Project "You want to take what to Moab!?" Winch, Bumpers, Sliders and more

[Turdle]

Nice read, thanks!

I like this build almost as much as the motivation for it. Good job!

 

[donalds]

Why didn't I see this thread before

 

[Mikerider]

Nice read, thanks!

I like this build almost as much as the motivation for it. Good job!

It was nice to be able to be there for Phil and have my explorer make it to and from Moab. Got to remember a lot of good times and enjoy an adventure. almost felt like he was there with us.

Why didn't I see this thread before

because I just got around to typing it all up glad you enjoyed

 

[JonathanExp]

Mikerider - awesome build, adventure, and write up. appreciate you sharing.

question for you on the sliders. my explorer is in the Australian outback for a few years so i really have to research things before i order them from the States as it can take a month to receive items.
regarding the 80" DIY Dom Rock Slider you noted using:
-how much did you have to shorten the length? did you have to re-bend the curved tube to accommodate the shorten length?
-instead of narrowing the width could you have just pulled the step further under the body? i assume this was an aesthetics thing.
-does the rubber step come with the kit? i do not see it mentioned on their website.
-did you or would you consider creating brackets to bolt to the frame? i am not sure i will be allow to weld to the frame in Australia....

looks like i could have them do some custom work so appreciate your advice

jonathan

 

[Mikerider]

Mikerider - awesome build, adventure, and write up. appreciate you sharing.

question for you on the sliders. my explorer is in the Australian outback for a few years so i really have to research things before i order them from the States as it can take a month to receive items.
regarding the 80" DIY Dom Rock Slider you noted using:
-how much did you have to shorten the length? did you have to re-bend the curved tube to accommodate the shorten length?
-instead of narrowing the width could you have just pulled the step further under the body? i assume this was an aesthetics thing.
-does the rubber step come with the kit? i do not see it mentioned on their website.
-did you or would you consider creating brackets to bolt to the frame? i am not sure i will be allow to weld to the frame in Australia....

looks like i could have them do some custom work so appreciate your advice

jonathan

Hi Jonathan,

- I believe I shortened the sliders to 78" just to keep them out of the tires. I did not have to re bend anything just re-notch to narrow the width of the slider.
- I believe this would have made possible, the risk is they would be a bit too long still. shorting the bend to make the overall slider narrower was done so there would not be a gap when stepping into the vehicle also, didn't want a place for my foot to get trapped.
- no the aluminum tread plate did not come with the kit. its from a company called handi tread. they make eeveral options that provide good traction. Handi-Treads Aluminum Outdoor Non-Slip Stair Treads and Nosings
- never considered bolt on, it takes to much time to design and FAB and is not as strong. in my experience.

Let me know if you have other thoughts/questions, good luck on your build! I have loved having reliable heavy duty sliders on the explorer.

 

[joshojeda]

I MISSED A LITTLE ON THE DIFFERENTIALS. YOU CHANGED THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL ON FORD 8.8. 3.55 FOR ONE 3.73 AND THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL? CAN YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE MORE?
I LEAVE YOU LUXURY MANY CONGRATULATIONS

 

[Mikerider]

I MISSED A LITTLE ON THE DIFFERENTIALS. YOU CHANGED THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL ON FORD 8.8. 3.55 FOR ONE 3.73 AND THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL? CAN YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE MORE?
I LEAVE YOU LUXURY MANY CONGRATULATIONS

yes, my explorer came from the factory with 3.55 gears. so instead of paying a shop to re-gear my existing housings, I purchased a pair (front and rear) differentials from a salvaged explorer that came with the factory 3.73 gears and installed those in my explorer to help offset the impact of the larger tire.

this also gave me no down town, I was able to uninstall the current and swap in the new diffs in a few hours in my garage.

let me know if that answers your question.

 

[joshojeda]

sí, mi explorador vino de fábrica con 3,55 marchas. así que en lugar de pagar a un taller para reajustar mis carcasas existentes, compré un par de diferenciales (delantero y trasero) de un explorador rescatado que venía con los engranajes 3.73 de fábrica y los instalé en mi explorador para ayudar a compensar el impacto del neumático más grande .

esto tampoco me dio nada en el centro de la ciudad, pude desinstalar el actual e intercambiar los nuevos diffs en unas pocas horas en mi garaje.

avíseme si eso responde a su pregunta.

Thankyou very much

 

[DieselGuy001]

I know it’s old but nice write up and pics. I am in the design and planning stage now for something similar. Your pics have been a huge help.

I already have the factory 3.73 gears, but thinking 4.10’s would be better, but can’t find the necessary parts for the front diff. Yukon doesn’t show them anymore, but I think for the ring and pinion I can get from a Dana 30 out of a keep, and use the ford install kit. I need to figure out what winch will fit in that space or if I can just relocate the relay box. As for the bumpers, I think I want to do 2 tubes across front and rear, and put a bill bar on the front to mount a bar light for the winch.

Also, how is the rig holding up or did you get rid of it?

 

[Mikerider]

I know it’s old but nice write up and pics. I am in the design and planning stage now for something similar. Your pics have been a huge help.

I already have the factory 3.73 gears, but thinking 4.10’s would be better, but can’t find the necessary parts for the front diff. Yukon doesn’t show them anymore, but I think for the ring and pinion I can get from a Dana 30 out of a keep, and use the ford install kit. I need to figure out what winch will fit in that space or if I can just relocate the relay box. As for the bumpers, I think I want to do 2 tubes across front and rear, and put a bill bar on the front to mount a bar light for the winch.

Also, how is the rig holding up or did you get rid of it?

thanks glad they are a help.

