New Ranger Owner - Accessories and Mods - Please Help

Hi,

My name is Marc and I am new to the Ranger world. My main vehicle is a Ford Mustang but I've wanted a truck for a while. After months of searching for a good little truck, I ended up buying a used 2007 Ranger XLT ext. cab (2 door) RWD with the 2.3 4-cylinder - I love this thing! I named it "Rangertron". Since this is my first truck ever, I have no clue about accessories and mods. This is why I came here to seek advice. So far, I only ordered an AEM dry air filter. I have one on my Mustang, too, and like it. I also want to get some window tint installeI am not planning on doing anything crazy to the truck, not even lift it.

However, I would like to add a few things to it and hope people here can give some recommendations:

- Running boards: I want to add some but there are so many out there, I have no idea what to get. Can you please help?
- Fender Flares: Is there any other purpose than looks and protecting the wheel wells? If they help prevent rust on the wheel wells, I'm all for them but at about $400, they ain't cheap.
- Sliding window: Unfortunately, Rangertron does not have a sliding rear window. Do the costs outweigh the benefits of having a whole new rear window with the slider installed?
- Seats: I have the 60/40 seats and while the passenger seat is fine, the driver's seat feels a little worn (not too bad but noticeable). Also, the left side of the bottom part of the driver's seat is worn and will sooner or later rip due to sliding in and out because no running board. What would you recommend? Replacing the whole seat or getting a cover and have some upholstery shop put new foam and cover on it?
- Any other useful mods and accessories?

Thank you!

 

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Welcome to the forum Marc, and congratulations on becoming a Ford Ranger owner! I, unfortunately, don't have any suggestions on running boards and fender flares (not my thing), but maybe I could give you some help with the others.

As for a sliding window, it definitely is a plus for moving fresh air through the cab. My son's 1999 XLT has one and he uses it a lot, rather than the AC. My 2003 Edge has a solid rear window There are aftermarket electric kits that run around $500... of course, a salvage yard manual slider would be MUCH cheaper.

With seating you have three options. 1) Have the 60/40 re-foamed and re-covered. 2) Purchase a pair of salvage yard seats, if you can find a set in good condition and the right color. 3) Replace with a pair of 6-way power seats from an Explorer/Mountaineer... again, if you can find a set in good condition. Most likely, option 1 will be the easiest.

"Useful mods and accessories" is a subjective term. What I find useful, may not be useful (or desirable) to you. That being said, there is a TON of things you can do... ranging from functional mods to simple "spruce it up" things. Not knowing your skill level for mechanical / fabrication / electrical things, it will be difficult to suggest things. On my 2003 Edge, I have done things like leather power seats, full length center console, overhead console, auto dim rear view mirror, auto ON/OFF headlamps, Electronic Automatic Temperature Control (EATC), automatic door locks, Mustang dome light, white-face gauge cluster, leather-wrapped steering wheel, full LED bulb conversion, lighted visors w/HomeLink,, parking assist system, and the list goes on. So, as you can see, there are plenty of things you can do. Now, you must think about what kind of things suit your taste and abilities and then find the how-to section and have a go at it!

Hope this helps!

EDIT: Since your truck is a 2007 model, some of the how-to articles won't follow your wiring color codes. Ford made some major changes to the wiring and such in 2004, so I thought I should put that out there rather than letting you find out the hard way...

 

Thank you for your reply, much appreciated!!

I reached out to a guy who supposedly does a great job making OEM grade seat covers. Not sure though, whether he does re-foaming, too. I'm currently awaiting his response with more details.
The closest salvage yard to where I live has a complete driver seat for $115. The problem is that the picture of the seat is not that great so it is hard to tell if its even better than mine (127k miles). The wrecked truck has 83k miles on it. If it was close to me, I would check it out but it is 2.5 hours away.

As to the back window, I'd only get a manual slider. However, those are $250 (none from a salvage yard close to me available right now) and the removal of my current one/install of the "new" one would be another $200 or so I guess. It would be nice to have but I don't know if it's worth to me that much $$. It would be good for transporting 2x4's I guess but I don't really foresee myself doing that.

I'm impressed with what you've done to your truck. My skill level for mechanical / fabrication / electrical things is nowhere near that, so I guess I'll keep the mods simple. However, there are a few things I would be interested in doing: Mustang dome light (or "a" dome light, haha), maybe a new steering wheel or have it leather wrapped, and a speaker & radio upgrade - thankful for any suggestions/info

 

Hello Marc. I understand that not everyone is a "gear head"! LOL I was an auto mechanic in my younger years (my dad taught me a bunch, too), so it comes a little more natural for me. Most of the mods I have done to my truck pale in comparison to other guy's rides. The Mustang dome is a bolt-in swap. My leather steering wheel is from a 2004 Ranger, but you can wrap your own... there is a guy on YouTube "Chris Fix" that has a video on wrapping his Mustang steering wheel. Tedious, but REALLY nice results! I suppose it is only right to warn you though... once you start doing little mods to your truck, you WILL want to do more! But that's not a bad thing!

 

Hey Mark. Welcome to the club. The first thing I would do is level the truck. A set of torsion bar keys will bring the front end up so
the truck sits level. They cost about $50.00 and install cost is reasonable. I had my driver seat redone for $100.00 you can't even
buy decent seat covers for that amount. 16" rims & tires go a long way to make the truck stand up. Again not a fortune. The sky
is the limit. Imagination and deep pockets are all you need. Have fun with it. Buys still love our toys.

 

Thank you, mhoward and Dchad53! Sorry for the delayed response, work has been crazy busy and will stay for a while. I will look into your recommendations and get on it in spring I think. What I love about the Ranger is that parts etc. are really affordable. Other than my 2016 Mustang GT, which I am modding, as well.

 

Marc, unfortunately, we all have lives that get in the way of our truck fun! LOL