I bought my 1996 Explorer
brand new in February of 96. I knew I wanted a SUV, a family conveyance
that could still take me camping and skiing, seeing as I live in one of
the best places in the world for both, British Columbia, Canada.
I have been a Ford guy since I got my license 8 years earlier. Getting
the Explorer came sooner than expected though. My limited edition
92 Mustang convertible was stolen New Years Eve of 95/96, and a month
or so later when the insurance company finally settled, there I was sitting
in a new Explorer! Its a 4 door XLS, auto, all options except leather
and sunroof, trailer tow package (oil cooler, 3.73 gears).
I made arrangements that
same day with a local tire shop, and had the original Firestones traded
for a set of 30x9.5 Dunlop Radial Rover RVs, which served well for 70K
kms. (Wish I knew then what I know now, and would have gotten 31s
at the time, but was steered away by the tire shop, as they figured Id
have clearance problems) Coming from the 5.0L Mustang background
(also owned an 88 GT for 4 years) I was certain to be improving the Explorers
performance as well.
I started with items I knew
worked in my Mustangs. K&N replacement filter, Taylor Spriro-Pro
wires, and after the initial break in period, synthetic oil. Since
then all of the lubricating fluids have been changed to synthetics.
For more performance I added the Borla cat-back exhaust, and removed the
stock air silencer assembly. Future performance mods will include
a KKM kit, larger MAF and throttle body, then possibly headers and a chip
last.
For the interior several
creature comforts have been added. I had a Kenwood cassette head
unit installed that controls a Kenwood 10 disk CD changer custom mounted
in the rear area where the cargo-net used to be. Very nicely done,
it looks factory and is hidden from prying eyes. A Clifford alarm
was also installed to protect my investment. Work was done by Car
Toys of Seattle, WA. I hard wired a Uniden radar/laser detector to
help protect my wallet and recently replaced the factory speakers with
MB Quart 6.5" separates front and 5.25" mid-bass drivers in the rear.
I also have a Uniden Pro 520xl CB radio and Wilson mag-mount antenna that
goes in and out whenever on an outing or extended trip.
As a member of several BC
4 wheeling enthusiast groups (BC Off Road, BC4x4, 4WDABC) it quickly became
obvious that clearance was not the Explorers strong point when on outings.
As the aftermarket suspension companies are still afraid of the Explorer
IFS (Infernal Front Suspension) my options were limited. I started
by replacing the worn Dunlops with a great new set of 31x10.5 Yokohama
Geolandar A/Ts. After much discussion on the 4x4central.com message
boards I decided to tackle the "torsion-bar" adjustment on my own.
I gained 2" of lift in the front, and it was a relatively easy do-it-yourself
job. For the rear I took the truck to T&S Suspension, where they
did a re-arch and full length add-a-leaf to the stock spring pack.
Completed the job with Teflon spacers. The rear was now sitting 2.5"
higher when the truck rested again on its wheels. The front was
backed down a ¼" due to concerns over the CV Joint angles.
The ride is now more firm, but certainly not harsh. Immediate improvements
in relation to body roll and tire clearance. Where I had slight rubbing
in the rear with the 31s at full compression, it is eliminated now with
the 2.5" rear lift. Visually the Explorer now appears more off road
worthy as well. Future mods will include longer replacement shocks
(Edelbrocks most likely) and removing the rear swaybar for more articulation.
Of course youre never really
done building when you have a 4x4 that you take off road, but here is my
wish list in most probable order of acquisition. Rear locker, KKM,
larger MAF and throttle body, shocks, poly-bushing kit. All the while
Ill be "Exploring" beautiful British Columbia!
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