What would YOU do if it was YOURS?

[Mr. Griffith]

Ok so heres my '04 explorer. It's almost completly stock except for the pioneer deck and tinted windows. I also put on the window visors. I would like to get some lift on it and bigger tires too. I wish it was a v8 but i got what i could afford. So what i want to know is, if this truck were yours what mods would you install?

 

[Verno]

Be careful what you wish for, you might get as many responses as members!
Ideal mods are based on use/plans of owner. Look into roadworthiness/longevity issues if any first, then decide what you want to use your ex for first!

 

[Mr. Griffith]

haha well thats wat i was hoping for. I want as many ideas as possible. Seeing as how it is a v6 I don't see using it for anything too stressful. I'm a student at Auburn and I don't really have very much time to do antyhing but ride dirt roads on the weekends and small stuff like that for right now.

 

[Verno]

Decent tires and a lift would be what I'd do first. That way you can get her dirrrrrrrrty!

 

[hkyfinest]

this is what i would do if i had a third gen.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=247442

 

[Mr. Griffith]

Decent tires and a lift would be what I'd do first. That way you can get her dirrrrrrrrty!

Well i've been looking into lifts but I cant decide between a suspension lift or a body lift. I know the body lift will be cheaper. But the suspension will be easier to install. What do u think?

 

[hkyfinest]

or you can do both

 

[Mr. Griffith]

or you can do both

Yea i could do both...but being a college student i would have to give up eating for at least two months lol. But yea i do eventually want to do both.

 

[Mr. Griffith]

this is what i would do if i had a third gen.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=247442

Yea this is the truck I want to model mine after. There are a few things i would do diffrent. But all in all VERY similar to what I want.

 

[Got2bneo]

Yea this is the truck I want to model mine after. There are a few things i would do diffrent. But all in all VERY similar to what I want.

Justin has a sweet ride You got 4WD right?

 

[Mr. Griffith]

Naw thats the big problem for me i couldn't find one i could afford with 4x4 when i bought the truck so i just had to settle. It sucks especially since my old truck had it and this one dosen't. Still though any ideas you guys have would b great I know its not gonna do much performance wise but visually i would like for it to look better.

 

[macknos94]

i would do the body lift along with rims and tires if they are in the price range if not just get 265 tires. i found having my body lift installed helped make it easier to install my lift spacers. you will have alot more room to swing your tools

 

[rhauf]

i'd keep it stock and buy a beater for offroad purposes. it's too nice to offroad in my opinion. and for on-road drivability, big tires and a lift will only make it handle worse, be slower, more road noise, and worse fuel economy.


then again, what fun is leaving it stock? if you're going to ask our opinions for modding it how about some info on what kind of wheelin' you want to do? if you want to do any gnarly wheeling (anything requiring larger than 33" tires) then i would probably swap in some bigger (solid) axles. or if you're just going to do some light wheelin here and there, i'd probably get some 31" all terrains (assuming those will fit) and lift it maybe a couple inches. that would be a good compromise of road manners and offroad worthyness.

(many may argue with me, but with the price of gas now, I'd prefer the V6 over the v8 anyway.. besides, the OHC v6's make pretty good torque and power anyway)

edit: just noticed you said it was two wheel drive. in that case, as stated before, i'd leave it stock.. but if you through some AT's or some other slightly aggressive treaded tire on it, i suspect it'll give the look you're going for. i definitely would not do a body lift (barf) but thats just my opinion.

 

[Mr. Griffith]

so do yall think that if i put a 3" body lift on it that it would hurt anyhting mechanical wise? cause i do wanna get it up in the air a little. And as far as the kind of ridin i would be doin...since i have a two wheel drive i wouldnt really take it mudding just dirt road ridin and the occasional mud hole but i know i wanna change the grille to a billett grille and yea i was thinking of getting at's probably around the 265/70 range i do know i wanna keep the stock wheels. Does anybody know of any cheaper lift kits or a cheaper way to get one. And is the Ranger lift the only lift that can be used on a 3rd gen.

 

[jrowe6]

lower it, and make it faster/quicker.

 

[thepotroast]

Thanks for referencing my truck above

Don't underestimate your V6, the 4.0L has plenty of power to go offroad, and pull tires around the city. It really comes down to what gears you have in your truck. If you have the tow package (axle code D4 on your VIN) which has the 2" towing hitch, then you have 3.73 gears (LSD). If you have the smaller Class II hitch, then you have 3.55 gears.

The 3.73's would be the ideal choice to have if you're wanting to put some larger tires on it, makes things roll a lot easier. Although quite a few members here have theirs lifted on the 3.55's and they get around just fine.

My truck is a very simple example of a lifted Explorer. Plenty here have great looking 3rd gen's with much more mods. I used to get pretty wild with my mods on previous vehicles, everything from 15" lifts, to completely laying frame...the 3rd gen's truly don't have a whole lot of suspension options yet, and we rely on a lot of custom fabrication to make them go up. With this comes trial and error...but you can get as wild as you want to get with it depending on how much you want to spend.

Since yours is 2wd, and you admit you aren't going to attempt to thrash some trails, just stick to a body lift. Go to my Before & After page on my signature and look at the pictures of just the body lift alone to give you an idea of what it would look like from the front and the side. The wife personally liked it just with the body lift...now she thinks its too high (well probably because she has a hard time getting in...lol). There's a great thread stickied on the top of this forum about installing the PA-883, I did mine by myself, took a weekend and a 12-pack.

 

[Mr. Griffith]

So the only thing about the lift is that i dont have the tools to do it and the fabs i would have to do may b a lil outta my league. I asked an offroad shop down the road to see if they would do it for me seeing as how its not exactly the right one for my truck and they said they couldn't because of liability issues...so right now im lost as to what do do to get my baby in the air.....kinda suks!

oh and also how much did those wheels and tires run you?

 

[Stic-o]

Double SAS:

 

[Elessar65]

Double SAS:

Exactly! No, not yet my young grasshopper.... Just give it a little lift and some larger AT or MT tires. Go off road with it, get stuck. Then get stuck again. Decide what you like to do with it. Its 2wd now, but thats easily changed. (Well I guess it depends on your idea of easy...) A locked 2wd is just as capable as an open 4wd in most situations. If the off road bug bites you then sweet, eventually you are headed toward a double SAS. Be prepared to empty your wallet, over and over.
If you decide that getting dirty isn't for you, then lower it and spend all your money on blue HIDs and giant wheels. (be prepared for lots of jokes about not being able to "get it up" though)

The main thing is, its YOUR truck, so my best advice is to listen a lot, read on the forum a lot, ask a lot of questions, try it out, and THEN make up your mind. Don't ever EVER do something because its the "cool" thing to do, or because someone else did it.

 

[Elessar65]

So the only thing about the lift is that i dont have the tools to do it and the fabs i would have to do may b a lil outta my league. I asked an offroad shop down the road to see if they would do it for me seeing as how its not exactly the right one for my truck and they said they couldn't because of liability issues...so right now im lost as to what do do to get my baby in the air.....kinda suks!

oh and also how much did those wheels and tires run you?

Lots of members on here from all over. I had plenty of know how, but no place to do anything and no tools (damn apartment living). But I asked around, people stepped up and gave me advice and helped me, used their tools and garages etc (not for free though, I would say a body lift will run you about a case, case and a half of quality beer) Thats what this forum is all about, and why I love it more than any other car/truck forum I have been a part of. We're like one giant dysfunctional family here.