Bone stock 300k 96 Limited struggling up mountain roads in CO

Hi! I've owned my 1996 Limited for a year now. Bought it from a family friend in the bible belt, immaculate maintenance but some things are TOO stock on this 25 year old beauty.

My to-do list of aging parts-
Steering rack (boot leak)
Ball joints
Radiator

What I've done in the first year of ownership-
New brakes
Valve cover gasket and cam seal
Spark plugs
Transmissions service
Rear bumper
Upgraded the original flood lights to x2 4 inch LEDs

Buuuuut everyone knows planning out preventative maintenance isn't sexy! This is what I'm looking forward to while I still budget out the above list-

6 months ago I moved to Colorado. I've started taking trips into the mountains on weekends and notice the struggle when going up the mountain roads. I have realistic expectations of a 25 year old v6 with +300k miles on it but I'm still going to explore options to see a return to better power now that I live at +5000 FAMSL and want to regularly drive to 10k.

When it comes time, I'd like to install a lift for the first time, so I'm looking forward to learning, will upgrade tires as well.

Lastly, functional cosmetics but the twist is I'd like to design them in a CAD myself. Roof rack, rear bumper, and front bull bar.

 

Hey thank you

 

Welcome. I too passed 300k on my 96. Still good power, even towing a boat....