Thread: Project BOLT-ON. (98 explorer 5.0)

So i have been talking about the explorer I was trying to get a loan for and I finally got the personal loan from the bank. Shout out to my pop's for hookin it up with the loan I got shitty credit. So I have always wanted to build a prerunner that I could load my girl and my friends into and smash around the desert so I decided to get a 98 explorer found it on craigs list for $3,000. My idea is to bolt on as many quick and simple upgrades before I get my long travel. Now I know there are a few of you out there that are gonna think I am wasting my time with bolt on stuff but hey if it works some guys could benifit from some easy upgrades. So don't knock it till I try it.

list of bolt ons I am going to start putting on.

*MSD ignition system. They have a system and harness that directlly plugs into the 5.0 harness. With no cutting of wires.

* Camburg bolt on edge/explorer subframe with skid plate. Bolts to lower a-arm mounts to prevent frame bending. Comes with a small aluminum skidplate for extra protection.

* Jet upgrade MAF. Upgraded Mass air flow sensor specifically for the 5.0 V8

* MAC cold air intake. Mostly for the bling I guess.

* Torquemonster headers.

* Mc Neil front 6" flare fenders for 98 explorer. (painted to match stock color)

* Dixon Bros bolt on prerunner tube bumper for 98 explorer comes with aluminum skidplate. Comes with your choice of powder coat color. I am going grey on the bumper to match the powder coat of the subframe kit.

* My speakers are crap so I am gonna hit up walmart or al and eds and see if they got some good Sony or kenwood speakers.

* 91 Ford E150 gast tank. Fits right between the frame rails and in the spare tire location giving you an OEM looking rear gas tank so I can pass my CA smog inspection. Also upgrades the fuel capacity of the explorer from 17 gallons to 22 gallons. Gives me tha ability to eventually run a 4 link on my rear end.

I know the next parts aren't bolt on but they are simple and very basic upgrades


* 2 Flowmonster mufflers and a flowmonster X-pipe all in 2 1/4 inch. tryin to stay small in pipe size to maintain back pressure for torque since I am going dual exhaust.

* 4 magnaflo CARB approved highflow cats. The first carb approved highflow cats.

* New pipe and custom exhaust setup through out.


Comments and feedback greatly appreciated. Hit me up and let me know what you think. If any of you have used any of these parts let me know what your experience was.

This is the explorer just as it looked 2 days ago when I picked it up. Came with clear corners and clear headlights. Flowmaster muffler and tip. Grill. Eagle alloy rims, lift spindles and BFG 32's. I really like this truck it is super clean in and out for a 98. Someone took good care of it before me.

U should put the glass on when u get your kit..

Nice choice on the 5.0 Explorer, I love my Mountaineer. I'm interested to see how certain parts of the project pan out, like the E-150 gas tank.

Well I have actually found a thread on putting the E150 gas tank on our exact vehicle thats how I know it will work I don't know where I found it if you search google for E150 gas tank on explorer it comes up. Thanks for the compliments

Originally Posted by BleedingBlue142

U should put the glass on when u get your kit..

Yeah but I don't have the kinda funds to do alot of major upgrades at once I have to kinda spread my stuff out or my wife will beat me if we run out of money at the end of the month. I am planning on putting the fenders on right before i do my kit.

I think he is just saying you might look like a poser bro with no major suspension and glass. I think that it's your ride and you can do whatever you want. I personally love the roller 5.0 and the 4r70w is a cool transmission too. Good luck and more important have fun.

Originally Posted by slcpunk74

I think he is just saying you might look like a poser bro with no major suspension and glass. I think that it's your ride and you can do whatever you want. I personally love the roller 5.0 and the 4r70w is a cool transmission too. Good luck and more important have fun.

Going to erase my original comment since I have decided not to comment on post's from people who haven't fully read the thread.

In my original post I stated that these are just parts to try out before I get my long travel. But I guess until I get my long travel to some people I will be a "poser".

They are not saying without LT that you're a poser they are just saying 6" glass with no suspension will look goofy is all. Sound like this thing is going to be fast as hell.

Thanks^

I wouldnt waste money on the msd ignition but the rest sounds cool. Good luck with it.

