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chaximus
Dodge Dakota
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3/04/2003
00:26:46
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 Subject: Little Accident :(
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Well, i finally got the wheel spacers on and rid myself of the ongoing problems, but yet, another problem appears. I was in a minor accident with my dak right after getting my rims on. Apparently i was drooling at a lifted truck on the side of the road and the car in front of me stopped suddenly. With bfg mudders and very sensitive brakes, i didn't have a chance. Skidded nearly 30 feet and rammed the rear of another car. Lucky the damage doesn't look as bad as it seems. Total damage was $2100. Radiator and fan shroud was shoved into the engine fan, and that blasted the shroud to pieces and halting the fan. I broke off some of the remaining sections of the shroud and got the fan spinning. Here's some pix:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/chaximus/accident/
By the way, anyone know the backspacing on my American Racing 767's? The shop overlooked the 3.75 offset i told them to get and ordered these. The only problem with fitting them was the brake line hitting the rims. They relocated the brake lines (killing one brake caliper) and got em to fit just perfectly. :)
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chaximus
Dodge Dakota
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3/04/2003
00:33:23
| RE: Little Accident :(
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I meant i finally got the wheel spacers OFF. My bad.
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rivermaniac
Dodge Dakota
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3/04/2003
01:00:55
| RE: Little Accident :(
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dude , sorry to hear that , about the rims I wrote a post asking about how you did that .....Those rims have 5" backspacing I believe ................I have the ae 589 for sale ..........
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Canadakota
Dodge Dakota
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3/04/2003
11:59:45
| RE: Little Accident :(
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Message:
Dude, that sucks....
It's pretty crazy how it looks like so little dammage and then you get the estimate and it's WAY higher than what you expected, eh?
Anyways, good luck with the repairs....I hope things work out good for you!
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conig
Dodge Dakota
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3/04/2003
12:48:51
| RE: Little Accident :(
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I've noticed that about dakotas it doesn't look like damage is that bad but the replacement cost is high. depending on were you took it to get it fixed make sure they are not saying you need a new radiator when it could possible be repaired. also most body shops now a days are part swappers as in they say you need a new bumper and it can't be bent out but another shop can bend it out. or you can take a rubber malot to it like I did. lol
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chaximus
Dodge Dakota
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3/04/2003
14:43:15
| RE: Little Accident :(
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Well, i do think the insurance company was a bit costly on some parts. For instance, the grill on the hood cost $300 alone..i mean that little piece of fiberglass. Most expensive part of the entire fix, even the radiator was cheaper.
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Scott
Dodge Dakota
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3/04/2003
17:39:16
|  RE: Little Accident :(
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Sorry about your truck chaximus , I`m sure it`ll be good as new once you get it fixed.
I`ve got a comment on the remarks about bodyshops and the insurance companies though...
I have been in the autobody world for 12 + yrs. now as a painter and I can assure you we (as in bodyshops) aren`t "parts swappers".
First off if you have insurance who cares what it costs to repair the veh. , you are going to be paying your deductable either way , if it`s $1000 or $5000.
That being said most of us pay alot of $$$ for our trucks and when we bang them up they should be repaired to "pre accident condition". If your truck didn`t have bondo in the fender or bumper before , then unless it`s a minor repair , it shouldn`t have a beat out bondo`d fender or bumper after the wreck.
What I`m getting at is we normally "replace parts" instead of fixing them because it makes a better overall repair job , most of the time.
I guess I`m just a little tired of bodyshops in general getting a bad rap...to many Dateline NBC stories. Don`t get me wrong there are plenty of hack shops out there , but as a whole we are nothing like we are made out to be. We have a 99 Volvo in the shop now , the front bumper was tore clean off when it came in , looked like a semi- minor repair. To the average person it just needed a front bumper , how much could it possibly be??? Around $5000 , that`s how much the final est. was , over 2K of it was just in parts. So I`m well aware of something that looks minor being alot more money than you think it should be. BTW.. we don`t make the parts prices the dealers do , just don`t let them try to sucker you into aftermarket sheetmetal , bumpers , or lights...they are all garbage!
