and rear axles with all matching gears. Front and rear drive shafts 4wd knuckles and abs sensors. Main wire to connect the...

www.explorerforum.com

Other than the transfercase you should be able to find what you are after in a late 2nd gen Sport. They did come with 5 speeds behind SOHC engines.

Welcome to the forum

i stand corrected!!! looks like it is easier than i thought haha. and to echo rick, welcome!

 

[410Fortune]

Okay so you say you want a 2 door “like Bessie” but Bessie is a 4 door
Two door explorers are called “sports”
They made sports from 91-94 and then 95-97 will have the tailgate with license plate on the bumper . 98-01 will have the bubble butt hatch with the plate on the hatch, 02-04 sports share the front clip with the sport trac. 04 was the last year of the sport. Mazda also
Made the “Navajo” which is a 2 door explorer 91-94

The bw1354 t case is what you want in a v6
This would be a sport trac or ranger transfer case, they never had control trac
You can remove the control trac t case from your explorer and install a non control trac 1354 in a manual shift (lever on the floor) or with electronic shift but it requires some fancy wiring. The 02+ ranger uses a stand alone 4wd control module we can use to control the electric shift t case. In your “Bessie” the 95 control trac the gem module is the controller. It won’t hurt your gem module to remove the control trac t case and bypass it, the gem will still support its other functions

Only the 95-96 explorer v6 had the cad front differential (center axle disconnect)

Any torsion bar spring explorer or ranger that is 2wd can easily be converted to 4wd just by bolting in the pieces, the mounts for the front diff are there. (Coil
Spring rangers cannot be converted)

They are rare but yes the sohc engine explorers and rangers did come with a 5 speed manual,
Mostly in the 2 door explorer (sport) or the ranger

97 was the first year of the sohc engine you may want to avoid the 97 version there are some parts that are rare and very hard to get for that model like the fuel pressure regulator and fuel rail/ line, it was a one year setup. The sohc engine was much much better after 99, I prefer the sohc after 2002 myself.
The last year of your Bessie 4.0 v6 pushrod ohv was 2000
I often build the truck I want because ford did not
Build them the way we set them up. Anything is possible here

 

[toypaseo]

https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/item/909716314175996/?ref=search

 

[toypaseo]

https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/item/358874627184418/?ref=search