INSTALLATION OF A WARN M8000 WINCH IN A HIDDEN MOUNT ON THE 2001 EXPLORER SPORT TRAC

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1 INSTALLATION OF A WARN M8000 WINCH IN A HIDDEN MOUNT ON THE 2001 EXPLORER SPORT TRAC By: Kyle Schwulst bigmellon@yahoo.com BACKGROUND I have always wanted a winch on my vehicle. There is just something cool about the security that it offers when off road. I was able to purchase this new toy as a graduation gift to myself. And let me tell you, it is EXACTLY what I always wanted! Having said this, I need to express that the light of heart or inexperienced mechanic should not undertake this modification. This modification is not extremely complex, but it is VERY tight and there is not a lot of room for error. Also, I believe that the addition of a winch of this size in a hidden configuration would be almost impossible without a body lift already installed on the Sport Trac. There is simply not enough room in the front end. Furthermore, the newer integrated winches will not fit due to their increased height as compared to the M8000, even with the body lift. For those of you not familiar with the M8000, it is a Warn winch rated at 8000 lbs max pull rate. This is more than adequate for most full size trucks, let alone the ST. If you order the M8000 winch with the roller fairlead, as I did, you will receive 100 of cable vs. the standard 80 of cable. The extra length may come in handy some day. For the installation itself, I was determined to make the winch fit between the front fascia and the radiator in a hidden winch mount configuration. This was for two main reasons; First of all, I don t want this thing to be stolen. Once you see pictures of how hard this was to install, you would never want to pull it out. Secondly, cosmetic reasons lead me to want to hide the bulk of the winch. I like the look of the fairlead and clevis hook hanging from the front, nothing else

2 PARTS LIST Warn M8000 winch w/ roller fairlead Warn Universal mounting plate (foot down) #60368 Four ½ grade eight nuts and bolts 10 length of hose shielding SPECIAL TOOLS NEEDED Plasma cutter Grinder or grinding wheel Drill or drill press GETTING STARTED In order to access the front frame rails to adequately assess space to fit the universal mounting bracket, the front fascia must be removed from the vehicle. This can be done fairly quickly and involves the removal of only a few bolts. Pop the hood, and remove the six bolts holding the black plastic cover above the grille. This is the cover that has the access panels to the headlights. Now, remove the bolt from each wheel well just in front of the front tires. There is also a plastic fastener that must be loosened. The front fascia is not ready to be removed. Gently unclip the fascia from one side to the other supporting the piece as it becomes loose. Make sure you can set the entire front fascia in a place where it will be safe from being damaged. Remove the front bumper from the vehicle. There are four bolts that secure the bumper to the frame. Remove them and set the bumper out of the way. The transmission cooler lines will need to be disconnected for the fitting of the mounting bracket. With the vehicle off, there is no pressure in the lines. Simply loosen the fasteners and remove the hose from the hard line. It may be wise to plug the lines so that excessive transmission fluid is not lost. There is not a heavy flow of fluid when this is done. Make sure the hoses are out of the way. MOUTING PLATE INSTALLATION AND MODIFICATION The mounting plate is large enough to fit to the center of both frame rails. Although it is long enough for this, there is little room to allow for a ½ bolt into the frame rail itself. Instead, I decided to mount this plate to the stock tow hook brackets, which are in turn welded to the frame. These brackets are fairly beefy and should do the job well. The universal mounting plate will need to be modified to fit between the frame rails. The plate is a large U shape that cradles the winch in the center. The front and back of the plate do not offer much strength in pulling operations (they are at right angles to the force). Therefore, feel free to remove material as necessary for the bracket to fit in place. The front will be the hardest part, as the mounting plate will need to be cut at an angle that follows the front bumper brackets. The plate will fill the entire area in front of the radiator up to the bumper when finished. Make sure to scribe and drill holes for the transmission cooler lines. These will be routed THROUGH the mounting plate.

3 figure 1 - Illustration of mounting plate location and holes drilled for transmission cooler lines Make your scribes and cut the plate so that it will fit you needs. I suggest a plasma cutter for this. It REALLY helps the process go much faster. Once it is in a useable shape, transfer the bolt pattern onto the mounting plate and drill the four holes to attach the plate to the tow hook mounts. Test fit your design multiple times before you bolt it in for the final time. You may want to ensure that all cut surfaces are ground smooth and repainted for corrosion resistance. I recommend Rustoleum for this. I have always had good results with that. Add approximately a ten inch length of braided hose covering over the transmission cooler line that does not have one on it already. Try to use a similar material as to what was used on the first hose. This will help keep any chaffing away from the rubber lines. Pass the lines through he hole drilled in the plate and attach them to their prospective lines. WINCH INSTALLATION There is an option to rotate the engage/disengage lever by 45º. You will want to do this to allow easier access of this lever once finally installed on the vehicle. To do this, you must remove the bolts on the right side of the winch (shown in the instructions) and rotate the assembly by two bolt holes. Install all bolts and re-torque them to specification. The winch can now be lowered into position in the center of the plate. It is a tight fit, and the winch is fairly heavy (80 lbs), so be careful. It may help to have a friend assist you. Bolt the winch to the plate using grade eight hardware. Run the ground wire (left side of the winch) to the left side (passenger side) of the radiator, up and across the radiator and connect it to the negative battery terminal. Set the control box behind the bumper, just above the winch. I had to make a small bracket to hold it in place. I also lengthened the control wires from the control box so that I could place to connector in the grill of the truck. It gave the overall installation a very clean look.

4 Warn control box location figure 2 winch and mounting plate installed The thick (2 gage) wires from the control box can be run to the winch itself. The wires are color coded so there is little confusion as to which wire goes where. The positive lead can be run to the battery along the right side (driver side) of the vehicle. You want this cable going DIRECTLY to the battery, as large amounts of amps can be drawn at full pull. figure 3 control connector mounted in the grill of the Sport Trac Make sure that the entire system works before putting everything back together. The reassembly process is the opposite as the disassembly process with the exception of fascia trimming. The winch required small amounts of trimming to the front lower opening. I used a high-speed rotary tool to cut the plastic. It did a wonderful job in my opinion. Try not to cut too much. You can t replace what you have removed, but can always cut more from it!!

5 SO, YOU HAVE INSTALLED A WINCH, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOW? Now that you have a winch USE IT!!!! Go play in the mud with a little more piece of mind. Some additional tools to look into purchasing: Leather gloves Snatch block Tow Straps Shovel Tree saver Rope winch line (really cool stuff) Strong tow hooks