bftanks expo projects - update, 4-28-12, mounted winch on explorer

[bftank]

so i am making this thread to share what i am working on with the vehicles that i own. i tend to make slow progress on them individually so i decided to have my projects in one thread.

that having been said, start with the oldest first.

the 1989 gmc suburban. purchased with a fried 5.7l. that was pulled and replaced with a 366 tall deck big block out of a farm truck i had lying around. i adapted the tbi fuel injection to it. lifted it 4" and put on some 36" swampers. the rear axle was replaced with a 14bolt ff with 4.10 gears and disc brakes. the front axle was replaced with a 10 bolt that i was told had 4.10 gears. unfortunately it has 3.73. doh. currently the tbi i replaced with an edelbrock 750 carb in hopes of getting more power out of the pig. but to know avail. i will put some pics of it in here soon as i find my thumb drive.

found a pic of the suburban

013.jpeg

[bftank]

the next one is a 1994 ford explorer i purchased earlier this year. it has 98k miles and is in great shape. i put cooper stt's on it, a friend gave me some tube bumpers for the front and rear. so far i have the front one on and will be putting the rear one on eventually. i have to fab brackets for the rear one. and possibly redo the front mounting bracket. i have been looking for a warn 8274 to put on the front of this for a reasonable price. i picked up material a couple weeks ago for sliders. i am going to cut the rockers out and replace them with 3"x5" steel with recievers for steps welded on. eventually it will get a lift and 35's.
IMG_2723.JPG

then there is the recently acquired 1994 f350 crew cab. it has the powerstroke 7.3l and a 5speed that still runs very strong. the axles have 4.10 gears in them with a factory limited slip in the back. i have diff covers and disc brake conversion brackets from ruffstuff fab that i still need to install. i am waiting on my amsoil to get here before i do that. i installed 35" bfg at's that i had lying around and what do you know they fit without rubbing, most of the time. that helped with the 4.10 gears on the highway. working on designing a bumper for it. starting with a winch mount and going from there. first pic is stock right after i bought it, second one is after 35's.
069.jpg075.jpg
the plan is to do a shackle reversal in the front, and run military goodyear 37's on h1 rims. and eventually get a pop top for it.

when i got the f350 it had a k&n in it which was removed and replaced with a bhaf. the lift pump was also pouring fuel into the intake valley, so that was replaced. if any of you have to do this do not take the turbo off to do it. it is a lot easier to take out the fuel filter and do it that way. it still has an occasional miss at idle. i'm thinking i need to take the valve covers off and see if the injector wiring is still connected well.
IMG_2721.JPG


i would have started all this earlier bit it has been a busy year. i found out the wife was pregnant back in sep of last year. then in nov our house caught fire and up until our insurance company fired them we were dealing with lousy contractors rebuilding our house while we lived in a rental. fortunately all that bad luck blessed us with our first child a beautiful healthy baby boy beginning of this month.
IMG_2747.JPG

[haven]

Happy Father's Day, bftank!

I think the early Explorers are under-appreciated by ExPo readers. They're dirt cheap, easy to work on, and reasonably easy to improve their off-road performance. The early Explorer chassis is very similar to the Ranger pickup, a favorite of the desert racing set.

[bftank]

thanks haven!

i have really enjoyed the simplicity of the explorer. i have lots of ideas for this one. that and the wife approves of it for her main transportation! i am considering doing a fullsize axle swap on it after the cooper stt's wear out, not sure yet though.

[SteveG]

I think the Explorer would make a great all-purpose rig. Getting more wheel travel is pretty easy and it'll work exceptionally well at speed with the right modifications.

I've owned several and have plans to build another Explorer some time in the near future and have already gathered some long-travel parts for the front end. By the way, you can buy a kit to bolt-on a full size TTB to the stock Explorer frame. My brother has about 90% of the parts to complete the swap including fiberglass fenders and a full size rear axle.

