My Ford Explorer

[Dan Lee]

Well, I wandered in here because I really can't make up my mind where my truck belongs but I'm working on heading out on some longer trips. I'm seeing a lot of AZ guys in here and would like to run along side a group of them. It was caged by Hunter, a member on here, it rock crawls a little, it runs fast a little, it gets driven on the street a little and just gets out on some nice long trails a little too.

The basics of my truck
1991 Explorer 4x4 4.0 V6

What's stock-body, doors, windshield, engine, steering wheel

What's not- everything else, 16" travel 4x4 front end by Autofab, triple bypass shocks and custom leafs in rear, C5 tranny with C4 internals reverse valve bodied, custom dash with autometer gauges, trussed 9" rear, custom bumpers, custom sliders need to be installed, fully caged-tied to frame, corbeau seats with crowe harnesses, 4.56 gears, Detroit in the rear,

What's good- It will do 80 on the highway and about 50-60 comfortably offroad.

I have driven it 250 miles to go 4wheelin when my tow rig was down and it lasted the weekend to drive home.

Already have every tool on board to do a full tear down on suspension with plenty of room for camping gear. Also secured to cage is spare driveshafts, steering, axleshafts.

What's in the future-
* new front shocks
* get my motor running better or get something new in there
* roof rack to be welded through the roof tied to cage
* rear tire carrier to go through rear door with CB antenna
* lose all inner fenders and put a quick release front clip on tubework
* secure sliders
* more cargo security for tools
* repair winch motor in front bumper

 

[NorCalBronco]

Nice looking exploder Not much room left inside with that awesome cage though eh?

 

[Funrover]

Wow!!

 

[lllateralus]

Man... I know exactly what that is. A haul-MMM desert "prerunner". (although its 4 wheel drive)

Nice Explorer.. ever had it to Glamis?

I live up here in Chino Valley (prescott area) and have a dedicated (non street legal) long travel prerunner, but since moving here to AZ, havnt had her to the desert.

Anyways, awesome truck.

 

[Dan Lee]

Thanks guys,

It was a fun truck pre-cage project, but going fast it would start doing handstands. The new leaf pack and shocks got the rear under control, but now it seems like the motor is really lacking. It's reliable, but not as fast as it could be so that's going to be addressed. It obiviously didn't help adding the extra weight of the cage and all the spare parts I carry but I'm chasing some strange engine issues.

As for losing space, I'm not going to lie, at first we thought no way 4 seats would fit, but they do. I'm 6'4 and fit comfortably in the backseat. 4 captains chairs eat up a lot of space. The Corbeau seats do have these trick pockets in the seat backs that works awesome for parts like tools you need often and first aid stuff.

When I hit the trails I carry all my tools including spare hubs, spindle, belts, bolts, bearings, and all specialty tools to tear it down in 4 of these cases.

I have a large tote that I carry all my spare fluids in as well as a bunch of bottles of water and I also have about 20 16oz. bottles of water lined underneath the front seats for the "just in case" stash.

My spare driveshafts and axle shafts are secured to the cage, the rear area opened up much more after stripping the interior. I still have room for 2 camping chairs, a tent and a cooler if I arrange it right. Usually I camp out near the trailer and my superduty but a roof cage is going to be designed to carry some more gear including a second tire and a portable grill. I'd like to do some multi day outings in the next few months.

 

[Joe's Toy]

Sweet!

Aww the good old Explorer. I had a old 91 before my Tacoma. Mine looks a little different in the front end but it had the 4.0 v6 also. That good old truck never left me stuck. Going from a 2wd suv to a 2wd truck is dangerous... I was so use to the weight of the suv giving me traction that I've managed to wedge myself pretty good in the lighter little truck
Your truck looks awesome Dan Lee!

Here's my good old explorer.