I have a 2000 explorer cluster, I have SEVERAL explorer clusters 96-01 if you need one, cheap! Should be similar to 03 Ranger
Don't buy anything on ebay yet until you sort this all out. $110! Holy crap I need to put some parts on ebay LOL
I can sell you a cluster for like $20+ ship?

What you want to do is totally possible
You can literally do some simple wiring so the alternator charges and the truck is happy, then remove your whole cluster replace it with bits and pieces of stock / aftermarket, etc
take your 03 speedometer head and needle and mount them to a piece of black plastic if you wish :) lol

You can remove your cluster and drive around, as long as you wire around the battery light the truck will run
You may get a warning chime since you are a 2003, it will chime because the Airbag and or ABS light bulbs are missing, but we can wire around that too 


Yes you can keep your trucks wiring and update/replace the sensors to fit your needs
Example:
My 88 BII uses a 94 Explorer fuel gauge sender grafted to a 88 in tank float then uses the 1988 wiring harness in the dash I have an auto meter fuel gauge that works with a 94 explorer signal. Auto meter does not make a gauge that works with my 88 sender....of course. This is the kind of stuff we get into
Here is my dash, I used a old cookie sheet to mount my gauges, but a new 3d printed gauge bezel (similar to the factory 88 wood grain bit) will be in the works......
You can see if you look close I moved the brights indicator and added an Overdrive ON/OFF light to the tinted plastic "dashpot" in the middle of the gauges. the brights indicator used to be in the speedo. I cut the film from a factory explorer console and rubber cemented the bits to the 88 BII film so the bulb comes on it lights up OD off :). My OD on off button is inside the 96 Mustang floor shifter you see mounted on the floor 


Check this out:
https://www.carid.com/intellitronix/blue-led-digital-replacement-gauge-panel-mpn-dp7009b.html?view=927807&gclid=CjwKCAjwmq3kBRB_EiwAJkNDp2iVlPWmIA7S2mQyvNKHsySpAkbwapoJiGxgDpZD_GE0jw2ao7hr-RoCmjgQAvD_BwE

pretty neat aftermarket option

Last edited on Fri Mar 15th, 2019 01:29 pm by 410customs