The foundation for the front end:

img_4805-2.jpg

[bfdiesel]

Happy dads day. I would have called, but I slept most of the day away. The burb made it to Meeker and back Saturday only slowing headed north up 9 mile on the way back( still passed the semis though ). I was surprised it pulled the whole south bound with little problem.

"i am considering doing a fullsize axle swap on it after the cooper stt's wear out, not sure yet though." Full size solid axle or the Frankenstein on a bad day looking setup in the prior post?

[bftank]

while i think the ttb 44 and 35 are great for desert racing and can be a versatile set up they are a more complicated, more moving parts, and more expensive than a solid axle swap. i am thinking a 78-79 bronco axle for the simplicity, and durability. with eight lug chevy outers so i can do a high steer. also considering a high pinion dana 30 out of a cherokee if i decided to keep it skinny.

by the way those frankenstien setups are killer on the icelandic jeeps, they use them for hillclimbing and water crossings.

also i do have a dana 44 posi and an extra 4:10 dana 44 if you are interested.

[bfdiesel]

Well Frankenstein was awesome too. He was just complicated.

[TKSC01]

the next one is a 1994 ford explorer i purchased earlier this year. it has 98k miles and is in great shape. i put cooper stt's on it, a friend gave me some tube bumpers for the front and rear. so far i have the front one on and will be putting the rear one on eventually. i have to fab brackets for the rear one. and possibly redo the front mounting bracket. i have been looking for a warn 8274 to put on the front of this for a reasonable price. i picked up material a couple weeks ago for sliders. i am going to cut the rockers out and replace them with 3"x5" steel with recievers for steps welded on. eventually it will get a lift and 35's.
IMG_2723.JPG

then there is the recently acquired 1994 f350 crew cab. it has the powerstroke 7.3l and a 5speed that still runs very strong. the axles have 4.10 gears in them with a factory limited slip in the back. i have diff covers and disc brake conversion brackets from ruffstuff fab that i still need to install. i am waiting on my amsoil to get here before i do that. i installed 35" bfg at's that i had lying around and what do you know they fit without rubbing, most of the time. that helped with the 4.10 gears on the highway. working on designing a bumper for it. starting with a winch mount and going from there. first pic is stock right after i bought it, second one is after 35's.
069.jpg075.jpg
the plan is to do a shackle reversal in the front, and run military goodyear 37's on h1 rims. and eventually get a pop top for it.

when i got the f350 it had a k&n in it which was removed and replaced with a bhaf. the lift pump was also pouring fuel into the intake valley, so that was replaced. if any of you have to do this do not take the turbo off to do it. it is a lot easier to take out the fuel filter and do it that way. it still has an occasional miss at idle. i'm thinking i need to take the valve covers off and see if the injector wiring is still connected well.
IMG_2721.JPG


i would have started all this earlier bit it has been a busy year. i found out the wife was pregnant back in sep of last year. then in nov our house caught fire and up until our insurance company fired them we were dealing with lousy contractors rebuilding our house while we lived in a rental. fortunately all that bad luck blessed us with our first child a beautiful healthy baby boy beginning of this month.
IMG_2747.JPG

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!! And God Bless THat Baby Boy! HE is what matters my friend, everything else is just money! You are truly blessed!

[bftank]

thank you tksc01. he has been a joy and growing quickly.

got some work done over the last week. almost have the honda in running shape again. decided to ziptie some of the wifes nylons over the carbs until i can find those air filters. filled the battery. just need to charge it, fill the gas tank, bolt the seat down and it will be a runner.

also did some more work on the engine stand for the cummins motor. got the plates mounted on the engine. apparently i need to work on my accuracy with my drill press. the stand is almost together as well. i will post pics of it tomorrow.

i think i am going to hang on to the suburban and put the cummins into it. i have thought about putting the cummins in the f350 but the 7.3l runs really strong in it still. the ocd side of me thought about building a four door bronco to replace the burb so i would have all fords, but that is a lot of work and in the end won't have barn doors like my current one does.