Overlanding a navigator?

[RAPTOgator]

Hey guys, so I’ve always been into off-roading just never had the money to buy a truck, But recently my boss hooked me up with a 2004 Lincoln Navigator for a 1000 bucks. Not an ideal off-roader haha but I’m hoping I can make it work. And yes it’s only a 2wd unfortunately. I don’t plan on doing any rock crawling just get me to some good camping spots with my wife and daughter. It’s been converted to coilovers already no more air ride! First thing I have done to it is put some Ford raptor SVT wheels with 35” tires on it. Now trying to see what direction to go next. I bought a 3” pro ryde leveling kit. Haven’t installed it yet. Kinda changed my mind on it and thinking I may want to go with a long travel setup or maybe mid travel setup. But wanted to hear what you guys think first?
What would be some of the first things for me to buy in your guys opinion? Good upgrades and I’m sure there are some bad upgrades I shouldn’t waste money on. I would like to get some feedback. Is it a dumb idea to do this to a 2wd navigator first of all? It’s almost 6000 lbs, she’s a tank.

Any feedback is much appreciated thanks guys. This is Dylan from Fallbrook Ca. San Diego county

 

[Prerunner1982]

Hello Dylan, welcome from Oklahoma.
How narrow are the trails you plan on going down? Scared of scratches?
Some clearance and travel would be good but a long travel setup may be a bit much for an "overland" rig, sounds more home in the desert but there are guys here that use Raptors.
However, it's your money and your build so if it's what you want/like do it your way.

 

[RAPTOgator]

Hello Dylan, welcome from Oklahoma.
How narrow are the trails you plan on going down? Scared of scratches?
Some clearance and travel would be good but a long travel setup may be a bit much for an "overland" rig, sounds more home in the desert but there are guys here that use Raptors.
However, it's your money and your build so if it's what you want/like do it your way.

Hi and thanks for the response! I honestly haven’t even seen any trails around here I need to go find some haha
And I’m definitely not scared of scratches! Hahaha I got this thing for a 1000 bucks and I’ve already got my money’s worth out of it.
so do you think I’m gonna get stuck everytime I take it out? I was just thinking long travel so I can hit everything with a lot of speed to get me thru it sinceI’m only 2wd. Really this thing is like 1 tire fire. But if LT is overkill I won’t do it. I just want to make sure I’m having fun out there and not just digging my ass out all the time cause that’s gonna suck! This thing weighs 6k lbs seems like it will just sink if I go slow. But I am new to all of this really.

 

[Prerunner1982]

Hi and thanks for the response! I honestly haven’t even seen any trails around here I need to go find some haha
And I’m definitely not scared of scratches! Hahaha I got this thing for a 1000 bucks and I’ve already got my money’s worth out of it.
so do you think I’m gonna get stuck everytime I take it out? I was just thinking long travel so I can hit everything with a lot of speed to get me thru it sinceI’m only 2wd. Really this thing is like 1 tire fire. But if LT is overkill I won’t do it. I just want to make sure I’m having fun out there and not just digging my ass out all the time cause that’s gonna suck! This thing weighs 6k lbs seems like it will just sink if I go slow. But I am new to all of this really.

I don't know your area or the trails but I would say you shouldn't have too much of an issue on most any forest service road.
A rear locker and some recovery/traction gear will be more beneficial than long travel suspension, in my opinion.
You might check out the rig photos thread (Rig Photos) and you will notice that there are many people running fullsized trucks and SUVs with little to no lift.

 

[RAPTOgator]

I don't know your area or the trails but I would say you shouldn't have too much of an issue on most any forest service road.
A rear locker and some recovery/traction gear will be more beneficial than long travel suspension, in my opinion.
You might check out the rig photos thread (Rig Photos) and you will notice that there are many people running fullsized trucks and SUVs with little to no lift.

Ok cool! Thanks again man. So would you suggest putting the leveling kit on? It’s a 3” pro ryde kit costs almost 300 bucks. I was gonna send it back but not really sure what to do now. I guess I just need a bunch of recovery equipment and try to get a locking rear end

 

[Prerunner1982]

I would definitely put a little lift on it to get some clearance between the tire and the fender and to get some ground clearance underneath it, but that's just me.
It's all just my opinion, do it the way you want it.

