Thanks RonD for the reply and info. I think you may be on to something with the crank, i think the crank gear on the older sets has a step on it and the newer one doesnt. I ordered a 98 set, i also have a 99+ set so i will compare when i get the other one in. I did notice the crank sensors are different as well. 99+ has the coil mounted on top of the valve cover, 98pre has a coil braket that is mounted to the upper intake bolts (coil and spark wires are different as well). The upper to lower intake bolts are smaller on 99+. Exhaust manifolds to pipe has studs in 99+, 98pre had bolts going into the manifolds. The engine mounts and brackets are different between torsion vs coil spring. Oil pressure sensor has different wiring connector. I was thinking about the cam sync but have not checked it yet, thanks for the heads up on it. I have the 98 engine stripped down to a long block to regasket it and swap over everything. I also noticed that the valve springs are conical in 99+, the 98 has regular springs and probably 8mm valve stems. So im thinking the oil pan, timing cover, balancer, crank pulley, water pump, and maybe the flex plate are the same? The 01 has a 5r44e 5speed auto and the 98 has a 4r44e auto so im not sure on the flex plates. Sorry for all the questions, the 3.0l is new to me. All my other rangers have 2.3l or v8 swaps in them. Never owned one with a 3.0 or 4.0, in the last 5 months I have acquired four 3.0l rangers lol.. just now starting to tinker with them. Thanks for your help.