Well, Who Says a Ford can't go off road !!!! | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Well, Who Says a Ford can't go off road !!!!

Joined
November 25, 2003
Messages
22
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0
City, State
Canberra, Australia
Year, Model & Trim Level
XLT V8 - 2003 model
I certainly don't. Just got back from a month away crossing the Simpson Desert in Central Australia. Car went very very well, used 140 litres of fuel over 680kms and most of that was fairly heavy sandy surfaces. Wonderful trip over some spectacular scenery. The Simpson had some recent rains and as a result was covered in a wildflower display with lots of birdlife. Wish I was back there instead of at work.

Couldn't be happier with the way the car performed, justifies my purchase (when most of my friends wanted to wrap in a straight jacket) and the money I've spent setting the car up to go on long trips off road.

The accessories it now has are:
- an accessory fuel tank (now holds 200 litres), under the car where the spare wheel used to be
- a dual battery system (on the floor behind the back seats)
- a cargo barrier (of course)
- a roof rack (of course)
- shelves in the back of the car
- lots of other little stuff but they are the main ones....

I am now in the market for a lift kit for the car (2003 model). Any pointers in the right direction would be appreciated.

Will post some piccy's of the big red beast in the big red desert next week.

However - did come across a design fault with the Ford. The water pump has a small hole on top as well as the excess hole on the bottom - BAD MOVE Ford. Lets the dust in when the car is driven in dusty/sandy conditions and the seals go straight away leading to a small leak whch is not a good thing when you are in the desert. A new water pump later in Alice Springs and this one is totally sealed on top. This is the same as the Jeep's so anyone who owns a Ford Explorer or Jeep, take note and if you intend to take the car into similar conditions, fix it before hand.

Anyway, happy Ford Explorering...


Cheers

Louise.
 



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Sounds great!
You were lucky to get that rain after the drought we've had.

ARB has a good suspension kit. I didn't get it myself 'cause my car doesn't go off road much and when it does it's just sand or a rough track.
I modified some Monroe Gas Magnums off a GQ and put them on.

How did you mount the spare? I was thinking of running LPG and sticking the tanks under there.

Jeff In Brisbane.
 






Outback Exploring

G'day Louise,

Yes, please post some pictures of the country and your Explorer!

I would love to see the mods to the truck.

Regarding the suspension, the "enthusiasts" pooh-pooh the independent suspension, but it must be noted that the next generation of military vehicles on the drawing boards all have fully independent suspensions. So, the only issue is lifting it to clear the rocks and ruts. I claim no expertise in this area.

On the second battery, there is also a way to make room for an auxiliary battery in the engine compartment by relocating and installing smaller coolant recovery and windshield washer tanks. The procedure for this is in the tips section of this site. How about a solar panel on the roof to keep the battery topped off?

Where did you put the spare tire, on the roof, on the back or on the bonnet, like the old Land Rovers?

Cargo barriers: What kind did you use? The barriers generally available in the U.S. are pet barriers which are press-fitted between the headliner and floor. As I understand it, the Aussie style barriers bolt solidly to the body pillars. I think only one U.S. supplier carries them, though.

Did you put in an HF (shortwave) radio to work the 4WD network and the RFDS? Our Explorer ham radio enthusiasts (like me) would want to hear about that, too.

Thanks for proving that the 3rd generation Explorer is a capable off road machine.

Bob
 






Hey from Sydney

Glad to hear that other aussies have found joy in their explorers when others have doubted the decision.

I have a 2004 limited that I bought for transporting my 2yr old rottwieler from sydney to the gold coast on our many trips.

am looking to put in a slightly larger tank but not wanting to move the spare.

so do you know where I can get a larger tank to replace the original one??

would love to see your pics from your trip!!!!
 






Explorer off road

Hi guys i have an 99 Explorer and we go everywhere in it, NT, VIC High country, Bendethra Valley, Brindabella's, Fraser Is to name a few, our next big trip is Cape York, it's never let us down goes anywhere other so called 4x4s will go, i don't take any notice of the people that bag the Explorer sure it has it's limitations but don't they all, anyway fella's i have a web site for ya to have a look at here in OZ, www.exploroz.com.au if you don't already know about it, i'm a member of it and there 3 others that are members too so have a look it would be good to have other Explorer owners there it's a great site, seeing as you fella's are close to me i'm in Sydney there is a get-together at Hill End on the October long weekend if your not doing anything come you'll have a blast it's a family oriented gathering and a bonus another Explorer will be there, me !! Lou i have a 50mm lift in my Explorer just a matter of a suspension upgrade and wind up of the torsion bars i have OME rear springs.

Baz :exporange
 






I enjoy poking around the Aussie 4WD web sites to see how things are done "down under". What are the most popular 4WD vehicles in Australia? I would guess Toyota and Land Rover, though Subaru seems to be pretty popular, too.


Bob
 






Currently no lift kits. Not sure who's working on them, but they're on their way. Won't be more than two inches.
 






Toyota Landcruiser & Nissan Patrol by a long way then maybe Toyota Hilux, in Aussie the Explorer is not very popular and we only get one model, 4 door 4x4 XL, XLT & LTD this is my rig and off road camper the great thing about Australia is you can pull up just about anywhere and camp,

Baz.
 






Great pictures, Baz, thank you! I would think Range Rover and Land Rover Discovery would be popular, but maybe they're as expensive in Australia as they are here in the states, where they are considered luxury 4X4's for the "upper crust".


Bob
 






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