Pretty big update:
Well for starters the truck has just been a awesome all round vehicle this past year. I purchased it with about 9000 miles on the odometer in June of last year and currently have 22,000 miles on the odometer. Its been used as a truck these last 13k miles to say the least.
Upgrades installed recently:
Curt class 3 trailer hitch off ebay:
The hitch is a curt class 3 I got off eBay. Took about 3hrs to install, is rated to tow up to 6000lbs, pretty solid hitch for the price. So far I've towed both my boat and a load of scrap metal that weighed in at about 3000 lbs. including the trailer (16ft flatbed). I'm going to be installing a brake controller before I tow to much more than that, although it towed it perfectly fine, definitely within the trucks comfort zone.
I purchased the truck with broken seat belts and found/find myself carrying 2 passengers quite often. This proved to be both difficult and illegal so I bought a junkyard black and grey 60/40 seat out of a 06 ranger. This seat is awesome! Its much stiffer than the previous bucket seats and provides me with just a bit more leg room too.
New to me 60/40 bench seat:
I kind of lucked out on this. I was browsing through craigslist and found a brush guard that fit the 93-97 rangers! I was really surprised because I had been searching for a solid aftermarket grill guard without to much success. I got a great deal on the grill guard and thinks it makes the truck look 10x better than it did with lights simply bolted onto the bumper.
Lights on bumper:
New grill guard:
The grill guard bolts to the frame and is welded vs. bolted together. I plan on installing 3 of the 4 offroad lights directly to it while wiring them into my bights vs. having a sketchy switch in the cab. I think it looks great and gives the truck the rugged working truck look that I'm aiming for.
I did also install a nice new pioneer Bluetooth stereo. It pretty much a night and day difference in sound quality before and after.
Stereo:
A few projects I need or want to do:
-Air compressor replace (will be very soon)
-Tailgate bushing repair
-Still need that new windshield
-Custom rear bumper
-On the lookout for a v8 parts explorer with 3:73 rear (swap will take place in autotech next year most likely)
-custom bed rail/headache rack/tool box combo
-electric trailer brakes
-dana 35 or maybe solid axle (not certain yet)
-tranny cooler
-Bedline: rockers, front bumper, grill guard, new rear bumper, bed and headache rack
-sliders
-need to fix dry rotted gas tank filler hose
-need to replace core support (this is going to be very fun)
-some sort of suspension lift will take place
-body will be lifted some with new bushings lol
-needs new headliner
-needs new rear speakers
-needs new dash
-the list goes on and on and on and on with little $$ lol