I have owned my 1992 Explorer since
1997 when I traded in a 1995 Ranger. I needed more seating for my family
and I do a lot of hunting so I still needed a 4 wheel drive.
Wheres Waldo (Ally)? Hahaha
After getting high centered one too many
times I decided to get a suspension lift. I chose the 5.5 inch SuperLift
because it would give me the greatest ground clearance. I also bought the
extended radius arms and Super Runner Steering. Dick Cepek in Denver installed
the lift.
Note the skidplates?
During my first trip off-road I noticed
a banging sound under the floorboard. The passenger side drop down bracket
was about 1-2 inches from the differential and was making a good sized
dent on the top diff housing. When I contacted Dick Cepek they called SuperLift
on the spot and explained what was going on. Apparently this happens to
"some" Explorers. SuperLift sent us a different style drop down bracket
and it solved the problem. I have about 3-4 inches of clearance now.
This is what my rear looks like.
Another problem I had was that the front
of the driveshaft was hitting the support rail on the floorboard of the
body. This happened a couple of times when I was trying to go through deep,
soft dirt and once in deep snow. I should have replaced the transmission
mount but instead I decided to go with a body lift. I got a great deal
on one from Dick Cepek and it only took half a day to install. There is
about 5 inches of clearance between the body and the driveshaft now.
Here you can see the difference between my Explorer and
a Stock one.
My air system utilizes a nitrogen air tank.
The tank is equipped with an oxygen regulator that will regulate the pressure
from 40 to 160 psi. It is located between the rear frame rails where the
spare tire used to be. I built a steel cage to house the tank and it is
isolated with rubber on the inside. I used 250 PSI airline hose to mount
quick disconnect couplers behind the front and rear bumpers. My local welding
supply house charges $13 for the refill.
Front air line with valve.
Rear air line with valve.
I made the rear bumper with 2x.25 inch
square tubing. I designed it so I can hook tow straps to it and it is stout
enough to protect the end gate from inadvertent tree/rock collisions. I
also made sure I can use a custom tire carrier which I have not built yet.
I made some brackets to conveniently mount the
High Lift.
I recently replaced the Superlift springs
with taller, stiffer spings. The Superlift springs were sagging from the
weight of the winch and skid plates. I installed 7 inch lift springs that
are rated at 525 pounds/inch. The Superlift springs are rated at 445 pounds/inch.
The following chart shows the difference in spring height. I used
a stock Explorer to measure the Stock Installed length so a brand new stock
spring may be slightly longer.
|
Free Length
|
Installed Length
|
Settled Length
|
| Stock |
13 in
|
???
|
10.25
|
| Superlift |
19.5 in
|
???
|
15.25
|
| Coil Spring Specs. |
20.5 in
|
19.75
|
17.25
|
 
The only modification that I had to make
to allow the taller springs was to lower the Superlift cross member. The
front driveshaft was making contact with it whenever the spring would extend
far enough. To do this, I cut the side off of a piece of 4 inch pipe and
welded it in place below the driveshaft.
Since I have converted to manual hubs I
have had problems keeping the spindle nuts tight. Especially with the 33
inch tires. I finally decided to do something about it. I trimmed
and filed some scrap steel to create "C-Clips" to lock the outer nut from
coming loose. The C-Clip is held in place by the splined washer and axle
clip. I have been using this since about the end of May with a few good
4-wheeling trips and the nuts have yet to come loose. I have noticed that
the fit of the clip in the keyway has tightened up. I figure that I will
run on these "experimental" clips until they cause damage to other parts.
1992 Eddie Bauer
Leather, sunroof, electric-seats/windows/locks
7 inch Suspension Lift, 3 inch Dick Cepek
Body Lift
Engine:
4.0 Liter V6 EFI
2.5 inch dual exhaust with Walker Super
Turbo muffler, K&N air filter, Secondary Electric coolant fan with
thermostat
Optima battery
Steering:
SuperLift Super Runner Steering
Flaming River Steering Shaft
Front Suspension:
7in Coil Spring Specialties springs
5.5in Superlift dropdown brackets
SuperLift radius arms
Dick Cepek Race Series 77 shocks
Stainless steel brake lines
Custom front sway bar quick disconnects
Rear Suspension:
SuperLift 5.5" spring over axle conversion
Dick Cepek Race Series 77 shocks.
Stainless steel brake lines
Rear sway bar removed
Axles:
Front-Dana 35; 4.56 Precision Gear w/Trac-Loc
Rear-Ford 8.8" 4.56 Precision Gear w/Trac-Loc
Warn Manual Hubs
Tires/Wheels:
Dick Cepek Radial AS 33x12.50-15
Progressive 15x8 steel modular rims
Bumpers:
Front-Smittybilt Winch Mount
Rear-custom square tube
Custom tow hitch
Armor:
Rhino Chrome Nerf Bars (not pictured)
Custom Steering Skidplate
Custom Front Diff Skidplate
Recovery:
Warn XD9000i Winch
48 inch High Lift Jack
Tow Hooks
Snatch Block, Shackles, Straps
Air Supply:
Regulated nitrogen air tank
Quick disconnects with valves near front
and back bumpers
Audio:
Sony Reciever and 10 disc changer
Alpine Face-Off 11 Band EQ
5.25 and 6.5 MB Quart speakers
MB Quart and Orion Tweeters
MB Quart Comp X-Overs
12 inch Eclipse Subs w/ Sealed Box
Audio Control 2XS X-over
Alpine 3554 4-Channel Amp
Orion HCCA250 Amp
Other:
Radio Shack CB
Coleman 12v Cooler
Pilot fog lights |
