New to this whole ranger thing.

[Electrohacker01]

Just bought a 99 ranger for $700, has a 3.0 a blown trans (scheduled a repair) with 4wd. its an exteded cab 2 door stepside xlt 4x4 offroad package.

are there any better seat options that allow access to the rear of a 2 door than the 60/40 split bench seats?

Everything I hear about the 3.0 engine is they are reliable but under powered, True? my plan could be a 5.0 swap in the future, but part of me might wait for a 4 door extended cab truck

I noticed the rear is drum brakes, would a disk swap be a good idea? I can grab a whole explorer axle from the junk yard for cheap.

any other common issues Im not thinking of?
I mainly bought it because I was so happy with my explorer and knew a lot of the suspension and body and frame stuff already.

 

[RangerX]

The 3.0 is not a bad engine, just the worst of the three options Ford put in the Ranger. Since the trans is dead, it's a perfect opportunity to swap it out. 5.0 would rock, and you could bring the rest of the driveline with it. Trans, tcase, rear axle.

Don't know about the seat issue, what type of seat do you envision as being better for access? Any seat would have to fold forward same as what you got, no?

 

[Electrohacker01]

Not sure, I saw a bucket seat at the junk yard yesterday with a normal console and air lumbar supports. I just wanted something closer to my explorer's seats.

 

[Electrohacker01]

also last night I found that the rear spring perches and shackles were toast. time for a 2 inch lift!

 

[Electrohacker01]

in my opinion the worst was the 4.0l SOHC. I wish it was the 4.0 OHV, but the 3.0 is at least a good reliable engine... I hope... until I get the itch to do a 5.0L swap

 

[Mike65]

On my last 00 Ranger that had the 60/40 split bench I went to a JY & found a mid to late 90's Explorer Sport (or a 4 dr would work to) that had the shorty console & bucket seats & swapped them into the Ranger. Since bucket seats are an option on the Ranger the bolt holes are already in the floor, you just have to locate & drill holes for the bolts for the console. IIRC there might even be dimples in the floor where the studs would go if the truck came with a console. You could also use the full length console from a Explorer in stead of the shorty console.

 

[Josh P]

Is the ranger an auto transmission?