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Well, I got a new DD and am now considering converting my 1997 2wd Explorer into a 4x4. It was Either this or pull the motor and drop it into my jeep wrangler. I have a feeling that the straight axle conversion might be easier. Does anybody have any experience with this?

What Axles should I be on the look out for? What transfer case would work with my application and would be best to keep an eye out for?

The motor is a 5.0L V8 with an auto trans.

I'd like to keep this as cheap as possible.

any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks

your gonna need a different trans too. All in all this is gonna be really expensive and a fuck ton of work. If you want a 4x4 go buy one. Or take the 5.0 and drop it in the heep. Just my .02 do your research too.

Well, I didn't think I was going to get away with a cheap and easy project. The plan is to make an all around 4x4. i want to be able to haul ass through whoops, jump on occasion, and still be able to crawl through some boulders. I don't really see the jeep being able to do most of these, or at least comfortably.

I guess I should look into the third option, looking for an old ford 4x4 truck that I can drop this modern motor into.

Maybe find a Jeepster no smog and with the right suspension you can do all those things.....They have a longer wheel base then the wranglers (donno about the 4 doors).


I was looking for the same vehicle to do what you are saying, then came across the jeepster. Be careful with the pickups, they are wide as hell for rock climbing. Bronco might be fun too if you chop it up enough, but I guess you can say that with about anything that has 4 wheels.

[quote="Frylock"]Maybe find a Jeepster no smog and with the right suspension you can do all those things.....They have a longer wheel base then the wranglers (donno about the 4 doors).


I was looking for the same vehicle to do what you are saying, then came across the jeepster. Be careful with the pickups, they are wide as hell for rock climbing. Bronco might be fun too if you chop it up enough, but I guess you can say that with about anything that has 4 wheels. [/quote]

I like the Jeepster's too much to jump them. Although if it was a wrecked one already I wouldn't be opposed to do it.

I would really like to do a J-10 or J-20. There were a few on the ol' Craigslist a couple months ago, Now all I can find is a 79' J-10.

If you want a go fast get a ranger or bronco 4x4 with the TBI suspension. You can get them cheap.

Stretching and linking your jeep will be cheaper than this project and produce a vehicle that will crush that explorer in every possible way. Dumping thousands into that explorer will only yield a vehicle that is still limited to easy/moderate trails and will be no better at running through the whoops than your Jeep. If you just want to do it to build something different, I understand that too, just be realistic about the results.

I have seen too many people undertake projects like this (including myself) and they always say they regret it in the end. Hell, I regret building up my Jeep for extreme rocks and high-speed desert, rather than just keeping it moderate and buying a buggy (which I ended up doing anyway).

This is a loooooooong build thread but scan thru some of it anyway. This guy built a moderate TJ and spent his $$ on the suspension (special valved Fox Resis, bumps,etc). Towards the end is where he is now. Look at the youtube vids he's posted..

I'd really like to truss up my HP30 similiar to his for the sand dunes and do the Foxs...

http://www.glamisdunes.com/invision/ind ... pic=299461

Well I'm going to keep an open mind on anything, but for now it looks like I'll be driving the expo until the new DD gets fixed. I tested the 4x4 out on a small hill to see if it worked properly and the front hub/wheel bearings blew out. Luckily I had 50 miles left on the warranty. So it is back at the dealership for now.

I'll have to do some more thinkin this weekend while I'm driving the jeep.

Im with DD. If your gonna have the explorer as a daily driver dont mess with it. Spend the money on the Jeep and if you go too far with the jeep your gonna want a truck and trailer anyways.

Well my dodge is the DD. The expo is the extra car and so is the jeep.

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I say if you want a go fast just leave the thing 2wd and do a bad ass suspension. Thats me its your car if I wanted a 4x4 i would go buy one I dont think its worth the hassle to make it a 4x4 and its still an exploder.

I don't know what you've got for a jeep, but take it from a guy who's had too many toys. One good, well built and maintained off road toy is far better than 2 or 5 that you're dividing money and time amongst. Perhaps swap it for a ranger if you want to go fast???


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Rangers are nice but not good for an all around rig. I used to have one. If I were going to do a prerunner again, I would build a toyota. With a toyota you can build a way better ride for half what you would spend on a decent suspension on a ranger.

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Brett your fired lol I told you I have built a solid axle exploder before for another buddy, the harder part is making it 4x4 but even that can be done with a trans and tcase most of the stuff that come on the stock explorer wouldnt be worth keeping anyways when it becomes a wheeling rig. sometimes it is easier to start with less because it means less you need to cut off of it.

Looks like the Explorer build is gonna be back on. I got a new job so gonna have a little extra $ to buy parts here pretty soon. The first thing that I will be looking for is a set of 3/4 ton front and rear ends. Although I have been searching craigslist and have found some sweet old fords for cheap that would also make a cool build.

Hell yeah. I would love to see an exploder with one tons

Brett... why can't a Jeep go fast, be capable in the rocks, and be comfy as shit?

Seems like a doable task to me.

Well at this point I just want something different.

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So this project is still on, got a couple minor changes. Picked up a ford 9" with 4:88 gears and a spool. Im planning on doing a Bronco or f-150 dana 44 TTB swap up front. This way I can still retain a fair amount of wheel travel and still be 4x4.

I'm down can't wait to see this come together....