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lEnderl
Dodge Dakota
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2/06/2006
01:21:39
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 Subject: Upgrades
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Hello,
I've got a 2000 Dakota R/T and I'm looking to put real money into it. I'm the kind of guy that doesn't waste a slightly less amount of money on second best material. If I'm going to buy it, I'm going to make it worth every penny.
I'm looking to put more and more money into my Dakota in the near future and I'm looking for suggestions for serious performance upgrades. Everything from what I can buy to how I can setup my truck in general.
As far as my knowledge goes, I'm far less than anything near a mechanic, but I really hope to change that with this particular truck. I want to be able to take apart this engine blindfolded and putting it back together with my teeth.
Anyways, just looking for suggestions for everything from tires to headers to heads to ecu to ANYTHING you can think of that is either the best or is just a matter of preference for the best.
Also, does anyone have an opinion on the Hypertech Hyperpac? I was looking at it and it seems mighty neat! Anyways. Yeah help with anything to taking it apart, putting it together, the mechanics and any parts that you would recommend.
Thanks everything.
And I'm going to start taking apart my engine piece by piece tomorrow. I took the next couple days off just for it. I'm really good at taking things apart and putthing them back together. I just don't know much about anything I'm taking apart. So as I take it apart I'm going to find out what it does! :D
Wish me luck!
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crow318
Dodge Dakota
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2/06/2006
09:09:09
| RE: Upgrades
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I can’t really suggest specific parts because you don’t really have a plan yet. You may want to start by deciding your budget and final goals before you start anything.
How far are you going to take your engine down? If you want to go all out, this is what I would do.
Upgrade the rotating assembly. Crank, rods, pistons ect. Build it with a goal of maybe 8:1 compression, and a 7000 rpm redline. I am by no means an engine design engineer, but with a little research, you should be able to do that no problem.
Get a cam, head and intake manifold designed for forced induction.
Buy a standalone engine management system (with a knock sensor).
Install a blower. I love my ATI, but others will have different opinions. Depending on the use of the truck, a roots style blower may be preferable.
Upgrade the exhaust system, and transmission.
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.boB
Dodge Dakota
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2/06/2006
11:19:10
| RE: Upgrades
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I agree. Get a solid low compression stroker motor built for you with a good set of heads. Call somebody like Hughes Performance. Add full length headers and a good exhaust(watch out for the Emissions Police).
Then install a blower. Best bang for the buck.
Be sure to upgrade the trans and rear. I would consider a manual Tremec 500 or 600 trans. Keisler (sp?) makes a good trans swap kit. If you want to stick with an auto, have one built for the torque. Consider a full manual valve body. If you're going to be drag racing, consider a trans lock.
For the rear I would probably have a Ford 9" with a Detroit TruTrac built by Mosler or DTS.
You'll also have to upgrade brakes and suspension to handle all that. Lowered, Viper brakes, big sticky tires, 4 link rear, etc.
You're talking big bux here. Are you sure you want to put all that into a pick up?
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Kowalski
GenIII
2/06/2006
16:38:08
| RE: Upgrades
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There's a lot of different ways you could go - I'd go normally aspirated, stroke it for more cubes; copmpression more like 9.5:1.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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blkdakota
Dodge Dakota
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2/06/2006
23:47:42
| RE: Upgrades
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hey hows it going i got a 01 r/t and these are the mods i did and let me tell you she moves pretty damm fast. I have the following done
180 tstat, 1.7 rr, m1 intake, gibson headers, 3in flowmaster dump, 52mm tb, b&g flash, and the best of all vortech supercharger. Now if you do put a blower on stick with the mopar pcm bc b&g timing is way to aggresive but thats what i got stuck with bc i have an 01 but if you dont go with a blower do the b&g flash well worth it
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lEnderl
Dodge Dakota
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2/06/2006
23:54:09
| RE: Upgrades
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Definitely.
I hope that my truck makes me poorer and poorer everyday.
I can't find anything on converting my truck from auto to stick, though if I could I'd really like to do that. I know that the Dakota transmissions really crap out, so if I can drop that piece of junk and just throw in a stick shift I'd love it. Can anyone link me to a site where I can find the site and a conversion kit. Or maybe two different sites. I might not have been able to find anything due to spelling. I found the transmission, just the Keisler name didn't come up with any notable results.
I've wanted this truck since it came out in 97. Can you blame me for being more than eager to drop money into it. I already have a Borla exhaust system and some JBA headers.
Where would I go to get these things built?
Thanks alot everyone. This is awesome!
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crow318
Dodge Dakota
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2/07/2006
08:12:08
| RE: Upgrades
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http://www.transmissionsone.com/
There is where you go to get your tranny.
I personally would stick with the auto if you go with a blower. Their power gain is linear and if you get a centrifugal charger like the ATI or Vortech, RPM’s are you best friends. The torque multiplication of an auto is def. an advantage. You can get one built plenty strong for what you are looking for.
