newbie seeking advice from the knowledgeable

[sploder92]

:roll: I got a 92 XLT from a friend who either cracked/warped the heads and after towing it home with a tow bar the transmission won't engage into reverse and slips in drive, OD, 2, won't move a foot. It was free so I'm not afraid to put a little money into it. I can do all my own work, I'm pulling out the transmission to rebuild it and taking off the heads to check them soon. I got a book from ATSG for assistance in the transmission rebuild. Any other advice from anyone who has done this work themselves?
I saw an issue of Sport Truck magazine where they replaced the heads with aftermarket, anyone have experience with them.
I'm trying to find a banged up donor truck with a good drivetrain I can swap out, and then try to use the donor truck to work up a 302/c6 or 4.0/700r4 setup with the help of Advance Adapters. No smog testing in Indiana!!!!!! This Explorer really looks to be alot more fun than my previous (dare I tell you)ZR2 Blazer with weak everything underneath, $1800 for a 6 inch lift , no thanks I'll get an Explorer with Dana parts!!! Can't wait to wheel it hard. These trucks look so cool with lift, oh yeah!!

BTW can I run my 31/10.5/15 BF Goodrich Mud Terrain tires on a stock 4dr without hurting the tires, I'm not afraid to cut a little body work if I have to. Thanks in advance..

 

[RiverRat]

What was the question? You said something about 5.0 and no smog testing? Heh Heh Heh

 

[glfredrick]

OK... Let's sort out a couple things... I love to help those sort of new to the sport get moving in the right direction.

First - you will have to decide if you are going to repair the stock motor or do the swap. You are talking two vastly different ideas there. If I were you, I would fix the stock motor - it is far easier than a swap in this vehicle. Though I am a huge fan of motor swaps and have done TONS of them, I find that Ford made so many electrical issues that swapping in the Explorer is a task for someone well versed in automotive electrical systems. It is not all that easy to just get rid of the compter - as almost everything is tied into that system... so unlike older vehicles, just dumping in a new motor tranny combo is not all that easy.

Second, aftermarket heads are great, and in many cases they have eliminated some of the weak spots in the factory heads. They do tend to get a bit pricey however. Your best bet would be to browse the for sale section of this thread and find someone that is parting out a truck like yours and purchase a set of heads.

Third, you can rebuild the tranny and it sounds like you are on the right track with getting the manual that you got. There is a tread here on explorerforum that goes into GREAT DETAIL on rebuilding that transmission, and if you follow those instructions and the ones in your manual you can successfully rebuild the AL4D. Word to the wise - COOLER. Get a BIG cooler and plumb it correctly - also using the stock cooling system in the radiator - do not bypass that - it does much more than you think! Run good oil, and consider an external filter in addition to the one in the pan. Add one bottle of Lube Guard and run it.

Fourth, running 31's on a stock suspension. You can get away with that, and lots of people have. I would recommend getting a couple inches of lift in one of a couple ways... Front, you can add spacers to the springs very easily. There are a couple ways to go about this - the F 150's had a factory coil spring spacer that you can get from the salvage yard that will get you about an inch and a half up front. You can also get some 2 1/2" steel washers and weld them into a stack, and place that under your coil spring to gain about an inch of lift. There are also production coil spring lift blocks made of some synthetic type material that work pretty well, but cost more money. Don't combine the things you use on the front - use one or the other, not all... For front shocks, I usually cut off the factory shock mount metal and replace it with Ford factory F 250 mounts, which bolt onto the frame rail right next to the spring. Then run a longer shock, which will give you much more flex up front. Also, make yourself some front sway bar disconnects so that you can free up the flex in front. You may end up doing some trimming of the front fenders, they will rub just a bit in the back, especially when turning. Most of the guys that have cut out the fenders have done so between the two bolts that hold the bottom of the fender to the body, leaving one for support. You will also have to trim the inner fender bracing. I am running 33's with little lift in this manner...

Rear suspension can be modified with an add-a-leaf and or shackles that are about 2" longer than stock, which will give about an inch of lift. Combining the AAL and the shackles can give up to 3" of lift in the rear. You shouldn't have problems with the fenders with 31's in the rear - and I am running 33's with out cutting, except that by choice I have removed the rear sheetmetal after the wheel wells. I am runnig 5" lift Ranger shocks in the rear - which give plenty of flex and down travel. I have also removed the rear sway bar.

If you do these things, you will have the beginnings of a very capable truck...

Have fun and keep us posted.

BTW, where are you located in Indiana? Anywhere close to the southern end?

 

[sploder92]

40+ miles west of Indianapolis off I-70

 

[glfredrick]

That's about 2 1/2 hours north of me... on the way to Normal, Ill. I've been through that area a few times on my way to Wisconsin. Lots of flat farm and swampy type land as I recall...

You'll have to think about a truck with 35's and mud tires