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joaks
Dodge Dakota
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5/30/2004
21:25:16
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 Subject: am i making a mistake?
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i have recently started building a "street stock" 1/4 mile dirt track car. The thing is, its a 1989 dodge dakota sb standard cab 2wd. So far i have the truck gutted, full cage done, and a 400horse 360 in the truck with a slant six 3 speed man. trans. I cut one coil off the front springs and got some stiff rear leafs. The truck isnt completely done but it is drivable, i ran it in my neighbors empty grass feild and up and down the gravel road a few times to start getting a feel for it. It seems VERY squrrily and loose, but fast. Is this truck going to compete with the other CARS in this class or am i an idiot? i have a copy of the rules if needed, any help appreciated. THANKS
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gen1dak
Dodge Dakota
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5/30/2004
23:25:20
|  RE: am i making a mistake?
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Higher center-of-gravity, nose-heavy......not the best choice.
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kmiller
Dodge Dakota
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5/31/2004
11:06:56
| RE: am i making a mistake?
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Just my 2 cents, like the guy mentioned above the high center of gravity, you need to get it a low as you can in the frt & also the rear. Also the heavy nose, if you have the truck gutted it should not be to tough to slide the motor back 6 inches or so w/ some modifications to the fire wall, also relocate anything you can to the far rear battery, fuel cell, etc. One other thing I would look into is new urethane bushings for the cab & bed to reduce the movement, if your tight on money I would do solid mounts. If you do some searches on road/rally racing on this site their were some guys that did some great mods to the early daks imrove handling aton.
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ScojoDak
Dodge Dakota
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5/31/2004
11:22:57
| RE: am i making a mistake?
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Sounds kinda cool! There may be a minimum weight requirement depending on class entered. If so, that can be done with lead weights throughout the truck. With regard to the light back end, strategically placing the weights will balance the truck for better handling. I say balls to the wall and go for it. Good Luck!
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Jeff W
DakotaEnthusiast
6/01/2004
16:59:01
| RE: am i making a mistake?
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Cutting the front springs isnt going to help handling any, either. Get a set of Hotchkis springs for the front, tho they may be too stiff for a rough dirt track. Anyone?
'02 Sport 4.7 auto, Gibson exhaust, homebrew K&N cold air, 275/60 BFG Radial T/A's, Infinity CD w/Pioneer & Infinity spkrs & Kenwood powered sub.
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Kowalski
GenIII
6/01/2004
17:48:34
| RE: am i making a mistake?
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My racing experience is limited to 1/4 mile asphalt "enduro", so I don't have any tips for you - but when people try something different they're not necessarily seen as idiots. People will be checking it out to see how you do; some might approach you with some tips that could help. Good luck !
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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joaks
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
6/01/2004
19:52:50
| RE: am i making a mistake?
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thanks a lot for the help!! the reason i cut the front springs was to lower the center of gravity and get the truck down some, it seemed to help the handling quite a bit, its just a lot stiffer ride. thanks
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