Dora the Exploder

[alaskan155]

well i wanted a little more interior room and more seats than the ranger, so as the wife calls her Dora the Explorer #projectpurplebackpack
the build has begun

a 1994 ford explorer Eddie Bauer with 228k on her i picked up for $750

bone stock

Not to bad for stock but i can leave stock alone

got bored and mounted some 285/75/r16 in the rear to see what could fit stock

they fit pretty nice but i decided i wanted some lift
2" suspinsions, custom 1/2 steel" built shackles in the back, 2" spacer in the front

the ranger thats been donating parts

removed the 3" body lift from the ranger

completely removed, 35s still fit

current state of the ranger

then i started cleaning the interior

after that i finished the 3" body lift on the explorer and installed my 35s from the ranger, so 5" of lift total

still need to trim the front fenders some more

needs alignment

then i started on my winch

1/4" steel, not done yet.

well its far from done, but it is coming together, only have had her since Jan 20th, 2018

still need to finish
1. the front bumper
2. get a zj steering shaft so i can get it aligned(the steering extension dosen't match from the gen 2 dash to the gen 3 dash, and the explore is double rag joint, the zj is double u-joint
3. tune up, oil, plugs, etc.
4. E-brake
5. trans cooler
6. get her running and figure out what to do with the ranger.


so far i am happy with the direction she is going, i can't wait to take her out this summer

 

[alaskan155]

Been getting a little work done here and there

got the corners finished, just need to go back and clean them up

(can see the stock cooler in this picture)

got the winch in and hooked up

1/2 way done getting the trans cooler in(usually have to move it due to the cooler lines being in the way of the winch)
used my old one from my 02 7.3 since i upgraded it a few years back when i built the trans and install a larger 6.0 cooler. was going to use it on the ranger but never got around to it.

(going to flare the ends, this is for mockup)

 

[JunkCollector]

This is fantastic. You guys blow me away with how fast you can get these projects done. Looks great! Surprised those 35's fit with that little lift.

 

[alaskan155]

This is fantastic. You guys blow me away with how fast you can get these projects done. Looks great! Surprised those 35's fit with that little lift.

thank-you, my hours have got cut back to 40hrs a week so i get to work on it hour or 2 a day when i can. (use to working 60hrs)

they do rub lol, like i said i am going to have to trim the front fenders a little more,(not taking nearly as much off as the ranger) just a little more off the back of the fender, i like to be able to turn with the tire stuffed.

but i found if i modify them like this

you can run 35s without rub with a low lift(keeps the Center of gravity down). the front fenders on these RBV are just there for cosmetics. all this would need to be done even with a lift to take full advantage of its up-travel.

but they are possible, when i first mounted them they wouldnt turn haha, they hit the bumper and back of the fenders and only fit in the rear.

 

[alaskan155]

picked this up this weekend everything for $700 under 100k miles, including the full exhuast, cats, Overhead console, fuel lines all the way to the tank, and all the interior harness(not going to use because i honestly don't want to mess with the firewall).

now to:
A. figure out 42 pins and install obd ii into 1st gen explorer.
B. pull the 4.0 on a slanted driveway
c. wait for parts....just order dual sump, oil relocation and new 4.0 engine mounts(going to use the factory explorer plates)
d. see if my bw 1356m with fixed output fits between the rails.....

oh boy this project got deeper faster than i expected.

 

[alaskan155]

i guess i left everyone hanging.....got side tracked with the v8 and issues with the v6
all trimmed and been running her the last few days.

current state of Dora,

keeping it legal

 

[91stranger]

I liked it until I saw the mud flaps under the bumper. I would moved those closer to the tires or just get rid of them. It's nice seeing those big tires and suspension lift instead of a square piece of rubber. At least get some Yosemite Sam ones or trucker girl ones. I like the rest though. Turned out really good. Has a nice stance.

 

[alaskan155]

I liked it until I saw the mud flaps under the bumper. I would moved those closer to the tires or just get rid of them. It's nice seeing those big tires and suspension lift instead of a square piece of rubber. At least get some Yosemite Sam ones or trucker girl ones. I like the rest though. Turned out really good. Has a nice stance.

thankyou, and sadly im stuck with them for the minute to keep me legal i live in a mudflap state/go to oregon alot(another mudflap state). everything on the back bumper is temporary, i plan on building a rear bumper for it eventually when i get some more $$ saved up.(why i haven't relocated it yet).

i was going to put them behind the back tires, but on explorers there really isn't a good solid/cheap way to mount them that i will be happy with plus with them mounted where they are there is a lesser chance of me tearing them off offroad.

 

[scotts90ranger]

I've been pulled over for mudflaps in Oregon, on I5 by Woodburn for some reason... all because I didn't put them back on, they were in the bed, he looked at me REALLY funny when I asked if he wanted me to put them back on then and there...

On the Ranger, same issue as your Explorer, I made removable mud flaps with square tubing that fit over another size, made kinda a Z shape so it could be located above the bottom of the bedside. I think I have pictures on Photobucket but that doesn't work anymore...

I kinda wish I had the '91 Explorer I had years ago, but someday hopefully in the next year I'll get to work on the '00 5.0L Explorer I have now... Tempted to use the TTB D44 I have, but think superduty axles and 36" tires would live better...