Just a side note, there is so much talk about the newer rangers with the Canbus Cluster being so complicated, intergrating with the ECU, GEM, PATS, SPEEDO, ETC... But all that is just misinformation. Now that I have DONE IT. That cluster isn't doing anything but holding the mileage and the CANBUS connection just reads and/or programs the mileage from/to it with a scan tool. The ECU is still OBDII, and the PATS DOES NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE CLUSTER WHATSOEVER.
Yes the GEM module is different and works a little differently, but I did not swap it out, it is still stock.
My speedometer just works, there was nothing I had to do. As there is already a VSS wire path in the truck that goes to the cluster, gem, abs, and rear end, I'm not sure why all the confusion on this. Maybe someone else did a swap that did not work, I don't know, but it works on mine. Oil, Voltage, Fuel, Temp, RPM, Speedo, and All dummy lights work properly on the cluster.
However there are two minor things that do not currently work.
1) The door chime does not work as the chime speaker is inside the 2006 Canbus Cluster, previous Ranger/Explorer the Chime is inside the GEM module.
2) The 2006 Cluster has 2 individual door ajar inputs and the older Ranger/Explorer had one input and they were on the same circuit in series. I initially put the single 2002 Explorer Cluster wire to Both Door wires that went to the 2006 Cluster, and the Door Ajar light worked fine when either door opened, but the roof dome light would not cut off when you shut the door (it would time out after 10 minutes or so as when the truck battery saver function kicked in), this was annoying, but by disconnecting one of the two door wires it worked fine, so it was getting some sort of feedback to the GEM module causing that.
So it seems if I converted the 2006 GEM module to the 2000 Explorer GEM it would probably fix the Chime and the Dome Light. But I personally don't care about either function that much, so it's not a priority. But one day I may mess with trying it, but it is just like the Cluster swap, the connectors are way different on both trucks, so I need to sit down and research the functions for all the wires on both trucks and make another spreadsheet.
So at the end of the day, the entire swap is done, it's kinda involved but really not that bad at all, I spent more time researching the wiring diagrams and making spreadsheets than I did in actual physical labor of the entire mechanical swap and wiring.
Don't be scared to swap a newer truck, there are just a few extra things to do, and you don't have to swap the cluster, I just did it because I wanted to.