Plans! Question's for droppers and more

[airforcemook]

I just want to let ya all know I appreciate the time ya take to answer these questions.. I have a lot of ideas and not sure where to start with it all.

Ok, this is my 98 XLT now...
CLICKY

The AT's are nice but are noticably worse on-road then previous street tires. I'm also not getting offroad enough to really make them worth having, considering the extra weight (fuel consumption/etc) as well as the extra tear that goes into a softer tread like that.

So here's my plans:
1. Respray entire X a glossy black (this will be first)
2. Sell the AT's/Rims and go with some larger (but thinner profile) street tires/wheels.
3. Drop it between 1-3"
4. Exhaust
5. K&N Intake
etc

Here's what I need to know:

Anyone have a basic estimate for a full-body repaint of their 2nd gen XLT? (I'm not looking for flames or any of that crap, but just a even, nice glossy black)

What's a good tire/wheel size to change to? I found the specs for the originals, and if it's correct then they're 15x7" P225/70R/15's... I'm thinking between 17-19", I don't want huge rims, but at the same time I want them to look nice. I'm worried about the width of the larger tire rubbing/etc though. Anyone have a specific size/bolt spacing/etc and pics? (The current tire/wheels will be for sale afterwards)

I want to drop it, but not a huge amount. I've been reading up on many people having ride issues, so I'm thinking of less of a drop (1.5"?) coupled with good suspension. Problem is, which way to drop it? Obviously the front can be accomplished with a TT, but what about the back? I've already installed WAR153's on the back for a lift of 1", and would like to replace that, but should I get? I can (1) Get lowering shackles, but they seem difficult to find (2) Find and buy original size shackles, then buy a lowering leaf-spring set? (3) Blocks w/ new orig-sized shackles? (One note: The leaf springs do look fairly crappy, giving some rust/etc, so I would probably want to replace these... However if I replace with lowering ones then I have to replace the shackles) I'm also thinking of some nice Rancho's or other good shocks to help with ride quality when lowered, and to replace the originals... any suggestions?

I know you can remove the crappy-chrome around the grill with a cheap torch, and would probably like to do this, but how could I get that back to a better chrome finish once it's cleaned up? Can it be replaced with a metal one? I don't know of any sites offering them, but I'm still looking. The plastic (it appears to be) with flaking chrome just doesn't do it for me.

Is it possible to get ahold of black trim, specifically the trim that's between the bumper and back wheel-wells? As well as front bumper/under bumper? I know I can buy a new chrome rear bumper w/ the black pads, and I need to anyhow, as the rear was bent by the previous owner trying to tow something I've heard of people dying plastic, but these are fairly large pieces, and I want it to look as if it was molded that way, not a half-realistic job. Note: I'm thinking of just removing the plastic along the doors/body before it gets painted, and keeping them off afterwards.

Inside, the soft fabric on the door (near bottom) as well as the vinyl or plastic at the top is not in the best of shape, albeit not the worst. Anyone know of a nice way to replace these?

Anyone know of any emission/street legal intakes for Colorado that perform up to similarly to other brands such as K&N but aren't as expensive? The emissions testing here is a little tougher than most places...

Ok, enough for now. BTW, I'm NOT in the band, I just happen to be in the USAF and park near their building

 

[bumpinkicker04]

there is a link on the home page of this site for a company called explorer express they have a 1.5inch lowering kit that everybody says is a good kit. don't know about the rest.

 

[jimbo74]

a torsion twist up front is fine.... get stock shackles and add a lowering block, this will lower the rear

also i would jsut remove the trim, looks a lot cleaner....

as far as the door panels, have them custom wrapped of try to find someone selling htem in better condition then yours, i would hate to know what the dealers prices for that cost and they might not be available any longer either as the body style is outdated.

as for emissions testing, get a kkm www.kustomz.com it isnt emissions legal, but you can always swap the stock one back on when going to get it emissions tested, thats what all the California guys do, but i dotn know how your emissions testing differs from ours, but ours is pretty strict

 

[the_tool_man]

Hi airforcemook:

I did a 2" TT drop on mine ('01 Sport), and the ride quality was fine. You'll probably need camber adjusters to maintain proper alignment. In my case, the rear springs had sagged enough that I didn't have to lower the rear. I highly recommend going to Explorer Express and getting their rear swaybar kit. Depending upon which front swaybar you have, they have a pretty beefy front one, too. This one mod makes a big difference in the handling of your Ex.

I went with 18x9 wheels (25mm offset) and 255/55-18 tires. The OD is only 3% smaller than stock (in my case), and they only slightly rub the front swaybar at full lock in reverse. Rubbing will depend upon wheel offset, too, so this may not be an issue, depending upon which wheels you get. As info, SN-95 and newer Mustangs have the same bolt pattern, so most of the wheels for these cars will fit fine. A few have run 18x10's in the rear, but I chose to keep all four the same so I could rotate the tires.

If you go with 18" tires, I would not recommend a sport-truck type tire. I got Kumho Ecsta STX's, and they are great tires, but the sidewalls are very stiff, so the ride has suffered. You may need to upgrade shocks when you lower and install new wheels.

Some have installed 20" wheels on Explorers, and they can look good (Black Magic's Ex comes to mind), but in my opinion, 20's are for show trucks, not real life. They weigh a lot, which hurts acceleration and braking, and they are expensive. Also, most of the larger wheel designs are too blingy for my taste. Also, tires for 20's are still pretty pricey.

I second the recommendation for the KKM intake. It's less expensive than Mac and K&N, and from what I've read, has nearly the same performance. I would not recommend a K&N drop-in filter (replaces factory filter only). I tried one, and it made no noticable difference in performance.

Regards,
John.