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Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Posted: October 22nd, 2019, 6:22 pm
by Dwight
So a few months back I sold my JP18 build to a fellow enthusiast and decided that I wanted to try my hand at an Explorer. After months of daily FB Marketplace and nationwide Craigslist searches, I'm happy to report that i've found one that checked all the boxes i needed it too. You'd be surprised at how hard it is to actually find a decent 2x4 Explorer! My plan is to convert it to as close to screen accurate as possible and document the process along the way. It's going to take a lot of time/money/work, but i'm up for the challenge. Part of the fun is seeing it come together over time. Also, i'm not entirely sure which number i'll go with (probably #5), but we will see.

A little about the vehicle:
- 1994 XLT (Automatic)
- 133K Miles
- New Tires
- Tan Interior
- New Alternator
- New Radiator
- New Brakes lines, and other brake system parts
- New AC compressor/lines
- Not a speck of rust on it
- Still has the original owners manuals and a paper showing where it was purchased in Orlando back in 1994 (kinda cool)
- $1300 purchase price after some negotiation
Explorer Day of Purchase 1.JPG
Explorer Day of Purchase 2.JPG

Re: Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Posted: October 22nd, 2019, 6:40 pm
by jp41
solid find!

Re: Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Posted: October 23rd, 2019, 8:31 pm
by RustyRodder
That thing is CLEAN. Going to do the bubble roof too?

Re: Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Posted: October 24th, 2019, 5:30 am
by Dwight
That’s the goal! Bubble roof, working tour guide and all the custom interior.

Re: Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Posted: October 27th, 2019, 7:44 pm
by NathansPROPS
Sweet! Cant wait to see the Build!

Re: Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Posted: October 28th, 2019, 7:52 pm
by Dwight
A few shots of the interior. This post is mainly for memory sake since the interior will look nothing like this at the end of the project (except maybe the carpet). The dash will be completely custom, the center console removed and replaced with custom pieces and screens, seats custom upholstered, steering wheel replaced with a 1992 steering wheel, and so on.
JUXN0345.JPG
PEYS3443.JPG
CMEF3153.JPG

Re: Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Posted: October 28th, 2019, 7:56 pm
by Dwight
Since the Jurassic Park Explorers were 1992's and in 1993 they introduced the lower trim piece, I went ahead and removed that today. Left a lot of rivet holes so i'm going to need to Bondo those before painting. They were pretty easy to remove with a little elbow grease.
SCJK8470.JPG

Re: Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Posted: November 1st, 2019, 7:41 pm
by Dwight
Today I went to a local junkyard that had a 1992 Explorer and managed to grab a few things I need for screen accuracy.

The A Pillar trim pieces in 1992 were screwed in VS how my 1994's had those plastic screws. They cleaned up pretty nicely with my store brand MYSTICAL ERASER :lol:. However, these don't mount up perfectly so most likely i'm going to have to make the holes that hold the plastic clip (that the screws go into) a little bigger.
A Pillar Trim Before & After.JPG

Got 3 black vents for when I get the custom dash in. Its a lot easier to find black vents rather than trying to spray paint the tan ones that are currently in my vehicle. I'll just need to clean them a little.
Black Vents.JPG
Lastly, and most exiting of the 3 parts that I got, is the rear hatch handle. The ones in the movie had the word "GLASS" & "GATE" on the handle, but my 1994 one had a solid black handle.
Rear Hatch Handle.JPG

Re: Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Posted: November 3rd, 2019, 6:04 pm
by Dwight
Started to strip out the interior. Planning on removing everything so that I can Dynamat the interior and have a blank canvas to work with when running all the wiring.
Stripping the Interior.JPG

Re: Explorer Build Thread - Jacksonville FL

Posted: November 4th, 2019, 4:58 pm
by Dwight
Not a huge update, but I got my Mac Mini (A1176) in the mail. Cant wait to start working on the tour programming. Gives me something to do while I save up for the more expensive things such as the paint.

Mac Mini.JPG