 

[RAPTOgator]

I would definitely put a little lift on it to get some clearance between the tire and the fender and to get some ground clearance underneath it, but that's just me.
It's all just my opinion, do it the way you want it.

Is a leveling kit good enough? Or should I save up and get a real lift kit front and back? In your opinion haha

 

[Prerunner1982]

Looks like it sits pretty level so I would go with a full lift... unless you are going for the Carolina squat look.

 

[RAPTOgator]

Looks like it sits pretty level so I would go with a full lift... unless you are going for the Carolina squat look.

Hahahahaha Carolina squat. yeah actually measured it and it’s 1/4” higher in the front already! So what is a decent lift kit brand? I’m gonna send this leveling kit back ASAP

 

[Sparksalot]

Run what ya brung! I’ve gone a lot of places in my cop car.

 

[BigJim]

Stop! Don't do anything else until you've gone out and run some trails! If you already have 35's on it then the only thing I would do now is install a good rear locker. Then hit the trails and your rig will begin to tell you what you need. I lived in SoCal and off roaded on every trail that I could find for decades and wasted a lot of money on mods that I read about in magazines and most were a waste of money. Find a buddy or club and go on some runs with them just in case you get in over your head (you will! lol) and over time you'll find out what you really need instead of what's being sold to you. The only other thing you might add is a good air compressor or air system so you can air your tires down into the teens for better traction and better ride. In time add a tire patch kit and Hi Lift jack and save the rest of your money for gas! Mostly just take it easy and slow down and let the rig do its job. Happy Trails!!

 

[grubworm]

Stop! Don't do anything else until you've gone out and run some trails! If you already have 35's on it then the only thing I would do now is install a good rear locker. Then hit the trails and your rig will begin to tell you what you need. I lived in SoCal and off roaded on every trail that I could find for decades and wasted a lot of money on mods that I read about in magazines and most were a waste of money. Find a buddy or club and go on some runs with them just in case you get in over your head (you will! lol) and over time you'll find out what you really need instead of what's being sold to you. The only other thing you might add is a good air compressor or air system so you can air your tires down into the teens for better traction and better ride. In time add a tire patch kit and Hi Lift jack and save the rest of your money for gas! Mostly just take it easy and slow down and let the rig do its job. Happy Trails!!

excellent advice. i have a lifted Tundra and out of all the trips we have done in it, i used 4wd maybe twice and that was going up the side of a mountain in colorado...the thing that helped the most was the lift and bigger tires just to get better clearance. we did a little offroad around sedona, az and the rocks were not bad, but sticking up a little too much to clear with stock...other than that, a navigator would have done everything the tundra did, so BigJim makes a great point.

 

[RAPTOgator]

Stop! Don't do anything else until you've gone out and run some trails! If you already have 35's on it then the only thing I would do now is install a good rear locker. Then hit the trails and your rig will begin to tell you what you need. I lived in SoCal and off roaded on every trail that I could find for decades and wasted a lot of money on mods that I read about in magazines and most were a waste of money. Find a buddy or club and go on some runs with them just in case you get in over your head (you will! lol) and over time you'll find out what you really need instead of what's being sold to you. The only other thing you might add is a good air compressor or air system so you can air your tires down into the teens for better traction and better ride. In time add a tire patch kit and Hi Lift jack and save the rest of your money for gas! Mostly just take it easy and slow down and let the rig do its job. Happy Trails!!

Thanks a lot for all the responses I really appreciate it!! Yes man that sounds like a great idea and kinda what I wanted to do but I don’t have any off road friends in the state right now and just want to make sure this thing isn’t just gonna sink as soon as it hits the dirt being 6k lbs and all. But looks like there’s a lot of heavy not super modified trucks out there judging from all the pics on this sick forum.
It’s been raining a lot the last few weeks and I want to go get it muddy haha I guess I just need to go get some shovels, recovery straps and that skyjacker for now. This thing came with airbags I wonder if theres already a compressor under there or if I can hook up a line to it.
What trails did you do in SoCal? I don’t know of any really that are legal at least haha I’m in north county San Diego

 

[RAPTOgator]

excellent advice. i have a lifted Tundra and out of all the trips we have done in it, i used 4wd maybe twice and that was going up the side of a mountain in colorado...the thing that helped the most was the lift and bigger tires just to get better clearance. we did a little offroad around sedona, az and the rocks were not bad, but sticking up a little too much to clear with stock...other than that, a navigator would have done everything the tundra did, so BigJim makes a great point.

