97Sandbox
Elite Explorer
- Joined
- February 7, 2019
- Messages
- 1,400
- Reaction score
- 1,370
- City, State
- Seward, NE
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2000 Explorer Sport
It's about time I created a registry for my '00 Sport!
It all started in October 2020 when my '97 XLT, the 97Sandbox, burned up its second 5R55E in 5 years. I tried all the fixes I could without a full trans rebuild, but ultimately couldn't get overdrive back. After a couple months of inner turmoil, I decided it was time to move on from my childhood family hauler/first car and get a manual replacement like I always wanted. For the next several months I watched online car marketplaces for manual Explorers and started accumulating parts for a build.
Come July of 2021, I found a 2000 Sport in Michigan that had recently been moved up from Texas. It was virtually rust free, but had been neglected and had over 250k on the odometer. Coincidentally, it had the same medium prairie tan interior and a similar tan exterior color as my '97 and I felt like it was probably meant to be. I got the owner to cut his asking price nearly in half and drove the Sport home to Wisconsin.
Introduction of the Sandboxes.
It all started in October 2020 when my '97 XLT, the 97Sandbox, burned up its second 5R55E in 5 years. I tried all the fixes I could without a full trans rebuild, but ultimately couldn't get overdrive back. After a couple months of inner turmoil, I decided it was time to move on from my childhood family hauler/first car and get a manual replacement like I always wanted. For the next several months I watched online car marketplaces for manual Explorers and started accumulating parts for a build.
Come July of 2021, I found a 2000 Sport in Michigan that had recently been moved up from Texas. It was virtually rust free, but had been neglected and had over 250k on the odometer. Coincidentally, it had the same medium prairie tan interior and a similar tan exterior color as my '97 and I felt like it was probably meant to be. I got the owner to cut his asking price nearly in half and drove the Sport home to Wisconsin.
Introduction of the Sandboxes.