its nice seeing my thread is getting views but keeping quit isn't building my truck. Your opinions will not go unwanted if you have experience give me some thoughts!!
Patience grasshopper. Dude you only gave it 3 hours, it's the middle of the day, and you don't know who those 60 something views are. Some times it takes a day or two to get the right people reading a thread and for good answers to start arriving. If you do some reading while you wait might even get some better ideas of your own.
SO I BOUGHT A 2003 FORD RANGER EGDE THE OTHER DAY. IT HAS ABOUT 170,000 MILES ON IT. ASSUMUNG NOTHING HAS BEEN REPLACED SO ITS TIME TO START DOING SOME PREVENTIVIVE MAINTENANCE.
Since I have no truck payment it opens up some options. Im not looking to find a hole or climb a hill side but trails and hunting ect... I am asking for a list of parts and brands that will last me till the block cracks and the engine replacement after that. Daily driver about 50 miles a day.
I am rolling on soft 8s 5x8 31x10.5R15
4.0L Auto
4x4
PARTS
hubs
axles
and other stuff.
Other parts are welcome as well, bumpers, wenches, bed covers (cap or tonneau) etc.....
My truck is your playdoh
Just drive it, perform regular scheduled maintenance and tune up stuff, and fix things as they break. Check your brakes and brake hoses, even if they are good you might want to flush and bleed the system.
Blocks cracking isn't much of an issue on the 4.0L. Heads cracking was an issue on the OHV motors, but haven't heard of them being an issue with the 4.0L
Hubs... You are stuck with what you've got. 2003 uses live axles, they are always engaged. can not be unlocked, and no manual hubs available. They work good though. I'd rather have that than the only manual hub option for the 98-2000 trucks.
Axles... If you are worried about breaking axles, don't. Stock axles are more than capable of handling the 4.0L and 31" tires. You could go to larger tires and still be fine, but with your commute I wouldn't recommend it. I did 60 miles daily on my 99 with 32s for a while. Might not be a bad idea to check/change fluids in differentials. Should you break an axle stock replacements are readily available at the junkyard for cheap.
For the other parts you mention, that's personal preference. I've had a tonneau and a high rise cap, plan to go back to the tonneau or a cab height cap. Not many bolt on aftermarket bumpers available, most I've seen have been custom built. Do you need a winch? All of these will add weight, which will cut down on efficiency, but be useless 90% of the time. If you are wanting a winch for emergencies, check out hitch mounts, they are a little more versatile and you won't have to carry it on the daily commute.
I'm not too familiar with the 4.0L SOHC, but I think the biggest killer for them is the timing chains. You've got two, one for each head. Driver side is at front of block passenger side is at rear of the block. I could be mistaken but I believe that you have to pull the engine or drop the trans to fix/replace the passenger side. Dad's 2000 is rattling pretty good, but he's decided to just drive it until it dies and fix it then.
His truck and his money.
Being a used truck, you'll probably have transmission problems before you have engine problems. Transmission fluid often gets neglected. Check the color and level, and change per schedule or more often as needed. Other than that, just drive it until it fails, no real preventative maintenance possible other than the fluid and filter.
As for parts to buy, just get good stuff when you need it. Made in 'merica if possible.
You really don't want these members treating your truck like playdoh. You've been warned:
Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and 
and criuse that ride till the wheels fall off lol 