Originally Posted by mrhobby100

Well I have actually found a thread on putting the E150 gas tank on our exact vehicle thats how I know it will work I don't know where I found it if you search google for E150 gas tank on explorer it comes up. Thanks for the compliments

Here is the link:
Want to relocate your gas tank? - Ford Explorer Ranger Enthusiasts "Serious Explorations"®

Originally Posted by balls to the wall

They are not saying without LT that you're a poser they are just saying 6" glass with no suspension will look goofy is all. Sound like this thing is going to be fast as hell.

OH Fer sure . I won't look goofy I will look stupid ass hell with only 6" glass. Thats why I am making it my last upgrade before the long travel. I figure if I have to drive around with 6"glass and my lil 4" lift for like 3 or 4 weeks till I get tha long travel going oh well. I used to drive around missing all kinds of parts when I was baggin up my S10. But when it was done it was worth lookin dumb here and there.

Originally Posted by html dood

Here is the link:
Want to relocate your gas tank? - Ford Explorer Ranger Enthusiasts "Serious Explorations"®

Thanks for posting the link the day I found the info about the gas tank it was so late I couldn't remeber where anything I was lookin at was.

U should get a bbk throttle body

Originally Posted by BleedingBlue142

U should get a bbk throttle body

My explorer is a 5.0 I went to their website and they only list a throttle body for the V6 explorer

I have a bolt on kit as well. I have the Dixon 4x4 LT kit and. I'm going to do the E150 gas tank in the rear now that I read it! Good luck with the build!

Originally Posted by Demo1986

I have a bolt on kit as well. I have the Dixon 4x4 LT kit and. I'm going to do the E150 gas tank in the rear now that I read it! Good luck with the build!

Thanks. When I was 15 I took a 86 4x4 ranger and turned it into a 2wd prerunner. New tranny, pedals, Motor, dash alot of stuff(I did a pretty good job for a 15 year old). From what I read this should be pretty easy.

I've been planning to do this gas tank swap on my Explorer Sport Trac, I'll be following to see how your swap goes. Good luck

Originally Posted by rangerborn1997

I've been planning to do this gas tank swap on my Explorer Sport Trac, I'll be following to see how your swap goes. Good luck

Thanks. I will be doing it very soon . Trying to get a good size following of people on my initial build thread. I live in Anaheim right down the street from camburg and blitskrieg. If i get enough people to follow my thread I am hopefully gonna try to get a very discounted long travel for a complete sticker wrap on my explorer for an agreed upon amount of time and exposure on the forums I am a member of. Hopefully I can get one of the Fab shops to trade a LT for turning my truck into a mobile billboard for like a year or two. They probably wont go for it but hey it's worth a try.

****I will be using this thread to link my other threads as I start to do mods. That way all the mods I do will have their own build thread so its easy for someone to find info they might be looking for.********


or if any new and upcoming fab shops want to get their name out there and want to trade a long travel for some advertising. Hit me up. I live one block from Disneyland it's a super high traffic area to advertise in.

i wanna see what the camburg * Camburg bolt on edge/explorer subframe with skid plate. Bolts to lower a-arm mounts to prevent frame bending. Comes with a small aluminum skidplate for extra protection.
do you have any pics of this? i looked on camburgs web site and i couldnt find anything (i might just be dumb)

Shit id rock a camburg wrap on my truck just because. Good luck man, seems like you know exactly what you're going to do

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Originally Posted by nebf150

i wanna see what the camburg * Camburg bolt on edge/explorer subframe with skid plate. Bolts to lower a-arm mounts to prevent frame bending. Comes with a small aluminum skidplate for extra protection.
do you have any pics of this? i looked on camburgs web site and i couldnt find anything (i might just be dumb)

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_S9Flou2Jc8Q/Su...ub%20frame.jpg

If anybody buys one of these subframes tell them I refered you maybe they will see the potential of sponsoring a street truck. If this fits on your truck "buy it" you wont regret it. It will save you alot of headache from bending the lower a-arm crossmembers. Trust me this thing is worth the $300

From what I can tell they only make a subframe for the Edge 2wd style suspension setup. Explorers can use the same shit too.

Originally Posted by Sandfreek

Shit id rock a camburg wrap on my truck just because. Good luck man, seems like you know exactly what you're going to do

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Yeah I know exactly how I want my truck to turn out. I even have a few very cool ideas that I want to try out but with a 4 year old money is tight. But like my Mom always told me if you want something bad enough you will find a way and the sticker wrap idea is gonna be my ticket.

