Unfortunately, what should be the next bunch of pictures is locked in my old computer that died. You get to miss seeing the disassemble of the two parts sources.

Basically, I lined to two (Dakota and the coupe) side by side and did measuring. The Dakota was a 1990 standard cab long box with a wheel base of 124". It was a 3.9 (pre-Magnum) with a 5 speed, and an 8 1/4 with 2:94 gears. The truck had about 120K on it when dissembled. I drove it to the place it was taken apart, it was a running, drivable truck with a clutch that was not completely disengaging when the clutch pedal was depressed.

The wheel base on the truck was 8" longer then the wheel base of the coupe, but the track width was almost the same.The interior was removed and several measurements were made and compared between the truck and the coupe. It was determined I could reuse the Dakota firewall and floor pan. The width of the Dakota was 3" wider at the rear door post then the coupe was at the same point. At the front door post, the truck was 6" wider then the coupe. (both measured at the inside edge of the doors) The height of the truck, from the bottom of the windshield to the floor was the same as the height of the coupe between the bottom of the windshield and the floor. The coupe doors were 3" longer then the truck doors. The height from the bottom of the Dakota fresh air box to the floor was the same height as the coupe's firewall parting line to the floor. With the two sitting side by side, moving the Dakota cab on the frame towards the rear 7" would put the firewall to front wheel center the same as the coupe firewall to center of the front wheel. Armed with measurements and a plan, the body components were removed from the Dakota leaving the frame with drive train intact. The Dakota frame is nice and straight between the wheels. I determined I could take my 8" out of the frame between the front box mounts and the fuel tank, which I did. It required a shorter drive shaft, and shorter fuel, brake, and e brake cables as well as modifying the wiring. Once the frame was shortened, the cab was sat back on the frame to determine what would need to be done to shift the cab back 7". The old cab mount brackets were removed from the frame and new ones were fabricated. The new rear cab mounts straddle the weld seam on the frame splice, giving me lots of extra bracing at the joint. Moving the motor and transmission back 7" would keep all the drive train in correct relationship to where everything was located on the truck originally. Motor and transmission mounts were fabricated. The cab was cut at the bottom of the windshield posts and at the floor line across the back of the cab and the floor pan and firewall was bolted to the new cab mounts. The Dakota chassis was rolled out of the way and covered.
Next round we will talk about the coupe. Gene