Thanks for the response! I’m so excited to go send this thing. So many people told me it’s dumb to take this thing off-road and don’t waste my time with it just save up for something else. But a truck is gonna be like 4-500 a month payment if I put that into this navigator each month it will be a beast. I’m so happy to get some of this advice from people who actually have done it.

 

[BigJim]

Don't worry too much about the trucks weight, mine as it sits pushes 8,000 pounds and have yet to get it stuck to any degree that I couldn't use a shovel to get out of. And most of the time I'm not even in 4 wheel drive. I do put it in 4x4 from time to time to keep the transfer case well lubed but most off roading is easily done in 2 wheel drive. Consider this, most race trucks are not even 4x4's!!

The air compressor might still be in there somewhere but it's going to take a long long long time to air up 35' tires! Been there done that! At some point in the future you'll want a quality compressor with at least a 2.5 gallon air tank. I know all too well the misery of airing my tires back up in the SoCal deserts in summer!! lol But that will be in time to come. For now just take it easy and learn what your rig is telling you as you hit the trails.

If you want to throw some money at it just to get it more trail worthy first thing I think I'd do is the rear locker. Followed by the air compressor then the air tank. Most stuff after that is just to make life on the trail a little nicer or easier. For now just "run wa ya brung"

For now start checking into local clubs, if they're worth being around they'll happily bring you along and help with any recovery needs you might run into. If they go nose up at your ride then find another group, if they're jerks on pavement they'll be a%%holes on the trails and not worth being around! A good group will understand that starting off we just use what we have until we have more knowledge and experience to help pick the next ride.

Also look around on this forum and over on the Expedition Portal Forum. Find local meet and greets and get to know some other members, most will be very willing to pass along knowledge and tips to the "new guy"! With all the different clubs in SoCal you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a club that will let you tag along. If I was still living down there my buddy and I would have been happy to have another rig with us.

The only downside to off roading in SoCal is you'll wind up driving hours to the nearest trail head. That part sucks but if you're willing to add a night or two of camping in the beautiful California deserts it won't be a problem. Or just drive a few hours, not a big problem on the freeways down there. Plus there are lots of books that have various trails to try out. My favorite that my friend and I would use was called "BackCountry Adventures" by Peter Massey. It's been out of print for awhile but if you can find a copy its' worth it's weight in gold to a off roader who's just starting out. Try and find books that rate the trails difficulity so you'll know where to start out. Happy Trails!

 

[BigJim]

One more thing to add. You'll want some means of talking to other members of your group or if out alone some means of calling for help. It seems like the better the trail the further from cell coverage you'll be! lol At the least put in a CB radio as lots of clubs still use those. Not a handheld or all in the mic type, one that mounts and has a regular microphone. Better yet find a local Ham radio group that has "Tech" classes and get your ham radio license. Many clubs a switching to ham radio as you have much more power and much further talking range. The test is easy and usually done in a weekend. If he still does them Gordon West does a very good school. If you're going to be out on your own the ham radio along with "repeaters" can give you hundreds of miles of "get help" calling areas. Worst case is something like a Delorme InReach or some other kind of satellite based rescue service, not cheap but if it's all you got it's better then dying on a remote trail somewhere!

 

[RAPTOgator]

Don't worry too much about the trucks weight, mine as it sits pushes 8,000 pounds and have yet to get it stuck to any degree that I couldn't use a shovel to get out of. And most of the time I'm not even in 4 wheel drive. I do put it in 4x4 from time to time to keep the transfer case well lubed but most off roading is easily done in 2 wheel drive. Consider this, most race trucks are not even 4x4's!!

The air compressor might still be in there somewhere but it's going to take a long long long time to air up 35' tires! Been there done that! At some point in the future you'll want a quality compressor with at least a 2.5 gallon air tank. I know all too well the misery of airing my tires back up in the SoCal deserts in summer!! lol But that will be in time to come. For now just take it easy and learn what your rig is telling you as you hit the trails.

If you want to throw some money at it just to get it more trail worthy first thing I think I'd do is the rear locker. Followed by the air compressor then the air tank. Most stuff after that is just to make life on the trail a little nicer or easier. For now just "run wa ya brung"

For now start checking into local clubs, if they're worth being around they'll happily bring you along and help with any recovery needs you might run into. If they go nose up at your ride then find another group, if they're jerks on pavement they'll be a%%holes on the trails and not worth being around! A good group will understand that starting off we just use what we have until we have more knowledge and experience to help pick the next ride.

