1997 Explorer XLT

[ExplorerTom]

6/3/2012

4wheeling!

Today I went 4wheeling up above Central City. I mostly did Yankee Hill[/URL], which I went on this winter with some people in the snow. This time of year the trail was completely clear with the only snow off in the shade of the trees here and there. As you can see from the trail link, it's not a difficult trail, but it was fairly rocky which made it pretty slow going in spots. The 30" tires make even small rocks seem big.

I didn't get much in the way of action shots since it was just me and my 6.5 year old daughter. She liked it a lot- even the really bouncy areas.


And then I connected with Cumberland Gulch[/URL] on my way back to the pavement.

This is about the only "action" shots I got:



The gears worked great- especially coming down. 4 LOW and 1st gear had all sorts of engine braking- didn't need to use the brake at all. The transmission temp got up to about 150 degrees (going back into the trans after the 2 aux coolers) while going up slowly. I also seemed to notice a lot of engine heat- the gauge was fine I could just feel lots of heat (windows down and air temp about 70 degrees). Hit a couple rocks here and there that weren't intentional. The side steps on the driver's side took a rock and may have bent it slightly- rock sliders are being pursued.

All in all it was a great time. Can't wait to get out on the trails again!

[ExplorerTom]

7/26/2012
Body Lift Complete!

Well, it took the better part of a week due to the pace that I worked and because I had to order new mounts for the front and new bolts after I broke one that I was planning on re-using. All-in-all, it was an easy install. I bought the body lift blocks from Zone Off-Road and the bolts from Fastenal. The resulting stance is great. I use to be able to see over the roof- not anymore! And the step in/out feels more like how a truck should be.

Next up is an RLC bumper to do something about that horrible gap up front.

Here it is almost 2 years ago just after I got the new BFGs:

And here it is today:


I'm not too worried about the rear bumper. I was able to heat up that plastic closeout piece and flatten it out. Other than the trim not lining up on the side, looks good to me.


The front though, needs a new bumper to sit higher:

[ExplorerTom]

And my photobucket account has reached it's bandwidth limit.

I'll continue later.

[alexb]

Fun read. Thanks for sharing.