1996 Black Dodge Dakota SLE 4x4 318 5.2l
 

Around two months ago I bought a Dodge Dakota off a friend at work for $600. The vehicle currently has 237,xxxk miles on it and growing. I know for a fact that the engine is pretty well solid, and well... The transmission and the rest of the drivetrain are starting to dwindle in strength. As for the body itself, The only parts that NEED to be replace and can't be repaired, are both front fender, and the front/rear bumpers. As for the hood/bed et cetera, very, very sun damage to the clear coat, (which will be coming off anyway), can and will be repaired. Interior is fairly clean and may or may not be replaced with newer upholstery to match the exterior. I have plenty of things in mind for this truck to become a lot bigger than it is. Yeah, I say that because it's not considered a full-size truck, but with the engine it has in it, It's almost unbelievable it wasn't made full-size. Anyhow, future work entailed includes:

Exterior:
Hood, repair hail dents, prep/prime for paint
Cowls, prep/prime for paint
Roof, repair any hail damage, prep/prime for paint
Bed, repair tire wells and other areas, prep/prime for paint
Doors, repair any damages, prep/prime for paint
Fenders, replace and install, prep/prime for paint
Below body line, matte black
Above body line, matte dark burgundy/red

Interior:
Dash, aftermarket stereo, new stock AC/heater, replace wooden dash cover with chrome diamond plate
Carpet, replace with black carpeting
Headliner, replace with black headliner
Seats, replace stock upholstery with black and dark red/burgandy outlined cloth.
Steering wheel, replace with new stock steering wheel

Drive-train:
Engine, freshen up, clean, replace with new sensors and pulleys, et cetera
Transmission, rebuilt 46RE transmission
Torque Converter, replace with new performance torque converter
Transfer case, rebuilt transfer case
Differentials, clean, prep/prime for dark burgundy/red paint, new seals/gaskets

Undercarriage:
Prep/prime frame/accessories for black paint

Ride height:
Suspension, (not sure what to do yet because I've not found a decent suspension lift for it yet, please comment/reply if you know of any good ones)
Cab, 3" Performance Auto body lift

Wheels:
16" 6 bolt alloy rims

Tires:
Mickey Thompsons Baja 31"


That's about the extent of the work I plan in putting into the truck. I know in the near future the engine itself will need rebuilt/replaced but I'd rather trust in my 318 and take it as far as it will go with freshening it up a tad. I know I'm putting more money into the truck than it's worth, but to me this truck is worth the world. So yeah, let me know what y'all think about it. :)

Here's some photos of my truck. Oh, and just so y'all know, I've named my truck 'Mater (from Cars the movie).

http://i43.tinypic.com/10xrarn.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/10f8g9t.jpg

Cool Project.... :)
Gooooo Matter!!

Dodge made a lot of progress with this gen of Dakotas. All around but Dakota yet (IMO).

Suspension lifts will be hard to find and expensive being an IFS and not too much demand. You may be able to find some 1-3" lift keys for the torsion bars and throw in some add-a-leafs in the rear. Only other thing to do is a SAS (solid axle swap) but that will lift it quiet a bit if you do leafs. With a 4 link you can keep it lower but it will be very hard to get it to work. Both will be full custom as I'm sure there are no kits on the market.