Right on Charlie, I still have my 96 XLT in great shape, it has the 5.0L with AODE transmission..... great for snow plowing

 

We built a 85 B2 with a 351w................It was about like graduating from a Cessna 172, to a F-15 Eagle.
It took a very steady hand to keep it under control.

 

I guess so, that would be a riot to drive/aim, lol

 

We made a guy in a late model vette feel so embarrassed, he slunk away down a side street.
$70,000 for a vette......
Getting your ass handed to you by a 30 yr old rattly truck.........priceless.

 

I bet he was surprised, lol......... who ended up with that B2 - 351

 

It belongs to a guy we used to work with, now retired (him not the B2) he still drives it on occasion just to show off. has a $5 grand paint job on it, and the interior from 90s Explorer sport.

 

Turning is optional.

 

Having compared wheel bases when I robbed a 3.83 Limited Slip axle out of an Exploder at a local salvage yard, and also eyeballed all of the suspension stuff on it as the axle was being removed - my thought everytime I see an Explo is "WHY in hell didn't I start off my V8 Ranger project with THAT chassis under it?"

It really is a much bitchener chassis than what you find under a Ranger. The price is right too. You can get a scrapped Explo for around $500 and peel off the body.

They did a lot to the suspension stiffening, Ranger frames are around the same wheelbase but without all the goodies.

Next time you're in a boneyard take a peek underneath a few and compare.

WHEN YOU HAVE A PRODUCTION VEHICLE that is splattered all over the news for instability, the obvious move is to incorporate major suspension modifications - and they did.

~But it was too late.

ERGO: I see an Explorer?
I think: "PARTS!"

 

Thx for the info Dave

Well said Wolfie, I agree

 

When the Explorers were introduced, they came with D rated tires.

But circa 1985, Ford replaced the D rated tires with C rated tires, then underinflated them (against the advice of Firestone) to give a cushier ride.

Explorers began to roll over, another factor was the rubber that Firestone used (Firestone owned by Japanese tire maker Bridgestone) was defective.

 

Watching a lot of these idiots out here, I'd be putting driver error on 60% of the rollovers
who whips a high center little truck hard to go around somerthing at a high rate of speed besides an idiot?

We have has 2- "2 wheel" moments in our "sploder. One, a snow plow shot a berm of snow in front of us at 65 mph from a side ramp ( J was bring me home from surgery in a blizzard)
Second time was an accident unfolding around us, and she did some great driving.
I agree the little truck could have gone over both times, and maybe because my wife is a CDL driver, and a damn good one,or maybe Someone was looking out, we came through it

 

That was a disaster for Firestone but I got a new set of tires out of it