expy off roading issues
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expy off roading issues
99 expy 4x4 4.6 , i take her off roading about once a week threw some pretty crazy stuff i never would have thought a huge truck like this would make it threw , ive had a few issues with some stuff breaking , i snapped the front pass side axel again and the front driveshaft u joint twards the rear has failed again , do you guys recomend anything stronger ? i get lifetime warenty parts but it sucks that i have to keep replacing the same parts , also yesterday giving her a bath i noticed the gas tank straps are bent almost straight up and down and theres a dent in the gas tank the size of a 20oz bottle of pop , any ideas on how to get the dent out ? and i was maybe thinking about trying to find a thinner gas tank to give me more ground clearance or would a skid plate work good ? ,., just looking for any kind of help realy , sorry about the book , thanks guys ............. also 99% of my wheeling is threw dirt ,mud , dirt hills and some pretty hefty rutts , i dont usually play on the rocks
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I don't recommend that you install anything stronger. These parts are cheaper and easier to replace than the differential. They are designed to be the weak link for this very reason.
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I would at least do the fuel tank skidplate. I can tell you from experience that fixing a leaky tank on trail sucks. And, of course, you always nail the lowest part of the tank so you loose all the precious go juice!
There's not much you can do about the front axles other than a full blown solid axle swap, which would be a huge PITA. Ford didn't exactly build this thing as an "offroader"
There's not much you can do about the front axles other than a full blown solid axle swap, which would be a huge PITA. Ford didn't exactly build this thing as an "offroader"
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My 99 Eddie has a gas tank skid plate. I would not want to use it many times, as it is pretty thin stuff, but if you got one out of the junk yard it may be able to be beefed up or be used for a time.
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skid plate sounds good ill make my own and see how it turns out , ( i was thinking maybe a rubber mallet to get the dent out ) , something i forgot is how much of a pita would it be to install the battery in the back of the truck because my battery tray is mangled bad and if i hit a bump or something hard enuff it jumps around ( i got a optima yellow top so im not worried about leakage )
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" The one on my jeep was a "skidplate" that was made out of 1/8" sheet metal. i think the body was thicker than that POS was. I ended up punching a hole through the plate AND through the tank on the same rock. If you are good with a welder, remove the stock plate and pick up some 1/4" thick steel of various dimensions and go to work welding it on (the bottom!) That way you are adding some beef but not loosing a lot of ground clearance. I had pretty good luck with this on the jeep before I switched it to propane.
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i was thinking something a hair thinner than 1/4 , my 4wheelin aint that serious lol , my ground clearance sucks wen it comes to driving threw rutts ( i think thats what did my gas tank issue ) , i need taller tires because my 265/75/17s aint cuttin it
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No offense, but anything less than 1/4" is worthless for skid plates, even if you are just running mud / dirt. Going to anything thinner isn't going to afford you much protection, nor are you really losing any ground clearance.
Also, take a look at the actual fit of the stock skidplate. If you do go the welding route, since you are taking the stock plate off, you should be able to drind the mounting holes out. This should allow you to actually push the skidplate right up against the gas tank. My guess now is that the skid plate is probably a 1/2" from contacting the tank.
Last - are you running spring suspension or the air suspension setup? If it's springs, I'd recommend some small spring spacers, maybe up to an inch or two. And, with that you should be able to fit a little taller tire.
Also, take a look at the actual fit of the stock skidplate. If you do go the welding route, since you are taking the stock plate off, you should be able to drind the mounting holes out. This should allow you to actually push the skidplate right up against the gas tank. My guess now is that the skid plate is probably a 1/2" from contacting the tank.
Last - are you running spring suspension or the air suspension setup? If it's springs, I'd recommend some small spring spacers, maybe up to an inch or two. And, with that you should be able to fit a little taller tire.
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i dont have a stock skid plate on my truck so anythings better than nothing , and i have coils i was looking into the 2inch spacer but wasnt real sure if polly was better or the aluminum was better then im doing the 2inch tortions once i get my drive shaft goind , im looking to get some 35s or 37s if theyll fit
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Save the money on the aluminum spacers and go for the poly ones. They tend to hold the spring better, cost a lot less, and actually ride a heckuva lot better than aluminum. They also tend to not rattle or cause strange noises.
37's will never fit without some serious sheet metal work (sawzall!), nor will the front end CV's hold up to driving with them, even on the street. I don't think you can even get 35's in there without some serious trimming.
I'm not sure on the idea of the 2" tortion bars + 2" spacers. That may over extend your shocks so they'll have to be replaced (no big deal) but I don't know if that will goof up the suspension geometry to the point where you start blowing links. But, I've never used a tortion bar lift so I might be wrong on this. Might be something to search around in F150 land for since those guys generally do bigger lifts than we do.
IMHO though, skid plates are worth more than lifts and tires since they keep stuff from breaking! As for the gas tank plate, I'd peruse the local junkyards and see if you can find a stock one to modify.
37's will never fit without some serious sheet metal work (sawzall!), nor will the front end CV's hold up to driving with them, even on the street. I don't think you can even get 35's in there without some serious trimming.
I'm not sure on the idea of the 2" tortion bars + 2" spacers. That may over extend your shocks so they'll have to be replaced (no big deal) but I don't know if that will goof up the suspension geometry to the point where you start blowing links. But, I've never used a tortion bar lift so I might be wrong on this. Might be something to search around in F150 land for since those guys generally do bigger lifts than we do.
IMHO though, skid plates are worth more than lifts and tires since they keep stuff from breaking! As for the gas tank plate, I'd peruse the local junkyards and see if you can find a stock one to modify.
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poly does seem like it would ride nicer , and for the rear spacer they usually come with a long nut type thing so your shock dont extend no more than stock , how do you recomend lifting the front ( i can tighten the stocks down and get around a 2inch ) but heard thats prolly not so good ?
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throw the shock extensions out and just replace the shocks with ones that are the right length. The extensions tend to bind, as well as add another point to introduce vibrations. (can you tell I've been down this path a few times 
)
You should be able to coil space the front's as well, although like I said if you go to far you throw off the A-arm geometry.
Just to give you an idea of what you are up against, check this out.
http://www.fabtechmotorsports.com/ap...expdition.html
that's the fabtech kit (I've had nothing but excellent luck with their stuff!)
their 6" kit gives you enough room for 33's but this thing comes with all new arms.
)You should be able to coil space the front's as well, although like I said if you go to far you throw off the A-arm geometry.
Just to give you an idea of what you are up against, check this out.
http://www.fabtechmotorsports.com/ap...expdition.html
that's the fabtech kit (I've had nothing but excellent luck with their stuff!)
their 6" kit gives you enough room for 33's but this thing comes with all new arms.