4.0 swap....
oh, seriously.. junkyard hunt my friend! buckets and center console or explorer dome light w/ 2 map lights on it, anything like that
if you can weld, have a scrap laying around-- sliders, steps, bumpers
throttle cable n zip tie mod
wash it!
body lift (i did my body lift for $30, used some freight liner aluminum gas tank spacer blocks(work part time at a semi shop)- all i bought was bolts)
headliner replacement (most need it since they are 20ish years old)
my paint was free-- again, work part time in a shop.
convert to manual hubs, again, junkyard hunt
there's a lot of things you can do cheaply if you look around, and wait it out.. i have $200 in a full parts donor rig (that might get built later in my life, its a 92 explorer that's gutted, but hey-- sas it, 5.0, so on)