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Post number 3327 has been selected as best answered.

Whats In A Name?

It was hot humid august night. The winds have all but vanished. I was doing my best to keep the sweat out of my eyes. The A/C was dying in my 94 Explorer, lovingly named "Pugly", and there was no relief in sight. I decided it was time to stop throwing good money into bad. I was gonna do the unthinkable,.......I was going to commit the most heinous crime of them all! I was going to trade Pugly in for a newer model! Oh the heart break! The insanity of it all! I couldn't believe the thoughts were even going through my head.

I managed to get the old girl back home, to her resting place. She seemed at ease in her familiar surroundings. I had to come up with an explanation to let her know of my evil plan. So i just gave her that old wink and grin that she likes to see from me as we made it back home from another day of adventure in the treacherous Midwestern terrain. I did my best in hiding my cynical thoughts, as I walked around to her rear flank and gave her that little pat on her bumper, as I always have when we part for the night.

The next morning I gave her a real good bath, cleaned behind her mirrors, and brushed her grill. She still looked pretty good for her age. Oh sure she had the tell tale signs, gravity has got its firm grip on her, and I am not the best cosmetics guy in the world. she didn't seem to mind too much, she still kept her nose up and drove with pride.

After looking at many vehicles I just could not find anything that had the same feel as my old girl. Then it happened! Was I seeing a mirage? Was I so desperate to find another rig that I was blinded by insanity? I found my replacement! I quickly made a sale with the owner, and brought it home.

When I pulled in the driveway, my heart sunk as I looked into the yard to see my 94 looking at me in disbelief. She was sunning herself in the grass looking all shiny and then, she just looked away from me. My heart was tearing in two. I parked the new rig, and walked up to her and gave her a soft spoken "Hello". No reply. I tried to tickle her mirrors, no response. The tension was so great, you could have cut it with a 32 count fine tooth hacksaw. I had to explain to her that she gave me great satisfaction for many years, and we made a terrific team together, but the time has come for her to just relax and enjoy her final days. She finally revved up, and understood, her days as my work horse has ended (so we thought).

I introduced her to her daily driver replacement. The shiny new(er) next generation of her kind. The 95 Explorer XLT. She warmed right up to it. Before you know it they were swapping stories. Now I had to ask her for help. I needed a name for the new ride,
so I went to find her, and what did I see? Those two were grill to grill in the driveway. rubbing chrome! I had to get the water hose out and break them up! Sheesh, she was acting like a girl at the prom dance! I let the name thing drop for awhile.

The new(er) Ex needed to get its shots, and a physical. When I got the word on it's health, I about had a coronary. "What do you mean Doc"! I yelled. "Your kidding right"? I asked. The Doc just shook his head and gathered his tools. As he walked away, He said it had a 50/50 chance of survival. My stomach knotted up, my teeth ground, my heart raced, and I could feel the energy build up as I let it all out, "Why! Why! Why did this have to happen"! I screamed.

The prognostic exam from the doc was as such. It had a blown steering rack, the shocks were gone, the brakes were non existent, front sway bar was cracked in half, the 3rd brake light was out, none of the windows or the moon roof would work, the door locks were broke, the rear end LS clutch pack was burned up, the tires were all in need of replacement, the spare was a Firestone recall and flat, the engine had a nasty tick to it, the TPS was shot, the MAF was corroded, the battery had a dead cell in it, the hood shocks were not working, the rear hatch lock was jammed up and you couldn't open it with out a key in the lock, The carpet was stained to no repair, the rear window wiper didn't want to work, and we could not tell what year its engine swap came from. it was a mess, to say the least.

I went in the house to get my gun. I was gonna just put it out of its misery right there and then. I suddenly realized I was out of ammo, from shooting at the jeep that was in my field. I went to the computer to find a place to buy some cheap ammo, and I stumbled across this website, explorerforum.com that said it could heal any ford Explorer no matter what the problems were! I jumped for joy, I could not believe the things I was reading! I wore out the search button, asked a bunch of questions. I quickly broke out my pen and paper, feverishly writing down things as I was learning! I had found a cure for everything that was wrong with my new transport. It was a Godsend, an angel from the SUV heavens!

I sprung into action. I worked day and night, Pugly was right by my side the entire time, helping me in any way she could. I never seen this side of her, and was really amazed at how well she handled the pressure. She gently squeegeed the sweat out off my fore head with her soft wiper blades as I worked away. After an entire weekend of work, I collapsed. I needed some rest, and so did the 95. The sun crested over the hills, and awoke me to a new day. I shuffled my feet to the window facing the driveway, peeled the drapes gently back, and peered out at the 95. WOW!
It had a its color back, and was looking great! Now as the time went on, (and most of my paychecks), and the selling of almost everything I own, for funds to get the 95 to its former glory.

