Before I commit to buying one of these hogs, I got a few questions.

Are there alignment holes on the tailgate to line up pins on that gawdy ford emblem? That'd be the first thing to go.

Any way I can get the dealer to remove the flares and have them color matched? I think they'd look alot better that way. It wouldn't have to match the front bumper, as that would be gone as well.

-Or- Would anyone be interested in swapping beds(flareside) and front fenders?

Where can I get an STX grille? I saw another member had one and said Jusnes doesn't sell them anymore.

I could live with one after those three mods.

 

why not see about getting a sport and buy the additional skid plates.

im sure the dealer would do all the other stuff but it will cost you.

 

x2 zach...

I'm kinda thinking of trading for a 06 xlt (or maybe sport) 4x4 and just get the skid plates...I'm upgrading probably to a superlift and bl if I do get it...so I'm not worried about the other stuff. Plus gears and powertrax are going in so if it is an 8.8, I'm cool.

I'll post a new thread, but I got REALLY stuck today, and it aggrivated me, the 2nd time I could have just had 4x4 to get me out...

 

I like the two-tone paint on the fx4 line.

What's the major differences from a sport to a LII? This isn't going to be a street queen, just like the last one wasn't. She's going to be taking some abuse '06 or not lol.

I have a donor truck too =] Skid plates are free.

 

major difference would be the 31 spline rear end. and shocks. are you planning on lifting it?

i looked at the 06s at hte dealer and what i really wanted was mixing the parts from a sport and fx4 and lvl2, the packages were just not exactly what i wanted but i could mix the parts and make a ranger that i really liked.

 

Yeah, I was in the midst of saving up for the RCD for the old one =\

The 31 spline torsen l/s rear is what I'm most concerned about. I may just have to buy another 03 fx4 flareside. I think that's the only thing that will make me happy. Then throw an explorer rear axle on it with the discs already installed.

 

If i were you, I would pick up a sport (for price and convenience) and see if they will (i doubt it, but it may happen) swap axles to a 31 spline for ya...I wouldn't be worried about it if i were you though, 28 is plenty...largest you can go is 35's anyway (b/c of front axle)

 

i would (if you even can now with all the plant shutdowns) custom order a new sport with all the options you want and then swap in a 31 spline if you want it... does your wrecked truck have one?

 

nah it's a 28 spline with l/s

The torsen comes in the fx4 and LII packages on the 06

 

ah okay... you could just get a sport and install a locker in the 28 spline... i think the sport/edge is better than the xlt/L2 for the rubber floors alone... you can mod the rest with the parts from your old truck and the cash from the insurance since you can get a new sport 4x4 for less than what you should get from your insurance

 

I dunno, it's still up in the air. I just wanna have my mind made up by the time I'm done fighting with the insurance company.

There was an 03 LII on ebay in florida with 19k miles @ a dealer. The auction is over, the reserve wasn't met. I contacted the dealer and they said they wanted $18k. I asked what they'd give it to me for if I walked in with cash(explained my situation). They said $15k in cash and it's mine. That's a steal. Manual tranny and transfer case. My dad drives truck and goes past there once a week. If it's still there when I get my loot, it'll be on the top of my list. If not I'm gonna have to find something else.

It's white, I'd wanna trade fenders and beds with someone who has a white flareside =]

 

The L2 has the torsen and 31 spline with bilsteins while the FX4 has a ford limited slip and 31 spline with ford shocks. I don't know if anyone has said this but in four wheeler magazine they did a ranger L2 build up and said they would not trade that torsen for a locker. Just my 2cents

 

Well if you get a black one i'll definately trade my flareside bed for a fleetside. I want my old red fleetside ranger back real bad for all the hauling i do. Hopefully though in a couple months my brother will be taking the ranger and i can get an F250 7.3L PSD

 

I was looking through the ranger specs brochure at the dealer. I'm not sure if it was the 06 or 07, but both came with torsen. The FX4 and the LII, that is.

 

idk but the dealer in town got 2 or 3 lvl2s talk about hot.

 

Pshh, the lame a$$ dealer down the road from me has one FX4. None of the sales reps ever heard of a LII. I had to point it out on the brochures that litter that stealership. They were all like "I'll be damned".

Unless you want an F-150, it's pointless to talk to those nimrods. They had two fusions, one five-hundred, 4 rangerss, and three mustangs new. I couldn't get a count on the F-150's. There must have been at least 60 new F-150's. I told them they need to take down the Ford logo from the place and put up an F-150 logo.

 

Groundassault: You sure on the 31 splines FX-4?? Level 2 are 31, FX-4 28 Im pretty sure

 

I am willing to bet you would be hard pressed (read: it is nearly impossible) to get a dealer to 'throw in' repainted fender flairs for you. And if they do, I am sure they are going to pull a large profit on it. I think you are better off just budgeting some money and taking it to a local body shop right after taking delivery.
Is that true? I thought it was LII only.. at least it was in '03. FordVehicles.com seems to indicate the base FX4 still comes w/ the clutch L/S in a 28-spline axle.

The base FX4 STILL does not come w/ a front skid plate!

If I had to do it over again (like you) and were still interested in a Ranger, I would probably do the LII package again. I agree about the 2-tone paint. Yellow on gray wouldn't look half bad; extra flashy. The front end looks like bum to me, but there isn't anything you can do about that. The rear axle, especially the torsen is really nice, especially in the snow. The shocks are nice too. The wheels, interior trim and such are icing. For the price difference over a base FX4, it is entirely worth it. One thing I really love about my LII is the bucket seats.. but you can get that in a base FX4 too. (I never would have considered a Ranger w/ buckets, but after sitting in them I am glad I did!)

Swapping an explorer axle will buy you the heavier axle and discs, but it still won't give you the torsen L/S. If you are hell-bent on lifting it and making an off-road monster, then by all means, start w/ a lesser Ranger. But then if you are doing that then you should start w/ a used truck anyhow..

 

I'm finalizing everything with insurance as we speak. Still trying to get a buy-back price.

I think I'm going to stay away from anything new. Less, if any, payments and don't have to worry about hiding mods when going in for warranty repairs =]