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Ender
Dodge Dakota
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2/08/2006
14:54:27
| RE: Upgrades
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"There's a lot of different ways you could go - I'd go normally aspirated, stroke it for more cubes; copmpression more like 9.5:1."
What does that mean?
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.boB
Dodge Dakota
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2/08/2006
15:21:37
| RE: Upgrades
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>> What does that mean? <<
This is going to sound rude, but it's not meant to be.
"Normally aspirated", "stroke", and "compression more like 9.5:" are pretty standard mechanical terminology. Especially in the hot rod world. If you don't know what they mean, you're in over your head.
There's nothing wrong with that, and don't think I'm trying to slam you. We all have to start somewhere, and it's nice to know where you are. But I suggest we "back up the truck" a little bit. I (and probably others) made the false assumption that you know more about this than you actually do. My fault, not yours.
So I suggest you take these steps:
1. Close the check book, and lock up the VISA card. Before you spend another penny, you need to do some home work. Otherwise, you'll end up wasting a lot of dough on parts that don't work well together.
2. Go to the books store or library and do the research. Most importantly, you'll want a series of books by Carrol Smith, "Engineer to Win", "Tune to Win" for starters. "Nuts, Bolts, Fastners, and Plumbing Handbook" is also excellent reading. There's another book called "Prepare to Win", but that's out of print. Find a book like Race engines for Dummies - or whatever - to learn the basics of high performance engines.
Some of this information you can pick up from the internet. But not all that you need to know.
Once you've spent 6-8 months doing the research, then you can spend the money wisely to make the truck work as a whole. Horsepower alone is not what wins races.
3. Find a local shop that you can talk with about what your goals are. A good mechanic who's been around the block (and track) a few times can really save you some money and time.
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Ender
Dodge Dakota
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2/08/2006
15:31:55
| RE: Upgrades
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I understand what you're saying, but the guy I need to explain what I want to do to is my step dad. He's been a mechanic his entire life and he designed and built race engines prior to starting his own garage. Don't get me wrong, I love my truck and want to do all this, but I didn't want to have to ask him what all of this when telling him what I wanted done to the truck. The checkbook isn't a problem and as much as I wish I had time to sit down and read a book on this, I don't. And I'm serious when I say I really wish I could. If you would do me a favor and explain what I ask, I can figure the rest out from him. I just don't want to waste his time. Or yours for that matter, now that I think about it, and I apologize. It's just what I want to know. Rather than sitting down and reading the book, I'm talking to the people who have. Yeah?
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Kowalski
GenIII
2/08/2006
18:09:49
| RE: Upgrades
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Sounds like you're ignoring one of your best resources there; planning on telling your step dad what you want to do instead of asking his opinion could be a big mistake. I'll play yor little game though - stroking is using a custom crank, rods and pistons for greater displacement. 9.5 compression is about as high as you want to go on pump gas - more compression makes more power (also better efficiency, high compression rates are why diesels are so efficient). Too much means engine damage, unless you have enough octane to resist knocking. Normally aspirated simply means no blower or turbo. This can be a less finicky, easier to tune combo. You'd do well to do some reading on this as .boB sugested.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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.boB
Dodge Dakota
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2/08/2006
18:53:02
| RE: Upgrades
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Not a waste of my time at all. What he said.
I would elaborate a little on the compression ratio a little. Static compression is simply how much the air gets squeezed as the piston moves up to the top of the bore. It is easily measured, and is the most common referance point. Do a google search on "Compression Ratio Engine".
There are a lot of factors that go in to calculating the "perfect" static compression ratio. Altitude, engine heat, and cam specs are very important. For example. On an essentially stock cam, iron heads, at sea level, 9.5:1 is about the max for pump gas. But with alum heads, long duration cam, and 6,500' ASL, 10.5-11.0:1 is about max. Do a google search on "Effective Cylinder Pressure".
This site will give you all the basic info you need to understand how it all works.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/engine.htm
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jerry
Dodge Dakota
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2/09/2006
01:30:41
| RE: Upgrades
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Why does everyone buy a R/T if they are just gonna turn it into something that takes away it's identity. If you're just gonna put a stroker in it why not just get a regular dakota. By the time they put on different wheels, body kits, hoods, engines, and everything else it's not anything that even resembles a R/T anymore.
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Ender
Dodge Dakota
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2/09/2006
16:07:32
| RE: Upgrades
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Thank you all very much. I checked out what you told me to search and I love that howstuffworks website. Definitely a filler. It odd that it all makes sense, because I'm not an idiot, but I guess it's just the terminology that gets me, ya know? Thank you so much for the references and the book titles. If I can I'll hit up a borders or barnes and noble and quite possibly the library if I can and give them a look. Might be difficult though because I need to go shop for transmissions. Because, like I knew it would soon, my transmission is giving out on me. So we'll see how that goes. I was looking at the hughes performance 46re to replace the one that came with the car stock. Any thoughts?
