Best budget mods for 4x4 Ranger

[White_4x4Ranger]

I don't really Know. I think I have a ten amp fuse on the lights, and I really like that Torsen.

Ok, thanks. I’m looking forward to seeing how it does off road, however the trails mig HR as well be closed where I’m at due to snow (Central Washington) also, I have never driven off road before so I’d like to do it when trail conditions are better

@Kira Why would you need to go international? Donor Explorers should be available at parts yards all across the country, including one near you. I would say keep you eyes open and you might find a V8 donor for cheap on the local classifieds that has the console as well, but I'm not sure how your state would like that little mod.



You wouldn't for most normal usage. Just regularly exercise the transfer case and it'll work fine. 90% of the problem with the electric shift transfer cases is them never getting used. Most of the remaining 10% is failed auto locking hubs which your year model doesn't have.

With only a $100 to spend you best bet is to save it for maintenance or until you save up a bit more. These days I think the first mod worth doing is probably an aftermarket radio. I rocked the stock radio in my 99 until last year, wish I had done it sooner. That's going to be more than the budget for an nice unit though.

Ok, good to know. I’ve heard of the problems with the vacuum locking hubs and tried to steer clear of the years affected. I’ve been looking into getting a new stereo and like you said a quality one will be more than my budget. I’ve found some Pioneer ones around ~180 that look good. I’ve found cheap Amazon ones with good reviews that probably work fine but I’d still like to get a good brand.

 

[White_4x4Ranger]

I don't want to be a party-pooper. But, honestly, your best bet is to wait. Save up more money. Drive the truck and get to know it. You're better off having $100 in your pocket for when the starter fails or the water pump, or... You may end up needing to replace a $15 part, but need to buy a $60 tool to do it.

We all know the excitement of having a new vehicle, especially if it's your first truck. There is an unreachable itch to modify it, to do something that says "This one is mine. I've worked on it. It's at least a little bit different from all the others." But "budget mods" often end up being cheap and Inferior quality, simply because the budget is small. Even a cheap set of fog lights. The housings and brackets will rust quickly. The included wiring harness will have undersized wire and poor quality connectors so that there are problems afterwards. It leads to more frustration than it's worth. If you really want to spend your budget on something usefull for the truck, buy a decent starter tool set - metric and SAE combination wrenches, sockets, good screwdrivers, a set of quality ramps to pull it up on for doing oil changes, etc. Stuff like that. That way, when the budget allows for a decent modification, we can talk you through doing it yourself.

I think I’ve heard that same opening idea a couple times now. I do think it is a good idea to have money saved for repairs. However, I have a couple hundred set aside right now for repairs or parts, courtesy of my parents not letting me spend all my money on ‘fun’ parts, which is definitely a good thing to do lol.
I’ve got a good tool set I got from my grandpa when he retired from his job as an electrician ( socket/ratchet set with Metric and SAE 3/8 and 1/4 inch drive.) My dad has a drawer full of screw drivers I can borrow from him, as he has duplicates and he won’t care if I use the older ones to make a tool kit to keep in the truck.
i don’t have any ramps but I do have some old lumber sitting in the side of the house I can stack up.
One think that I would also love to do to the truck is get one of the Raptor Style grills.
Thanks

 

[White_4x4Ranger]

@Kira Why would you need to go international? Donor Explorers should be available at parts yards all across the country, including one near you. I would say keep you eyes open and you might find a V8 donor for cheap on the local classifieds that has the console as well, but I'm not sure how your state would like that little mod.



You wouldn't for most normal usage. Just regularly exercise the transfer case and it'll work fine. 90% of the problem with the electric shift transfer cases is them never getting used. Most of the remaining 10% is failed auto locking hubs which your year model doesn't have.

With only a $100 to spend you best bet is to save it for maintenance or until you save up a bit more. These days I think the first mod worth doing is probably an aftermarket radio. I rocked the stock radio in my 99 until last year, wish I had done it sooner. That's going to be more than the budget for an nice unit though.

Ok. I’ve been looking into radio units but most I’ve been finding are around 180 for one with Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay. I’ve found some no-name ones on Amazon with good reviews around 100 that would probably work just as well as some of the name brand ones but I’d rather just get a brand with a name I can pronounce and not have to worry about it.

 

[Curious Hound]

I do think it is a good idea to have money saved for repairs. However, I have a couple hundred set aside right now for repairs or parts, courtesy of my parents not letting me spend all my money on ‘fun’ parts, which is definitely a good thing to do lol.