After some time to reflect on this name thing, I strolled up and whispered into Pugly's passenger side mirror, and she giggled with delight.

I climbed up onto the front bumper in my pajamas and robe half opened, with a cup of coffee in one hand and the daily newspaper in the other, I raised my arms with out stretched hands and proclaimed the new name of the 95.

BEHOLD...........THE BLACK HOLE!!!!!!!! (Then the neighbor yelled at me to close my robe)



The End................(or is it just the beginning?)


Actually, only some of this really happened. :D




View attachment 324381
 



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Wish I was there to help you man. Just hang in there and ponder this solution.

I recently sent a circlip from an old CV to another member who could not get the new circlip to seat. Use an old circlip from old axle, it'll nudge right in and hold.
 



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how do we eat an elephant









one small bite at a time

old circlip is a GREAT idea sometimes the new ones can be STUBBORN
some vaseline can help too
 






So yesterday, I gave it a go again by myself. Just some more insanity, as the same result happened, as the day prior.

Tried without the Circlip, it slipped right in and out. It liked it I think. whoa there, show some decency.

I swapped the Circlips, added some red synthetic grease to help.. Nope, I'm a wimp.

Asked the neighbor who I noticed, was outside working on his fence at the time, to give it a try. Nope, he was either a wimp too, or I'm not as weak as I thought.
Both of us pushed the CV until it collapsed all the way, and I smacked the end with a Dead Blow Hammer. That did the trick! Just like every young mans dream, It finally went all the way in. Team work makes the Dream work!

OK, now after all that, it was time to get to the reason for this in the first place. To see if the large center shaft will clear, with the 2nd gens coil over suspension Mod.

First thing I notice is the inside boot is much wider than the stock boot. I had to remove the limit strap to get it to fit between it and the coil when installing.

After putting it back together (using the temp caliper bolt), it was time to check the gap at the coil spring. It's tight at ride height, and at droop, but it clears. I still need to do a compressed test, and I am hopeful it will still clear the coil.

Full view...

EXT CV full monty.jpg


Closer view of the 3/16" gap at the lowest coil winding, at about 3/4 droop... Yes, it's Tight!

CV to coil gap close up.jpg

So the part that is not so nice is these outer boots. They rub against themselves when drooped, and they are loud! Like a gorilla wrestling a big inner tube loud. That worries me. I am going to try some M-77 lube suggested to me, and see if it helps or not. Cant wash off, and shouldn't allow particles to stick to it..... we shall see.

Outer cv boot rub.jpg


Thoughts: This is for my setup, and if you run shorter coils and shocks, with the 2" lower shock extension, This would most likely not be an issue at all. I am worried that the outer boots will rub thru, and cause a roadside repair, and at the least desired location. There is still concern that upon compression, the center shaft will hit the coils. I have only read one review on how these are working on the trails so far. It was positive, but only one.

I will begin the other side in a couple days, and plan to take the rig out for a weekend of camping, and trail riding. Will be my first time out all year, seeing I have been ill since Dec of 2021. 2.5 months of the Rona, and 5 medical procedures kind of ruined the year for me. I want to see if I can still do this stuff or not. If not, I have some hard decisions to make.
 






you can do it!
Those boots will hold up if they are made of good rubber....... time will tell
Wifes FJ cruiser the aftermarket CV's had inner boot rubs on itself like that, one set lasted 6 months then ripped boots all apart, next set (diff brand) still going
 






Man, those are some beefy axles! So, they are for sure stronger than OEM, but the flex is what I was more interested in. Any chance of some kind of measurement error on those flex angles? Seems like if they are going to advertise greater angles, they should at least be the same or higher, not a little less.
 






Man, those are some beefy axles! So, they are for sure stronger than OEM, but the flex is what I was more interested in. Any chance of some kind of measurement error on those flex angles? Seems like if they are going to advertise greater angles, they should at least be the same or higher, not a little less.
Same reason for me wanting these, was for the greater angles, as my limit strap stops them from full extension anyways. Always a chance of me screwing up, on any given day. I used a magnetic angle finder, on each stub, and flexed each until they maxed out. Did each end twice.

Time will tell if they are stronger or not.
 