Sorry for the long off subject post...good luck with your repair.
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chaximus
Dodge Dakota
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3/04/2003
18:48:23
| RE: Little Accident :(
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Well, i can't really complain on the estimate and new parts cuz, well, it will be NEW :) I only gotta come up with the first $500 of the repair bill. That's not half bad really. I do understand that OEM parts are pretty expensive. My buddy was in an accident with his Ram a while back and requested that his insurance get used parts....and that bought the total from 830 to 300. Big difference. It was cheaper for him cuz he was helping with the labor. i should've done that but just no time these days :(
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stealwings582
GenIII
3/05/2003
11:15:09
| RE: Little Accident :(
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Sorry to see your truck got wrecked. I like your truck. Look on the bright side. You could do something different with the front end. The front end on these trucks are easy to work on and there's a ton of aftermarket parts out here.
Wouldn't want any other!
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lionelbfr
Dodge Dakota
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3/05/2003
15:12:30
| RE: Little Accident :(
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Thats sucks dude, it's a nice looking truck. What type of modifications did u do to your truck? I have a similar truck and been thinking about modifing it.
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chaximus
Dodge Dakota
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3/05/2003
20:49:38
| RE: Little Accident :(
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Modifications? umm....3 inch fabtech...3 inch body, 2 inch rear shackle lift. upgraded to 31 inch bfg mudders. Installed a rear powertrax no-slip locker. Degraded the front end :) (i don't know if that counts as a modification)
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Dragon
Dodge Dakota
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3/06/2003
08:39:11
| RE: Little Accident :(
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Don't feel too bad Chaximus. When I caved in the left front fender of my Dak it ended up being $2400. New fender, new headlight/directional assembly (the previous had many broken mounts and was pointing 45 degrees toward the sky), new bumper fascia, and repainting (and blending into the body).
The only complaint I have against the body shop is they didn't quite realign the bumper fascia on the driver's side, so there is a gap between the wheel well and the fascia. I figure I can fix that when I take the bumper off this spring to add a custom grille insert.
But I was completely surprised by the cost of the repair. So, was it the sheetmetal or the plastic fascia that cost so much? :)
Wouldn't it be cheaper to get a new grille from ebay? I've seen 'em for less than $200 (hell, even the local dealer said a chrome one was $180, $280 for a painted).
And maybe it's time for a new front bumber like four-x-four's?
Still, it's a nice looking Dak.
Michael
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chaximus
Dodge Dakota
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3/06/2003
09:13:54
| RE: Little Accident :(
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Yeah i'm considering the idea of getting a new front bumper, something that would DESTROY them instead of me :) Plus i really want to grab a warn winch and have no paranoid cells in my brain when i wheel alone. But first off, i'm getting that axle flip. Anyone know or got an idea of how much that would cost? I want to get the shackles off asap cuz they cause axle hop which is very irritating on hill climbs. No one sells traction bars for the dakota so i'm just gonna go with the flip. How much ya guys think it cost?
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conig
Dodge Dakota
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3/06/2003
10:10:19
| RE: Little Accident :(
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I think stealwings meant something like getting the stull grille shell with billet insert, a different lower valance such as street scene or stillen clear corners etc. useing insurance money to upgrade.
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stealwings582
GenIII
3/06/2003
10:29:20
| RE: Little Accident :(
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Hey, if your looking for an axle flip kit, let me know. I have one I bought from AIM but decided on not using it. I'll sell it cheaper than they will. What are you going to do with the front end as far as lifting? I'm curious because I have the same setup you do.
Wouldn't want any other!
