What should i do to my explorer

[ExplorerOfDaMud]

i wanta lift it both body and suspension so what should i do i was gonna put a 4 inch suspension and a 3 inch body sound good ? and if so what kind should i go with

 

[95offroadx]

get a 6" skyjacker lift, i dont have one but i hear they are one of the best, but they are a bit costly

 

[ExplorerOfDaMud]

i dont wanta go that high though with suspension. im puttin a 3 " body lift here soon just to give it a lil lift cause i gotta put the full exhaust on it and some other things that need upgraded first so im a lil low on spending cash on it so i figured id put the 3 " body and then later on put somthing on the suspension like a 4 " hows that sound ? and if i would go with the 3 body and 4 suspension what should i go with what kind and where should i get it from?

 

[explrig91]

wat do u plan to do with your exp?? mud, rocks, or looks?? wat size tires do u wanna go with?? If you are planning for looks then go with that setup but if u r thinking of taking a 3 inch body lift offroading, than expect alot of body roll, i have seen them lean pretty bad.

 

[ExplorerOfDaMud]

i want it to look good not like **** witch it dont look to bad right now. but i wanta be able to go offroad and play around mostly just trails but i wanta be able to go over things if i need to like rocks and so on plain and simple i wanta be able to go out and have fun and ride trials with some of you guys. i might not be able to for a lil while but i want to before summer at least thanks for any info

 

[CodePoet]

Save for a suspension lift...all a body lift gives is is room to fit tires without cutting, they add no ground clearance (besides the little gained from the larger tire itself). You have a 1st gen and can give yourself nearly a 2" lift through some f-150 spacers and aal's or shackles for under 200 bucks including alignment, this is what i have at the moment. With this setup you can clear a 31" tire easily which will make your truck much more capable. Next I would look into a locker, this will increase the performance dramatically. Currently i'm working on an sas since i've graduated the expo to trail only, and i feel the ttb is not up to what i plan to do with my truck. Not trying to be a jerk...just my opinion based on my own offroad experiences

Good luck,
CP

 

[ExplorerOfDaMud]

ok now for the suspension lift how high should i go for a good trail rider and what else should i do to it and what is a SAS.. see i like to ride around my house i got some trails around my house and i got some riding areas like Troy Hill and Pine Creek, and walk chalk, adrian, theres loads of places so i wanta be able to mud bogg good too im not realy into rock climbing but id like it to be able to do a lil if need be on the trail you get what im saying? but im useing my rig for the drive to work also so will this be a problem its not a long drive for work like 2 min drive i just dont want to make it ONLY offroad i want it to be able to do both

 

[CodePoet]

an sas is a solid axle swap...you probably don't want to do that, not for what you want to do. A 4-6 inch lift would do great for what you want to do...then trim to fit the tires, i'm not a fan of body lifts (my own personal preference). It doesn't matter if it's a daily driver or a trail only rig...a locker will increase performance offroad dramatically, if your REALLY concerned about street then a selectable locker would be great for you although they are kinda pricey. Since it's a street/offroad rig for the front a limited slip for the front axle might be a good idea.

Good Luck
cp

 

[ExplorerOfDaMud]

ok thanks. is there anything i should do to it as to the engine or drivetrain(tranny....) so on

 

[CodePoet]

the 4.0 is a great little mill...not huge power but it can deffinitly get the job done. If your planning on doing any water crossings you need to do a search on how to waterproof your tranny (assuming auto?). You'll also want to extend your axle breather lines, it's really easy and cheap. Don't take my word as your only reference on this...there are TONS of threads on this topic please do a search and find out what's best for you. I've been reasearching options for 3 years, don't rush in there might be something better for you that i haven't brought up

Good Luck man!
cp

 

[jimbo74]

is it jsut me or is there more body roll with a lifted truck that is suspension lifted 7" then 4" suspension and 3" body... with the bl, yes the body will raise the cg, but you still have the same drivedrain lower than it would be with the same amount of suspension lift.....

 

[ExplorerOfDaMud]

i dont plan on sumerging the whole rig but ya ill prob go threw creaks and stuff around here to get to my other trails im putting my auto hub i got off another explorer for free and putting in today just to go do a lil four wheeling then in like a week or so im gonna convert it over to manual Warn lock in lock out hubs

 

[Mr. Souc]

This thread was very helpful to me, I was thinking about the same thing you are ExplorerOfDaMud, I want to be able to do the same things but I have decided Im going with a rough country 4 inch suspension and 2 inch body lift. Im using hockey pucks for my body lift. It's wicked cheap. The lift is on www.roughcountry.com under fords but it is very costly at for me (depending on the tax of your state) is $747.00 exactly. So im going to be needing to do some saving.

 

[FROADER]

Here's what you do. You get a 4" Skyjacker or TrailMaster lift (I had a TrailMaster), you get some 33x12.50 tires of your choice on some 15x8 wheels of your choice but with 3.75" backspacing, you trim and hammer a little firewall, you get a full locker for the rear (mine was daily driver with 15k mile/year no problems) and a limited slip up front and your done. If yours is white and you get AE 589s with BFG ATs it will look just like this minus the front glass fenders. Good luck!

 

[IAmTodd]

Why not go for the glass fenders too?

 

[FROADER]

Why not go for the glass fenders too?

You're right! Get the glass fenders but it won't stop there. If you get the front glass fenders you can put 35s on it. Then you'll want to get the rear glass fenders and then it will look like this. Oh, one more very important thing you need that I forgot regear it to 4.56 and now you are done.

Just like that.

 

[FROADER]

Sorry one more thing. Get the manual Warn hubs because you're gonna blow up the auto hubs without a doubt!!

Body lifts are ugly. :thumbdwn:

 

[ExplorerOfDaMud]

kewl thanks for all the info guys. now as for traction and mud i need a big improvment what can i do there and how much did all that roughly cost you to do and did you do most or all of the labor your self

 

[chuxstang]

here is mine, 4" Superlift Suspension, 3" Body and 33" Tires. You can check out my website for some more details on my X if you want....

 

[FROADER]

No labor charges for me. Me and a buddy did all he work.