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Allan
Dodge Dakota
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6/05/2005
14:40:56
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 Subject: 89 Dakota
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I know there isnt a suspension lift kit for a 89 Dodge Dakota. ( i have the sport model and im able to fit 31's with no problems )ive had the truck for 3 yrs and ive finaly decided to do somthing with this one.
im putting on a 3" Trail master body lift.
Im hopeing to achive a 2" TT, with 2" blocks in the rear also. And with any luck be able to squueze a set of 33's underneath. ( if i can fit 31's stock with 4-5's of lift i should be able to fit 33's dont you think?)
Knaw ive heard of people doing a 91+ lift kit on the front of the 90 and pre Dakota im wondering how much work is needed to do so? and if anyone has step by step instructions for this set up?
thanks for any help!
Allan
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Super-bee
Dodge Dakota
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6/07/2005
02:21:21
|  RE: 89 Dakota
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Message:
Walt Felix did it
and if you go to
http://www.walt-n-ingrid.com/more.html
and
http://www.walt-n-ingrid.com/project_1hidak.html
he made and EXCELENT website
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Allan
Dodge Dakota
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6/07/2005
16:06:24
| RE: 89 Dakota
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Message:
thanks i went to that site found out alot of info.
i have a q. tho is teh extension for the shifter for AUTO's and Manuals? orrr? i know for my explorer only the man. required a extension.. LMK thanks everyone..
Allan
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Super-bee
Dodge Dakota
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6/08/2005
14:04:33
| RE: 89 Dakota
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im not really sure
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steveo27
Dodge Dakota
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6/30/2005
14:18:36
| RE: 89 Dakota
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Message:
allan, i installed a trailmaster 3" bodylift on my 87.
i ran 31x10.5s on my truck for the past year with the T bars cranked 2.5"s (the truck sits about an 1" higher in the front then the back) and a lil trimming (for more flex room)...
you just have to remember, your not really gettin the full 4 to 5"s of lift, your only dropping your suspension down 2 or so inches and liftin the body 3"s higher.
you have to take into consideration the rim width and back spacing. i have 15x8s with 5" bs and they clear everything fine.. with 33x12.5s, im gonna run 15x10s, but the back spacing needs to be dropped to about 3" to be about to not rub lock to lock.
i have about an inch between the tire and frame when the wheels are turned full lock either way. so if i ran the 33s on those rims, the tires would sit out wider another inch each way resulting in rubbing.
the down fall of the dakota is where the body mount is located (right behind the fender) so even if you did a huge trim and hack job to the fenders, you only have so much room til the tire rubs the mount.
ill take some pics to show you the clearance and everything.
as for the shifter, mines an auto, and the kit comes with a peice to extend the shift linkage, and i know the kit also comes with a new shift boot for the manual, but no extension for the 5 speed.
my advice is if you want to run 33x12.5s, run 15x8" rims with no more than 3.75" bs and dont be afraid to do a lil trimming to the fenders...
-steve
..::One Off Kustoms::..
http://www.sounddomain.com/ride/605315
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Walt_Felix
Dodge Dakota
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7/01/2005
08:38:06
|  RE: 89 Dakota
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steveo27, You may be able to squeeze a narrow 33 on a 15x8 rim with a 5" or 5.5" backspace and only have minor rubbing but with just a 3" body lift and cranked torsion bars, I doubt you'll fit 33x12.50 on 15x10 rims with only a 3" backspace and not rub the fenders.
On my 88 years ago, I had 31x10.50 on 15x9w/3”bs rims and I rubbed the fenders slightly with a 3” body lift and cranked torsion bars. The 88 now has 33x13.50 on 15x10 w/3”bs rims and even with the combined body lift, suspension lift and cranked torsion bars, I’ve completely torn up a set of bushwhacker flares on the front.
Even my 96 rubs the fenders slightly at stock height with LT235/75R15 mounted on a 15x8w/3”bs.
__________________
Walt Felix
http://www.Walt-n-Ingrid.Com
http://dodgetruckworld.com/waltfelix
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Walt_Felix
Dodge Dakota
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7/01/2005
08:51:30
| RE: 89 Dakota
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Sorry, I didn't notice at first that you also trimmed the front fenders. I can see it then, but it'll be tight. You don't gain that much space on the back of the wheel well because of how close it it to the floor boards. But you may be able to squeeze them in there. A little bodywork on the floor boards with a BFH may give you a hair more space as well.
__________________
Walt Felix
http://www.Walt-n-Ingrid.Com
http://dodgetruckworld.com/waltfelix
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steveo27
Dodge Dakota
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7/01/2005
14:32:40
| RE: 89 Dakota
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Message:
good to hear from ya again walt, its been a while.
im thinkin ill just be able to clear them. im gonna throw some new pics up on my cardomain page, so if you wanna take a look at what i trimmed, stop by and lemme know what you think.
the truck just looks soo small again since i installed the 3" BL. its reminds me of when i first got it with the 235/75r15s and no T bar crank. it just looks small. i need to do somethin about it.
oh, while im at it... i wanna know what you think here, lift blocks or Add-a-leafs? i need to bring the rear end up about 1.5 to 2 inches. i wanna keep the ride as smooth as possible and iv heard the blocks are gonna make it ride a lil harder.
also, i know youve said where the front ring an pinion gears came from, but i dont remember and im still looking for a set of 4.10:1s for mine. so if you can send me in the right direction, id appreciate it greatly....
thanks again
-steve
..::One Off Kustoms::..
http://www.sounddomain.com/memberpage/605315
ps. im still jealous!
