mid michigan winter run

[351wExplorer]

im down for whatever...


on a side note, does any know who drives the explorer up at silver lake thats called little big foot, or somthing like that?? its a first gen four door, that is greenish and is on maybe 33s, ive seen it up there quite a bit

 

[holshotracer]

i've seen it in GR one day. don't know the owner but should of stopped him and talked to him. to bad i was in a work truck.

 

[CheapThrillEX]

Gun Lake Area

Hey fellows, Brand New to the sight, Hey i live about 1.5 miles from the state park at Gun Lake, i own property bordering the Yankee Springs Rec Center, Me and my buddies have been wheeling this area for a while, really bored with it, i have been tryin to find somebody who knows the Allegan Area, we want to do somme wheelin over there real bad, i just picked up a 93 Sport to replace my broken 86 B2, it's almost ready to do somewheelin, i have had to do alot of work but i can't wait to get it out, hell i've probably seen some of you guys on the trails around Gun Lake, i am out there all the time because i live in the middle of them

 

[holshotracer]

well welcome to the site. i'll have to keep and eye out of your ex cheapthrillex. i'll have to get in touch with you and go wheeling with you and your buds. i was talking to a guy that i work with and we're thinking about wheeling around the pines. i live over by daisy mae's. i like that there is more guys post that are close to where i live but your EXs are all modded. mine is pretty much stock so it looks like i'm going have to do some work.

 

[CheapThrillEX]

i just left my buddies house from across the street of daisy mae's, we were whatchin a PPV. Yeah the pines are okay, have you wheeled across from wildwood, there's two decent holes back in there, i killed my B2 in one of them, i live right on 179 so you probably have seen my trucks, yeah we will have to get together, i know a few cheap mods you could do to get your rig a little bigger

 

[351wExplorer]

i just got an apartment in grand rapids last friday.... Also my truck will be in ada almost every weekday now...

 

[holshotracer]

if i remember right i've heard about those two holes by wildwood. i'm not looking to go alot bigger but more of a prerunner type. that and not alot of money because i work and go to school.

 

[CheapThrillEX]

i built my own body lift for my bronco 2, it only cost me the bolts i needed to buy, i think total invest was less $15-$20, if go mild like 2 inch, you can get away with extra stuff, just install a 1.5" spacer under frt coils and get like 2" at wheel and its still alignable, my spring over axle conversion in the rear only set my back $10 for the new spring perches, there's all kinds of options, and i have been with plenty of people back at those holes who have run them stock, just more fun lifted

 

[holshotracer]

i'm going to stay away from body lifts. i built rear shackles and running coil booster in the front right now. i know that there not the best but i've haven't got around to getting the f150 spacers. you haven't seen me drive a stock ex off road . i had people fight over who was going to ride with me up at silver and that was with 235s. now i'm sitting on 31s. the only problem is that my ex is my DD until i start driving my RX7.

 

[CheapThrillEX]

on my B2 i used frt wheel bearings from a frt wheel drive car as spacers, then i went to f150 coils springs and got about 3.5-4 inches with no spacers, and i thought it handle better with the f150 springs then stock and with no sway bar in frt, its sitting with 30x9.50's on it right now and they look so small, like mini spares

 

[holshotracer]

maybe sum weekend we could meet up. sounds like you do things like i do, not alot of money and your own. this weekend i have to help my friend get the steering knuckle fixed on his '97 ex so there is most likely one more ex wheeling around gun lake.

 

[CheapThrillEX]

i'm a full time mechanic in Grand Rapids so i do everything myself and i get most parts at wholesale

 

[351wExplorer]

cheapthrill which garage do you work at?

 

[CheapThrillEX]

i work for Hi-Tech Service near woodland mall

 

[351wExplorer]

i work at auto-tech service on fulton, just outside of ada

 

[TheRookie]

on my B2 i used frt wheel bearings from a frt wheel drive car as spacers, then i went to f150 coils springs and got about 3.5-4 inches with no spacers, and i thought it handle better with the f150 springs then stock and with no sway bar in frt, its sitting with 30x9.50's on it right now and they look so small, like mini spares

Do NOT try the f150 coil idea. Its common knoledge that you cant go past 2 inches extra in the coils and expect to ever get the camber set right. Infact even with F150 spacers its almost definate that you will need new camber shims. You would need I beam drop brackets for anythign bigger that that. SUre you can put 4 inch higher springs in but its a horrible thing to do.

Also is there any plan for this meet and greet idea? I am close to ann arbor but would make a trek if enough people are planning on going. Just seems that it may not happen.

 

[CheapThrillEX]

if your not to worried about some tire wear and have a beater trail rig like my B2 is, then f-150 coils were exactly what i was lookin for and i have no complaints with them, i've beat the tar out of my rig, Jumping, slamming holes, and i have yet to have a probl. as matter fact i actually broke the motor wheelin before i did anything susp. wise. I wasn't about to drop a couple hundred bucks on a lift when my B2 was free and i wasn't planin on keepin it around forever, hell i have approx. 6-7 inches total lift with this truck and i have only $75 into it, so for the extreme budget trail rig it worked great. i would never put them on my EX because that is going to be around a while and i will do that stuff right not cheap

 

[holshotracer]

i'm a mechanic too but i work on the bigger stuff. i work on semis and some heavy equipment for louis padnos. my uncle had the same problem using a skyjacker four inch lift on his BII. he couldn't get that thing to aligned for any thing until he cut the coils down. when i get around to building my suspension i'm hoping for about 10" of wheel travel front and rear.

 

[CheapThrillEX]

i read an article online where a guy got 19 inches of wheel travel
http://www.off-road.com/ford/zim/ttb.html

 

[holshotracer]

i seen that before, that truck is sic. i figure that ten is fine for the wheelin that i do. any more and i have the feeling that my ex will be on its lid again.:roll: