My 96 XLT 4wd Xplorer "Roxanne"

Hey guys I have been poking around here on the site for a little while now and I figured it was time to start my registry here. I have a 96 XLT 4wd xplorer with 185,000 miles on the clock. Everything on it is stock except for the paint which is a nightmare. The old adage you get what you pay for definitely rings true with my paint. I let a guy I know do it and the color is horrible number 1, but the job he done was even crappier. The body still aint straight and the paint is still tacky a month and a half later. Sigh, total waste of 300 bucks. Anyway, I have a lot in store for "Roxanne" so stay tuned and I will post pics asap. P.S. Please dont hate on the paint cause its pretty horrible. Build ideas, suggestions, contructive criticism, etc... would be greatly appreciated.

Current: Stock 96 xlt 4wd xploder

Future Mods:
ford oem willow green paint
2 inch warrior shackles and tt
3 inch body lift
33x12.50x15 bfg km2
15 inch soft 8's
winch
fabricated front and rear bumpers
yakima roof rack
hella lights
manual t-case conversion
manual hubs
lockers front and rear
rock sliders
exhaust

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

hey there 98 u got pics of ur xlt at all

 

[98liftedxlt]

Im at work right now but I am gonna try to get some pics posted later on this evening.

 

[98liftedxlt]

I was unsuccessful taking pictures this evening when I got off . Ayways, I am off tomorrow so I will try to get a couple up tomorrow.

 

[98liftedxlt]

Here they are as promised. Please dont be too harsh, I know the paint job sucks . Hopefully that will be changed very soon though. Any advice, comments, suggestions, etc... would be much appreciated from you guys.

 

[Glen4X4]

Just glancing it looks alright, I like the color its self but at least its not all rusty You have a nice setup plan for the truck. Can I ask why you want the weaker manual hubs over the more dependable axle setup you have now?

 

[TexasArmadillo]

This one will get you noticed.

But seriously. I like you ride especially the "Hike Faster..." sticker art.
Good luck with your mods.

 

[Fav390]

To be honest I really like the paint!

 

[98liftedxlt]

Glen4x4 thanks for the compliment and Im not really sure why I want to go to manual hubs I guess I figured alot of people go that way so it was the right way to go. If you have any good info. etc.. on this issue I would love to learn because I definitely don't know everything.

Thanks Texasarmadillo for the compliment and that sticker is the best mod on my exploder right now haha. Epic movie. Anyways, wow I thought my exploder was a headturner. That pink will definitely get your attention! Lol.

Fav390 Thanks man I appreciate that.

My main issue with the paint is that it is still tacky and has stuff in the paint. Also you cant tell in the pics but the guy that painted it put extra metallic sparkly crap in the paint and its almost too much. Also the body is not straight as it should be. Anyways enough with the ranting, haha. Anyone who has any suggestions on what I should do about the paint, build, general direction I should go, etc... your input and commentary would be greatly appreciated. I am not experienced in all of this so all the help y'all guys could provide would be awesome

 

[rickybobby]

shackles and tt with bigger tires

 

[98liftedxlt]

shackles and tt with bigger tires

Yessir that is most definitely in the plans. Actually will probably be one of the first things I do when I get the money saved to do it. Us firemen are poor, we gotta do stuff a little at a time haha. Thanks for the advice man.

 

[hkyfinest]

I like it. Your plans sound great. And nice to see another nc x!

 

[98liftedxlt]

I like it. Your plans sound great. And nice to see another nc x!

Thanks man and yeah I would definitely like to see some more local explorer enthusiasts.

 

[rickybobby]

Yessir that is most definitely in the plans. Actually will probably be one of the first things I do when I get the money saved to do it. Us firemen are poor, we gotta do stuff a little at a time haha. Thanks for the advice man.

im in the same boat. i still dont have shackles yet. instead i modified some air shocks from a buddies 79 camaro to get some lift out of the rear.

 

[98liftedxlt]

im in the same boat. i still dont have shackles yet. instead i modified some air shocks from a buddies 79 camaro to get some lift out of the rear.

Thats awesome I have never thought bout something like that. I guess its like they say necessity is the mother of invention. Yeah, Im on a tight budget that and about to be tighter cause my wife is getting ready to go through nursing school. Sigh, I should have named my exploder project brokeass haha. I plan on selling my dirt bike and some golf clubs though so I can maybe squeeze enough money out of that to do the shackles, tt, bodylift, and some used 33's.

 

[rickybobby]

sounds like a good plan. before you buy used, hit me up. i can get you a really good deal on a set of mud claw tires if you want to make the drive

. my set of 4 31's was only 487.60 out the door.

 

[98liftedxlt]

sounds like a good plan. before you buy used, hit me up. i can get you a really good deal on a set of mud claw tires if you want to make the drive

. my set of 4 31's was only 487.60 out the door.

Nice x u got there rickybobby. Thanks for the info on the tires , when I get ready to buy I might take you up on that. Just depends if I could talk one of my buddies with a truck into making the drive wth me, haha.

 

[Glen4X4]

98, most guys stick with the setup their second gen truck comes with when it comes to the front axle because it is stronger than swapping in manual hubs but if you want manual hubs there's a thread that shows what ranger parts to swap onto your truck to make it have manual hubs, I know I've thought of it not too long ago but I've read too many on the net that say the hubs are weak so that's why I personally changed my mind.

 

[98liftedxlt]

98, most guys stick with the setup their second gen truck comes with when it comes to the front axle because it is stronger than swapping in manual hubs but if you want manual hubs there's a thread that shows what ranger parts to swap onto your truck to make it have manual hubs, I know I've thought of it not too long ago but I've read too many on the net that say the hubs are weak so that's why I personally changed my mind.

Thanks man. So you can have a manual shift transfer case with auto hubs? I'm sorry I'm asking alot of questions but I dont know all this stuff. I can always use good advice and help from guys who have done ths stuff before, or know how to do it. All help is appreciated very much.

 

[Glen4X4]

No problem asking questions, You don't have auto hubs you have what is called a vacuum disconnect axle, so when that when not in 4wd the passenger since disconnects part of the axle, the wheel hubs are a direct link to the axle so there is no fault there unless the CV joint breaks. And you can put a manual case in but then with that axle setup you will have to put a toggle switch in your truck to control it or swap in a live passenger side axle from a 97+ex or 96 5.0 explorer or direct link it yourself or do what I did and just unplug the controller wire that goes to the axle under the hood then the axle is always "live" and normally don't have to worry about it because it's always connected.