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Walt_Felix
Dodge Dakota
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7/03/2005
12:25:49
| RE: 89 Dakota
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Message:
What's up Steve, I think they'll fit but it'll be tight. I saw a Gen II
truck a bunch of years back at a show the had a 2" body lift and 32's with
the front fenders trimmed. Looked like he didn't have any rubbing but it
was real close. Hopefully you did a better job at trimming as his was real
hacked. He then used a set of flares from a full size Ram. To fill
in the little gaps left by the difference in the body lines he trimmed the
flares slightly and used black silicone to fill in the rest. The rear
actually didn't look that bad and I was almost tempted to do that myself.
The front fenders however were a total hack job. Because the Ram wheel
wells are so much longer, the front flare actually extended down in front of the
side marker lamp with a big gap to the inside. It looked awful. I
thought I had a photo but I can't seem to locate it right now.
In regards to block or springs, helper springs could make your ride harsher
because you're adding another leaf but it depends on the type of helper you're adding.
I went with the type that goes between the axle and the spring pack. The extra
stiffness get applied as the spring flexes beyond a certain point.
The over spring helpers, like I have on my '96 apply more resistance
because they are arched like the springs and apply extra resistance even when
unloaded, but they don't increase ride height either unless you really crank
down on the u-bolts on the ends and even then there isn't much difference in
height. Blocks, in comparison, maintain the same spring rate but you could
potentially experience axle wrap because of the extra leverage the blocks
cause. I myself went with both and then made bars to limit axle wrap.
They're 48" long and are attached to brackets I made on the frame (It's
actually a whole new cross member I fabricated to support the torsion bar lift
brackets and mount the skid plate).
The axle side of the bars tie into the leaf spring/dual shock/axle truss
brackets I made. But I've since removed the truss because of a few issues
I've had with it getting hung up on things. It reduced ground clearance a
little too much.
However, I've started gathering the pieces to redo it all again anyhow.
I just brought these home a few weeks ago.
Front and rear 8-lug, Dana 60's from a 79 F350
Randy's @ http://www.ring-pinion.com
__________________
Walt Felix
http://www.Walt-n-Ingrid.Com
http://dodgetruckworld.com/waltfelix
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steveo27
Dodge Dakota
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7/04/2005
15:26:09
| RE: 89 Dakota
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Message:
wow walt, the more i look at your truck the nicer it really gets. so much engineering into it.
if you could find those pics, id love to see the hack job on the fenders... i saw a dak on 33s and it was all hacked up like that too with the jeep pocketed flares, from far away it looked good, but oh man up close it was a mess.
finally startin a SAS. im even more jealous. keep up the work and keep me posted. i added a few more pics to my page...
-steve
..::One Off Kustoms::..
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Super-bee
Dodge Dakota
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7/06/2005
01:31:23
| RE: 89 Dakota
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Message:
you doin an engine swap too walt?
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Walt_Felix
Dodge Dakota
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7/07/2005
12:34:04
| RE: 89 Dakota
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Message:
Yes, that’s in the plan as well but it’s going to be a while before I can start actual fabrication. Right now and for a little while to come, the house takes priority with the cash flow so the axles are just going to sit in the corner. I was able to work a deal that scored me the axles real cheap or that would be still pending as well. However, when funds permit, I have some HUGE ideas in mind.
The Dana’s are going to be rebuilt with 5.38s and lockers. I’m tempted to cut off the outer mounting plates on the rear and weld inner Cs onto the tubes to install high steer knuckles, making the rear a steerable axle as well. I have to look into how well it’ll work with the suspension design I’m looking at.
For the suspension, I was thinking a triangulated four link in the rear and a custom long arm 5-link in the front. There is a shop not too far from me that makes custom suspensions for Jeeps and I really like their setup. http://www.claytonoffroad.com I was talking with one of their employees at a truck show recently and he said their design can easily be adapted to my application. He showed me a half-dozen trucks they already did suspensions on and I was more than impressed with how rugged they are and how much flex they get. These aren’t show suspensions, they’re designed to wheel hard. So the plan is to have them fabricate the links for me and somewhat copy their configuration using coil-over shocks on all four corners. Still working out some details in that area.
As for the engine, I’m still a little up in the air about that. I’m definitely swapping it out for a new V8 with a new tranny and an Atlas transfer case but I haven’t nailed down specifics. What I’m researching now is how feasible it would be to mount the engine/trans in the bed backwards with a V-Drive connecting the transfer case. I’d really like to shift the center of gravity back as the truck is so damn nose heavy. I’ve found several manufactures of V-Drive units, just need to find someone who would be capable of machining adapters to attach one to the tranny and transfer case. Depending on how feasible it is will decide on what engine/trans combination I go with. If I can figure it out, I may just go with a big block back there.
As you can tell, I have some radical ideas here and there are a few other ideas rattling around in my head, But it’s going to be some time before I actually start building. Right now it’s do the research and collect parts as I can afford them.
__________________
Walt Felix
http://www.Walt-n-Ingrid.Com
http://dodgetruckworld.com/waltfelix
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Super-bee
Dodge Dakota
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7/08/2005
01:26:41
| RE: 89 Dakota
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Message:
damn, im jsut doing a 1995 318 in my 1990
REALLY simple in comparison to whats rattling around in your head
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