Makes ya wonder how they came up with the advertised flex angles... Different method of testing or just an enthusiastic marketing director. 🤔
 












Makes ya wonder how they came up with the advertised flex angles... Different method of testing or just an enthusiastic marketing director. 🤔
No idea. Might be overall angle, using both joints.
I’ll spot you in Moab, 2023. That’ll be a good test…
It wasn't your fault. 🤣

Wish a SVT Cobra 5.4L would fit in this rig, as I can get one dirt cheap. 😭
 






Wish a SVT Cobra 5.4L would fit in this rig, as I can get one dirt cheap. 😭
Hmmm.... Wonder if that would fit in an 06 F150 named Clifford? might put out a weee bit more oomph than the triton 5.4! hehehe
 












Hmmm.... Wonder if that would fit in an 06 F150 named Clifford? might put out a weee bit more oomph than the triton 5.4! hehehe
Not sure, but if your up for the challenge, I can hook you up with it, to find out. 🤪
 






Not sure, but if your up for the challenge, I can hook you up with it, to find out. 🤪
LoL Even if I were up to the challenge, I'm pretty sure my bank account isn't. It would be fun to try though! Wait, its been tried already, didn't Ford make a little something called the "Lightning"? (Before the current abomination I mean)
 






LoL Even if I were up to the challenge, I'm pretty sure my bank account isn't. It would be fun to try though! Wait, its been tried already, didn't Ford make a little something called the "Lightning"? (Before the current abomination I mean)
Here's a cool project build; find a Lincoln Blackwood, and transplant a Lightning engine into that. They are already a 5.4, I don't think it's a DOHC though. I saw one here about a month ago in a parking lot, it still looked like new. The people that bought those never really drove them much, most should be in excellent condition.
 






So this weekends trip is cancelled, due to work. Will try again for another weekend in November. Turkey Trot for Thanksgiving weekend might happen. 🍗

I ordered a Shirt from Mexico and it got here in 2 days. That caliper bolt was mailed 4 days ago, and only 200 miles away, but has yet to arrive.

Edit: Caliper Bolt arrived USPS...........7 days later. RockAuto Intake gasket kit (warehouse closeout sale) only took 4 days, and arrived on a Sunday! 🤯
 






Hey all, been a minute. 👋

Haven't touched the rig (other than starting it now and then), since the last post made end of October.
Had some health issues knocking me back down, and had to focus on that. Still have the Pass side Cv to install, and that LCA modification work to do.

Other Things to do in the next 2 months:
Replacement Headliner is here and ready. Gutting this rig out after that storage box installed, is not that appealing to me. lol
Redo all the roof rack bolts while the headliner is off, and fix the Moonroof drains.
Lower the Corbeaus seats 2".
Install the Dynamat on the floor.
Figure out whats up with the Pass window motor. Stops after lowering an inch, and have to push on it a little before it will go down again.
Rear Axle pulled & Truss welded up, with new center brake line.
Replace the vac ball and hard lines.
Get another alignment.

Because I just wasn't up to par, the engine work never got going. I found out that it didn't really matter much as TMH's is a year out, and w/o them, nothing can be done anyways.
Well, a year ago, I bought a set of used TMH's, but they wasn't the right ones with the external EGR. I also found out that the Dr side wouldn't work with the 3" Body Lift, and it hits the steering shaft. That's when I decided to talk to Bob, and he let me know about the set he makes just for the 3" BL. 1 Year out. Sold the TMH's. I shelved the project for the crate engine swap.

Well, after a few conversations with @KurtECV we decided to just do a cam swap, until the crate engine or what have you happens. The EF trip to Moab is this spring, and I'm not going across the country again with this heavy beast until it gains some more ponies to get over the Continental divide without killing itself. The header issue again tho...

Someone shared a link to where 4 sets of brand new OBX headers was for sale, and I jumped on them for some reason. Thinking we could just modify them to work until Bob gets caught up. That is proving to be more trouble than it's worth. LOL

The EGR tube will not work for two reasons... 1) it's too short at the first elbow coming off the header tube, so the other end doesn't reach the Valve. 2) it does not have the tube crimp at the 2nd elbow that makes the Vacuum possible. It throws an EGR code as a result. A stock EGR tube might remedy this problem.

The Dr side has to be cut and new tube made to clear the intermediate steering shaft. It needs a 2" length added, after moving it's location, inwards to the head.
I might just sell these too, and wait for TMH. I'm just not up to snuff yet to tackle something like this.

If old man winter leaves me alone, I might get some of this stuff done by Moab, or I might not. I am Day to Day still. Hard to be sure of jack all anymore.
Oh, I did get my UT OHV certification, for the heck of it. LOL

Just thought to drop in and say howdy all! 🤠
 






Howdy back at ya. :thumbsup:
 






howdy from now-sunny-again SoCal!:D:D:D:D
 



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