what can i do to my 1993 explorer to be able to tow and haul more?

[rjsheline]

what can i do to my 1993 explorer to be able to tow and haul more? My transmission has started to slip and slam into gears on me. I have had this explorer almost a year and it has been great. it was given to me w/ 96k on the odometer and now it is on 5k so who knows how many miles are really on it lol. anyways this thing is paid for already and i was wondering what i could do to get more towing and hauling power out of it. This is all I have to work with and can't afford a bigger a truck or suv right now. any suggestions would be great thanks.

 

[yostyexplorer94]

I would get the transmission fixed and add a big transmission cooler at the same time. Get a transmission temp gauge to check temps while towing.
Depending on your axle ratio, i would look into lower gearing. (3.73 or 4.10 with factory sized tires)

 

[rjsheline]

i have a transmission i pulled from another explorer was gonna just switch them out but i was out doing some work this evening and a guy gave me a 5.0 302 motor....i am torn as to rebuilding it and figuring out how to get it in the explorer and selling it. Is there a specific year or model i can keep an eye out for on the rear end?

 

[Jason94sport]

All Explorer rear ends are the same up to 2001. 96+ have rear disks, on anything past 96 you might need to modify the brake hard lines, but that should be it. If you have a 4 door make sure to get a 4 door rear as the leaf springs are different then a sport. Though you could swap them I guess. To convert to disks you will also need the later models master cylinder.
For towing, fix the trans, keep it cool & you can get helper springs if you need them. An X can tow, but you have to do it slow.

 

[Turdle]

Since the motor is the least of the needs for a v8 swap, I would suggest finding a good 98-01 v8 awd donor truck. That way you have everything needed from keys to ac to radiator to wiring harness to PCM to gauges and dash, to springs and rear axle that works with the pcm.

phew

 

[Mbrooks420]

As Turtle suggested the only headache free way to swap if having a donor. There's a lot more to the puzzle than the motor and trans. Also, I wouldn't bother doing the swap and then selling. You will be very unlikely to get your money back out of it.