OK so my first prospective meeting for a wrap is going down tomorrow morning at Baker motorsports in Costa Mesa. He has some really nice shit at his shop if you guys are in the area I suggest stoping by and looking around. Plus John the owner is a super nice down to earth guy. I believe we should support the shops with really friendly staff and great customer service. Hopefully we can get a plan going and start to get some projects going on the expo. I plan on doing video updates to go along with the pics as they work on it. I have proposed to fully wrap and fully build my truck and I am also offering them full chase truck support with my expo. I believe I am offering a great deal for any company trying to get their name out there.

(pray for me guys as this will be the only way my broke ass will get my truck built in less than 5 years)

Originally Posted by mrhobby100

OK so my first prospective meeting for a wrap is going down tomorrow morning at Baker motorsports in Costa Mesa. He has some really nice shit at his shop if you guys are in the area I suggest stoping by and looking around. Plus John the owner is a super nice down to earth guy. I believe we should support the shops with really friendly staff and great customer service. Hopefully we can get a plan going and start to get some projects going on the expo. I plan on doing video updates to go along with the pics as they work on it. I have proposed to fully wrap and fully build my truck and I am also offering them full chase truck support with my expo. I believe I am offering a great deal for any company trying to get their name out there.

Well this should be interesting considering how many people Baker has fucked over in the past
Just be very careful working with him.

I wouldn't support Baker if he paid me:
Baker Motorsports ripped me off - Beware

http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/sho...er+motorsports

Yeah I am always carefull when ever I go into a deal. not like I am gonna sign my pink over to him. HAHA wont even put my girl on the title.


Yeah I have seen all the bad BAKER threads before but i figured they were so old I am not even gonna get into that.


(this also might be a way for John to show us all if he has improved or has decided to stay the same. Could be a way for him to start to redeem himself again.)or it could be a way to get my truck into a problem but hey I figure life is full of problems. Plus I don't have any problems hovering over people's shoulder while they work on my vehicles so if I see some potentialy shotty work trust I will be opening my mouth right away.

Originally Posted by Sandfreek

Shit id rock a camburg wrap on my truck just because. Good luck man, seems like you know exactly what you're going to do

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OH I would love to rock a Camburg wrap and become part of their chase team but I felt that they are so big they would probably laugh at me going in their asking to trade shop credit for a wrap and I am sure they probably got more than enough people on their chase team.

dude just stay away from Baker

go to baker, make sure you pay all up front and give a 35% tip for the great work afterwards!

pay your loan off before you dump money into the truck. get your kit and everything all lined up and waiting and install all at once.

as far as vehicle wrap and chase team. you couldnt afford the truck, how are you going to afford to pay expenses to travel and chase? they arent going to give a rats ass if you get a "wrap" but good luck!

Originally Posted by mcheck

go to baker, make sure you pay all up front and give a 35% tip for the great work afterwards!

pay your loan off before you dump money into the truck. get your kit and everything all lined up and waiting and install all at once.

as far as vehicle wrap and chase team. you couldnt afford the truck, how are you going to afford to pay expenses to travel and chase? they arent going to give a rats ass if you get a "wrap" but good luck!

OH shit another person gonna tell me the secrets to life. You fuckers that get on people's threads and preach to the choir need to take it somewhere else.
Going to San Diego next weekend and just got back from Vegas last weekend but like you said I am too broke to travel. Oh and My loan is paid 3 months in advance at all times.

Call F.A.S.T. Fabrication, they might help you out.

you gotta realize that this is a small industry. if someone gets fucked over that badly, even if its in the past, people will still remember it years later.

Originally Posted by mrhobby100

OH shit another person gonna tell me the secrets to life. You fuckers that get on people's threads and preach to the choir need to take it somewhere else.
Going to San Diego next weekend and just got back from Vegas last weekend but like you said I am too broke to travel. Oh and My loan is paid 3 months in advance at all times.

no preaching at all, do what you are going to do as you seem to have your mind made up already! your edited post is better than the original i must say. as for the wrap comment that you had jumped all over, read below....

good luck!

Originally Posted by mrhobby100

OH I would love to rock a Camburg wrap and become part of their chase team but I felt that they are so big they would probably laugh at me going in their asking to trade shop credit for a wrap and I am sure they probably got more than enough people on their chase team.