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gps_jetskier
Dodge Dakota
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5/12/2003
12:35:45
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 Subject: sore after Body Lift install
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Let me take a second and tell you that the PA 3" Body lift for the Dakota has, by far, the worst set of instructions I have ever seen.
1) It tells you to disconnect stuff that doesn't need to be.
2) Has a steering extension that doesn't look ANYTHING like the original column shaft. Get a 90 cuz you have to fit it yourself before it'll fit in there. Who has the tolerance issue there? Dodge or PA?
3) Has little 1.5"x1.25" B&W pictures that are so overexposed that you can hardly see what it is they are talking about. Even then that's for pictures where they just say something like "Remove four wire harness clips from...whatever" and show a picture with an arrow pointing at the front end. Like your suppose to know which 4 of the dozens of clips in the truck to pull. There are sooo many generic pictures in the thing it's digusting....
4) The gap guards don't look like they were even cut for a Dak. The pattern is soo different that I had a hard time figuring out which way to put them in the wheel wells. No joke! Really.
Now don't get me wrong and start flaming. After I got it all on and put enough pins in for the gap guards, I like it...alot....but let's admit. They could do that so much better it's not even funny. My PA BL for my Silverado wasn't THAT poor.
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2K2-Dak
Dodge Dakota
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5/12/2003
12:45:02
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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i totally agree with you with you gps_jetskier. I just put my body lift on 2 days ago(Saturday) and i was so confused with those instructions. What kind of Dakota do you have. Mine is 4.7L CC 2WD and when installing the steering extension i had to cut away a little bit of the motor mount. And does your rear bumper look OK. Mine looks bad right now(i dont know but maybe i put the bracket on upside down or something...but i dont think so.) The bumper sits down and away from the bed to far. All in all the truck looks awesome(minus the rear bumper) now its on to the 5" suspension lift ;)
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gps_jetskier
Dodge Dakota
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5/12/2003
13:07:49
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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01 Quad 4.7L 4x4. What a pain in the hinny huh? I didn't have to cut any of the truck. I did have to custom fit that extension though. I got my head in there and saw that the shaft doesn't look ANYTHING like the extension. There's a great big cahmfer on the leading edge of it. No wonder it wouldn't go in. If I'd of had some blueing ink I'd have known better where to grind.
The rear bumper looks fine, the front isn't quite straight yet. I have to put some washers under it somewhere or readjust the side supports. The back edges are too close to the wheel wells.
Good luck.
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blu4door
Dodge Dakota
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5/12/2003
14:10:30
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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GPS I have a few questions for ya. I haven't gotten my lift on yet cause its been raining so anyway...
#1- What didn't you have to disconect that it said you had to?
#2- Did you have to put that extension in the radiator hose or will it miss the fan?
#3- How long did it take you? I have a bet with my dad that it won't take 10 hrs. and its for a case of beer.
I appreciate any helpful suggestions you have to offer. As soon as the weather clears up I will attempt to put it on. BTW I have an 02 qc 4x4 with thew 4.7. thanks again and congrats on the install
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BIGTYMER
Dodge Dakota
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5/12/2003
14:24:55
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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I'm guessing the install on one with a 4.7 must be a lot harder. I have a 5.2 and I did mine by myself with a pair of bottle jacks and a few sockets in just a couple hours. If you've already done boy lifts it makes it easier though. You don't have to disconnect a thing. All hoses and wires have enough slack in them the only thing that needs to be removed is the fan shroud. Just cut the bottom half off and bolt it right back in.
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gps_jetskier
Dodge Dakota
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5/12/2003
14:35:33
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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Oh boy...now you want me to REMEMBER! 8-)
The connectors that go to the washer bottle and such. Never moved. Didn't need to do that.
The four wire loom clips on the core support, I never figured out "what&where" they were. So it came to "why"...the answer is unknown since the core support moves with the rest of the wire loom anyway. Just look for the obvious ones everwhere else.
Fuel hose...once again...never touched it per instructions from others on this board.
Never dropped the spare either. On this note I did miss a step here. I didn't take the rod out and it bent while lifting. I removed it and bent it back. It's ok now. However, they suggest you drill a hole in some cross member to remount the rod...but I couldn't figure out what cross member. So for now it's zip tied up.
I did not change the rad hose. Now...it looks ok, but I took my fan clutch off. So there was no issue with it hitting the fan for me. On that same note it's gets to 210 and hovers with only the electric fan. Once you start moving it goes back down. I'm looking into a new thermo switch to kick it on sooner. I think after that I'd be ok. If I'm not going to rewire the electric then I MIGHT need to extend it. Undecided just yet, it's only been a day.