You're on the right track.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Ok. I’ve been looking into radio units but most I’ve been finding are around 180 for one with Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay. I’ve found some no-name ones on Amazon with good reviews around 100 that would probably work just as well as some of the name brand ones but I’d rather just get a brand with a name I can pronounce and not have to worry about it.

If all you are looking for is bluetooth, basic radio function and basic phone interaction (calls over the stereo) I have purchased two of the $40 single DIN BOSS audio stereos in the last year for two of my vehicles. There's some minor quirks like weak retention into the bracket, the older one doesn't stay on random through an ignition cycle but the newer one does but at least all 4 outputs work unlike the fancier stereo it replaced...

 

[White_4x4Ranger]

If all you are looking for is bluetooth, basic radio function and basic phone interaction (calls over the stereo) I have purchased two of the $40 single DIN BOSS audio stereos in the last year for two of my vehicles. There's some minor quirks like weak retention into the bracket, the older one doesn't stay on random through an ignition cycle but the newer one does but at least all 4 outputs work unlike the fancier stereo it replaced...

I have a Bluetooth fm adapter I’m using right now and it works but the audio quality isn’t very good and it’s pretty quiet. I’d like to get head unit that has Apple CarPlay and a back up camera would be nice. That’s the main reason why I’m not gonna get a basic singer or double din one.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Fair enough, I put one of the double DIN ATOTO ones in my Explorer to have a backup camera, it's like 4 years old now and misbehaving here and there...

 

[White_4x4Ranger]

Fair enough, I put one of the double DIN ATOTO ones in my Explorer to have a backup camera, it's like 4 years old now and misbehaving here and there...

Thats the one Chinese brand I would Consider getting. I’ve seen a lot of good things about them. Would you say it’s worth it? They have probably gotten better since you got yours too

 

[scotts90ranger]

Knowing they have likely gotten better with some of the quirks I would say so, user interface was easy, I never did figure out the maps which was part of why I put out the $$ but not a big deal to me, the talking on the phone was good, two external USB was nice to keep a USB drive in the glove box, bluetooth range was about 15' outside of the vehicle but not a huge deal...

 

[00t444e]

It’s already pretty level, so I think it might have already been cranked. It has a manual tranny right now, and a factory 4.10 limited slip diff in the rear. Why would I want a manual transfer case as opposed to the regular electric one?
Thanks

Manual transfer case is more reliable and won't fail on you at the worst possible time, also shifts much quicker.

 

[86_FX4]

Sure, if you could post a picture of that switch panel that would be nice. If/ when I get a stereo I’ll do the usb conversion. I would do it sooner but I have an adaptor I can use for now and I don’t really want to pull the center dash trim thing out twice.

 

[Snoranger]

Manual transfer case is more reliable and won't fail on you at the worst possible time, also shifts much quicker.

The worst possible time… you mean when you need it? The best thing for the E-shift is to cycle it regularly at least once a month. 99.9% of the people don’t do that. Then it doesn’t work when they go to use it and say “it failed when I needed it the most”. No, it failed 3 months ago, you just haven’t attempted to use it until today.
- Rant over -

 

[Curious Hound]

The worst possible time… you mean when you need it? The best thing for the E-shift is to cycle it regularly at least once a month. 99.9% of the people don’t do that. Then it doesn’t work when they go to use it and say “it failed when I needed it the most”. No, it failed 3 months ago, you just haven’t attempted to use it until today.
- Rant over -

Agreed. I use mine often and it works faithfully.

 

[00t444e]

The worst possible time… you mean when you need it? The best thing for the E-shift is to cycle it regularly at least once a month. 99.9% of the people don’t do that. Then it doesn’t work when they go to use it and say “it failed when I needed it the most”. No, it failed 3 months ago, you just haven’t attempted to use it until today.
- Rant over -

It will work fine all summer then fail in the winter when it's 20 degrees with snow and ice on the ground. Even when it does work it's very slow to shift in and out of low range. You have to be at a complete stop with your foot on the brake and the clutch pushed in then wait for it to shift. With the manual shift you can be rolling at 5 mph or less push in the clutch and shift it in a second.

 

[Snoranger]

It will work fine all summer then fail in the winter when it's 20 degrees with snow and ice on the ground. Even when it does work it's very slow to shift in and out of low range. You have to be at a complete stop with your foot on the brake and the clutch pushed in then wait for it to shift. With the manual shift you can be rolling at 5 mph or less push in the clutch and shift it in a second.

5 MPH!?!? The system in my ‘94 Explorer was slightly modified… I had electric shift on the fly low range. I wouldn’t recommend it.