Rig is holding up great just general maintenance. its been my daily driver up until about 2 months ago when my bronco arrived. still driving it once a week or so. Wife does not want to sell it.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

I know it’s old but nice write up and pics. I am in the design and planning stage now for something similar. Your pics have been a huge help.

I already have the factory 3.73 gears, but thinking 4.10’s would be better, but can’t find the necessary parts for the front diff. Yukon doesn’t show them anymore, but I think for the ring and pinion I can get from a Dana 30 out of a keep, and use the ford install kit. I need to figure out what winch will fit in that space or if I can just relocate the relay box. As for the bumpers, I think I want to do 2 tubes across front and rear, and put a bill bar on the front to mount a bar light for the winch.

Also, how is the rig holding up or did you get rid of it?

usually many find that overtime the bump from 373 to 410 isnt worth it. it is a minor change, some find it "tunes"it into the power band again but many find it to be not worth it for the price etc, given the marginal increase.

 

[DieselGuy001]

thanks glad they are a help.

Rig is holding up great just general maintenance. its been my daily driver up until about 2 months ago when my bronco arrived. still driving it once a week or so. Wife does not want to sell it.

Glad to hear it. I was going to be ordering the BTF fab 2” lift and new struts this weekend, until this afternoon. Did the regular maintenance a week ago. Oil change, air filter. Today however brought the bad news. Started acting like it had a miss at idle while in D. Has codes 0300 and 0316. And what sounds like a rattle from the rear of the engine. Still has plenty of power, but I think my timing tensioners have or are letting go. It is the 4.0 with 185k on the clock. I checked for vacuum leaks as well, none found, but I did find something else weird. Rubber hose coming from right side top of manifold, just after the TB, wraps around behind to a valve or sensor on driver side, then out from there to a metal tube running behind. The metal tube seems to not be attached but I haven’t been able to crawl under and look up to see where it goes. If I manage to get this fixed without having to pull the motor, then I am hoping to have the bumpers and sliders done by winter.

 

[DieselGuy001]

usually many find that overtime the bump from 373 to 410 isnt worth it. it is a minor change, some find it "tunes"it into the power band again but many find it to be not worth it for the price etc, given the marginal increase.

That is a good point. I have already put new bearings and seals in the rear a couple years ago, but the tell tale howl is coming back. I didn’t replace the ring and pinion then because it didn’t look bad, and didn’t see any metal in the old fluid besides the normal flakes you would expect to see. I replaced the old shims with new, measured and used same thickness for all, backlash was good. I checked it recently to see if a pinion bearing was going out again, but nothing is loose and the fluid is full, so I’m thinking the gears might have had more wear than I thought or the oil has broken down already. Gonna change the fluid and add the friction modifier and see if that helps. Of course, this all dependent on the new discovery of today, with the 0300 and 0316 codes, the miss at idle, and hopefully the t-chain guides didn’t crap out.

 

[traveler]

If I were to ever sell "LilEddie" and buy a 3rd Gen Explorer, this is the first thread I'd go to as a reference to how to build it.
(Not that I have ANY plans to sell LilEddie... hehe)

 

[Mikerider]

usually many find that overtime the bump from 373 to 410 isnt worth it. it is a minor change, some find it "tunes"it into the power band again but many find it to be not worth it for the price etc, given the marginal increase.

It was a BIG improvement going from 3.55 to 3.73, I would expect 4.10s would be worth the investment. but I use my vehicles for a fair bit of towing and time out in the woods so gears always have a big impact to me. the aviator brake swap was also well worth it for the larger brakes.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

It was a BIG improvement going from 3.55 to 3.73, I would expect 4.10s would be worth the investment. but I use my vehicles for a fair bit of towing and time out in the woods so gears always have a big impact to me. the aviator brake swap was also well worth it for the larger brakes.

right, all depends on what you do. i have heard the power bump feels like more going from 355-373 because 355 is a bit under geared at least in the v6 models, and the ideal hwy gear was 373 to begin with. but all in the eyes of the beholder

 

[CallMeSyd]

Very very cool man.

 

[DieselGuy001]

It was a BIG improvement going from 3.55 to 3.73, I would expect 4.10s would be worth the investment. but I use my vehicles for a fair bit of towing and time out in the woods so gears always have a big impact to me. the aviator brake swap was also well worth it for the larger brakes.

My goal is get this thing off road and be able to tow my bass boat comfortably. That’s why I’m thinking 4.10’s. Right now with no lift, I’m running 245/75 16’s on the stock LS 3.73’s. I have access to IDS at work, so I was able to reprogram for the tire change. Stock tires were 235/70 16’s. With the 2” lift, the 4.10’s, and 265/75 16’s, and the armor, it should meet all my goals. But I need to get the engine miss figured out before I do anything else. If I gotta do timing chains, then it will just get a refreshed motor, tranny, t-case, and do all the rest while it is down. But I would prefer to get through the rust belt winter first.

It was a BIG improvement going from 3.55 to 3.73, I would expect 4.10s would be worth the investment. but I use my vehicles for a fair bit of towing and time out in the woods so gears always have a big impact to me. the aviator brake swap was also well worth it for the larger brakes.

 

[traveler]

Going from 3.73 to 4.10s was a big improvement for me. But then I got the 33" tires and now I'm eager to get 4.56 gears.

 

[DieselGuy001]

Going from 3.73 to 4.10s was a big improvement for me. But then I got the 33" tires and now I'm eager to get 4.56 gears.

I won’t be running anything bigger than 33’s so 4.10’s will get me where I wanna be. If I end up making it a solid play toy, then yeah 4.56’s along with a full SAS, a DOHC 4.6, built trans, and cutting the console out to make way for a manual transfer case.