I started at 10am Saturady and had it 90% by 7pm that night (by myself). Sunday I finished up the bumpers and gap guards. I probably spent a GOOD 2.5 hours on the steering extension alone though Saturday.
If your dad is helping the suds is yours. If he's not...then it's going to be close.
GOOD LUCK!
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gps_jetskier
Dodge Dakota
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5/12/2003
14:37:33
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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Actually the board says leave the fan shoud in place and use a dremel/rotozip and cut it while it's in place.
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blu4door
Dodge Dakota
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5/12/2003
15:05:18
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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Thanks a bunch gps you just made it simpler. Unfortunately I already took off the spare which is ok since thats where the exhaust will go anyway. WHOOO HOOOO nothing on gods green earth tastes better then free beer!!! LOL
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gps_jetskier
Dodge Dakota
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5/12/2003
15:09:23
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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....Too funny....
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ian
Dodge Dakota
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5/12/2003
15:27:53
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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mine went on pretty simple. i didn't extend the Rad hose but i did remove the shroud and cut it with a dye grinder.
the rear bumper, it sits about .75" low and back just slightly, it doesn't really bother me though.
the steering shaft, took me a total of ten minutes. it went right on and didn't have any clearence issues.
the spare winch, i used a self tapping screw and just screwed the shaft up the the spar, then used a boring bit and drilled an extra hole under the license plate. worked OK.
the instructions, i've seen fifth grades write out better instructions. fortunately for me, a fifth grader could also probably install a 3" body lift. if you can't figure it out on your own, you probably shouldn't work on your truck ever again.
oh yeah, my front bumper relocators were made incorectly, i had to remachine the brackets for the bumper to fit right.
total time, 7 hours including the front bumper mounts(2hrs).
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gps_jetskier
Dodge Dakota
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5/12/2003
15:51:11
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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You made out better then I then. My front sits funny. Out too far, and tilted down in the front. The back of the bumper is touching the wheel flares. Is that how yours was ian? What did you do to make it right? I fiddled around a little trying to make it right, but had other things to do too, so I figured I'd get back to it. It's the only thing that isn't right.
As for your extension...man did you get lucky! I can't figure out who's to blame PA or Dodge. The two ends didn't even look the same let alone dimensionally the same. The extension was too big for the opening too. Once past the bolt hole in the universal, the hole got smaller. In other words the ID is different at the opening then it is farther into the universal. So I had to grind down the extension to fit into the universal. Makes me think that Dodge is to blame here since the extension is a milled part and the universal is a cast part. What do I know....going to get big tires tonight is all I know...
8-)
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ian
Dodge Dakota
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5/12/2003
17:01:47
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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my bumper relocation brackets had to be cut on almost all sides, the holes drilled out slightly, and rebent. it still sits slightly low but is even all the way around.
as for the extension, i couldn't imagine the dodge part being the problem as then it would also include you steering box too. i would return the adaptor.
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BIGTYMER
Dodge Dakota
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5/12/2003
18:47:20
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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Sorry I forgot to mention I already had the spare and all that mess out and had a roll pan on the back so I didn't have to deal with the rear bumper either.
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gps_jetskier
Dodge Dakota
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5/13/2003
07:44:09
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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Overall there was less to do on the Dodgfe then the Silverado, but the directions were lousy....
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blu4door
Dodge Dakota
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5/13/2003
12:29:26
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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Well im sure the front bumper will be a problem since mine doesn't sit straight from the factory. On one side I can't fit my little finger through and on the other my thumb slides through without a problem. Its not very noticable, well except to me. I know I can put the lift on, I just wanted to get a heads up on all of the little stuff thats just thrown in as precautions to save pa's ass when someone messes up their truck and tries to blame them.
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ramhead
Gen II
5/13/2003
22:11:00
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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I don't know about anyone else, but I had to torch the front bumper brackets alittle to get then to fit over the factory fog lights. I went with Trailmaster instead of PA though.
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gps_jetskier
Dodge Dakota
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5/14/2003
07:50:10
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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Interesting. My brackets were no where near the fog lights. two c shaped ones on top of the bumper and two flat one on the sides. Fog lights were out in front of that stuff....