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chaximus
Dodge Dakota
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3/06/2003
11:04:25
| RE: Little Accident :(
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Is your kit compatable with my 2000 dak? My front's already lifted 3 inches and there's not much else i will do. I will prob remove the shackles and add-a-leaf and just use the flip kit...that's 5 to 7 inches of lift i believe. Since i had to lift my rear 3.5 inches just to be level with the front (cuz i was shipped v-8 springs and it made the front higher), i don't mind lifting the rear 5 with the kit. What's required to do to install it? I'm very interested and i am peeking in my check book right now ;)
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stealwings582
GenIII
3/06/2003
12:10:13
| RE: Little Accident :(
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Message:
Yes, it's for a 2wd 1997-2003 rear end. This kit is 5 inches. You know I just called AIM and they quit making the rear end flip kits for these trucks. They said that they were't making the money on them so you'll be getting the only one around that I know of. I have a question for you on your front end. How much distance do you have between the upper a-arm bump stop and the frame? On mine it's about an inch but I have the v-6 kit. Did they give you v-8 a-arms also? Here is my e-mail address if you want to talk in more detail. g.warmoth@worldnet.att.net
Wouldn't want any other!
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chaxximus
Dodge Dakota
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3/06/2003
22:24:22
| RE: Little Accident :(
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Message:
There's abt 3/4 inch space between my bump stop and frame. I wheeled the hell out of the truck lately so i think they settled some. I used to be hitting the bump stop on every little bump...felt like running over a penny would make it hit.
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stealwings582
GenIII
3/06/2003
23:05:08
| RE: Little Accident :(
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Either you had it aligned to bring it back or your adjustment on the upper a-arm for alignment is loose. I'm kind of blown you were able to use the v-8 springs. Other people I know that have that kit and use larger springs have the bump stop rest on the frame. If it works than it works. Let me know on the rear end kit.
Wouldn't want any other!
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chaximus
Dodge Dakota
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3/06/2003
23:23:55
| RE: Little Accident :(
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I called up my off road store around here and they...well they actually DEMANDED that i don't but AIM products. Guess their reputation is floating all over the place cuz basically everyone knows that AIM/truckin suspension products are low-graded. So i think i'll reconsider getting that flip kit. Sorry dude, better safe than sorry.
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conig
Dodge Dakota
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3/07/2003
10:22:29
| RE: Little Accident :(
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Message:
why couldn't you just get the rear axle of a 4x4? then stuff it with gears and your power trax? I'm thinking of doing this.but it will make my truck ride like a zr2
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stealwings582
GenIII
3/07/2003
11:03:17
| RE: Little Accident :(
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There's nothing wrong with this kit. I made sure myself that everything fits. All it is, is mounts for the u-bolts, so the springs have a mount to rest on and the u-bolts themselves. It'll work dude. I'm not a believer of AIM either but this will work.
Wouldn't want any other!
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chaximus
Dodge Dakota
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3/07/2003
11:30:27
| RE: Little Accident :(
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I rear axle of a 4x4 would cost more than a flip kit and i want my truck staying as a true "4x2" ;)....no 4x4 parts allowed :)
How come u didn't use that flip kit?
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stealwings582
GenIII
3/07/2003
13:16:36
| RE: Little Accident :(
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As far as the flip kit's concerned it would be a lot cheaper unless you could find one on e-bay or in your area that's selling it cheap. But if it's not in your area the shipping will kill you.
Wouldn't want any other!
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Leslie
Dodge Dakota
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5/30/2003
15:11:24
| RE: Little Accident :(
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I was wondering what insurance provider you have and if they were hesitant to insure your vehicle because of the lift. I have a truck with 11 in of total lift and am having a hard time finding insurance that will cover it and keep me from going bankrupt!!!
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chaximus
Dodge Dakota
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5/30/2003
16:37:33
| RE: Little Accident :(
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They covered it cuz they didn't know abt the lift ;)
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stealwings582
GenIII
5/30/2003
17:26:12
| RE: Little Accident :(
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Message:
I have Wawanesa Insurance out of San Diego. They asked me how high above stock it was and I told them it was 6 inches over stock not including the tires. They didn't seem to have a problem with it and haven't raised my rates. YET!
Wouldn't want any other!
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