What color were the fender flares on a 2000 Ranger 4x4?

[Kthwht00]

I share a 2000 Ford Ranger 4x4 work truck with a friend. We're going to do some paint touch up and I told him I wanted to repaint the plastic fender flares black. I claim that they're gray because they're severely faded. He disagrees and says they were originally gray and objects to me painting them black. I downloaded the brochure (thanx TRS) but the photos with the flares are small and the lighting makes it debatable (well-lit black or gray?). I also searched the web and think most examples look black but a youtube video shows them gray, but those may just be faded too. Anyone know for sure?

 

[Snoranger]

Gray.

 

[rubydist]

The only ones that were painted body color were on the Edge trim level, which iirc started in 2001 and those fender flares were different in that they were smooth finish rather than the textured finish of the "normal" flares. All the textured finish ones were the dark gray molded color.

 

[Ranger850]

Dark gray almost black plastic or monochromatic, depending on the year and/or trim

 

[gw33gp]

The 02 FX4 was the first to come out with black fender flares. My 89 STX had black fender flares but they were not installed by the factory. I ordered them from Ford as an add on accessory and installed them myself. Non FX4 were dark gray with the exception of the Edge as noted already.

 

[sebastian323]

I have a 1996 4x4 with those plastic flares. I take it I can pull those flares off and mount them on a non 4x4 bed or fender ?

Also did the 4x4 come lifted from the factory ? Are the front coil springs the same as on 2wd rangers ?