OG 94 Explorer Build

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ChaseTruck754
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Re: OG 94 Explorer Build

Post by ChaseTruck754 »

Travis - glanced through the thread but didn't find it - how much wider than stock are you with the D44 brackets from Copycat?
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Travisfab
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Re: OG 94 Explorer Build

Post by Travisfab »

Truck sat at about 78" So about 4" over stock
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Re: OG 94 Explorer Build

Post by ChaseTruck754 »

Thanks.

Does/did the 4.0 leave you wanting more power, or was it pretty good pushing the thing around with the 35's?
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Re: OG 94 Explorer Build

Post by Travisfab »

It did pretty good with 4.88 gears. It was by no means fast, but I could do 90mph uphill on the freeway.
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Re: OG 94 Explorer Build

Post by ChaseTruck754 »

Your new exploder has me all excited about these again, and I came back here and re-read this entire build & got even more excited again. It's hard to not want one of these due to the capability and fun factor for low cost!

That being said I have a few questions on things that I figured I'd note here for future reference.

1) - Fiberglass.
At the end of the thread this thing had 4" McNeil Racing fronts, the McNeil racing drop center hood and then Perry's 6" flare rears - right? Did all the rubbing you had on the early glass rears go away when you went to the new ones?

2) D44 beams with the copycat brackets. You didn't have to cut & turn the beams at all with these brackets as they are a bit of a drop bracket - correct?

3) Any motor mods? Or just stock with the 4.88 gears?

4) Any trans mods other than the larger cooler and the drain plug added to the pan to keep up on fluid changes?

5) Steering - aside from the drop pitman arm you mentioned early on, and then adding the 7/8 heims later on, was the steering stock? And if stock, was it stock off a bronco/F-150, or did you extend the stock exploder stuff?

Thanks!
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Re: OG 94 Explorer Build

Post by Travisfab »

1) Both companies were 4". Sometimes the "actual" bulge is blurred and I thought that the McNeil ones were a little bigger. They weren't, and I had to trim the wheel well lip off to get the tires to barely tuck. To my knowledge no one makes a true 6" non conversion bedside for Explorers.

2) I didn't cut and turn the beams, but I needed to. I used the highest degree aftermarket eccentrics and they were maxed out, and I still had some positive camber. The brackets are good for stock to maybe 2" of lift.

3) All stock internally. Typical intake/exhaust, and I ported the throttle body. 4.88's were good no complaints

4) Shift kit, and I seem to remember something else being heavy duty in the rebuild kit

5) Bronco/F150/Explorer/Ranger all have the same steering adjusters and tie rods. I started by extended them, then eventually sleeved the entire tie rod/drag link with chromo tube and heims.
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Re: OG 94 Explorer Build

Post by ChaseTruck754 »

Thanks for the quick replies.

I hear you on the actual bulge being "blurred". Pretty much it's often nowhere near where these guys say it is! Dealt with that in the past quite a bit. Anyway, assuming when you're talking about the 4" bulge above you're meaning the rears? Looks like Fiberwerx now shows a 7" bulge for the 91-94's but pics show it with the newer tail lights. Do you know if the cab/body lines are the same in the 1st gen to 2nd gen? I know the tail lights are rounded where they hit the bedside on the 95-01 but I wonder if the rest is any different.

To build on the fiberglass a bit - Fiberwerx shows pics of your truck on their page for 6" flare fronts for the 91-94. Were your fronts 6", and any rubbing issues? I was thinking they were 4". I guess this could also fall under the exaggerating the actual flare thing.
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