And to jerry, I'm really not about taking away the identity of the R/T, I'm about preserving it. When I put money into it, albeit it may change some things, but, to me, performance parts are made more to outlast stock parts. They're better quality altogether and I don't plan on running the hell out of it all the time. I drive it from place to place and every once in a while have a good time with a local racer or some friends. I'm not even LOOKING to put on a body kit or a different hood. I love the way the Dakota looks. As far as physically I just want to put a cover on the back and that's it. The parts are made for power, yes, but they're also made to last. Doesn't that make sense to everyone? I'm not changing the R/T to something else, I'm preventing the R/T from changing to junk.
And thanks again everyone for all the help. I really appreciate it.
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truck guy
Dodge Dakota
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2/12/2006
09:45:40
| RE: Upgrades
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Ender, I have a friend that's in the same boat as you. He owns a 67 GTO with 400CID/auto tranz. And he wants to restore it to better than new condition. His problem is at 40 years old he's had litte knowhow on wrench turning. He know all the terms but no experience doin it. We were working on the GTO one day and we had to change a flat tire, he didn't know where to put the jack on the fram on the car to lift it. At that point I told him I was only ther to help him not do everything for him. I then told him to stop worring about breaking the car and start doin the work himself. After a year of talking online with other GTO owners and learning the ins and outs of hotroding he replaced the intake,rebuilt the carb,and installed a new distrubtor. I then haeped him tune it and dial everthing in. When we finished he thanked me for the advise to learn more about the subject and do things for himself. We all have to start somewhere take your time to research and do things for yourself you'll be glad you did.
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toolfan
GenIII
2/12/2006
19:39:13
|  RE: Upgrades
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take baby steps. your trans is a 46re so the performance one your getting is just a built 46re. that trans is tough just have a shift kit put in it and you'll be good to go unless its in need of a rebuild. let us a know what you want to spend. its not gonna take much to get that thing to move. if your still gonna take the motor apart i think that is a bad idea unless the motor is in need of a rebuild. learn than build! a engine is just a air pump the more efficient the air pump works the more power the engine makes. how old are you? if still in high school take auto.
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Ender
Dodge Dakota
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2/13/2006
14:30:58
| RE: Upgrades
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19 so not in high school anymore unfortunately. You made alot of sense right there. And thanks. If the trans is in need of a rebuild should I just replace it? They told me that the electronics on the Dakota transmissions were faulty. But my dad says that the transmission in my truck is the same in his truck and his is putting down 800 lbs of torque so I'm thinking that the transmission I have is hardy but I know it needs something because it's mad wacked out. First, it was hunting for gears. You know.. where it will drop and come back up and drop and come back up not sure if it's supposed to be shifting so it's not really in a definite gear while it's between shifting. Now it just doesn't want to change gears. And the problem is whimsical so it's hard to definitely identify what it is when I try and explain it to someone. I'm told it could be the electronics or any other number of things. I just want it to be fixed. So I don't know if I should replace it or just have it messed with/rebuilt.
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jerry
Dodge Dakota
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2/13/2006
16:14:32
| RE: Upgrades
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aw for crying out loud! Just wait til' the hemi challengers come out and get one of those if you want performance. Anything you do to your Dak may void the factory warranty, if you still have one that is.
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toolfan
GenIII
2/13/2006
16:15:15
| RE: Upgrades
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cheaper to have rebuilt. if you live in southern ca than i know a good transhop you can go to. its sounds like the trans is in need of adjustment. the trans in the R/T from what i hear is a 727 torqueflite with electric over/drive. get the trans problem fixed like you want to and have the trans shop put in a Trans Go Shift Kit. the shift kit will help lubricate the trans and also strengthen the weak parts.
lets us know what your willing to spend. if you have the patience to learn than you'll be happier with the end product.
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Ender
Dodge Dakota
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2/13/2006
16:38:40
| RE: Upgrades
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Well I can put something like 1500 a month toward my truck and I'm a patient person when it comes to what I want.
The warranty is already out the door so I'm not worried about that.
And, btw, the 07 Challenger is a beautiful machine indeed. 6.1 hemi! soooo nice.
Also, I live in Tampa Florida. Sooooo... CA not so much in reach. Thank you for the advice on rebuild and trans go shift kit. And I'm more than patient. I picked up a few books this weekend from the bookstore. One on engine blue printing, Auto repair for dummies (which was suggested to me..) and an automotive dictionary. I hope to go back and get a couple of the other books suggested from this forum.
I definitely get the basic concept of an engine. it's really that I want to work on it. I want to know EXACTLY what's on it and what it's doing and why. And I want to know it because I want to have either A. Seen it and decided not to change it. Or B, Seen it and changed it myself. I know I can't do that for the entire engine. I'm not mechanic but hopefully with time I can learn bit by bit and gain the understanding I would like. Enough for general tuning and maintenance at least!
And once again, everyone, thanks so much for your help. I think this forum is really cool, especially for people like me who know what they'd like and can come here to you guys who know what they're talking about.
Thanks everyone.
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