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greenmachine
Dodge Dakota
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5/16/2003
22:54:58
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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it took me about 18 hours to do the install by myself with no power tools (big mistake on both parts - but it was raining and no one wanted to help) my steering extention worked perfect. sorry to hear about your trouble. i had to use some creativity on the brake line bracket to get it to line up right. the fan shroud was cut with the dremel. nothing was really all that hard to do... got lucky i guess. but then again i was the kid who never read the instructions for model airplanes but still got it all right :)
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THRASH1
Dodge Dakota
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5/17/2003
00:59:41
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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I did mine bymyself with no power tools, and it only took about 7 hours, that includes remounting the rear bumper...the pre 2000s must be easier to do..
kevin
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skipdawg91
Dodge Dakota
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5/17/2003
13:20:12
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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the steering extension sucked a fat @#$#. It looked like it would fit, but i had to grind away and the inside to get it to connect to the steering box, which by the way would only go on in one direction, with a hammer and a block of metal to hit it with. Then when i tried to reconnect the steering linkage, it was backwards, so i had to disconnect the steering shaft and turn the universal joint opposite so it would fit straight with my steering wheel straight up and down. And the instructions sucked, they were no help, but it was fairly simple to figure out without the instructions. total time 8 hrs of hungover work time, 1hr passed out under truck, 3 hrs next day to finish up
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gps_jetskier
Dodge Dakota
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5/19/2003
07:43:31
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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That's more like the story I remember. 8-)
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blu4door
Dodge Dakota
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5/20/2003
08:52:40
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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Well I got it on in 8 hrs. The steering extension just took a hammer and a punch turned around backwards to tap it on, it took all of two minutes. I used a rotozip to cut the shroud while it was still on the truck.(what a MESS!) Everything else went on really easily. The front bumper and the back bumper line up perfect. The front one actually looks better than it did from the factory. Oh yeah, the fan did hit the radatior hose so I had a friend pull the clip while I twisted the hose. Then when the fan cleared it by just a blond pubic hair, I tied it back about an inch with some heavy clothesline cord. I know I know, but its a quick fix till I can do it right this weekend. I had to go to work and I was running out of time. All thats left to do is put on my gap guards, and get some 33's cause the factories make it look goofy. I think Ill go visit my dad now to collect on that case of beer!
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gps_jetskier
Dodge Dakota
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5/20/2003
08:59:34
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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8 hours. Well done. Told ya the steering extension is a beeitch. I got Good Year AT/S's. I had to take them back to be rebalanced. Three were out and one we had to try four different tires before we could get one that would balance and not give excessive road force. Drove away and thought I was good, but alas...this morning it's bouncing again. So back to the tire place. I'm going to get some BFG's I think and stop messing around.
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A.J.
Dodge Dakota
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5/20/2003
20:21:04
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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I just put my PA 3in. lift on my 98 4x4 dakota over the weekend and i love it. We ran into pretty much no problems at all except when we had to try and figure oput what the directions we trying to tell us to do. My steering extension went on smooth. It took a couple minutes. we just lined it up and tapped it lightly with a hammer to make it ggo down. I have had no problems. THe lift loooks awsome and it clears the 33s just fine. I didnt follow directions on some parts though. I just cut the whole bottom of my fan shroud off. I didnt even look at the directions for the rear bumper. I just drilled completely new holes in the frame and it is now as every bit as strong as stock and it looks good. Overall the lift instalation is easy but the directions suck.
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blu4door
Dodge Dakota
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5/21/2003
14:02:17
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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yeah I think that I'll probably go with bfg's. I have never heard anything bad about them and they are on everything you see so they must be doin something right. I would be better off with the AT's but I'm going to go with the MT's for the looks. I only put about 10k miles on the truck a year so its no biggy on tire wear. I must admit that the body lift does make the truck look a tad bit meaner. Now if I can just talk the wife into that 6.5 inch suspension lift....
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A.J.
Dodge Dakota
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5/21/2003
21:48:45
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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i went with the BFG m/t's. I love them. The a/t's would have prolly been more practical but i like the looks of the m/t's. I dont put many miles on a year either. They really make the truck look awsome though.
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gps_jetskier
Dodge Dakota
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5/22/2003
08:28:32
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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I did BFG AT's....take a look.
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/jeepme123/lst?.dir=/Lifted+Dak&.view=t
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blu4door
Dodge Dakota
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5/22/2003
11:17:29
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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Nice truck gps. How much is that rack rated for, I'm just curious.
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gps_jetskier
Dodge Dakota
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5/22/2003
11:24:10
| RE: sore after Body Lift install
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Hmm...weled it up it myself out of aluminum....so...not sure.
You could prolly stand in it pretty easy though.
More then I'll ever carry in it.
Really built it for a big 10 point. but haven't got one yet....
8-)
GPS_JETSKIER
01' Quad, 3"PA Body Lift, 285/75R16 BFG AT
SS Nerfs
Line-X
Custom Safari Rack
Custom Prerruner Bar
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