Deaver leaf packs have few peers in the leaf-spring world, so they were a natural choice for springing the Explorer's tail section. Since an SUV has a heavier tail than a pickup, the spring rate was matched to the application. A spring-under configuration is less prone to spring wrap compared to a spring-over. Another benefit of spring-under is more bump travel because the leaf pack doesn't take up space on top of the axle, and the springs can travel farther upward before going into a spring-fatiguing negative arch.
Travis claims the Glamis dunes as one of his favorite haunts, so he needed something substantial under the hood to move the Expo' through the power-robbing sand. Fortunately, the Explorer came stock with one of Ford's most beloved powerplants: a 5.0 V8. Unfortunately, the original engine died a rocking, knocking, pinging death on one of Siflinger's frequent desert trips. Fortunately, the motor was brought back to life with a quality rebuild. Of course, the rebuild was an unfortunate pain in the wallet. A Blitzkrieg engine cage surrounds the 5.0 and gives the upper end of the Kings a home.
 If you opt to go the SUV route,...  If you opt to go the SUV route, it's a bit trickier to build a proper long-travel prerunner compared to building a pickup. |  The area around the rear door...  The area around the rear door and quarter-panel stands in the way both in terms of wheel opening and body width. FiberwerX has a solution for this situation. A fiberglass rear quarter-panel features a more generous wheel opening for longer travel and larger tires and adds width to properly envelop the bigger rolling stock. |  The quarter-panels blend seamlessly...  The quarter-panels blend seamlessly with the rest of the body lines thanks to a rear door panel complete with a door handle extender. |
 Blitzkrieg Motorsports was...  Blitzkrieg Motorsports was responsible for this front end's transformation. The '00 Explorer shares its front end with the Ranger Edge and the Explorer Sport Trac, so the long-travel artistry seen here will apply to those vehicles as well. Blitzkrieg's Nate Hanson tossed nearly all of the stock parts from Travis's front end and built a pair of custom spindles to complement the boxed lower control arms and matching tubular uppers. |  The stock hubs and brake calipers...  The stock hubs and brake calipers were called back into action, but now the calipers squeeze an oversized pair of rotors. To steer things straight, a pair of extended tie rods was crafted using 4130 chrome-moly tubing and FK rod ends. |  The tie rods bolt to the stock...  The tie rods bolt to the stock steering rack via a pair of machined stainless steel clevises. The Dirt Alliance Explorer relies on King coilovers and bumpstops to damp the front end and a pair of Pyrotect limit straps to gently control top-out when the Explorer's nose leaves the ground. The Blitzkrieg front end is 5.5 inches wider per side and nets 16-plus inches of travel. |
 |  Cut through the floor for...  Cut through the floor for long-travel shocks? Not this time. With some metallic trickery, Blitzkrieg was able to leave the Explorer's floor intact and mount a pair of King 2.5 bypass shocks that allow 14 inches of rear travel. |  Executing the shock mounts...  Executing the shock mounts cleanly wasn't a haphazard exercise; it took brainstorming, measuring, more brainstorming, and more measuring. |