I can't begin to tell you how much knowledge is on this site, I search for hours a day usually just reading up on different projects and problems that people have. For your questions there is probably aver 100 posts that pertain. Please take the time to use the search function but I'll give you a basic run down real quick.
It all depends on what kind of money you plan on throwing at it and what you plan on doing with it. Do you want to hit mild trails or do you want to do some hardcore wheeling and still drive it to work monday morning? I'm going to guess that you just want it to perform a little better when you hit the trails. For this you can get away pretty cheap by using poly spacers, stacked washers, or larger springs to provide you 2" if lift for the front. On the back Warrior makes shackle to provide the 2" of lift. Chances are on a first generation explorer your leaf springs may be pretty well whooped on the back. new springs will provide you more lift but then again they will be more arched which will provide a tad less travel. For more travel you'll want a set of swaybar disconnects. Swaybars provide stability for cornering on the streets. however they limit the travel of the suspension. If you want to go higher than 2" of lift the next step is either going to be a body lift whhch can go up to 3" of lift totaling out at 5" on your truck, or the better choice but pricer choice a suspension lift.
