does anyone know off hand if a dakota has the same spread on its perches as a half ton 76 dodge truck?im thinking this may be an easy way to lower a truck becose the rear on a dakota is on top of the leafs.

dont go thru any trouble to find this out for me, i was wondering and cant find my tape measure.

btw i have a 94 dakota rear with earlier 5 lug axles under my 73 dart sport and the wide width fits great with 17 mustang wheals-dakota perches are the same as an a body.

If Dakota perches are the same width as the A body, then they are ~43", and Scratchy says the A body rear is a bolt in for the D series to run, so it sounds like same same ...
I asked this a while back (about Dakota width) and never got an answer.

But I didn't know it was a bolt in for an A body then.

Thanks!

yes,they share the same 43" perch center on the A-body/D-150/DAK

the XJ jeep axle share the same 43" perch centers and can be used in the A-body/D-150 and most likly in the DAK

would be narrow in the d-150/Dak for a tubb job and fattys. should be the same width in an A-body for a replacement.

From the measurements I was given the Dakota axle is only 1/2 inch narrower on each side. Not a huge difference, but I am getting a Shelby Dakota axle for free.... So 3.55 gears and limited slip. And a minitub.

the dakota axle is basically a 60" flange to flange (maybe 61")--- same as a c-body/e-body/D100---what makes it work on the Abody is the high offset wheels from the mustang 2---on my 64 i ran a ram van 9.25 with 3.2+ and hemi magnum wheels---had to put spacers on front hubs to run the same wheels without rubbing on calipers or tie rod ends....bob

Dakota perch widths are different from the '94 to the newer '97. '94s are 43 inches. '97s are 1/2 inch or inch wider, dont just recall exactly however have one on garage floor. If need be just ask and will measure. So if going into '94 body style I guess you are good.

I took a 5 speed out of a 95 dakota four banger that I bolted to a neon dohc 2.0, and while I had the truck for disasembly, I measured the frame, and it was the same width under the cab as my 69 low rider I have in my shop, which also has a 78 front stub weldsed in, under the cab. That same measurement under the cab is the same as my 95 ram's frame. The rear axle was the same width as my 69, which has a 74 8 3/4 out of a d100 in it.
So I cut the front stub out of that dakota, and I am welding it into my 65 shorty, so I can have rack and pinion and disc brakes. I am also using this 4 cylinder 5 speed combo in that truck. Gonna be sweet. Motor did bolt up, had to grind some on the block for the starter to clear, but other then that it bolted up. I used a 97 neon dohc engine. But I think they are all the same.
I find it funny they used the same blue prints over and over, evn from a full size down to the dakota, and all the way back from 61 to 2003, have yet to measure all the points on the 04 and ups. The front frame rail width under the radiator did change alot though.

ok, how about the first gen dak? mines a 90...same frame width?