More than you wanted to know about the Explorer...
- there is no "low" liftover glass on the liftgate now - cost and weight reduction... the glass still opens but not down low like the older EXP.
- the front bumper "overriders" are functional - under the fascia there is a frame extension that absorbs energy in an impact. The front overhang of the Explorer is 4" longer (if memory serves me). We did all we could to hide the extra length with styling tricks...
- Tread width is up by 10mm per side giving a better tire to body relationship.
- Rear suspension is new - trailing arms now instead of a-arms. Sorry but the half shafts still go through the frame... making lift kits very difficult.
- Cladding is on the XLT only. It is new. No door swing cut-outs now (we call them 'skive outs') -I did the section thinner than the old door cladding so the door swings open without the skive-outs. It looks cleaner.
- Bigger new wheel lips - taller section - they are on XLT EB and LTD none on XLS.
- Nice new running boards and step bars. (thank you very much!)
- New exterior mirror - I did these - more aerodynamic and less wind noise but dang if I remember doing ANYTHING in the wind tunnel...
- New grilles have vertical grille bars that are painted black (to hide them) - this was expensive to do - there had to be a special masking process - they are painted after the chrome is applied...
- Rear bumper is carry-over from the old EXP, but tail lamps are new.
- Roof racks are new (I did them!) but they were introduced on the '05.
- Front grille - we could have put grille bars between the upper and lower grilles making one big grille (this was possible because bumper is below lower intake...) but boss did not like the way it looked - so we have chrome area between upper and lower grilles.
- Look for a strange cut out in the headlamp lens surface - not on early production vehicles - will show up about x-mas production.
"Y" did the interior
- there is no "low" liftover glass on the liftgate now - cost and weight reduction... the glass still opens but not down low like the older EXP.
- the front bumper "overriders" are functional - under the fascia there is a frame extension that absorbs energy in an impact. The front overhang of the Explorer is 4" longer (if memory serves me). We did all we could to hide the extra length with styling tricks...
- Tread width is up by 10mm per side giving a better tire to body relationship.
- Rear suspension is new - trailing arms now instead of a-arms. Sorry but the half shafts still go through the frame... making lift kits very difficult.
- Cladding is on the XLT only. It is new. No door swing cut-outs now (we call them 'skive outs') -I did the section thinner than the old door cladding so the door swings open without the skive-outs. It looks cleaner.
- Bigger new wheel lips - taller section - they are on XLT EB and LTD none on XLS.
- Nice new running boards and step bars. (thank you very much!)
- New exterior mirror - I did these - more aerodynamic and less wind noise but dang if I remember doing ANYTHING in the wind tunnel...
- New grilles have vertical grille bars that are painted black (to hide them) - this was expensive to do - there had to be a special masking process - they are painted after the chrome is applied...
- Rear bumper is carry-over from the old EXP, but tail lamps are new.
- Roof racks are new (I did them!) but they were introduced on the '05.
- Front grille - we could have put grille bars between the upper and lower grilles making one big grille (this was possible because bumper is below lower intake...) but boss did not like the way it looked - so we have chrome area between upper and lower grilles.
- Look for a strange cut out in the headlamp lens surface - not on early production vehicles - will show up about x-mas production.
"Y" did the interior
