Overview
A popular Ford Ranger upgrade is to install a center console from a 1995-2001 Ford Explorer. If you’re salvaging one from a donor vehicle this article will show you how to remove it.
Tools Required:
- 1/4″ ratchet
- Extensions (optional but very helpful)
- 8mm socket
- 10mm socket
- Magnetic pickup
- Wood block
- Hand sledge (or big hammer)
Steps / Procedure
Step 1 – Remove tissue box-coin holder.
Step 2 – Remove the cubbyhole compartment by pulling up and toward you.
Step 3 – Remove cup holder piece.
Step 4 – Remove (2) 8mm bolts. Loosen the 10mm connector retaining bolt. Disconnect this connector and route up under the heater controls to move it out of the way temporarily.
Step 5 – Remove (2) 8mm bolts in the console. These are threaded into the transmission hump.
The 1995-1996 console has a little light in the cup-holder section of the console that you will need to release to get it out (it’s just a little tab).
Step 6 – Use a wood block against the metal bracket and hit hard with a hammer toward rear until the console moves back about 2-inches. Note how the rear legs (or feet) go under metal tabs in the hump for reassembly.
To help a stubborn one get out, look really close at the bottom edge of the console. Toward the rear is a small, raised edge area with a cut out. You can get a screwdriver up in there and press upwards on the release tabs and then push the console back toward rear of the truck.
Installation
Installation is reverse of removal.
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About The Author
Jim Oaks is the founder of The Ranger Station (TRS), one of the longest-running Ford Ranger enthusiast communities on the web. He has spent over three decades owning, modifying, repairing, and driving Ford Rangers on the street, trail, and overlanding routes.
Since launching TheRangerStation.com in 1999, Jim has documented thousands of real-world Ranger builds, technical repairs, drivetrain swaps, suspension modifications, and off-road adventures. TRS has been heavily referenced by enthusiasts, mechanics, and off-road builders looking for practical, experience-based information.