Also look around on this forum and over on the Expedition Portal Forum. Find local meet and greets and get to know some other members, most will be very willing to pass along knowledge and tips to the "new guy"! With all the different clubs in SoCal you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a club that will let you tag along. If I was still living down there my buddy and I would have been happy to have another rig with us.

The only downside to off roading in SoCal is you'll wind up driving hours to the nearest trail head. That part sucks but if you're willing to add a night or two of camping in the beautiful California deserts it won't be a problem. Or just drive a few hours, not a big problem on the freeways down there. Plus there are lots of books that have various trails to try out. My favorite that my friend and I would use was called "BackCountry Adventures" by Peter Massey. It's been out of print for awhile but if you can find a copy its' worth it's weight in gold to a off roader who's just starting out. Try and find books that rate the trails difficulity so you'll know where to start out. Happy Trails!

Man your so helpful thanks ALOT!! So will a harbor freight little compressor work? the 3 gallon? Or do you mean a compressor and another “air tank”? With the harbor freight power inverter that connects to my battery? Will that work?
and I’m definitely gonna get a copy of that book ASAP.
Also what rear locker setup would you recommend? I don’t know anything about trucks YET sorry for all the questions. I’ve only worked on Fwd cars unfortunately up until this point. way less shit involved haha. I have dropped a couple v8 trannys but that’s it didn’t even put them back in hahaha. I found a couple positraction differential Carriers? On summit, Is that it? They have one for 400 and one for 600

 

[M Rose]

Man your so helpful thanks ALOT!! So will a harbor freight little compressor work? the 3 gallon? Or do you mean a compressor and another “air tank”? With the harbor freight power inverter that connects to my battery? Will that work?
and I’m definitely gonna get a copy of that book ASAP.
Also what rear locker setup would you recommend? I don’t know anything about trucks YET sorry for all the questions. I’ve only worked on Fwd cars unfortunately up until this point. way less shit involved haha. I have dropped a couple v8 trannys but that’s it didn’t even put them back in hahaha. I found a couple positraction differential Carriers? On summit, Is that it? They have one for 400 and one for 600

Sorry I’m coming on board a little late. I have run 2 first gen Explorers in the past. My first suggestion was going to be lockers and possibly gears (depending on size of tire after lift you are thinking down the road). For a locker since you are 2wd, a selectable locker like OX can’t be beat. It is very durable, cable operates and fails to open differential. I always wanted to try an Eaton E-Locker, but after reviews and reading stories about poor customer service I have since turned my back on that option. Then the most expensive, but best option, would be ARB air lockers. Since you only need one locker this makes an excellent choice since you are also wondering about air compressors. Getting the full ARB locker kit would give you a 100% duty cycle compressor @100 psi with 150 psi max rating (120 psi is dot safety max rating on an air system btw). Then you would only need to buy a 2.5 gallon tank and an air hose for a complete air system to air up your tires. Also going with this set up, you could also get air powered tools to work on your rig both at home and on the trail.
Stay away from commercial 110 volt air compressors and an inverter, the inverter wont supply enough power to even turn on the compressor unless you spend some serious bills. For more compressor reading check out this out:

Best mobile air compressor unit for Overland travel?

Alright fellow overlandies, Amazon links are appreciated. What do you use, what works, what will last? I need a mobile compressor for my 4Runner so I can air down then back up in the backcountry. Let me have the knowledge. Thanks in advance, Nico.

www.overlandbound.com

 

[M Rose]

Here is some reading on selectable lockers vs auto lockers

Selectable vs. Automatic - The Differential Showdown

Installing a locking differential into your 4x4 is one of the best upgrades you can do. Understanding that a locker is what allows your wheels to spin at the sa

www.fourwheeler.com

 

[MidOH]

Run it as is, and stick to routes that it can do. 99% of overlanding is so mild that pos Sprinter motorhomes can do it. Don't waste money on lockers for a rig that eats joints off road. Trade it in for a 4wd something instead of going that route.

Pick up some Truckclaws instead, for when you get stuck. I keep two sets in my work truck.



In my 6900# F250, engaging the rear locker in 2wd only makes things worse. It's priceless in 4wd, but nearly useless in 2wd.